#haha get it. cause. my name is mew and cats they. mew. haha

[mew-less]

today i have decided i hate my writing and never want to write again. tomorrow? who knows!

[cheesy-cakey]

You Are Mine

Cater X Yandere reader

[Mentions of murder, obsession, brainwashing, and cannibalism]

3rd POV

It was a normal day at NRC and our one and only Cater Diamond is in the rose Maze painting roses.

But it was unknown to him that a certain girl was watching him from afar

Y/N Pinka, the younger sister of Alchemi Pinka or in other words Che'nya.

She was watching the boy with affectionate eyes. Longingly watching.

She had fallen in love with Cater the moments she saw him.

She knew that they were meant to be.

-flashback-

Y/N was out to visit her brother at his at his school but just as she arrived she saw him go out and so she followed him

She used her unique magic "Guess who" which allows her to alter her appearance to almost anything. Let it be an object. A person. Or nothing at all. Though the more complex it is the harder to keep its form

She followed her brother as she realized he was going to NRC.

She continuously followed her brother to see what kind of fun he's up to.

He went to an unbirthday party at the Heartslabyul dorm. Where his childhood friends were.

And that's where she saw him.

His vibrant orange hair.

His enchanting forest green eyes.

The girl was absolutely mesmerized.

She took in every last detail of his appearance.

"I need to get closer. I need to take in every last detail" she muttered then she got an idea

She snuck up behind Che'nya and pounced on him. Hugging him from behind as she wrapped her arms around his neck

"Hello meow dear brother~" she said as she hugged him closer with a smile

"Nya? Y/N what are you doing here?" Che'nya asked with a cheeky smile

The girl got off and her tail started swinging around

"I wanted to visit mew, but you seem to have decided to attend an unbirthday party. So I followed!" She said as she turned to the others

"I am Y/N Pinka. I'm purr-leased to meet ya!" Y/N said enthusiastically

"It's nice to see you again Y/N" Trey said

"You really need to keep your brother in check" Riddle told Y/N

"I don't see a reason why" she said

"Anyways who are you?" The girl asked

"I'm Ace Trappola"

"My name is Deuce Spade"

"I'm the great Grim! And this is my henchman-" a pretty girl cutted the cat off

"I'm Yuumi"

"Oh and I'm Cater Diamond it's nice to meet you"

Cater Diamond.

That name stuck to her.

She could never forget it.

Since that day.

She changed.

-end of flashback-

Even her brother noticed her change

And it worried him.

And that's saying a lot since it's Che'nya.

She watched him every single day.

She started missing classes.

Her grades started to falter.

Everyone was worried.

What was going on with their precious Y/N.

They didn't know until.

Che'nya POV

I'm starting to worry for my little sister.

Sure she wasn't one to actually take her classes seriously.

But she never had a failing grades before.

And now she started disappearing more often.

Even the people in her school don't know where she goes.

My parents told me to go see if she was alright.

Since I'm the one closest to her in our family. We're worried for her.

I knocked on the door but no one answered

"Is she out again?" I muttered

"I'm coming in" I said as I opened the door

I looked to see Cater....

Wait no.

That's not Cater.

That's Y/N.

She was looking at the mirror as Cater touching the reflection in front of her

The look in her eyes.

I don't like it

"How enchanting. I can't stop looking at these green eyes" she said to herself eyes glued to her reflection

"Y/N what's the meowning of this?" I asked

She flinched as she realized I was here

"Brother!? When did mew get here!? I thought I told you to knock!?" She yelled at me as she turned back

"I did knock. Now tell meow. What are you doing" I asked again

"I guess the cats out the bag huh?" She said looking down

I then looked at her room.

And realized that almost every inch of her wall was plastered of pictures of Cater.

"Do you like it brother? Isn't he just gorgeous? Look at those forest green eyes. His vibrant orange hair. It's all so wonderful!" She said with a smile on her face. But that wasn't the smile everyone grew to love

"Y/N what's all this" I trembled at the sight of my sister

"I want him. From a single strand of his hair to the tip of his toe nail!" (Ngl I gagged writing that)

"Y/N this is too much! What's with this!?"

"Brother could mew blame me when someone is this perfect? His looks, his demeanor, his scent. All of it is perfect. I want him. Please brother I beg of you. Help me" she asked as her eyes were full of obsession and affection toward Cater

"No Y/N! You're going too far! Stop this! You're failing in school! Mom and dad are worried sick! And you keep disappearing off to who knows wh-" then it hit me

"You've been going to NRC haven't you" I said

She stayed silent

"You've been going to NRC to spy on Cater haven't you!" I yelled

She continued to stay silent

"Y/N this is too much! Are mew really going to ruin yourself for him!?" I asked

"What I do is none of your business brother! What I become is not your choice! I dictate what I want to do and you can't stop me!" She yelled

"Of course it's my business! I'm meow brother!"

"Shut up! mew wouldn't get it! You think you know it all! But you don't know how I feel about Cater! I love him and nothing can stop me!"

"Even if he's off the market?" I asked

"W-what?" She stuttered

"Cater had been dating Yuumi for the past month now. Are you still going to go after him?" I asked

I saw the heart break in her eyes.

Like everything she had built up just crumbled Infront of her

"No... You're lying"

"No I'm not Y/N"

She looked down, her ears and tail drooped and stayed silent

Before she spoke

"Get out"

"Y/N"

"GET THE FUCK OUT YOU HEAR ME!" she yelled as she pushed me out and slammed the door shut

"Open the damn door Y/N! We're not done talking!" I yelled as I bang on the door

Eventually I stopped cause I knew it was hopeless

"Y/N needs to stop. It's driving her mad"

Y/N POV

No

No

No

No no no no

"No!" I yelled as I threw a vase at the wall shattering it

I then started to break down crying

"Why.... Just why!? It's not fair! Didn't get a chance to get to know him! Yet someone else already...." I sobbed

I then looked at the mirror. I then shifted into Cater.

I touched the mirror as tears fell from my eyes

"Cater. Cater Diamond"

3rd POV

A week had passed and Y/N hadn't come out of her room

They pried the door open since no one answered and all the food that was taken to her was left untouched

Once they opened it they saw something that made their hearts shatter

They saw their precious Y/N

Dead on the floor gripping onto a picture of Cater.

This sight absolutely broke Che'nya.

He should've tried harder to help get Y/N out from her delusional state

But now he lost his little sister.

The sister he cherished so much.

But for some reason.

It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.

-time skip-

A funeral was held for her.

They invited the people she met at the unbirthday

"I'm sorry for you're loss Che'nya" Ace said

"I can't believe it. She's gone" Riddle said as he tried to hold back tears. Key word TRIED

"Why. Why did she die Che'nya" Trey asked

"She- she got depressed. But I'd rather not say the reason why" Che'nya explained. But he didn't want to say it was because she was heartbroken from Cater

Cater looked at her in her coffin

For some reason this hurted him a lot

He never really got to know Y/N that much. But this hurted him a lot for some reason.

"Cater, are you alright?" Yuumi asked

"Y-yeah I'm fine" he replied smiling at Yuumi

"If you're not feeling well we can go back" she said

"T-that would be nice" he said as he went to the group

"I'm going to head out first. I'm sorry for you're loss" Cater said

"Of course thank you"

"I'm going as well. I apologize for your loss" Yuumi said with a soft smile

This sent a tingle down Che'nya spine

-time skip-

Riddle and Trey went to the Pinka residence to talk with him

"What do you mean? Cater and Yuumi disappeared?" Che'nya questioned

"Yeah. After they left after the funeral they never came back" Trey said

"This just doesn't make sense" Riddle said

They kept thinking and thinking. Till something hit Che'nya

The smile

The smile Yuumi gave him

It's the same smile on Y/N's face that everyone loved

"Y/N!" Che'nya yelled as he rushed to her room

"Che'nya!" The two yelled as they followed him

Che'nya started rummaging through her room

"Che'nya what's going o-" Riddle stopped as he saw her room

"W-whats all this?" Trey questioned shocked at the sight

"The reason Y/N got depressed was because she was broken from the mews that Cater was already taken" Che'nya explained as he continued to go through her things eventually finding something

Che'nya trembled. Tears spilling. But also speechless

"Che'nya? Are you alright" Trey asked as they went closer to him

"What's tha-" Riddle stopped as he saw what Che'nya found

It was a bloody knife.

And a map with markings

"We need to go here" Che'nya rushed to go to the marked location

"Che'nya! Wait for us!"

-at the location-

They were now in a remote location. With a well prepared house.

A garden of fruits and vegetables.

By a lake.

And in the garden.

Was no other than Y/N Pinka

"Y-Y/N?" Che'nya stuttered

This caught the girls attention so she looked up and froze

"Ch-Che'nya? Riddle? Trey? W-what are you guys doing here?" The girl asked

"No- what are you doing here!?" Che'nya yelled

"That's none of your business!" She yelled

"It is! You were dead weren't you!? We buried your corpse!"

She went silent

"Haha. Ahahahahaha! You think that ugly fucking corpse was me? You don't know me that well after all dear brother." She said as the look in her eyes changed

"W-what do you mean Y/N?" Riddle stuttered

"My unique magic doesn't only change my appearance. But change the appearance of ANYTHING. I could change the appearance of Riddle to Trey. A cup into you brother. But most of all change the ugly corpse of Yuumi into an elegant one of me!" She explained

"T-the corpse of who?" Trey asked

"Oops. Looks like I accidentally spilled. I killed Yuumi three days into my isolation. That gave me enough time to adapt into becoming her for the time being"

"So you mean. The one at your funeral"

"The corpse you buried was no other than your precious Yuumi" she smiled psychotically

"Why!? Why did you do this!?" Trey asked

"Cause she took what was supposed to be mine!"

"What?"

"She took Cater before I even had the chance! So when we left the funeral. I took him"

"Y/N? Love who are you talking to?" A voice from the inside asked

Out walked Cater.

Looking the same.

But his eyes.

We're dull.

"No one important dear! I'll be right back in!"

"Alright. Be quick dinner is gonna get cold" Cater then went back inside

"What did you do to Cater Y/N" Che'nya hissed

"Nothing much. Just. Brainwashed him. He's mine. I love him and now" she stopped and smiled

"He loves me"

They froze

"You're not getting away with this sis. You're going to pay for your mistakes"

"Awhh too bad" the girl said as she pulled something out

"I don't leave witnesses" she held the knife as she disappeared

-inside the house-

"I'm back dear!"

"What took you so long Y/N?" Cater asked

"I found some prey! Here" she said handing Cater a basket full of meat (I feel like throwing up)

"Alright I'll put these in the fridge"

Cater then came back to see Y/N sitting on the couch

He went and hugged Y/N

"Cater, dear, do you love me?" She asked

"Of course. I.... Love you" he said

"Do you love me?" He asked

"I do and always will" she said as she kissed Cater

The kiss was deep between them

It was passionate.

But also empty.

They stopped and held each other

"I will always love you" she said

"I'm yours" she stated

And Your Mine

[cemeteryrocks900]

the absolute unit (orange boi) is firestar. he’s 16 pounds and he’s a little over three years old. he lived on the streets before i took him in so i’m honestly just guesstimating his age ngl. leonidas is the lil baby tabby who’s loafing and he’s a little over two. it’s kinda ironic he’s named after king leonidas from sparta since he’s literally terrified of everything. he’s been sheltered and pampered his whole life and he definitely acts like it. mr. mittens is the one with white looking like a bunny and i have no idea how old he is. if i had to guess, a year? maybe? he just showed up one day and followed me home so we kept him.

now firestar is so loving and cuddly and he loves to just wake me up by sitting on my chest. 16 lbs stepping on you when you aren’t expecting it is a lot. he sits by the door and we think it’s because he feels like he’s “protecting” us so we just let him keep doing it. he also likes to lay in my dirty and clean clothes, probably because they smell like me and i’m his “momma”. he’s like “the dad” of the group though. he treats the other two like they’re his children and will try to clean them/teach them to fight properly. he does this high pitched mew when they’re play fighting and they’ll copy his moves after. it’s so hilarious honestly. firestar is known as the one who’s always messing with stuff too. my friends like to say he learned it from me lmao. leo is also very loving (when he wants to be. usually he’s off somewhere sleeping.) and he’ll walk up to me and just meow until i follow him to what he needs. he just lets me know when something needs to be done; it’s funny. i call him “my little princess”. he loves lying in the sun and will walk over to firestar and just roll over and start purring because he wants attention. he and mittens are still a little jealous of the other and it causes some fights because of it but i think they’re starting to actually like each other. i caught them the other day sleeping side by side and i’ll see leo lick mittens sometimes too. mittens is still kinda tentative because we think he was in an abusive home before us but he loves cuddles and attention. literally an attention whore. he’s always playing with our shoes and trying to get the other two to play fight with him. rambunctious tbh. last night, i was petting him and he just took his paws and held my hand down so he could lick it and he wouldn’t let me take it back until he was done. he does this thing where he taps with his paws really lightly before jumping or sitting anywhere. i used to feed them by using one of those gravity feeders but mittens kept gorging himself and puking so i had to start feeding them 2-3 times a day. the three of them each have their own personalities but i think i’ve got them and most of their quirks down. sorry this is so long but i don’t get to tell people about my cats really anymore because i don’t ever leave my house haha. :)

You can tell me about your cats whenever you like!! I loved reading about your cats and learning about them <3 I’m so happy thank you!!

[ichika27]

The World Ends with You

(Yeah, it’s the same screenshot I used for my post about ep. 1. I couldn’t get a new one so...)

Ah, first week without the TWEWY anime to look forward to. I’m actually kinda sad cause I’d miss waiting for the episode every Saturday night (Ani-One posts theirs on that day here). I have some stuff I wanna say about the anime so I thought I’d make one of these plus this is a good way to end the twewy anime blog post series I make every week. I’ll try not to spoil until the very bottom of this post which will have a spoiler warning.

Also, this will be very long and rambly as most of my fandom posts are haha.

Story:

A boy named Neku wakes up in the middle of Shibuya with no memory and finds himself as a player in the Reaper’s Game. For a week he must partner up with a girl named Shiki and both of them must complete missions, battle creatures called noise, and survive as failure meant erasure.

Characters:

Neku Sakuraba - our main protagonist who somehow lost his memories and is now playing the Reaper’s Game. He’s a loner who isn’t too keen on getting close to anyone let alone working alongside anybody - unfortunately for him, it’s a requirement if he wants to survive. As a player he has an assortment of abilities to fight off noise and other enemies (in the game this meant he can use a lot of different pins).

Shiki Misaki - the nice and friendly Shiki becomes Neku’s partner in the Reaper’s Game. Unlike Neku she has knowledge of the game and fills Neku in on things he doesn’t understand. Her ability is to control her stuffed toy called Nyantan/Mr. Mew which she uses in combat.

Beat - the tough skateboarding player, he’s somewhat more like the typical hot-blooded shounen protagonist when compared to Neku. He’s protective of those he care about especially his game partner, Rhyme. He uses his skateboard in battle.

Rhyme - Beat’s game partner who is a lot kinder and calmer than him. Rhyme tends to be the one to reason with Beat when needed and the two are always seen together.

Yoshiya Kiryu - a mysterious boy who seem to know more than he lets on and acts at times acts suspicious. He prefers to be called by the nickname Joshua.

Sanae Hanekoma - a cafe owner who helps out Neku and the others and would give them advice. His advice prove to be very helpful and Neku takes them to heart. Seem to have a lot of knowledge about the Reaper’s Game but doesn’t seem to be a reaper himself.

--

Thoughts:

(I tried my best to not be spoilery in the character descriptions so some names weren’t written in full)

The World Ends with You (or in the original Japanese “Subarashiki Kono Sekai”/It’s a Wonderful World) is an anime based on the video game of the same name. It had to compress an entire game’s worth of story within it’s 12 episode run which meant they cut out a lot of things and combined some scenes to quickly run through them. It’s theme song is the anime version of the game’s original OP “Twister” although this wasn’t what was originally planned but an incident involving the band who sang the original theme forced them to make changes. The original voice actors from the game also reprised their roles for the anime. The series is created to be watched before the release of the long-awaited sequel game.

The art style is made to be similar to it’s game version (with a bit of change to adapt it as an anime like when it comes to body proportions). They also retained the effect of the characters from the UG (players/reapers) being brightly colored while those from the RG having darker/muted colors. While the noise are obviously cg, I personally liked this since they’re said to be from a different plane anyways so it’s a nice contrast to those from the UG and RG. They had to update the setting though as years had passed since the original game’s creation and they had to model anime version of Shibuya to what it’s real life counterpart now looks. The characters are also given smartphones instead of the flip phones they had in the game (anime-only watchers who are gonna play the game would have to get used to them still using flip phones though lol).

Okay so story-wise... it’s rushed. Of course it is. They shortened it so that what’s left would mostly be important plot points from the main story but they cut out many scenes that consist of character interactions and several little things that could’ve fleshed out the characters more. The gameplay is also made simpler with some mechanics taken away and the mini games weren’t adapted (RIP to Reaper Creeper and Tin Pin Slammer, especially the latter as you’re severely missed). The game boast an assortment of characters and some NPCs have their own stories but due to the anime’s limited run time, they had to either be cut out (and are just given cameos) or given smaller roles (and their stories weren’t adapted). They did, however, give a few bits and pieces of information that weren’t in the game such as some details about certain characters and one supporting character was given a bit more screentime that they did in the game version.

Despite the rushed nature of the series (which may or may not affect how one views the story itself), the anime made sure to adapt several important scenes and the dramatic stuff is made worse... like, they really had to make some deaths harder to take. The battle scenes were nice as well although my biggest complaint about them is that the boss fights were over too quickly. There were scenes that were changed for the anime version and there are those that I liked and those I didn’t but there are many which I think was as good as the game’s version.

Do I recommend the anime? The game is better, the characters and story are more fleshed out and the way the character/relationship development happens is better paced so of course, me, biased already would tell you to play the game instead if you haven’t yet. Do I recommend those who played the game to watch the anime? Yes! Yes I do. I think the anime is better watched when you’ve played the game and know the stuff that they cut out cause it’ll make better sense that way. Plus I found it enjoyable seeing the scenes from the game animated and the characters are speaking whole dialogues and moving. It’s great!

Even if the anime wasn’t perfect, like I mentioned before, they did their best to condense the entire main story in a 12 episode series and it tried to be as faithful as it could to the original story so despite the deviations when it comes to how things got to the way they did, if you summarize important plot points, they would be the same (with some details changed). Overall, it was very enjoyable and it wasn’t as bad as I feared when I heard how many episodes the anime was going to have.

--

Some spoiler thoughts:

It would’ve been better if the anime had more episode count than just 12. Cramming a 3 week story of game into just 12 made the thing very rushed with Week 1 only getting three episodes, Week 2 getting four, and final Week getting five. They had to get to the good stuff so they cut off a lot of scenes where the characters are interacting with each other which means they suddenly get character developments and relationship developments too quickly. It might not be that obvious to anime-only watchers but to me, it felt kinda sudden and it feels like it doesn’t work out well story-wise since Neku had to learn how to trust other people and make friends and with how he started vs. how he came out of it contrasting each other.

By the way, they made the characters look good in the anime. Especially Joshua. Have you seen Joshua? He’s so pretty in the anime. I want a picture of him I could stare at anytime I want to (I do not own a phone, sadly).

I like how they gave Eri more scenes though and that they changed her outfit for the anime so she won’t look exactly like UG!Shiki. All of her scenes though made me feel like I wish the anime gave closure to Shiki’s own story by showing us her and Eri making up. Another scene I liked in the anime is Neku’s fanboying of CAT when he finds out the truth. It was adorable.

Some info was taken away from the anime. Beat and Rhyme leaving home had scene dialogue and unlike Beat just narrating it in-game but they didn’t mention specifically why he was angry and his trouble at home. Joshua wasn’t present when Sota and Nao gave Neku a pep-talk either which is a shame cause I think that helped Josh as well. 

I mentioned before how the anime made things go too fast. They cut off chunks of not-main-plot story that let the characters interact with each other more which means each game day is shortened as well. I think it made sense that Neku wakes up at the scramble in the end and not stressed out because he didn’t go through as much as his game counterpart did. That said, game Neku learned a lot from more than just the main cast in the game compared to the anime so I like his character development in the game better.

They took away Tin Pin Slammer. I am sad and disappointed. I was hoping so bad for Another Day to be adapted even if it’s an OVA. That and the ramen incident are part of Josh’s week which meant some side of him wasn’t shown (I mean, anime fans don’t know he wasn’t there on week 3 since he’s busy playing a kid’s game elsewhere and how he could talk about food like he is from a cooking anime). Speaking of Josh, they made him very suspicious from the get-go in the anime. I understand as there’s a limited run-time and they can’t really afford to be subtle about it but it meant some of the fun interactions with Neku is gone and so are some scenes where they actually got along. At least they had ice cream together, I guess?

(I have more to say when it comes to Joshua cause he’s my fave character but this is long and my thoughts on it would make this way longer. I might make another post.)

In the end, it wasn’t perfect but the anime was fun and enjoyable enough that I found myself looking forward to it every week. Seeing scenes I recognize from the game in animated form (with voice acting!) felt exciting and awesome. I’ll miss this show and I still wish it was longer.

If you’ve read this far well, thank you. And also I’m confused why but still hopefully that was a good time-killer. I have so many other things I wanted to comment on but that’s for another time. Maybe.

[lilac-sweet-giggles]

Let’s Just Chat (BNHA Ojiro and Shinso)

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Description: During the preparations and buildings of the Culture Festival, Ojiro runs into Shinso once again. Shinso asks if he and Ojiro can try to hang out and get to know eachother which leads to more bonding than expected

(ft. the help of the lovely @gotmeringinghellsbells​ )

Word Count: (1922)

Just a couple more wood to the gym

Ojiro was briefly helping Sero and the stage group set up some things in the gymnasium. As he was walking on his merry way, a figure stumbles back from their booth and into said Ojiro himself. His tail instinctively caught the person before they could hit the ground and puts his Woods down onto the ground, “Woah you ok?”

“Yeah, I guess so, thanks.” wait, the voice, Ojiro turns around to see the person he recognizes from the sports festival; Hitoshi Shinso.

“Oh it’s you.” Shinso says as he saw the blonde locks and the familiar tail quirk he possesses. Helping him to his feet, the blonde goes to pick up the wood he placed down, “Doing something for the festival?” Ojiro asked the taller.

“Mhm, haunted house.” he says as he points to the decorations in the boxes near the entrance of the potential haunted house, “And yo-“

“Shinso-San! We need your help with some more decorations!” A girl with blonde hair and two pink bubbles following her yelled out to her classmate, the Violette sighs and looks to the house.

“Ok how about this, you have freetime later?” The taller asked the other quickly.

“Yes? Why you wanna meet up?”

“At my dorm?” Huh, He’s never been to Shinso’s dorm before so why not?

“Oh sure, 1-C heights alliance right?”

“Yeah, see you after 6?”

“Sure thing...” the two nodded before parting ways to get back to their festival activities.

———— 

Around 6, Ojiro was walking up to the door of 1-C and waited for an answer, “Oh it’s you! Need to see Shinso?” It was the same girl from earlier with the two pink bubbles that follow her, “Yeah, you know where his room is?”

“Yes I do! Second floor, last room on the end of the hall-“ she says as she directs him to the elevator, “Thanks ms?”

“Kamusu; Tami Kamusu” she says as she held her hand out, Ojiro shaking said hand, “Ojiro.”

After the brief meet, he finally got to Shinso’s room, knocking softly on it and waiting for a response. The door opened and Shinso quickly brought the other in before shutting the door. "Oh um, hi to you too?" Ojiro was a bit confused by the other's rush to shut the door. "Ah, sorry. Just don't want to really socialize with anyone else who may walk by." Oh, Ojiro nodded before looking around. "Your room is pretty cool." It looked a bit like Tokoyami's room with a bit more formal gothic design, cat stuff, and was that an eraser head figurine?

"Mew." The male froze himself, looking to see a small kitten sitting on the bed. 'Aw, you have a cat?" Shinso gave a nod. "Aizawa's had an accidental litter. He wasn't allowed to keep more than two in his dorm so he passed some around. Her name is Smudge." He gently pet the kitten, earning softer mews and cuter purrs. She was such a sweetie! He didn’t even expect the teen to be into cats, who knew?

“She’s sweet.” Ojiro sat on the bed and the kitten gets onto his lap and tried to climb up, sharp claws!! Ojiro gets her off and places her beside his tail and curls the tail around her like a blanket.

Shinso follows and sat next to the blonde and kitten, “So you wanted to see me, what about?” Ojiro asked softly as he didn’t make eye contact.

“We were just busy I guess, so I thought that we could just get to know one another, besides quirks.“ Shinso mumbles the last part briefly, “Oh? Seems fair.”

“I also wanted to apologize for being too irrational during the Sports Festival. Just wanted to get into the top, not try to offend you or downgrade you, Monkey.” Shinso says as he pets the kitten too, “Ojiro.”

“Hm?”

“Mashirao Ojiro, not monkey.” Ojiro chuckles softly

“Oh, damn it....” Ojiro chuckles some more from Shinso’s nickname for him

“Anyway, What is it that you’re doing with your class?”

“Dance + music concert, I’m one of the dancers.” he says as he shyly rubs the back of his neck, “Dancer huh, you don’t seem that excited though.” Shinso says to Ojiro.

The tail twitched awkwardly as Ojiro tried to think of a response. "Uh.... well... just kind of nervous. I've never really danced in front of people before." He looked down as he spoke before slowly bringing his hands up to press his index fingers together. "Mina is in charge of it; She's really good at breakdancing." Shinso quirked a brow before sitting down with the kitty. "So shouldn't you show yours to your classmates too? Seeing as your going to be dancing anyway maybe get used to people being there."

Yeah, he had a point huh? "Yeah, probably should do that. So hows that haunt-" he was cut off. "Show me." Huh? Ojiro looked up shocked before Shinso realized how demanding he sounded. "Ah, sorry. I'd like to see if you're comfortable." Oh,um, Ojiro blushed.

"Don't tell me you have stage fright." He nodded awkwardly before feeling a hand on his back and on his stomach. "W-What are you," the other smirked. "My dad used to do this when I'd get nervous before performances. It loosened me up and made me feel better about what I was doing." Aizawa may have done it a bit here and there to mess him up on his form. Which worked but he wouldn't stop after the male failed. Lectures were hard to hear when tickled.

"Huh? What do- NAH!" Ojiro's tail stuck straight out as the male covered his mouth, eyes wide. Oh no.

The kitten escapes and goes over to her big ol kitten house as she lets the two interact. This gave Ojiro the chance to fall onto the bed and shove at the hand on his stomach, “Hehehe what’s that for??” Ojiro laughs as he wags his tail.

"Didn't you listen," Shinso chuckled. He gently started to tickle Ojiro's tummy. "Sthahahaop! Thahaht tickles!"

“That’s the point, Dumbo. It’s go get the butterflies out, or am I increasing the butterflies?” Shinso was just straight up in thought.

“Pffff don’t phrase it like thahahahahat!” He was wearing a thin t-shit so this wasn’t helping him be protected. Fingers moved gently over his stomach than dug into his sides. Ojiro looked like a beetle stuck on it's back as he tried to squirm around and free himself. From under his curled legs, his tail was going a mile a minute under him. Has he always wagged his tail when it came to these things? Who knows?

Shinso wanted to take the hand away from Ojiro’s mouth; it was the first step to get him less nervous. Ah the hell with it-

He goes forward and takes the hand from said mouth and there it was; The giggling smile, he’s never got to see Ojiro smile, especially from the Sports festival, "H-Hehehey! Shinso!" Ojrio had one eye open, stuggling, but open. His face was starting to turn pink despite the tickles starting to stop. "How is tickling me going to make me less nervous?"

“Well for starters; you’re showing me you now uncovered smile.” Shinso points out as he ruffles the blonde locks.

....now that Ojiro noticed, he was also showing his blush, huh....

This only caused him to blush more before he curled up some, tail hiding his flustered face. "Stooopppp." Pffff, dork

Shinso chuckles and scoots around to get to Ojiro, continuing to mess with his hair, “Pffff stop that!“ Ojiro says as he reaches for the hands but as his arms were up, the hands went to Ojiro’s underarms and that’s when they clamped down, “PFFFFF SHIHIHIHINSO!!!!!”

The male threw his head back before bucking and squirming about. "Leheheheht ghahahao! Leheheht ghahahao!" He slightly scoots the blonde into his lap, head resting as it looks up to Shinso.

“So how’s it going, Monkey Brains?” Shinso asked as he smirked and saw the boy’s slight eyes opened, Ojiro’s laughter picking up just from the smirk looking down at him.

“HAHA THIS IS TORTURE!!” His Tail says otherwise, wagging like the pup-cat-monkey he was.

"Should I stop, huh?" The other blushed before looking away. He was too emabressed, “Y-Yes-“ What the-

THAT LITTLE SHIT-

HE USED HIS BRAIN WASH ON HIM-

He watched Shinso move and lay down on the bed, his head on his pillows,“Sit up and lay right next to me?” wait what?

Under the quirk, he follows what Shinso said and then felt Shinso spoon in from behind, huh? Then he felt a small flick of the finger at his forehead, snapping him out of it, “Ow, What was that for?” He asked as he rubs the small flicked area Shinso flicked at.

Shinso shrugs and just spoons into him some more, arms around his torso while his chin rested on Ojiro’s shoulder, “.....too shy to ask.....” PFFFF AW SHINSO-

Ojiro blushed before smacking him with his tail. "Ask anyway! I don’t like being a zombie." Shinso chuckled. "Your a cute zombie though." Cheeks were puffed before tail swats ensued. "Ow, hehehe hey! Okay,okay! Ah, in sorry!" Ojiro showed mercy to the other before sighing.

They stood for a moment in time, Ojiro getting a bit more used to the affection he was getting from Shinso, then the Violenette spoke up, “Speaking of zombies, Imma be one in the haunted house.” huh, Ojiro didn’t expect that.

“Wait really?”

“Mhm, covered in rag clothes, blood, Imma look like a freak.” he says as he once again ruffles the addictive blonde locks, they were soft. 

“Pff, more of a dork than a freak...”

“A dork huh? Would a dork do this?”

Shinso leans in and noms along his neck, tail riling up again and squealing madly, “GAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

“Would a dork do this?” Shinso asked once again, “YEHEHES THEY WOULD!!” Ojiro laughs as he then felt the noms of said zombie.

“HAHA DON'T EAT ME YOU DOHOHOHORK!!!!” Ojiro laughs

Ojiro continued to attack him with his tail, eventually being released from the other. "Alright, alright. Would you like me to walk you back to your room?" The other hummed before smiling. "May I sleep here?”

.....well then; It was Shinso’s turn to blush.

“You wanna sleep here?” Shinso asked a second time to confirm if he heard right, “You mind?” Ok it wasn’t a dream-

The messy haired teen nods his head and laid back again, “Not at all.”

Ojiro smiles some more and took his phone out his pocket, texting Kaminari that he was gonna hang out with a friend that was in general studies and places the phone over the headboard shelf.

“For once I did a good idea.” Shinso chuckles to himself and passes another blanket to Ojiro to use in case he gets cold some more.

“And all we did was talk to eachother...wanna call a truce?” Ojiro asked as he looks to the other with his natural tired eyes, “Yeah, truce.” Shinso says as he pulls the covers over the both of them.

“Good, Night Shinso.” The tailed teen says as he closes his eyes and nuzzles into the warm dark covers, “NigHT-“ uh, he looks down to the covers and saw the tail at Shinso’s feet.

A small chuckle came from Ojiro and an eye that was still peeled open, “....or maybe we could stay up a bit more....”

Oh boy, time for Ojiro’s vengeance....

[aalissy]

Kitten Noir

Day 27 is doneee!! Kind of a longish chapter today haha :D. I hope you guys like it! Chat is certainly happy to be a cat dad lololololol :'). Lemme know what you think <3

AO3

Marinette gasped with awe, slowly picking up the small, black cat and cradling her to her chest. She looked around her surroundings, wondering how it had managed to climb up onto her balcony. Gently running her fingers along the kitten’s back, she cooed at it, “What are you doing here, little kitty? How did you even get up here?”

The black cat merely blinked up at her with bright, curious green eyes. Its head tilted cutely as it mewed up at her. Squealing, Marinette cuddled it closer to her before carefully ducking back inside of her room. Once she was inside, she gently placed it onto her bed, noting the lack of collar on the small creature.

“Marinette?” Tikki called out to her, “How did you find a kitten?”

“I don’t know,” she grinned at her kwami, “She was just on my balcony upstairs. I’m not even sure how she got up there.”

Turning her attention back to the small cat on her bed, Marinette noticed how its eyes seemed to hone in on Tikki. The kitten slowly stood up on all fours, her butt wiggling some before she pounced on the kwami floating next to her. Luckily, Tikki gasped and flew up and away from the small cat’s swatting paws. Her kwami huffed down disapprovingly at the kitten.

With a quiet snicker, Marinette reached for the black cat before it could do any lasting damage to Tikki. Once again, she scratched it gently, watching as it opened its mouth into a small, quiet yawn. Smiling down at it adoringly, she grinned before sighing quietly, “You’re the cutest thing ever. I almost hate to let you go. But I’m sure your owner is missing you very much.”

Tapping the small cat’s pink nose with her finger, she giggled once again as it sneezed, wiggling her nose back at her almost in annoyance. Laughing at the kitten, Marinette scooped it up again, carefully climbing down her ladder before placing her in one of the empty boxes she had lying around. Watching it curl up contentedly, she gave a soft smile before cooing at it, ”I’ll see you soon, ok, little kitten? I’ll be right back, I’m just going to get you some food and water,” turning to Tikki happily, she asked, “Can you watch her for me? I don’t want her getting out and causing a mess.”

“Of course,” Tikki nodded, “Just don’t be too long, alright?”

“I won’t be,” Marinette grinned back over her shoulder before ducking downstairs into her kitchen. Looking through some of the cupboards, she grabbed out a tiny bowl before filling it with water. Humming quietly to herself, she pulled out a few slices of ham, chopping it into small pieces for the little kitten. Placing the pieces on the plate, she carefully climbed up the stairs into her bedroom. Slowly, Marinette crept towards the box she had left her in. Curiously, she noted Tikki’s absence but shrugged it off, calling out to the little kitten, “I’m back kitty. And I brought dinner.”

When she got to the box, though, her eyes widened in disbelief. The cat was gone, and she searched her room with alarm, terrified Hawkmoth had found out her secret identity and taken both her kwami and the cat. Her mouth falling open, Marinette called out desperately, “Tikki, are you still here?! Are you alright?!”

“You named your cat Tikki?” an almost smug voice called out to her and she snapped her eyes up in a panic, only to see Chat Noir leaning on her bed, cradling the kitten to his chest. He stroked the cat’s back, peering into its bright green eyes, “I was much more partial to Kitten Noir, myself.”

Heaving a deep sigh of relief, she realized that Tikki must have hidden away when that disastrous cat snuck in. Glaring up at the superhero on her bed, she crossed her arms, “Chat, you just gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here?!”

“I was only dropping by to see my favorite purrincess,” he pouted at her innocently before he grinned down at the cat in his arms, “But then I heard little Tikki over here meowing and I couldn’t stop myself. When did you get a cat, Marinette?”

“I found her on my balcony this morning, surprisingly. Oh, and her name’s not Tikki,” Marinette added almost unconsciously before placing the bowl and plate down on the floor.

“She’s not?” Chat’s head tilted at her, “Then why did you call out for a Tikki earlier?”

With a quiet wince, she looked back up at him. His eyes were narrowed some in suspicion and she cursed quietly in her head. This is not good! Chat met Tikki before when he changed into Mister Bug. With a small gulp, Marinette waved her hand in the air, chuckling nervously, “I was um... trying out names! Yeah! I was hoping one of them would be her real name. The one her real owner calls her. You’re right, though, Tikki doesn’t fit! Guess I’ll just have to come up with another one.”

Chat’s eyes lit up as she realized he bought her lie, “May I suggest Kitten Noir once again, then?”

With a quiet giggle, she rolled her eyes at him, climbing up the ladder to face where he was lying on her bed, “I highly doubt her owner calls her Kitten Noir.”

“You don’t know that!” he said almost defensively, “Don’t listen to her, Kitten Noir. I think your name is purrfectly pawfect!”

Shaking her head at him slowly, Marinette carefully scooped up the cat from his arms, ignoring his indignant squawk and the cat’s small, almost protesting mew. Carefully, she climbed back down the ladder and placed the cat in front of the plates she had previously brought up. Almost instantly, she went for the water bowl, lapping up the delicious liquid inside. With a quiet coo, Marinette pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of the adorable creature.

She heard Chat also breathe out with awe and she turned to him startled, not having heard him make his way off of the bed. He nudged her with his elbow, “She’s adorable, purrincess. You’ve gotta keep her.”

“Chat...,’ she trailed off before he shushed her.

“I can help too! I’d be a great cat dad!” he puffed up with pride, “And I’m sure your parents will let us keep her.”

Marinette’s lips twitched at the use of the word us before she looked at him solemnly, “I’m sorry, but Chaton, it’s not up to me. She most likely has an owner already and I would hate to take her away from them.”

Chat’s pout deepened as he blinked his wide, green eyes at her pleadingly, “And if she doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll ask my parents,” she sighed quietly before turning to the kitten who was now happily chewing on the small slices of ham, “But she is really cute!”

Chat practically cheered, wrapping her up in his arms as he hugged her tightly, “Thank you, purrincess!”

Giggling, Marinette hugged him back as she shook her head at him, “Don’t get your hopes up, kitty.”

“Mhm,” he nodded with a bright grin as he nuzzled closer to her.

Eventually, she blinked down as she felt something cuddle up against her leg with a small purr. Smiling brightly down at the black cat, she scooped her into her arms, “Did you finish your dinner, little one?” she scratched her head softly.

The kitten mewed at her before yawning sleepily once again, burying her face into Marinette’s arms as her eyes closed. Cooing down at the precious thing, she looked up at Chat Noir who was also looking at the small kitten. The superhero sniffled, brushing a hand lightly over the kitten, “I’m so proud of our little Kitten Noir.”

Snickering at him, she rolled her eyes, “We’re not calling her Kitten Noir!”

“Why not?” he whined at her.

“Because it’s almost as bad of a name as Chat Noir,” she teased him, winking playfully.

“Come on Marinette!” he whined louder.

Giggling, she slowly placed a pillow and blanket into the box she had left the kitten in before. Fluffing the warm objects, she carefully placed the sleeping kitten into the makeshift home, trying to avoid waking her. With a bright beam once the kitten was safely in the new spot, she turned back to Chat, shaking her head, “I can’t believe I have to deal with two strays now,” she whispered at him. 

“Aw, but we’re both adorafur,” Chat grinned teasingly at him.

Placing a hand on his chest, she pushed him back up to her ladder, speaking softly, “You need to go now! I don’t want to wake up Kitten Noir.”

“See, you do like the name,” he smirked down at her.

Rolling her eyes, Marinette spoke sarcastically, “Yes! It’s the best name ever!’

“Well that’s purrfect,” he purred at her before bidding both her and the sleeping kitten a goodnight as he ducked out through her trapdoor.

“Goodnight, Chat Noir,” she called fondly after his retreating figure.

[yellowroseanddreamstorm]

Chapter 2: The Rebels

It wasn't long before the liberation of Necromas' territory was underway. The Dawn members acted with great haste, removing workers from the camps and getting them into proper homes, medical treatment, food, whatever they needed and apprehending any of Necromas' remaining forces that were refusing to surrender. It was a slow process but it was something wonderful to see nonetheless.

Especially for The Dawn's leader, Admiral Nari Wong.

Nari smiled as she observed all the activities going on around her, doing her part of making sure everything stayed orderly and provided aid when she could.

I'm just happy we finally got another place liberated. Finally making more dents in the Ecliptic Claw's territory.

"And then, SHINK! The mane came clean off!"

"Whoa…"

Nari turned her attention over to a group of liberated camp workers who were talking over an open fire and meal. More specifically, a young one of the bunch seemed to be telling some kind of story.

"What happened after that?" one of the worker's asked.

"After that, Leonideas declared the territory was no longer Necromas' or the Ecliptic Claw's then just walked off after letting out a huge roar. I don't know how he did that but it was amazing and chilling at the same time."

Nari gave a flat look at the mention of Leonideas' name.

Ah… That explains why the raid worked out so well. Our old lion friend.

Nari sighed, shaking her head.

She didn't hate Leonideas. Far from it. However… he was a little annoying in her eyes... and a pain at times. Mainly in the fact no matter how many times they had tried, he had never sworn allegiance to The Dawn. He was fine with helping them but he didn't want to be affiliated with them. For some reason. He never disclosed why.

Regardless, Leonideas had been a huge help to The Dawn in recent times but Nari couldn't help but be weary about the man. A man who only follows his own motives was something to be cautious about. After all, said motives could possibly one day conflict with theirs.

For now… she was grateful for the time being he was useful to them.

Let's just hope it stays that way.

"Admiral Wong."

Nari looked to the side to see two soldiers approaching her. They gave a salute before speaking again.

"We've received word from King Solleo of Aurorias that Princess Elara is on her way to the planet to provide resources and aid to our cause."

"Ah, perfect. Please keep an eye for her ship then and ensure she arrives here safely. Last thing we need is the Ecliptic Claw getting their hands on her. When she has arrived, please bring her to me right away."

The soliders saluted again.

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!"

Nari smiled, nodding.

"You two are dismissed."

Both left without another word, leaving Nari to her work.

A liberated dome and a new source of relief on the way.

Nari chuckled

Today is a good day.

oooooo

The outside world of the domes was a mystery to many. Some wondered if it was just as bad as the insides of the domes or if it was better. No one was really sure… except for those who did roam the outside areas. Be it members of The Dawn… or those hiding in the shadows, going about their services in their own ways. Having goals of their own to tend to.

Unlike popular rumors of those in the domes, the Earth outside was beautiful. Lush vegetation, clean air and skies that at the moment of time were a beautiful gradient of orange and red. As much damage as the Ecliptic Claw had done to the spirits of those who inhabited the Earth, they had in an odd way helped the planet heal from some man made causes.

The young alien hummed to herself as she led a group of Pantherians, young and old in a straight line. Where they were going, they weren't sure but as far they knew, the bug like alien had promised they would be safe. As did her human companion.

Her six legs had a rhythm to them as she continued on, twirling her staff a bit.

"Gotta say, Leonideas really put on a show today, don't ya think Jim?" the alien asked her human companion.

Jim nodded, folding his arms behind his head.

"Oh yeah, never fails to show who's boss. Though…" There was a glint in his eye. "He's gonna be hearing about those claw marks on his back from his medic."

The alien girl brought a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh too loud before leaning in close to Jim, whispering to him so the Pantherians behind them couldn't hear.

"Are you gonna need a big needle?"

Jim chuckled.

"Maybe, Laika, maybe."

Jim stumbled a bit as a young Pantherian tugged at his arm.

"Mr. Human?" They asked, their tail swishing. "Where are we going?"

Jim gave a gentle look, patting their head, giving a small scratch behind the ears.

"Somewhere where you will all be safe from the Ecliptic Claw and from… not so accepting members of The Dawn."

Laika frowned at this.

"Hate the fact we have to do this with that second factor in mind but… given what's going on right now…"

Jim sighed.

"Yeah, just better to be safe than sorry."

They soon came upon an opening in the ground that had a set of stairs in it. At the bottom of those stairs, was a warp panel.

Jim and Laika turned to the Pantherians.

"This will take you to a hidden base on the moon." Jim explained. "After you pass through this portal, there is no returning to Earth for a while. It is your choice if you wish to stay here or to go."

Jim and Laika stepped aside, waiting to see how the group would respond. It was a moment before Pantherians started to walk up to the warp panel. One by one they disappeared from site. Laika and Jim made note that only a few had decided to not go. They didn't chase them though. Their choice was theirs and they wanted to respect that.

Soon, it was just the two of them… well, so to speak.

Laika looked around before making a chirping noise.

"Here, Kiwi!"

A kiwi bird emerged from a hiding spot, scurrying over to her, making its way onto her shoulder. Laika smiled, nuzzling the bird.

"There you are. Keep the portal nice and safe for us?"

"Chirp!"

"That's my girl."

Jim chuckled, before looking around, making clicking noises with his tongue.

"Abyss! Here kitty!"

It was a minute or so before a black cat with long fluffy fur emerged from its hiding spot, its yellow green eyes glimmering a bit in the dark setting. The cat ran straight up to Jim, nuzzling his legs.

"There's my boy." Jim stroked the cat's fur. "Kept Kiwi out of trouble?"

"Mew!"

"Oh haha." Laika smirked. "More like my Kiwi kept Abyss out of trouble."

"... Point taken." Jim lifted Abyss into his arms. "Regardless, they got each other's backs."

"Just like we have each other's backs."

"Yup… Now, just need to find Xross."

"You rang?"

Laika and Jim looked to the staircase, seeing a young man dressed in clothes with purple glowing designs and a cloak on over it. His purple eyes glinted with mischief as he approached them.

"There's our man of the hour." Jim chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder once he was close enough. "Holding up alright, Xross?"

"Yeah. Necromas wasn't too bad. Only thing that currently hates me is my back." Xross gave a sheepish look. "Speaking of, think you could…?"

"Let's set up a camp then I'll work on treating ya."

"I'll get the campfire ready!" Laika grinned, hurrying out. "We're gonna feast tonight!"

Jim chuckled.

"She's been going on and on about us having Martian fish soup. Should've seen how excited she got when she was able to buy some Martian fish at the market."

"Ah, I see." Xross grinned. "Well, I look forward to trying it."

"Me too, but first, let's treat that back of yours."

Xross gave a nod, following Jim out of the opening in the ground.

Laika was already busy at work setting up a small fire and a cook pot. She hummed to herself as she got her ingredients together, Kiwi setting up her tools for her.

"Med bed is ready for use." Laika pointed to a bed roll that wasn't too far from her set up. "Do as you please."

"Thank you." Jim nodded, shedding off his back pack. "Alright, Xross, let's see the damage."

Xross nodded, removing his cloak, shirt and chest plate before lying down on the bed roll on his stomach.

"Do your worst, Bro."

Jim smirked, examining Xross' back.

Xross had done a quick patch job with some gauze and tape over the claw marks, both soaked in quite a bit of blood. Jim carefully removed them, getting a better look at the injuries. They weren't deep, thankfully, but there were some minor burns and slight skin irritation.

"Okay, not too bad. A quick disinfectant should do the trick on the burns and irritation. No stitches this time… save maybe for your battle clothes."

"Already fixed them up." Xross closed his eyes, grinning. "Nano sewing bots make clothing repair so easy."

"That they do." Jim smirked, digging into his backpack and pulling out his tools, getting to work. "Though I hope you're not saying that just to make me feel good about my little inventions."

"I'm serious." Xross had a glint in his eyes. "I wouldn't swipe them for no good reason."

"I'd like them back once I'm done with treating you here. My little bots should not be anywhere near battlefields."

"Hey! I kept them safe-"

Jim gave Xross a small poke on one of the claw marks.

"Ow!"

"Says the guy who was near fire and could've gotten mauled by a Pantherian if he wasn't careful."

"I won, didn't I?"

Jim rolled his eyes, finishing up his treatment on Xross' back.

"Next time, just leave the bots with me and I'll patch everything when you get back, okay?"

Xross sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright, alright, fair enough. I know how much you value your babies."

"Yup and done." Jim put his tools away, dusting off his hands.

Xross sat up, quickly slipping his shirt, chest armor and cloak back on.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Now, you better rest for the day and give those claw marks time to heal."

"Mew!"

Abyss climbed up into Xross' lap, purring loudly.

"And Abyss here is gonna make sure of that."

Xross chuckled, scratching the cat behind his ears.

"Oh, yeah. No on dares defy the cat on lap rule. Besides, a rest sounds great right now. I love helping people as Leonideas but right now, I just wanna be Xross and relax for a bit."

"Sounds good to me." Jim sat down next to him. "We can kick more Ecliptic Claw butts another day."

"Exactly."

They looked over to Laika, seeing she was busy at work, her and Kiwi dancing a bit as they worked around the cookpot.

"Hey, Lai Lai, how long till we feast?" Xross asked.

"Gonna need another hour." She kept her eyes on the pot. "Gotta cook the fish just right to get all the juices and such. It's gonna be good." Her mouth watered. "I haven't had this in years and I hope I can make it just as good as Mama does."

"I'm sure you will." Jim smiled. "If you need any help don't be afraid to ask."

"Thanks but I got this." Laika giggled. "You two relax."

"Very well."

"If you insist."

The three sat in silence. Well, mostly silence, save Laika's humming of Martian songs and Kiwi chirping along with her and Abyss' purring. Xross and Jim got lost in looking up at the sky, counting stars as they started to appear.

"I'm at 299, you?" Xross asked.

"500." Jim smirked. "501… 502…"

"Oh shut it."

Xross focused on trying to count faster, tuning everything else out. His concentration broke however as he saw a light streak across the sky. His eyes widened as he saw it increase in size, the streak making its way down the sky.

"You seeing this?" Xross asked.

"I am." Jim got up.

Abyss hopped out of Xross' lap as he stood up as well. Laika looked to the sky, her eyes wide with wonder.

"A shooting star?" she asked.

"Maybe?" Jim narrowed his eyes. "It's still going too."

The streak soon came to the horizon line, its size indicating it was close to their location. There was a loud boom and shaking as it hit the ground, a flash of light in the distance.

"I… don't think that was a comet." Xross looked upward, noting two other streaks of light in the sky. Spaceship streaks. "... I gotta check it out."

Xross dug into his backpack, pulling out what looked like a headset with lion ears on it. He slipped it on, tapping a button as his lion helmet appeared over his head and face. Without another word, he bolted towards the crash sight.

"H-Hey! Xross!" Jim yelled, chasing after him. "Wait for me!"

Laika stayed where she was, Kiwi and Abyss standing by her sides. She shook her head, focusing on the cookpot again.

"And thus another night for this rag tag team..."

[lovemesomesurveys]

January (Month Survey #1)

Warning: These surveys are long. Take at your own risk.

National Days

Jan 1. National Hangover Day: What’s the worst hangover that you’ve ever had? The one after the last night I ever drank. That night was horrible. I got so sick and it was embarrassing and ugh it just ended up ruining the rest of the night. I still trip out because I honestly don’t recall drinking that much, but I got really drunk. I guess the drinking games made me lose track or something. Thank goodness for my best friend at the time who took care of me. I couldn’t really sleep that night cause I got sick a few times and just felt like shit and the rest of the day I just did absolutely nothing. I didn’t even want to look at alcohol for awhile.

National Bloody Mary Day: Do you believe in the Bloody Mary folklore? No, but I still don’t mess around with that kind of stuff.

Euro Day: Do you have any Euros? No.

National Black Eyed Peas Day: Do you like listening to the Black Eyed Peas? How about eating them? The group was cool, I liked a few of their songs. I’ve never had actual black eyed peas.

Apple Gifting Day: What’s your favorite type of apple – red, yellow, or green? I’m not an apple gal. Well, when it comes to the fruit. I love Apple products haha.

New Year’s Day: How did you celebrate New Year’s? My mom had to work until 11PM and my brother was at a friend’s house and was spending the night, so it was just my dad and I. We got takeout and watched the New Year’s Eve shows, but he ended up falling asleep a couple hours before midnight. My mom got home just in time to watch some of the New Year’s Eve shows before midnight and then we watched the ball drop, so at least I wasn’t alone. My dad slept right through it lol. It was a very chill night.

Jan 2. National Buffet Day: Where’s the best buffet in your area? The only buffet I liked was Mongolian BBQ. You put your noodles, meats, veggies, toppings, and sauces yourself and then they cooked it right in front of you on a big, round, super hot grill, so I felt comfortable consuming it. Other buffets where the food is brought out for everyone to have access to... yeah, no thanks. 

World Introvert Day: Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Oh, I’m an introvert all the way.

Swiss Cheese Day: What meat do you typically eat Swiss cheese with? Ya know, I don’t think I’ve ever had Swiss cheese. 

National Cream Puff Day: Do you like cream puffs? Have you ever made them before? Yeah, they’re good. I’ve never made them, I just bought them from the frozen food section at the store lol.

Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day: Have you ever tried to climb a flagpole before? No. I couldn’t do that even if for some reason I wanted to.

National Personal Trainer Awareness Day: Do you have a personal trainer? Nope.

National Science Fiction Day: What’s the last science-fiction novel you’ve read? The Hunger Games series several years ago.

Happy Mew Year For Cats Day: Do you prefer cats or dogs? Why? I’m a dog person, personally. I’ve always had dogs and I just vibe more with them. Mine have all been so loving and sweet and silly and pure.

National Pet Travel Safety Day: Does your pet do well during car rides, or do they hate it? She doesn’t like them. 

Jan 3. National Drinking Straw Day: Do you use drinking straws at home, or only out at restaurants? I use a straw with everything I drink.

Festival of Sleep Day: Do you enjoy sleeping, or do you spend most of your time awake? I love sleeping.

Humiliation Day: When’s the last time you were humiliated? Why? Let’s not get into that.

National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day: Do you prefer chocolate-covered cherries or chocolate-covered strawberries more? Strawberries. 

National Fruitcake Toss Day: Do you like fruitcake? No. It just doesn’t even look appealing to me.

J.R.R. Tolkien Day: Have you read the Lord of the Rings series? What did you think of it? Nope. I’ve never seen the movies, ether. Just wasn’t of any interest to me.

Jan 4. National Missouri Day: Do you know anyone who comes from Missouri? Well, not from there, but my dad lived there growing up and I have family out there now.

National Spaghetti Day: Is spaghetti one of your favorite Italian dishes? Yessss. Spaghetti and meatballs, specifically. 

National Trivia Day: Do you enjoy playing trivia games? Any in particular? Yeah, those like Trivial Pursuit and Scene It.

World Braille Day: Do you know anyone who can read Braille? No.

World Hypnotism Day: Have you ever felt hypnotized before? Can you describe it? No. 

Jan 5. National Screenwriters Day: Have you ever written a play or some other sort of script before? Nope. I’ve written short stories and fan fiction, though.

National Whipped Cream Day: Have you ever used whipped cream for sexual purposes? Nope.

National Keto Day: Do you or anyone you know follow a ketogenic diet? Not that I know of.

National Bird Day: What’s your favorite type of bird? Hummingbirds are neat.

Jan 6. National Thank God It’s Monday Day: Do you actually prefer Mondays to Fridays? Why or why not? The days are all the same to me now, but back when I was in school I always dreaded Mondays.

The Epiphany (Three Kings Day): Do you celebrate this holiday? No. I had to Google that because I had never heard of it before.

National Bean Day: What’s your favorite type of bean? (ie: baked, lima, green, etc) Refried beans.

National Technology Day: What’s your favorite piece of technology that you own? My laptop and phone.

National Shortbread Day: Have you ever eaten those Trefoil  Girl Scout shortbread cookies? Yep. I love shortbread cookies.

National Cuddle Up Day: Who’s the best cuddler you know? My doggo. 

Jan 7. National Bobblehead Day: Do you own any bobbleheads? Of who? I have a Chewbacca one.

National Tempura Day: Have you ever tried tempura before? Did you like it? I’ve had chicken and vegetable tempura, which is really good. 

Old Rock Day: Would you be interested in digging for fossils? Only when playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons haha. That’s part of my character’s daily routine.

Jan 8. National Argyle Day: Do you own any clothing with argyle print? Nope.

National Bubble Bath Day: When’s the last time you took a bubble bath? When I was a kid.

Male Watcher’s Day: Do you like to people-watch? It can be interesting. 

National Take the Stairs Day: Do you prefer the stairs or the elevator? I can only take the elevator.

National English Toffee Day: Do you enjoy eating toffee? I’ve had more toffee flavored things than actual toffee, but yeah.

Elvis Presley’s Birthday: What is your favorite Elvis Presley song? Can’t Help Falling in Love.

National Joygerm Day: How do you treat people with kindness? Do you typically have a positive attitude about things? I try to be understanding and openminded, I try to be a good listener, I don’t put people down or belittle others, I try not to be rude or impolite, and I try to help if I can. I don’t have a positive outlook when it comes to myself, but I can for others. We could even have the same issue and I’ll be able to see it differently for them than I do for myself. I’m forgiving when it comes to others and I’ll see the good in them, truly believing it, but I beat myself up all the time. 

National Winter Skin Relief Day: What do you treat your skin/lips with, when they are chapped? Ugh, I have that issue in the summer as well it’s so annoying. Anyway, I just use lotion and chapstick. I don’t use it as often as I should, though, for some reason. It would definitely help. I should also use a face moisturizer. 

Jan 9. National Apricot Day: Do you prefer apricots dried, in fresh fruit form, or the canned version? I don’t like apricots at all.

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day: Do you have issues with people of authority? I have an issue with the bad ones who abuse their power.

National Static Electricity Day: When’s the last time your hair succumbed to static electricity? Hmm. I don’t recall. I remember doing that with a balloon when I was a kid, though lol.

National Balloon Ascension Day: Have you ever released balloons purposefully into the air? No, that was so sad whenever it happened. RIP to all the balloons I’ve ever lost. 

Play God Day: What would you do if you were in charge of the entire universe for the day? Noooo way. I will gladly leave that to God.

Jan 10. National Bittersweet Chocolate Day: What’s your favorite type of chocolate? White chocolate.

Save the Eagles Day: What are bald eagles symbolic of? Strength, freedom, bravery.

Peculiar People Day: Who’s the most peculiar person you know? Hmm. I don’t know. I use that word to describe things more often.

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day: What do you do in order to save energy? We wait to run the dishwasher and washer and dryer until after a certain time. I think it’s after 7PM.

National Oysters Rockefeller Day: Have you ever had baked oysters before? Did you like them? Nah, I’m good.

National Houseplant Appreciation Day: Do you have any indoor plants? How about outdoor plants? No indoor ones, but my mom has a couple outside.

Jan 11. National Arkansas Day: Have you ever been to Arkansas before? Nope.

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day: Do you know how to use Morse code? No.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day: Do you know anyone who’s been a victim of human trafficking?   Nooo. I can’t believe that goes on, horrific doesn’t even begin to describe it.

National Milk Day: Do you prefer white, chocolate, or strawberry milk? I liked strawberry milk when I was a kid. I could totally go for a strawberry milkshake, though.

National Girl Hug Boy Day: Have you ever been the one to make the first move? No.

National Hot Toddy Day: Have you ever made yourself a hot toddy before? Nope. I’ve never had one.

National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day No question for this?

National Vision Board Day: Do you have a vision board? Have you ever made one before? What would be on it? Nope. I have no idea what I would do for one.

Jan 12. National Pharmacist Day: When’s the last time you visited the pharmacist? Uhhh, it’s been a long time. My mom or brother just pick up my medicine for me.

National Sunday Supper Day: Do you have big Sunday dinners with your family? No. 

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day: Who’s a fabulous man that you know of? lol what an interesting day. Anyway, hmm. I don’t know.

National Marzipan Day: Do you know what marzipan is? Have you ever made it/had it before? I know what it is, but I don’t think I’ve had it. I definitely have never made it.

National Curried Chicken Day: Do you enjoy curry? Have you ever had it before? I’ve only had it once, but I remember liking it. It’s spicy, right? I can’t have spicy food anymore. :/

National Kiss a Ginger Day: Have you ever dated a redhead before? No.

National Youth Day: Do you know of a child who made a huge difference in society?   I’ve heard stories of kids who have done really awesome things for charity and to help their communities, especially during the pandemic. 

National Glazed Doughnut Day: What’s your favorite type of doughnut? Maple or glazed cake donuts.

Jan 13. National Rubber Ducky Day: When’s the last time you used a rubber ducky in the bathtub? When I was a kid.

Stephen Foster Memorial Day: Do you like any songs by Stephen Foster? I had to Google who that was, and the only song I think I know is Swanee River. 

National Peach Melba Day: Have you ever had a Peach Melba before? How was it? Nope. Had to Google that, too.

Korean American Day: Do you know any Koreans immigrants who now live in America? No.

National Gluten-Free Day: Do you know anyone who has to follow a gluten-free diet? Not personally, but a couple people I watch on YouTube have celiac disease. 

National Sticker Day: Did you like stickers as a kid? I loved stickers. Stickers are still awesome. Although, I never know what to do with them now, ha. I can’t commit to putting them anywhere.

National Clean Off Your Desk Day: Do you have a desk in your room? Is it organized? Nope. My desk is my bed, ha. It has my laptop and some other stuff that a desk would likely have. My bed is where I spend most of my time, so.

International Skeptics Day: Are you skeptical of anything? What? Yeah. Like when reading something online, for example. Or certain news stories.

Make Tour Dream Come True Day: Have any of your dreams actually ever come true before? Uhh well, I’ve had dreams about going to Disneyland and I’ve gone. ha.

Jan 14. National Dress Up Your Pet Day: Have you ever dressed up your pet before? In what? Yeah, she has a few sweaters and Halloween costumes.

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day: What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? Deli sandwich with turkey, salami, Monterey Jack cheese, pickles, mayo, mustard, and oil and vinegar spread is my favorite. I’ll have that at home, too, but it always taste best when I get it from somewhere. I like bologna sandwiches as well.

Ratification Day: Do you remember the significance of the Treaty of Paris? Yeah.

International Kite Day: Have you ever flown a kite before? Nope.

National Shop For Travel Day: When’s the last time you went shopping for a vacation? Back in February before our Disneyland trip. I can’t believe we were in lockdown/quarantine about a month later. 

Jan 15. National Booch Day: Do you like the taste of Kombucha? I’ve never tried it and have no interest to. My brother loves it.

National Hat Day: What does your favorite hat look like? It’s rose gold and has a little white Mickey Mouse symbol on it that I got from Disneyland.

National Bagel Day: What kind of bagel do you eat most often? What do you put on it? I haven’t had a bagel in years, but I always just had a regular one with cream cheese. Strawberry cream cheese is really good.

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day: What’s your favorite flavor ice cream? Strawberry.

Museum Selfie Day: When’s the last time you went to a museum? Several years ago.

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day: Have you ever made your own juice or lemonade before? How was it? Lemonade, yeah. It was good.

Jan 16. National Nothing Day: When’s the last time you did absolutely nothing all day? Everyday?

Appreciate a Dragon Day: Are dragons your favorite mythical creature? Nah, I’d go with fairies. 

National Without a Scalpel Day: Has anyone ever used a scalpel on you before? Yes, for surgical procedures.

Get to Know Your Customers Day: Is the customer really always right? Why or why not? Not always, that’s for sure. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from people I know who work in retail and yikes. People can be so rude. 

National Religious Freedom Day: Are you a religious person? Yes.

National Fig Newtons Day: When’s the last time you ate a Fig Newton? I’m not exactly sure, but I know it’s been yearssss.

International Hot and Spicy Food Day: What’s the spiciest food you eat? I can’t eat spicy food anymore D: I used to be obSESSED, though. I put hot sauce on just about everything and loved spicy chips and ramen and just everything.

Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day: Have you ever been on a diet before? Did it work? I’ve had to be on high protein and high caloric diets before and I’m supposed to be on one now, but gah. My appetite is a mess and I have other issues that affect my eating and yeah. It’s hard. Jan 17. National Bootlegger’s Day: Do you know anyone who makes bootleg DVD’s? No. I don’t really hear much about that anymore like I did back in the day.

National Hot Heads Chili Day: What do you like to eat in your chili? I can’t eat chili anymore, but back in the day I loved it spicy. 

National Hot Buttered Rum Day: Are you a fan of rum, or do you prefer another type of alcohol? I don’t like any alcohol.

Ben Franklin Day: Name at least one of Ben Franklin’s inventions. The lightning rod.

Michelle Obama’s Birthday: Do you miss when her husband was back in office? I don’t like getting into politics. 

Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day: How long do you keep your New Year’s Resolutions for? Do you even make them in the first place? I stopped making those years ago. 

Jan 18. National Winnie the Pooh Day: Who is your favorite character from Winnie the Pooh? Awww I love Winnie the Pooh, he’s my favorite. I really vibe with Eeyore, too. 

National Michigan Day: Do you live in Michigan? Nope.

National Gourmet Coffee Day: What’s your favorite “specialized” coffee drink? The winter drinks at Starbucks.

National Thesaurus Day: When’s the last time you used a thesaurus? Recently for something, I forget why.

National Peking Duck Day: Have you ever eaten duck before? No.

National Use Your Gift Card Day: Where would you like to get a gift card to? Hmm. BoxLunch would be cool.

Jan 19. World Quark Day: Have you ever heard of quark? Nope. I just Googled it, though. Doesn’t sound appealing.

National  Popcorn Day: What’s your favorite seasoning/flavor of popcorn? Good ol’ movie theater popcorn with salt and lots of butter. I also love this garlic parm seasoning I get at the store.

National Disc Jockey Day: Would you rather have a band or a DJ at your wedding. DJ.

World Religion Day: What is your religion? Do you have one? Christian.

National Tin Can Day: What’s the last can that you recycled? My family and I recycle our cans and plastic bottles. The last can I had was a Starbucks Doubleshot coffee energy drink.

Jan 20. National Cheese Lover’s Day: What’s your favorite kind of cheese? I loveee cheese. Various kinds.

Martin Luther King jr. Day: In what ways was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. influential? He was a huge influential leader in the civil rights movement and helped spark major changes. He was a very courageous and intelligent man.

National Buttercrunch Day: Have you ever made butter crunch before? Nope.

National Penguin Day: What’s your favorite thing about penguins? Their little waddle and how they mate for life. They’re so cute.

Jan 21. National Hugging Day: Are you a hugger? Not really. Like, I’m not one to initiate a hug. Hugs from certain people are really nice, though.

National Granola Bar Day: Do you eat granola bars? What’s your favorite flavor? I used to all the time. The Quaker Oats chocolate chip, peanut butter, and s’mores ones were my favorite. Sunbelt oats and honey granola bars are really good, too.

Squirrel Appreciation Day: Squirrels or chipmunks? Chipmunks. Aww, this reminds of Ty because he was squirrel and I was giraffe.

International Sweatpants Day: How many pairs of sweatpants do you own? Only 2. I’m a leggings gal, I have a shitload of leggings. I feel like a cartoon character when they show their closest lol.

National Banana Bread Day: Do you prefer your banana bread with or without walnuts? How about chocolate chips? Without walnuts, hands down. SO good. I’ve never tried it with chocolate chips.

National New England Clam Chowder Day: Do you like New England Clam Chowder soup? No.

Jan 22. Celebration of Life Day: Do you believe that abortion should be legal? Why or why not? I don’t like getting into political and touchy topics like this.

National Blonde Brownie Day: What’s your favorite type of brownie? Fudge brownies. Yum.

Library Shelfie  Day: How often do you visit your public library? I haven’t gone since I was in high school, so it’s been over 10 years.

National Southern Food Day: What’s your favorite Southern food/meal? Biscuits and gravy.

National Sanctity of Human Life Day: Do you believe that all humans have some sort of value? Yes?

National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day: Do you talk to your pets? Of course! All the time.

Hot Sauce Day: How hot do you like your hot sauce? I can only handle a little mild hot sauce now. D: I used to be obsessed with spicy foods and hot sauces back when I could have it.

Jan 23. National Handwriting Day: Do you prefer printing or writing in cursive? Printing. 

World Spay Day: Are all of your pets spayed or neutered? Yes, my doggo is spayed. That was done before we could bring her home from the adoption shelter.

National Pie Day/National Rhubarb Pie Day: What’s your favorite type of pie? Cheesecake. That’s the only kind I like.

Measure Your Feet Day: How big are your feet? I have small feet. I wear a 6 in womens (US). I can wear a 3.5/4 in kid’s, too. That’s the size my Adidas are.

Jan 24. Beer Can Appreciation Day: What’s your favorite type of beer? Ew, none.

National Compliment Day: What’s the last compliment that you’ve received? I don’t even remember, it’s been a long time.

National Peanut Butter Day: What’s your favorite food that involves peanut butter? Reese’s. 

International Day of Education: Why do you feel that education important? There’s a lot of benefits to being educated. It helps you gain knowledge about the world around you, helps you build and form opinions, make better, well-informed decisions on certain things, helps you learn skills that will be beneficial for you... there’s a lot of reasons.

Global Belly Laugh Day: When’s the last time you laughed so hard you cried? It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good laugh like that.

National Eskimo Pie Patent Day: When’s the last time you had an Eskimo Pie? I’ve never had one.

National Lobster Thermidor Day: When’s the last time you ate lobster? I don’t eat lobster. Or any seafood.

Jan 25. National Opposite Day: Have you ever been attracted to someone that was the complete opposite of you? Yes.

Community Manager Appreciation Day: At your workplace, do you have a good manager/boss, or not? Are you your own boss? I don’t have a job.

National Irish Coffee Day: Have you ever had an Irish Coffee before? Nope.

National Seed Swap Day: What’s the last seed you planted? I’ve never planted any seeds.

National Florida Day: Do you know anyone who is from Florida? Not personally, but a few YouTubers I watch are.

Chinese New Year: What is your Chinese animal? (the year of the ___) Snake.

Burns Supper: Favorite poem by Robert Burns? I don’t think I’m familiar with his work.

Jan 26. National Green Juice Day: Do you drink any sort of health drinks? Nope. 

National Peanut Brittle Day: Do you enjoy peanut brittle? Nah, it’s too hard.

National Spouses Day: Do you hope to get married one day? Why or why not? I don’t plan on getting married.

Australia Day: If you were to go to Australia, what would you want to see/do first? I’d probably want to go to Sydney. 

International Customs Day: What do you think of the current level of border security in your area? Uhhh.

World Leprosy Day: Do you know anyone who has leprosy? No.

Jan 27. National Bubble Wrap Day: As an adult, would you still be interested in popping bubble wrap? Um, absolutely! You’re never too old for bubblewrap. 

National Chocolate Cake Day: Do you prefer chocolate cake or another flavor instead? I much prefer white, funfetti, strawberry, or red velevet.

World Breast Pumping Day: If you have a baby, would you breastfeed or formula feed? Why? I’m not having kids.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Do you know of any Holocaust survivors? Eli Wiesel, the author of Night, a book about his horrifying experience during the Holocaust and in Nazi concentration camps, came to talk to my sophomore English class.

Wolfgang Mozart’s Birthday: Do you like to listen to Mozart? I have an appreciation for a lot of piano pieces.

Punch the Clock Day: Do you have to punch in and out at work, or do you have a paper time sheet? I don’t have a job.

Jan 28. National Have Fun at Work Day: What is one fun thing about your work?

National Blueberry Pancake Day: Would you rather have blueberry pancakes or chocolate chip pancakes? Blueberry.

Data Privacy Day: Have one of your websites ever been hacked before? Yes, back in the day.

National Daisy Day: Are daisies your favorite flower? No, but they are pretty.

National Lego Day: Do you follow the building instructions if you have a Lego kit, or do you build your own prototype? I haven’t played with Legos since I was a kid, but I just made my own things for the most part. I do remember attempting to make some of the things they showed on the container the Legos came in.

National Kazoo Day: Have you ever played a kazoo before? Nope.

National Plan For Vacation Day: Where would you like to go on vacation? A lot of places. I wish I could just go on a vacation at all right now. :(

Global Community Engagement Day: How do you play a part in your community? Uhhh. I’m not involved in any community things.

Jan 29. National Corn Chip Day: Fritos or Tostitos? Both are good.

National Puzzle Day: How many pieces was the last jigsaw puzzle that you completed? I have no idea, I haven’t done a puzzle since I was a kid. I’ve actually been wanting to do one recently, though.

Jan 30. National Croissant Day: What do you like to put on your croissant? They’re just good on their own.

National Inane Answering Message Day: Do you leave voicemails, or do you hang up and try again later? If I’m calling my doctor I might leave a voicemail, but usually I’ll just try again later. I hate leaving voicemails, though. If I’m calling my parents, I’ll just call again or send them a text.

Jan 31. Inspire Your Heart With Art Day: What form of art would you be most likely to try your hand at? I like to color, but that’s as artsy as it gets for me.

National Backward Day: Can you walk around backwards without tripping over something? Well, I can wheel backwards.

National Hot Chocolate Day: Do you like hot chocolate? Do you prefer a certain flavor? Yes. I just like the regular kind with marshmallows and whipped cream.

National Big Wig Day: What type of job would you like to have that allows you to be in charge? I wouldn’t want to be in charge.

Eat Brussel Sprouts Day: Do you like Brussel sprouts? Nooo.

Brandy Alexander Day: Do you like to drink brandy? Nope. I don’t drink alcohol.

National Weeks

Folic Acid Awareness Week: Do you know anyone with a congenital disability? Yes.

Universal Letter Writing Week: When’s the last time you hand-wrote a letter to someone? I don’t even remember.

Diet Resolution Week: Have you ever gone on a diet before because of someone’s comments about your weight? Yeah, but it was to try and gain weight because I’m too thin. 

National Silent Record Week: Have you ever listened to a silent record before? No.

National Pizza Week: What do you like to eat on your pizza? White sauce, feta and ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, crumbled meatballs, and pesto drizzled on top.

Home Office Safety and Security Week: Does your home have a security system? Yes.

Cuckoo Dancing Week: Do you like to dance? Sure. Well, by dance I mean head bobbing and maybe moving my arms and shoulders a bit. Oh, and sad attempts at TikTok dances haha.

World Kiwanis Week: Do you know what the Kiwani’s Club revolves around? No.

National Mocktail Week: What’s your favorite mocktail? When I was a kid I liked virgin strawberry margaritas. This one restaurant my family and I often went to had them for kids and they were so good.

Hunt For Happiness Week: Where do you find your happiness? At the beach watching the waves crash in and out, smelling the ocean air, and feeling that nice, cool breeze. I just get lost in it and it’s really relaxing.

National Healthy Weight Week: Do you feel that you are a healthy weight? Why or why not? No, I’m not. I’m underweight.

International Snowmobile Safety & Awareness Week: Have you ever ridden on a snowmobile before? Nope.

No Name-Calling Week: What’s the worst name you’ve ever been called? Who knows what people have said or thought about me that I’m not aware of, nor do I want to know, but the only things I know of are the things I’ve said and think about myself. I’m my own worst enemy.

International Hoof Care Week: Do you like any animals that have hooves? Giraffes. <3

National Catholic Schools Week: Did you ever go to a Catholic school before? No.

National CRNA Week: Have you ever been put under anesthesia before? How were you when you came out of it? Yeah, several times. I always felt sick, groggy, and really cold afterwards.

Meat Week: What’s your favorite type of meat? Or are you a vegetarian/vegan? Chicken.

National School Choice Week: Would you have preferred to be in a public school, a private school, or to be homeschooled? I was fine with public school.

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: Do you know anyone who is a cowboy? Nope.

National Months

National Hot Tea Month: What’s your favorite flavor tea? Chamomile, peppermint, and spearmint.

National Oatmeal Month: What’s your favorite flavor of oatmeal? I like regular oatmeal with condensed milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. 

National Slow Cooking Month: Do you have a crock-pot? Well, my mom does, but yeah.

National Soup Month: What’s your favorite kind of soup? I’m a ramen gal.

National Baking Month: What’s your favorite thing to bake? If I bake it’s going to be cupcakes or muffins. It’s been awhile since I’ve baked anything, though.

National Fat Free Living Month: Do you eat foods that are fat-free? How about drinks? Not usually.

National Bath Safety Month: Do you prefer baths or showers? Showers. I have’t taken a bath since I was a kid.

National Blood Donor Month: Have you ever donated blood? When was the last time? No.

National Hobby Month: Do you have any hobbies? Doing surveys, reading, and coloring. 

National Train Your Dog Month: Is your dog well-trained? Yeah.

Walk Your Pet Month:  How often do you walk your dog, if you have one? I can’t do that, but my dad or brother take her.

National CBD Month: Have you ever used CBD oil? Nope.

National Black Diamond Month: Do you own anything with diamonds – black or regular? No.

National Mentoring Month: Have you ever had a mentor before? No.

National Menudo Month: Have you ever had menudo before? Nope. It doesn’t sound appealing to me.

[a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

[vanderlindemangofarm]

Can I request one where the gang reacts to the reader bringing a cat and a bunch of kittens back to camp? This is my favourite blog 🤩

Thank you so much, you’re lovely! 

This turned out super long haha, as a cat lover I adore this scenario! 

Gang Reactions - reader brings home a cat and her kittens

You don’t know why you convinced yourself you could sneak a full-grown, very vocal mama cat and three tiny kittens back into camp without anyone noticing, but there you were, holding a gently wriggling bundle which you tried to hide under your shirt.

Hosea raises his eyebrow as you walk past. “You appear to have an over-active stomach today, Y/N.”

When one of the kittens starts mewing profusely, his eyes widen. You freeze on the spot.

It’s only a matter of seconds before his frostiest stare makes you confess everything. Soon you’re in his tent, spilling the felines onto his cot in an ungainly heap. Hosea scratches his chin, simply uttering a thoughtful “…huh.”

The kittens topple over one another whilst the mother grooms them, tiny mews and purrs breaking the unbearable silence in the tent.

“Dare I ask where you found them?” Hosea queries, rubbing the bridge of his nose. When you explain that you found them under the floorboards of a barn you were looting for supplies, he nods slowly.

Dutch appears at the entrance to the tent as if summoned by forces unknown. He looks agog as his gaze shifts between you, Hosea and the kittens.

Naturally, he’s furious that you didn’t consult him first before bringing them home.

“Did you not think we don’t already have enough trouble around here? That we don’t have enough mouths to feed without…these?” he thunders, his voice cracking as he points at the kittens. You can’t help but feel a bit teary then.

“Look how skinny they are, I couldn’t just leave them! I thought you of all people would understand that, Dutch van der Linde.” you sniffle, the adrenaline rush you felt when bringing them home suddenly crashing spectacularly as you break down into quiet sobs. Dutch lets out a long sigh, wrapping an arm around your shoulders comfortingly.

“Alright, alright.” he grumbles, patting you. “We’ll see what happens. But if they cause any trouble, they’re out. Understood?”

You nod tearfully, not noticing the crowd that had gathered outside the tent, wondering what all the commotion was about.

“Oh my word, look at those sweet kittens!” Mary-Beth squeals, making her way to the front of the group, her hand cupped in front of her mouth.

“Kittens, is it? Ain’t no good thing ever come from kittens. They grow into cats, and everyone knows you should never trust a cat.” slurs Uncle, raising his bottle for effect. Everyone shakes their heads, deciding to ignore his wisdom of the day.

The next few minutes can only be described as euphoric chaos. Every gang member is trying to get into Hosea’s tent to get a good look at the new arrivals. Mary-Beth has gathered up the mama cat in her arms and is cooing softly at her, Jack is begging you to let him name one, Bill is declaring loudly to anyone who’ll listen that he hates cats. 

Eventually, Dutch barks at everyone to go back to their business. He sternly instructs you to take the cat and kittens back to your tent, where they are to stay. They’re your responsibility. 

Jack follows you, almost tripping over his own feet with excitement. He’s never seen kittens before. 

Abigail fetches an old blanket from her own tent which she arranges artfully into a nest at the foot of your cot. Mama cat immediately takes a shine to it, settling herself in the centre whilst the kittens crowd around her. 

Javier, Arthur and Charles all stick their heads around the tent at different intervals, asking if you and your companions are alright. You highly suspect they just wanted to sneak a look at the kittens. 

Pearson gruffly arrives with a shallow dish of milk, which he offers to Mama cat. She laps it up frantically, confirming your theory of them being close to starvation. Pearson watches, looking pleased that he could help.

“Y’know, we always had a cat on the ship when I was in the Navy. Kept the rats away. Maybe our lady here could do the same around camp.” he muses. 

As the days go by, Mama cat gets stronger, her coat thickens up and gets shiny again. The kittens don’t seem phased by their new surroundings, though they aren’t quite bold enough to leave the tent without their mother yet. 

Mary-Beth spends most of her time with you, fussing over the kittens. She’s forever finding little bits of ribbon for them to play with, her face lighting up when they reach for it with their tiny paws. 

Micah is far less impressed. He’s irritated that camp life has been shifted to accommodate some goddamn cats. But, he declares, at least they’re a step up from Cain. 

He avoids the kittens like the plague, but Mama cat takes a shine to him. To his horror, he finds her sleeping inside his hat one morning when he wakes up. 

He tries to shoo her away, but she simply purrs and winds around his legs. 

Before long, the pair are inseparable. Micah calls her Lady Bell. Naturally, the others are in surprised hysterics. 

“Aw, Micah! The kittens have a new daddy!”, “I’ll cut you so deep your daddy’ll feel it, Morgan.”

Arthur likes spending time with the kittens after a long day out of camp. He smiles widely as he tickles them under their little chins. 

Lenny is beside himself, too. You’re sure you’ve overheard him referring to one of the kittens as Lenny Junior. 

Of course, the kittens have multiple names as everyone has their own ideas on what they should be called. You do let Jack name one in the end of course, a tiny grey tabby who he calls Merlin. 

Susan fusses and scolds away as you’d expect, especially when the kittens use various items as a toilet (an empty cooking pot, some freshly washed linen, Strauss’s ledger, Bill’s hat, ect.) 

But she has such a soft spot for cats, and can often be found scooping them up and cooing at them when she thinks no one can see her. 

Karen and Tilly think they’re cute and all, but most of their time is spent trying to convince Mary-Beth not to go out and get more pets. 

Molly finds the kittens very therapeutic and comforting, much like Arthur. She gently pets them, letting them sleep on her shawls. When she’s feeling especially low, she’ll often end up weeping gently into their fur. They don’t seem to mind. 

Despite the use of his ledger as a makeshift toilet, Strauss also betrays his love of cats by always coming home from his errands with various treats from the local butchers. The gang can’t believe how often he smiles these days. 

Mama cat often curls up on Swanson’s lap when he’s passed out from drinking. It’s almost like she’s protecting him. 

Sadie decides that as long as the kittens grow up to be able to hunt for themselves, she’s got no quarrel with them. She feels a certain solidarity with Mama cat. 

John, Bill and Sean are decidedly not cat people whatsoever. Sean is actually petrified of cats and it takes Karen gently placing one of the kittens on his knee (he was sweating from the pressure) and guiding his hand to pet it to get him to calm down. 

John sees cats as pointless - “at least dogs can work!” - but the joy they bring to Jack and Abigail softens his view somewhat. 

One of the kittens, the only male, has an unusual fur pattern, with a tiny smudge of black just under his nose that looks a lot like a moustache. Of course, you name him Dutch.  

[lizzylunawizardessfanfics]

Welcome To The Family

Pairing: Elias/Lizzy

Summary: What was a normal day in town to do an errand run, Elias comes across an adoption event being held. Just wanting to take a small walk through and visit the cats and dogs will he leave empty handed.

“Delia foods ready,” I called while placing down the bowl that contained food as I looked around to soon spot my new companion trotting over with her tiny legs. Hearing her cute squeaky meow brought a smile to my face as I watched her happily eat. Taking my seat on the couch I watched her eat for a bit before turning my attention back to the papers I was grading. As I worked, I couldn’t help but replay today's events that lead up to me adopting her.

~~~ Flashback ~~~

I was strolling through town in the morning as it was my turn to get supplies for the office in which I also took the opportunity to buy some things I needed for myself and a little gift for my girlfriend. I was walking on the sidewalk while going over my checklist to ensure that I’ve gotten that was needed and or wanted. Nearby I could hear the chorus of laughter and giggles to which curiosity got the better of me as I looked up from my list to see what was going on. Over across where the large water fountain was there was a large mass of people along with a bunch of playpens for animals. 

Folding my list and tucking it away into a pocket I walk over to see what such an occasion was taking place. The closer I got, I was able to see a banner that read “Adopt-A-Friend” as the various sounds of people, cats, and dogs filled the air. Strolling through I got to see the various breeds as there were many adorable cats and dogs which I would occasionally stop to give some of them pets. I made it to the area where all the cats were as I did like dogs as they reminded me of when we used to have a dog, but for some reason I found myself liking cats more as I grew. 

I leaned over to look down at the cats and kittens as they all seemed to gather around for attention. “Hello there, you all are so cute,” I said smiling softly as I could hear their purring. I’d have to tell Lizzy that this was here as maybe we’d come back to visit all the animals together. I was getting ready to move away until this one kitten caught my attention; it was a munchkin with mainly white fur while its paws were orange and gray. Moving over to get closer I reach my hands down and carefully picking up the small kitten before standing properly holding her to my chest. Now seeing the kitten up close she had the prettiest ice green eyes. She let out a small meow before nuzzling into me as I gently pet her behind her ear which she seemed to like a lot.

“Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with,” I looked over to see a lady who was talking to me as I didn’t answer right away. I looked down to the kitten as there was something inside me that wanted to take her as for some reason I had this odd sense of familiarity that I couldn’t exactly put my finger on. Finally making up my mind, I look at the kind looking lady and gave her a smile. “Yes, I’d like to adopt this kitten please,” I said as the lady who was working the event smiled more and nodded asking for me to follow her to which I did. After a few papers being signed and buys the necessary supplies for my new companion, I was heading to go back to the academy with her in my arms.

~~~ Flashback End ~~~

Hearing the soft mews I looked down to see Delia on her hind legs as her front paws were on my pant leg in an attempt to get my attention. Leaning down and scooping her up I sat properly and running a hand over her soft fur. “All full,” I asked as even if I wouldn’t be able to understand her like Lizzy would I could tell by how Delia got comfortable. Setting her on my lap I continued to finish up the little bit of grading that was left. Getting through the last few papers with ease I set them all aside and then making myself a bit more comfortable on the couch. Suddenly feeling slightly sleepy, a yawn came out as I briefly closed my eyes for a moment to which I dozed off while feeling Delia curled up on my chest. I was unsure of how much time had passed as I woke up sitting up quickly at the absent feeling of Delia on him. 

“Who’s the cutie patootie?? Yes you are,” I heard the familiar sweet voice cooing as when I sat up properly and rubbed my eyes a bit the sight before me melted my heart causing me to smile. There Lizzy was sitting on the floor holding Delia cooing and giving the kitten kisses. “You should've woken me up, my apologies if I slept long,” I of course apologized since I don’t normally fall asleep in the office. “It’s perfectly fine Elias, besides it’s important to rest as I only got here maybe ten minutes ago. I was just talking with Delia, she was telling me how you found her at the place in town and brought her home with you. She says she’s really happy to have a home,” I listened to Lizzy say as I was surprised, but made me all the more joyous as it definitely left like she found me. Moving over to sit next to my beloved I give her a peck on the cheek.

“It makes me happy to hear that, how did teaching with Luca go,” I asked as I could only imagine the trouble he’d cause for her. Feeling her return the favor by kissing my cheek it still made my face feel hot along with the fluttering feeling in my stomach. “It actually went really well as Luca actually helped out and what not, he even took over at one point during a lecture,” she said, which was surprising but then again those two were best friends and Luca knew better when working with her so it made good sense. I noticed on Delia was a cute frilly ribbon as a collar as it had a bell cover in silver glitter hanging off of it, classic Lizzy trait. “I see you made her a collar,” I said while petting Delia’s head. With a beaming smile that I absolutely adored, Lizzy looked at me with her baby blue eyes and replied, “Yup! Though I just gotta get the tag with her name on it, I really do love the name you picked for her.”

Letting out a small chuckle I nodded in agreement before saying, “Indeed, as I didn’t make the connection at first but she has the same ice green eyes like your mother in the photo of you both to which if I remember correctly delias were your mother’s favorite flower.” Her eyes seemed to widen in surprise before dilating back to normal with a more softened expression as Lizzy let out a soft laugh. “Yup mom always loved having delias in the house, anytime she’d get a shipment to her shop she’d bring them home haha,” she said in a fond manner while petting Delia who was happily accepting all the affection. “Wait till Rufus gets to meet his new lil sister,” Lizzy shortly said after as I nodded in agreement as Rufus was very good with younger and smaller creatures to which Lizzy surprisingly added “Welcome to our little family.” It took me by surprise but filled my heart with warmth as this was exactly as she put it and that fact couldn’t have made me any happier “I love you Lizzy,” I said without a second thought while looking at her lovingly. “I love you too Elias,” she instantly responded back looking at me again to which we shared a short yet sweet kiss.

[lunacyofdukevenomania]

Chapter 4-Yufina Marlon; Scene 6

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania, page 154-162

As they went around to various regions in Beelzenia, the royal couple of the country of Marlon came to Asmodean as their final stop.

Sateriasis ended up meeting with them as the lord of the Asmodean region and one of the "Five Dukes".

"It's pretty noisy today!" Mikulia let slip while listening to the faint bustle and footsteps that she could hear coming from above.

"I heard that some guests from Marlon are coming today," Lukana replied, handing a flower patterned cup full of tea to Mikulia.

"It's so rare for Duke Venomania to invite guests to the mansion." Carol looked up at the ceiling while sipping tea.

"They say it's the king of Marlon and his entourage. I suppose Lord Sateriasis couldn't just have everything ready on a moment's notice. …Ah, I wish he'd let me show off my splendid dance before all the people from Marlon while they're here♪" Lolan suddenly stood and began to follow her steps in place.

"What an annoying eyesore. Can't you just sit here quietly?" calmly interjected Gumina, who had unusually joined in on the tea party with the other harem women. When she did, Lolan stuck out her tongue and quietly sat back down.

And Mirigan murmured, "Gwahaha…I had a premonition there would be much ado today…" while holding aloft the crystal ball before her eyes.

After Lukana had finished making everyone's tea, she handed off a bowl filled with a white liquid to a red cat rolling around in the far edge of the room.

"Here you are, help yourself. You like milk, don't you Miss IR?"

"Mew"

IR brought her face down to the milk that had been set before her and began to lap it up.

"Miss Stooge, you're a cat today!"

IR looked up at Mikulia with annoyance as she drew closer.

"Because it's so bothersome to have to deal with Hakua clinging to my human form all the time."

As though in response to IR's words, Hakua's loud voice could be heard coming from IR's room.

"Haru~ How long are you gonna sleep~ Get up~ Come on~ You gotta wake uuuuuuup!"

When Lukana asked if she should call her over, looking in Hakua's direction, IR responded with a "Mew".

Mikulia translated that.

"She said, 'Leave her'."

.

While the elite soldiers of the country of Marlon lined up before the wall in the drawing room, Sateriasis and the Marlon royal couple held a conversation.

"I see…so Sir Ilotte has passed on…" King Marlon said, shoulders slumping. "We had been on good terms since we were children…How unfortunate. He went through such hardships, that man. He had been depressed for a while after what happened to his previous wife, but then he remarried with that lady of the Glassred family, and finally--"

King Marlon continued to loquaciously go on and on about Sateriasis' father, but Sateriasis was hardly listening to him speak.

His eyes were fixed on the beauty of Yufina, who was sitting beside the king.

…How profane. How truly profane that she be made the wife of such an ugly man.

It was likely that a hundred out of a hundred people would all agree that Yufina was a beauty. He could tell by the luxuriousness of her waist-length grey hair that she took great care in her grooming. Her features appeared a little young as a result of her short stature, but she had around her a dignity befitting royalty.

Even leaving aside the issue of the "Vessels of Deadly Sin", Sateriasis had already made his decision in his mind to steal her from her husband.

"How long are you planning to stay in Asmodean?" Sateriasis suddenly cut in, while King Marlon was still talking.

"Huh!? Uh, well, that is…"

As King Marlon hemmed and hawed, Yufina answered in his place, "We're planning to depart to Rucolebeni tomorrow. Once we arrive at the imperial castle and spend the night there, we plan to return to Marlon."

"…That's quite fast."

"We can't stay away from Marlon for too long. There's a chance that the country of Lioness will instigate something while His Majesty is away."

"Very well, then I suppose it's unavoidable. Though I'd been hoping to show you around Asmodean."

Then that means my only chance is tonight. I have a single evening.

He didn't want to behave violently if he could help it. Regrettably, his target was not only a foreigner, but a queen. If he were to make an error in his tactics, the danger would extend equally to his person and social status both.

It would have been best if he'd had some more time to search for an opportunity, but it looked like he didn't have the luxury to take things slowly.

"Where are you planning to stay this evening?"

"We were considering inviting ourselves to Marquis Donald's mansion in Lisa-A."

"I see. That mansion has a great history to it, and the scenery there is lovely too. Perhaps it is ideal as a place to be spending the night in Asmodean. …By all rights the best option would be for you to stay here, however as I have no servants in my home, after all, I hardly think my hospitality could be up to your standards."

"Oh, don't worry, I appreciate the thought."

The sound of church bells signaling that it was three o'clock were audible from far away.

"Well then, I think we shall excuse ourselves now." King Marlon stood on the spot as though lugging up his heavy body.

"Thank you graciously for coming here today." Sateriasis deeply bowed.

Seeming taken with Sateriasis' behavior, King Marlon spoke up after clapping Sateriasis on the shoulder. "We both have quite a bit to do--hang in there."

"I am not worthy of your concern...There's quite a difference in the weight of the positions of a country's king and a region's lord."

"It's no different, the difficulty in governing a country versus a region. I can tell you're still unmarried as of yet, Sir Sateriasis; you should find yourself a good partner soon."

"Hah…"

"Having someone who can support you is more important than anything," King Marlon said, looking over at Yufina. She smiled awkwardly.

.

After the accompaniment had left and Sateriasis had descended to the basement, waiting for him there was a red cat.

"That you, IR?"

"…What do you plan to do now?"

"I'll partake in your plan. …Tonight I will kidnap Queen Yufina from her husband."

"…Haha, I figured you'd say that." IR meowed in satisfaction. "Duke. Your target this time seems to be quite a rough task…So I've taken some preparations in advance."

"Oh ho?"

"The Marlon soldiers are an elite force, but in terms of numbers they are few. They likely took the minimum amount of soldiers as bodyguards due to the situation with their neighboring country. More of a problem than them is the fact that the Beelzenian military is serving as guards near the Donald estate."

"They must be receiving their state guests. Well, I suppose that's only natural."

"That is the key. I communicated with the army and worked to make a gap in the surrounding guards to the west of Donald's estate. I've marked it out on a map, so come to my room later to get it."

It seemed she'd made excellent preparations. Sateriasis was grateful, and at the same time couldn't help but give voice to a question he had been wondering for a while now.

"Hey, IR. You said earlier that you arranged for me to become duke, didn't you?"

"Well, I made it easier for you to act."

"The information you have that Queen Yufina has a 'Vessel of Deadly Sin', and the preparations you've made now…do you have some associate in the Beelzenian government?"

"Heh heh, interested are you? …A being like a sorceress is highly sought after by some people. Especially those who have influence. For example, the knight in charge of the bodyguards in this situation, Tette Cetera...despite having a position in the military, her attachment to being a youthful beauty above all others is quite strong."

Sateriasis recognized that name.

Lady Cetera…as I recall, she was the female officer charged with the aftermath of the crime I committed at my mansion.

After that case, Tette had visited Sateriasis many times for her investigation. At the time he'd lost all of his memories relating to the crime, so he was unable to tell her the information she was looking for (not that he'd have told her even if his memories had returned).

The woman he'd seen back then had certainly looked much younger than her true age. She must have been over thirty years old, but her appearance looked around twenty or so--no, one could even say she looked roughly half her age without fear of contradiction.

IR continued talking.

"In order to grant her dear wish, she swore her allegiance to a wicked sorceress. But then, I didn't actually tell her what it was that would be happening at the Donald estate."

IR turned up her nose with pride.

But Sateriasis was already thinking about a completely different topic.

"Tette Cetera, huh? …She has a bit of a provincial accent, but now that you mention her she is a fairly lovely woman. Hm, someday I'd like to--"

"…You've lost all your scruples when it comes to women."

"That's not it at all. Even I have the standard that I need to like her first."

"At any rate, you should focus on Queen Marlon before you think about Tette, yes? You must not be unprepared, Duke. After this--"

"I got it already, yeesh. I'll try to get things done as neatly as possible."

Even if he erased the memories of all involved later, if he caused too much havoc there was a chance that war would break out in Asmodean.

"And I do have the responsibility to protect this land, as the lord of Asmodean."

"Hmph…You're one to talk."

Eight hours later, a lone boy spotted an enormous bat flying through the sky in Lisa-A.

And two days later, that boy ended up forgetting everything about the bat.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[witchyangels]

A Gift for Someone You Love

Dragon Age 2 Pairing: Anders & F!Hawke, Anders & Xena Hawke/OC  Takes place a year after Act 2. Anders has been living with Hawke for a year and Xena decides to give him a gift.

Note: I know the key is given at the beginning or so of Act 3, but I honestly think she would have given it to him sooner, so, she does in this. I’ve been thinking about Anders a LOT lately XD Had a dream with him in it, in fact… so I gotta get my boy some love today <3

It was one thing to travel Hightown with Hawke, another to travel it alone. Templars were scarce in the higher up city of Kirkwall, but the guards eyed him almost the same. The only reason Aveline herself didn’t escort Anders in chains to the Gallows, he suspected, was at Hawke’s insistence.

Hawke, Xena Hawke. The only shining light in the ever darkening world around them. The only one who seemed to care at all about the mages and their strife.

And me… she… she cares about me… It was hard for him to grasp that anyone cared about him without personal gain or anything beyond a tumble in the sheets.

Even after they had that tumble, which was better than what he had imagined it to be like– especially the second time– Xena opened her home and her heart fully to him. When he teased her, asking her if she would proclaim to all of Kirkwall– to Meredith, she loved an apostate, he had to pull her back into bed.

“You’re the one who asked me!” Xena reminded as she weakly tugged on his grip.

Anders let out a laugh. “As much as I would love to see you standing on your rooftop completely naked, shouting how you love me, I think you might give your poor mum a heart attack.”

“Ah, so you’re wanting to save my mother from public humiliation and social suicide, hmm?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” he said with grin. “Now, get back over here.”

Xena huffed as she finally curled up against him once more. “Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him, their naked bodies flushed under the sheets. “I’d do anything for you, Anders.”

His heart swelled up as he hugged her tightly to him in return. “I don’t ever want to let you go…”

She kissed up his neck to his ear. “Then don’t…” she whispered, sending a shiver through him.

His hold tightened on her as he turned them over. Pinning her to the bed, he showed her for a third time that night, just how much she meant to him.

The door to the Hawke Estate opened, bringing Anders out of his thoughts. “Welcome home, messere! How fair your time at the clinic? Everything went smoothly, I hope?” Bodhan Feddic greeted with his usual large smile.

“Ah, yes,” Anders said as he stepped the house. “It was a long day, but most ailments were easy to take care of, thank you, Bodhan.”

“Very good! Messere Hawke is eagerly waiting for you up in your room,” Bodhan said before Sandal giggled.

“Meow!”

“Shh, Sandal!” Bodhan quickly hushed his son. “Oh– uh, I was reading a book to Sandal earlier that had a cat in it! Haha.”

Anders gave them a slightly skeptical look before smiling a little. “Well, having a cat around here would make this place more cheery. Nice to know Hawke has some books about them, I suppose…” he said as he walked past Maric sitting by the fire. “Only concern I’d have with a cat here is if you would try to eat it or not.”

The mabari let out a slight whine as he tilted his head to the side. It was almost as if he was asking Anders why he thought he would eat a cat.

“Because they’re smaller than you– quicker though, so at least it’d make you work for it,” he said as he made his way to the stairs. “Though, Ser Pounce-A-Lot would probably have you whimpering.”

Maric huffed before letting out a bark.

“Yes, yes, keep telling yourself that,” Anders said as he made it to the top of the stairs.

“Are you actually having a conversation with Maric?”

He glanced up to see Xena Hawke leaning against the wall by her room, wearing an amused smile as her bright blue eyes shined at him.

Anders found himself smiling as he made his way to her. “Apparently I’ve been living here too long. You’re slowly trying to turn me into a dog person, aren’t you?”

Xena hummed as his arms slipped around her waist. “It’s possible. Should I not remind you of the few times I’ve caught you two curled up together by the fire?”

Anders winced. “No, I don’t need reminding. And I told you before, he showed up after I fell asleep.”

She looked skeptical. “Uh-huh, and the fact that you were using him as a pillow, is neither here nor there?”

“Oh, shush,” he mumbled as he captured her lips in his.

Her hands moved to his neck as she clung to him for a moment. When he pulled away she was a little out of breath as her eyes shined a little. “Mmm, what was that for?”

“Because I love you and haven’t seen you since this morning,” he murmured. “And I was thinking about how much you mean to me…”

A bright smile lit up her face as her cheeks pinkened. She smiled coyly as she glanced into the bedroom. “And here I haven’t even given you your gift yet.”

Anders eyes went wide as he pulled slightly back from her. “Gift? What gift?”

She grinned at him as she took his hands from her waist. “Come on, then, let me show you,” she said as she started leading him into the bedroom.

He narrowed his eyes at her as she led him to the bed, a smirk gracing his features. “Ah, is this gift what I’m thinking?”

Xena laughed a little as she turned him around and had him sit on the bed. “Oh, you naughty apostate.”

His hands moved to her hips, causing her to giggle once more. She slapped his hands away and received a pout. “You are such a tease, Hawke.”

She gave him a wink as she walked over to her desk, swinging her hips a little more than necessary. A groan left Anders as he watched her bend over to pick something up. He hardly paid attention to what she was getting and was, more or less, fantasizing taking her over the desk.

“Scooch back onto the bed.”

He raised a brow at her before doing as instructed. “Are you sure this gift isn’t what I think it is?”

She grinned at him as she got onto the bed, sitting on her knees, with a medium size box in her hands. “Trust me, love, it’s not,” she said as she held up the box. “Careful, it’s fragile.”

A red ribbon, tied into a bow, sat pretty on the box. “You didn’t even tie it around the box,” he commented lightly as he took the box. Almost instantly the weight started shifting inside the box. “What?”

A muffled sound came from the box, causing him to place his ear against it. His eyes grew wide before he quickly set the box down on the bed. Looking up at Xena, he was given a bright smile and her urging him to open it.

Pulling off the lid, Anders gasped softly when a little gray striped head poked out.

“Mew?”

“Andraste’s knicker weasels, Xena,” he breathed out as he stared down at the gray tabby kitten. A red ribbon was tied around its neck.

“Do you like her? Or him? I can’t really tell on cat,” she said as she fiddled with her fingers. “I had to wait a little longer than I wanted to get her.”

A soft smile came over his features as he gingerly held his hand up to the kitten. The kitten sniffed his hand before trying to grab it. Anders gently lifted the kitten out of the box and held it to his face. “Oh, Xena, I can’t believe it…”

“Mrw,” the kitten chirped before purring.

He placed a soft kiss on the kitten’s head before noticing something hanging from the ribbon. “Is this… is this a key?”

“Yes. Remember the time you helped me and Bethany sneak into the Estate from the sewers?”

He looked up at her in surprise. “This… this is that key?”

“The very same. I thought it might be easier for you to get to the clinic that way, instead of sneaking around all over Kirkwall.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. Kissing her passionately, they didn’t pull apart until a squeak reached their ears. “Oh! Sorry,” he said as he pet the kitten between them.

She shook her head quickly before purring once more. A soft laugh left the couple before Anders turned the kitten in his hands and took a quick peek at its hindquarters. “I’m pretty sure this is a girl. She’s beautiful, I– is that my shirt?” he asked as he glanced back to the box.

“Hm? Oh.” Xena pulled away from him and took his shirt out of the box. “Yes, I had her sleeping on it to get used to your scent quicker.” She grinned at him as she took the box before getting off the bed. “Thoughts on naming her?”

“I… I don’t know. I’ve never had a female cat before.”

“Well, take your time then! Get to know her. I’ll leave you two alone then.”

“Wait, what about–”

“She has a box in the corner, she already knows how to use it. Maric already knows about her, I made sure he got used to her– don’t worry, they seem to like each other.”

“…Is this why you’ve been pushing for me to be at the clinic more lately?”

Xena grinned at him. “It’s possible. I had to make sure somehow that you were the only one in the house that didn’t know about her.”

Anders chuckled as he settled on the bed with his precious kitten. “Thank you, I mean it… for both gifts. I don’t deserve them.”

“Yes, you do.” She walked back to him and kissed the top of his head. “I love you and I want you to be happy.”

“But I can’t give anything in return–”

“You’re more than enough, Anders.” She set the box down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You’ve been so wonderful to me this past year. If I can give you a moment’s rest by giving you a cat, I’ll be satisfied.”

Anders sighed contently. “Thank you, love…”

Xena left a kiss on his temple before releasing him. “Now, bond with your new friend, all right? I’ll just be downstairs if you need me.”

Anders smiled as she left the room. “All right, my sweet little lady, let’s bond…”

Xena hummed to herself as she made a small bowl of meat. She cut up the meat into small pieces, small enough for the tiny mouth that would be enjoying it.

Maric whined next to her, giving her big sad eyes. “No, Maric, not for you. This is for our new friend. You have a bone right by the fire, where you left it.”

“Mistress, are you sure I can’t do this for you?” Orana asked from the other side of the table. She seemed to fidget at the thought of Xena cooking anything.

“It’s fine, Orana. I’ve done this before, you know,” she told the elf with a smile. “In fact, when Maric was a puppy, I made him dishes like this all the time.”

Maric whined loudly next to her at her words.

“Maric! That’s not the way to get a treat from me, and you know it,” Xena scolded softly.

Maric hung his head in disappointment before leaving the room. Xena watched from the doorway as he curled up by the fire and bitterly chewed on his bone.

She shook her head before washing her hands off. “Should be a good time to feed her,” she said as she dried her hands before picking up the bowl. “They’ve been up there for awhile.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Orana bowed as Xena left the kitchen.

Once at the door to her room, Xena raised her hand to knocked on it. Laughter coming from the room caused her to pause. Listening closer, Anders’ laughter brought a smile to her face. I knew this was a good idea! “Anders, I’ve got some food for the kitten,” she said after knocking on the door.

“Oh! Come in,” he called before she opened the door.

Xena was greeted with the sight of the gray tabby chasing around a flying feather. Anders sat on the floor nearby, his fingers glowing with magic as he made the feather zip around the room for the kitten.

“Is that… one of the feathers from your coat?” she asked as she moved over to him. She took note that the coat had been put away.

“Hm? Oh, yes, she was showing interest in the feathers. Thought it’d better to let her play with one instead of going after my coat later.” He grinned at Xena as he made the feather fly towards them, the kitten zooming after it.

He let the feather float down just as the kitten leaped at it. She tumbled and hit his lap. Standing up, she shook her head and body, before going back after the feather.

“Aw, she’s so cute,” Xena gushed as she reached down to pet the kitten, only for the feline to grab her finger with her tiny claws. “Ouch!”

“Don’t pull away,” Anders quickly warned her, holding her wrist down. “You’ll end with a bleeding finger,” he stated as the kitten started chewing on her finger.

Xena winced. “Are you sure that’s not going to happen regardless?”

Anders chuckled softly. “Give me a moment,” he said before picking up the feather and distracting the kitten from her finger. The feline turned over and pawed at the feather, releasing Xena from her hold.

Xena quickly took back her hand and inspected it. “Sheesh, I didn’t expect her claws to be like tiny needles…”

“To think, the mighty Champion of Kirkwall was almost defeated by a tiny kitten. My, my, what would the nobles say,” Anders teased, earning a huff.

“Oh, please! She’s so tiny! I just didn’t want to hurt her.”

“Hmm, tell me that after she manages to attack your feet, making you fall down the stairs,” he said with a fond smile.

“Well, maybe I shouldn’t give her this meat, then, if she’s only going to plot my demise,” she said as she held the bowl of meat up.

Anders rolled his eyes lightly. “Haha, I’ll make sure to protect you, love.” He kissed her cheek as he took the bowl from her.

Setting it down in front of them, the kitten took notice, her tiny pink nose sniffing the air. Taking cautious steps towards the bowl, she tentative sniffed the meat before hungrily eating the meal.

“She’s beautiful, love,” Anders whispered happily in Xena’s ear. “Where did you find her?”

Xena leaned into him as they watched the kitten feast. “Down in Lowtown, someone found a mother cat with kittens. Varric mentioned it to me and off I went. This one was the tiniest one and everyone else seemed to ignore her, so, I took it upon myself to give her a home. I… had hoped to find an orange tabby kitten, but they were taken before I got there.”

Anders rubbed his nose against her cheek. “I’m actually glad to have a gray tabby… No other cat will be Ser Pounce-A-Lot, but, as much as I miss him, I don’t want a copy of him, you know? I’d expect an orange tabby to be just like he was, and all cats are different, you know.”

“I’ll take your word on it… only other time I’ve had experience with a cat was when Maric had one trapped in a corner back in Lothering. Stupid me tried to grab the cat and the blasted thing scratched me before running off.” She rolled her eyes at the memory.

Anders chuckled softly. “Well, you learned never to try to reach for a cornered animal, at least.”

“Yes, well, enough about that. I’m sure I’ll learn to love our new friend here.”

Anders squeezed her lightly as he hugged her. “I’ll make you a cat person yet.”

“Joy… Is she really going to sleep on our heads?”

Anders grinned brightly. “Oh, Maker, I hope so!”

Happy Valentine’s All Hearts Day, everyone! <3 :D

[just-got7-things]

Your Girl

A JB x Reader Fluffy Fic

Genre: Romance, very slight angst

Please enjoy a healthy dose of fluff and cheese. - Admin B

“Early? You’re letting me off early? I mean, thank you, but uhm.. why?” You ask your boss in shock. He turns to face you, and you shrink a bit. Working a new job was stressful enough, and having your new boss hovering around your work space did not do anything to ease your anxiety. You give him your best “I’m such a good employee” look as he crosses his arms over his chest, a serious look on his face.

“It’s my company. I can do as I want, no? Unless you don’t want to go home early? I can arrange for that.” He picks up his pen to scribble something on his clipboard. Your internal screaming intensifies.

“Wait!” You exclaim, feeling embarrassed that you just spoke so informally to your boss. “My apologies, sir. I - I didn’t mean to question you. I will gladly go home early, sir. Uh well, gladly is the wrong word. I think? I'll… I’ll just do as you say. Sir.” You can feel the heat coming off your face. Your co-workers laughing behind him didn’t help with that either. To your surprise, however, you hear a gentle laugh coming from the man in charge. As he pushes his glasses up his nose, you notice crow’s feet etched in the skin around his eyes. You soon realize that the image before you is not that of a cold CEO but a kind old man.

“Have a nice day. Go on now.” He motions to the door. With a quick bow and not another word, you scurry out the door. You feel such immense relief to have work and all its shenanigans behind you. Truthfully, you had been feeling a bit down lately. Little things had been eating away at you until the the point where you just felt exhausted to go out. All you wanted to do was go home and lay on the couch with Jaebum and talk about your day. He knew you had been feeling blue and always tried to cheer you up the best he could. In fact, remembering that JB should be at home right now makes your heart flutter a bit. You decide right then and there that you’ll try to surprise him today. He won’t expect you to come in early today. You feel an excitement stirring in your chest on your way home. You couldn’t get there fast enough!

At your front door, you try your best to suppress the smile on your face, just enough to not look loony. You slide in through the door as quietly as possible and pull your shoes off. Walking down the hallway, you hear JB’s voice. Hmm. Is he talking to someone? You stay still and listen closely from around the corner. Sure enough, you hear him speaking again.

“Oh… you are beautiful!” JB sounded like an excited child. But what in the world was he talking about right now? Who was beautiful? He continued gushing.

“Come here, girl. I’m so happy that you’re here!” You suddenly feel the urge to scream. You feel a sickening twist in your stomach and your blood boils. You try your best to remain calm as you listen.

“Oh, no, get off me for now. I have to look presentable when my girlfriend comes home. You know?” Oh, you knew alright. You knew exactly how he would look. Guilty. In pain, perhaps. You would not let him get away with this. If he thought for one second you would let him…!

“Haha, that’s right. Who’s my pretty girl?” You could not stand there anymore.

“I thought I was your girl!” Your voice rang out through the living area, causing JB to jump and something, or someone, to fall from his lap.

“Oh…honey! You’re home!” He says nervously as he reaches down to pick that scumbag up. How could he be helping that other woman right now when you just walked in and caught him? He looks back up at you and his face pales.

“Honey… you’re crying. Why? What happened?” He asks incredulously.

“Why the hell do you think I’m crying?” You ask through your angry tears. Before you can start to tear into him, you see something move out of the corner of your eye. You immediately jump on the top of the sofa. You did not like things that moved in the peripherals of your vision. You brave a glance back in the direction of the movement and gasp. That’s when you saw the something, or someone, that had been sitting in JB’s lap. Except it wasn’t a something, or a someone. Walking in front of you, and now nuzzling against JB’s ankles, was a white Persian cat. It was loving on JB so much that it could almost make you jealous, except, you know, it was a cat.

“Her name is Scarlet. Do you not like her, then? I know you’ve been down lately and I thought she would cheer you up.” JB’s voice is nervous, reluctant. You stay silent as a terrible guilt storms in your mind. You feel new tears gathering in the corners of your eyes. Suddenly, Scarlet turns her big blue eyes on you and gives a cute mewing noise in your direction. Before you know it, a sob escapes your throat. JB rushes to your side.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I can take her back. No big deal.” He coos at you. You realize JB must think you’re a loon right now. In his mind, you were sobbing your eyes out over a cat, of all things. You shake your head and try to gather your words.

“No that isn’t it, JB. She is beautiful and you are so sweet. Hey, Scarlet.” You say in your baby voice, as the cat walks over and rubs her head into your outstretched hand. You smile at its affection. You could already tell how similar she was to JB.

“What’s the matter then?” JB pressed. You sigh.

“Uh. This will sound…stupid. But I - I - I heard you talking to Scarlet. Only I didn’t see Scarlet. I uhm… I just assumed.. you know. Someone else was here. I’m sorry.” You get a flashback to work earlier and sigh again. Why were you always so awkward?

“Oh. Wait. Oh… OH!” JB looks mortified,as though he had just seen the members of Got7 naked. “I am so so sorry you thought that! I.. don’t know what to say baby. Sorry.” His face is bright red, and you can tell he means it. You feel guilty again.

“I never should have even thought that, JB. You’re a good man. It’s my fault.”

JB pulls you into a gentle hug then and rubs his surprisingly cold hands over your back. He holds you there for a while, whispering sweet nothings at you and calming you down. Meanwhile, Scarlet prances all over both of your laps, while you both pet her and have a good laugh at her antics. Finally, you speak up.

“Scarlet is a treasure, JB. Thank you so much for her. We will take good care of her.”

“Yep.” JB smiles. “We sure will. Although, I can tell I am her favorite.” He smiles at you playfully. Before you can retort, he quickly stands up and holds his hand out to you.

“Come on. Let’s order take-out. Then tell me about your day. I want to hear all about how your new job is going.”

You laugh lightly at his eagerness to please you. You stand up and gather Scarlet in your arms, who surprisingly doesn’t resist.

“Okay, sure. Oh, I met my boss today.” You tell him.

“Oh, yeah? Woah. I bet you were terrified!” He responds with another grin.

“Well yeah. Of course. I always am.” You both laugh.

After you eat, you spend the rest of the night being cute and cuddly with one another. You both immensely enjoy the company of  your fluffy new family member. You couldn’t believe he went out and got you a cat without asking first, but at the same time it really didn’t surprise you at all with him. He was such a fluffy romantic when it came to you. Although it embarrassed you sometimes, you secretly enjoyed every minute of it.

[thecatleader]

Cat Tsuna?(3/48): Kyoya! part 1

6 years old

"Tsu-kun! Wake up! Today is your first day of school!" Nana called and soon a small tuna (Tsuna!) wearing a cat hoodie ran down the stairs with grace.

"Meow (I finally get to see Kyoya)!" Tsuna meowed as he jumped into Nana's arms ready to go. She chuckled and drove to Namimori elementary.

They reach the front of the school and as Nana goes in to fill out paperwork  (Tsuna doesn't want to even see the dreaded thing) Tsuna jumped into a tree and ran across a branch to the roof.

There he saw a 8 year old Kyoya resting in his usual place. 'Aww he's so cute when he's small' Tsuna thought quietly walking over and sitting next to him. A few minutes later Kyoya's eyes blinked open and looked toward him.

"Meow (Hi I'm Tsuna)!" Tsuna meowed cutely tilting his head and widening his eyes. Kyoya stared at him for a minute before grabbing him and proclaiming.

"Mine." He started petting Tsuna's head causing a strange purring sound to come from him. Both of them blinked at each other confused not thinking that Tsuna would actually purr.

"So cute." Kyoya commented as he continued to pet Tsuna who purred in bliss with his eyes drooping. The bell rings ruining their moment causing Tsuna to open his eyes wide and growl at the bell.

"Meow (I guess I got to go to class)." Tsuna meowed disappointed getting up to leave.

"Lunch." Kyoya stated watching as Tsuna left.

"Meow (I'll be here)!" Tsuna meowed happily skipping down the stairs after he said that. Kyoya watched him fondly before going to class himself.

Tsuna went to the principles office where his mother was waiting for him to take him to class.

"Meow(I'm here let's go)!" Tsuna meowed happily hopping in Nana's arms while the principle gaped at him. Well who wouldn't gape at him, he was out of uniform and he was meowing surprisingly close to a cat instead of talking.

"Yes, let's go get you acquainted with the other kids in class." Nana said carrying him over to his classroom, the parents of the other students stood outside the door some comforting their children who were crying before making them go inside. Tsuna leaped out of Nana's arms soon running inside excitedly.

"Your son seems excited about school unlike the others." A parent commented to Nana.

"Yes he's been saying how he wants to meet his friends again." Nana said happily soon engaging in a happy conversation with the other parents.

Tsuna somehow climbed up onto the teacher's head without him knowing and know everyone was looking at him and laughing. The teacher was wondering why they they were laughing until Tsuna peeked his head down into his vision.

"What are you doing on my head and did you get up there?" The teacher asked.

"Meow(I climbed up here)." Tsuna meowed jumping of his head before he could grab him. He landed on his feet on top of the desk and looked at the teacher with big eyes.

"Uh ok, anyway class my name is Mr, Renju I'll be helping you through your first year of school..." Renju kept on talking as Tsuna ignored him and looked at the other kids in the class, soon seeing Takeshi and Kyoko.

He leaped over to them meowing a greeting. Takeshi looks at him curiously and Kyoko started cooing at how cute he was.

"So what's your name?" Takeshi asked.

"Meow(Tsuna)!" Tsuna meowed happily but Takeshi didn't understand so he asked again and soon they kept repeating the same question and same answer until Takeshi gave up.

"Haha I give up." Takeshi laughed causing Tsuna to smile.

"My name's Tsuna." Tsuna said quietly causing Takeshi to looking at him.

"What did you just say?" Takeshi asked.

"Meow(You heard me)." Tsuna meowed blinking innocently. Takeshi stared at him and sighed while Tsuna smiled.

"Nevermind." Takeshi said causing Tsuna to snicker.

"Meow(This is so funny)." Tsuna meowed to himself.

"...Ok class let's start with numbers..." Renju said starting to count with the class while Tsuna who does not want to go through with learning numbers again decides to take out his Italian dictionary out of nowhere and start reading while the rest of the class follows the teacher's instructions.

"Tsuna what's the next number?" Renju asked making Tsuna write 27 on a piece of paper and hold it up.

"Meow(27)." Tsuna meowed letting Renju take the piece of paper his eyes never straying far from the book.

"Correct." He said while he thought. 'It's like dealing with Hibari.' Putting Tsuna in the same category as Hibari made him ignore any oddities from him.

Tsuna looked at him and smirked seeming to agree with his thoughts before looking back down at his book. Renju shivered before going back to the lesson.

Tsuna finished the Itailan dictionary before he somehow made it disappear and be replaced by a French dictionary. (AN: This is what I do when I'm bored read the dictionary if I had one. It was pretty funny when the teacher would look at me weird when I randomly pulled it out and read it when I'm in school.)

Those who saw this gaped wondering where it came from and what does it say. (It was an Italian to French dictionary) The lunch bell soon rang and Renju dismissed the class those that wanted to ask Tsuna questions saw that he vanished. 'Where did he go?' They thought.

The moment the bell rang Tsuna dashed out of the class making it seem like he vanished. He quickly rushed over to the roof feeling his hyper intution ringing a warning. He didn't realize how fast he was going as he ran through the hallways in a blur. Once he reached the roof he flung open the doors to see Kyoya fighting with 5th graders.

His hyper intuition kept ringing so he leaped into the fray clawing at the 5th grader who pulled out the knife his hyper intuition was ringing about.

"Hey! Ouch!" The boy exclaimed as he got scratched in the face and soon got a tonfa to the gut from Kyoya.

"Rrrrwwwwrrr hiss(Get The F*** away from my Kyoya)!" Tsuna hissed scratching at them in a blur going to fast for them to attack back soon gaining hundreds of scratches. Kyoya struck again knocking them out with his tonfas.

"Meow(You're hurt)." Tsuna meowed pointing at a scratch on Kyoya's cheek.

"Hnn(It will heal, you're fast)." Kyoya hnned. Tsuna didn't accept that so he licked the wound which instantly healed the scratch. Kyoya felt his face feeling it gone and looked questioningly at Tsuna.

"Meow(I didn't think it would do that, I just wanted to make it feel better)." Tsuna meowed rubbing head against Kyoya who started petting him.

"Baby carnivore." Kyoya stated as he petted him noticing something in his hair.

"Mmmrow(What)?" Tsuna meowed before feeling something be pulled lightly.

"Hnn(Did you notice you had 2 extra ears that are hidden in your hair)." Kyoya hnned making Tsuna realise that their are many things he didn't know he had.

"Mew(No I didn't)." Tsuna mewed touching the two extra ears that were just found, feeling the furry texture of them. 'Is this a side effect of getting claws from the cat god, am I turning in to a cat?' Tsuna thought before feeling Kyoya rub his ears and he started purring.

[seasaltdragon]

A Song Stuck in My Memory Chapter Two

After more than a year, I’ve finally updated my Soul Eater Anastasia AU

Check it out on AO3 or under the Read More!

Soul was miserable. He'd never been on a train before so he had expected it to be fun, but it was quite the opposite. Their carriage was small, and even though Soul had gotten the window seat (he and Maka had briefly fought over it, but Tsubaki made Maka let Soul have it) he couldn't see much because the train was moving much too fast.

He sighed and slouched in his seat, then looked over at Maka sitting next to him. She was sitting quietly, reading some thick book. Blair was sitting between them, but was resting her head on Maka's leg, purring quietly.

"There's nothing to do," Soul announced to the others. Tsubaki looked up at him and gave a sympathetic smile, then turned back to whatever she was writing. Maka ignored him.

"This train ride is gonna take forever!" Black*Star agreed. "Come on, there's gotta be something we can do to pass the time!"

"Black*Star," Maka warned.

He opened his mouth to reply, but Tsubaki interrupted, "Black*Star why don't you go take a walk? I'm sure that'll help your boredom."

"Yeah, sure!" Black*Star agreed. He jumped off his seat and left the room, accidentally slamming the door shut.

Maka sighed. "I'll never get used to Black*Star," she stated.

Tsubaki gave a small laugh. "He can be difficult at times."

Maka turned back to her book, and Tsubaki kept writing in those small books that looked suspiciously like fake passports. Soul groaned internally. He thought there was going to be a conversation or something, but no- right back to silence. He was going to go crazy.

"What book are you reading?" he finally asked Maka.

She looked up from the book and towards him. Since they had gotten on the train, she had removed the baseball cap she had been wearing previously, and put her ash blonde hair up into twin ponytails. Soul thought the hairstyle was a little childish, but on her it didn't look that bad.

“I’m brushing up on the manners and cordialities that the Evans family taught their sons,” she said, as if it was natural to be reading such a boring book. “This book is exactly the same that both the Evans and Death family owned. We have to make sure that you don’t act strange around Kidd Death.”

"So were Kidd and the Evans kid- me, I guess- friends?" Soul asked. "I mean, they had to be. Why else would Kidd be looking for him?"

Tsubaki shrugged. "We don't really know. Kidd refuses to answer any questions on why he's looking for Samuel."

That had been the first time Soul heard the name of the lost Evans boy. "Samuel," he repeated. He knew what he looked like- white hair, red eyes, shark teeth, and shabby clothes- and there was no way the name Samuel fit him. Even Sam or Sammy would seem weird. "Really hope I'm not the Evans boy," Soul stated, sitting back. "That's a stupid name. I'm too cool for it."

Maka arched an eyebrow. "Like 'Soul' is any better?"

"Hey, shut up! It's an awesome name!"

"Yeah, right. Maybe for a fish or something."

"Well, what the hell kinda name is 'Maka'?"

At that moment, Black*Star entered the room and whispered something in Tsubaki's ear. She looked panicked for a minute, then regained her composure. "You two can't seem to get along," she pointed out. "So maybe we need to find a bigger car, so you two don't have to sit right next to each other."

Maka raised an eyebrow at Tsubaki, who gave her a small but nervous smile. She eventually relented, and stood up to grab the few pieces of luggage they had. Soul stood up and reached to take the luggage out of her hands, but she kicked him. "I can handle it," she stated. "Besides, you're an heir, and heirs don't do the heavy lifting." She picked up the luggage with ease and followed Tsubaki out of the room.

Black*Star laughed, but didn't answer Soul's question of why he was laughing. He simply left the car, following wherever Maka and Tsubaki were going. Soul immediately followed, not wanting to get left behind.

When Soul rejoined the group, swaying with the car beneath him, he frowned at the box car they had occupied. "This was your bright idea?" he asked no one in particular, sitting down on the floor. "We’re gonna sweat to death in here!"

"You'd think someone from Death City wouldn't complain so much," Maka said, crossing her arms.

"Cut him some slack, Maka," Tsubaki said. "He's had a hard day."

Black*Star laughed. "Yeah, like finding out that you're possibly the heir to a large fortune is hard."

"Everything he thought about his life was a lie," Tsubaki pointed out. "His entire life is changing right in front of him! Don't you think that would be a difficult transition?"

"Huh," Soul said quietly, leaning against the wall of the baggage car. "You know, I didn't realize that."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Soul, I didn't mean-" Tsubaki started.

"It's fine," he interrupted. "You don't need to apologize." She was right, after all. Even if he wasn't the lost Evans boy, everything was going to be different for him. He wouldn't be Soul the orphan anymore. He would be whoever he made himself out to be. Perhaps that thought should have scared him, but Soul found it exciting.

The door suddenly rattled loudly, causing Tsubaki, and Maka to flinch and Black*Star to jump to his feet. "Stupid old train," Maka muttered under her breath.

Black*Star sat up suddenly, staring at the door. "Guys, what's that green glow?"

They all lurched forward as the train began to pick up speed. Soul sprinted to the door they came through, the door to the dining car. "We're separated from the dining car!" he shouted back at them. "That's probably why we're picking up speed!"

"And the engine's going berserk!" Maka stated from the other door. "Oh- oh no."

"What's wrong?" Tsubaki asked, standing up.

Maka turned back to face them, her face grave. "The bridge is out. If we don't stop this car before we reach it-" She didn't finish that thought.

"We need to separate the baggage car from the engine," Tsubaki said, jumping up. "Black*Star, you handle that. Maka, help me get our stuff together. Only necessities."

Maka refused to listen, opening the door to take a look at the fusing couplets. Tsubaki turned to Soul "Alright, well someone has to help me grab our things. Come on, Soul."

Soul wanted to go help Maka, but he figured that she and Black*Star would be able to handle it by themselves. He helped Tsubaki grab the few bags they had, then turned to see how Maka and Black*Star were doing.

"Nothing's working!" Maka yelled, frustrated. "Is there anything more powerful in there?"

"Black*Star!" Soul shouted. He pointed to a crate filled with TNT sticks. "That outta be enough."

"Yeah, of course! I knew that was there!" Black*Star shouted. He grabbed one and lit it before handing it to Maka.

"Do you know how dangerous this is?" Maka demanded as she stuck the TNT in the couplet. "If we die, this is all your fault!"

"I was the one who suggested it!" Soul shouted to be heard above the gradually-increasing roar of the engine.

"I was talking to you!"

The four of them hunkered in the back of the baggage car, waiting for the TNT to go off. "This is a terrible idea," Maka muttered.

Soul opened his mouth, but the dynamite went off, shutting him up immediately. The front of the car was nearly blown off, but at least they were no longer connected to the runaway engine.

"The brakes aren't working!" Tsubaki yelled, having sprinted towards the brake the second after the dynamite went off. "We'll have to find another way to stop!"

"I have an idea!" Maka grabbed a length of chain with a hook on the end. "Tsubaki, you put out the fires. Black*Star, help me!"

"Of course! I, the great Black*Star, can do anything!" He stepped forward straight into one of the little fires and started screaming.

"Someone hand me the chain!" shouted Maka's voice from what sounded like under the car.

"Are you insane?" Soul demanded, running to hand her the hook.

She looked up at him for a few seconds, green eyes burning with determination. "This is our only chance. I know what I'm doing. Just trust me and hand me the hook. We're running out of time."

He nodded, and handed her the hook. She attached it to the couplet and yanked on it to make sure that it wouldn't come lose. Underneath the car, there was a sound like something was coming lose. Soul grabbed Maka's hand and pulled her up, a second before the lose bit went flying through where Maka had been, then landed with a crash in the forest.

"Lucky for you I have quick reflexes," Soul told her, pulling her up the rest of the way.

"I owe you one," she said, moving to the back of the train. "Now, brace yourselves!" She grabbed the grappling hook at the other end of the train and threw it out the back. It landed on the track, but the slats weren't enough to stop their momentum. The car tipped forwards as the hook pulled the tracks up behind them.

Tsubaki opened up the side door and thrust bags into the arms of the other three. "Jump!" she shouted, practically pushing them.

Soul landed hard on the dirt, trying to keep from squashing Blair in his arms. The cat jumped out of his arms the second they landed and mewed at him, as if spurring him to get a move on. "Shut up, cat," he muttered, rubbing the side that he had landed on.

"Haha, we made it!" Black*Star cheered.

"Well we're alive, so that's good," Tsubaki said, giving a weary smile.

"We've kind of lost our ride, though," Soul pointed out, sitting up. "How are we going to get to New York City?"

Maka lay flat on her back, staring at the sky. "The train was supposed to take us to a port city so that we could get a boat to New York. If we can manage to catch a bus or something, we could get there in time before the boat leaves."

"Why not just get a train to New York?" Soul asked, frowning. "Why a train and a boat?"

"Because shut up, that's why."

"Ah, okay, nevermind. It doesn’t matter." They must have stolen the boat tickets as well, or had to buy them because the train tickets to the port city were the only ones they could steal.

Maka stood up slowly. "Well if we're gonna make it in time, we'd better get going. Come on, lazybones! Let's get a move on!"

Soul groaned, but got up and grabbed a few of the bags that Tsubaki was holding. "How far do we have to go?"

"We follow the train tracks!" Black*Star stated. "We'll get there in no time!"

“If we get to a road, we might be able to hitch a ride,” Maka pointed out.

"There should be a road nearby, so let's just try that," Tsubaki suggested.

"Agreed," Soul said, already trekking through the half-dead forest. He turned around after a few minutes to find them still standing there. "Hey, come on! Let's get moving!"

The four walked in silence for a while, only the sound of the dirt and occasional leaf crunching under their feet. "So tell me about this Samuel Evans kid," Soul said suddenly. "Me, I guess." He gave a sharp laugh. "I'll never be able to get to that lame name."

"That's understandable," Maka nodded. "We can keep calling you Soul, though. That'll make it easier for everyone."

"We'll have to change that before we get to New York, though," Tsubaki pointed out.

"That's not a big deal," Maka said, waving her off. "Now, I guess we need to teach you all about the Evans family, as well as Lord Death and Kidd Death. Listen closely, okay, because we don't have the time to repeat ourselves. You have an older brother named Wes who was a gifted violinist, and both of your parents were famous musicians, as well. Even though you were young before the fall of Death City, you were quite the little prodigy in piano."

"I've never touched a piano, to my knowledge," Soul said blankly. "I really hope he doesn't test my skill at piano."

"No reason to worry about that now," Tsubaki said cheerfully. "Your parents were friends of Lord Death's since before you were born, but you were born in New York City instead of Death City. You and Kidd were both given private tutors, and you used to hide to escape your lessons."

"Wes was the only person who could find you!" Black*Star chimed in.

"But you still had an education fit for royalty," Maka stated. "So we'll have to teach you how to speak, walk, and dress properly before you meet with Kidd Death."

"Wait a second, what's wrong with how I talk?" Soul demanded.

Maka continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "The first song both you and Wes had learned to play was “Canon in D”, which was your parents’ favorite song. You were supposed to play it as a duet on the night of the fire." Maka suddenly went quiet, as if she remembered something important.

Tsubaki placed a gentle hand on Maka's shoulder. "We can cover the topic of the fire later," she said. "For now, let's run over all of the family members that Samuel would have known, as well as how to walk properly."

That seemed to break Maka out of her haze. "Yes, that's a good idea. You have to learn how to walk properly, bow properly, and the correct way to sit. I hope you have a good memory, Soul."

"Other than the first fourteen years of my life," he shrugged.

Black*Star laughed and slapped Soul's back a little too hard, but Soul wouldn't admit that. "Alright! Let's get started then!"

Maka pulled the boring book from earlier out of her bag and all but shoved it under Soul's nose. "In the front page of this book on manners, I doodled your family tree; you have to learn names first, then we'll give you facts to attach to those names. It would be better if we had pictures, but I think I could describe them well enough so you could recognize them in case Kidd has any pictures to quiz people."

"How do you know so much about the Evans family?" Soul asked.

"We can discuss that later," she said firmly. "For now, your family tree. Now, you already know about your older brother Wesley, Wes for short. He was a musician, just like most people in your family. Your mother was named Cecilia and your father was named Lawrence. Your parents went to Juliard together, which was how they met. Your father grew up in Death City and had gone to the same private school that Lord Death had gone to as a child, which was how they met. Your mother was from New York City, and her family name is Eter. Your father was an only child, and your mother only had one younger sibling. As far as I know, your grandparents are all dead, and your mother wasn’t on speaking terms with her brother when you were a child. So you won’t have to worry about any aunts, uncles, or cousins.”

“That’s still a lot of information,” Soul stated.

“Yes, but it’s all important,” Tsubaki said, giving a smile.

Maka continued on, telling Soul everything about the Evans family and some things about the Eter family. He wanted to ask about her knowledge of his family tree, but any time he tried, she would dodge the question or Tsubaki or Black*Star would distract him. They were hiding something, and Soul knew it.

“That’s enough about your family tree for now,” Tsubaki said after a while. “Let’s try walking properly for a short while.”

“I walk fine,” Soul insisted, adjusting the pack across his shoulders. Blair, who was hiding in one of the bags, mewled in protest, as if Soul had just woken her up.

“No, you don’t,” Maka stated.

“You’re all hunched over,” Black*Star interjected. “You need to walk tall and proud! Shoulders back!” Black*Star pushed Soul’s shoulders back, but accidentally pushed him to the ground instead.

“Hey!” Soul shouted.

“Let’s try this again,” Maka said, shaking her head at Black*Star. She reached down and helped Soul to his feet. “Okay, so keep your shoulders down and back, and your head straight.”

Soul did what Maka said, and took a few steps forward until Tsubaki stopped him. “Good enough for now,” Tsubaki told him. “Let’s move on to practicing bowing. The lower you bow, the more respect you give to someone. You probably won’t have to give a deep bow, so we won’t worry about that. If you bow to Kidd, give a medium bow, probably like this,” she said, bending a little above the waist. “You probably won’t have to bow to anyone else, so we should spend more time working on your handshake.”

The group walked along, the other three drilling advice into Soul’s mind and constantly fixing the way he walked, sat, bowed, or shook hands. “Is there anything I’m doing right?” he grumbled.

When they finally reached the road, Soul gave a small sigh of relief. Soon enough, it would be night, and he would have an excuse to ignore them. Until that point, he would just have to deal.

Maka pulled a loaf of bread out of one of the bags. “This isn’t exactly a real meal, but we need to assess whether you eat like a ravenous animal or not.”

“I’m an orphan, not an animal,” Soul grumbled, accepting the piece of bread that Maka handed him. He was about to start eating when he noticed that they were all staring at him. “Can you three let me have peace for just one second?”

With Soul distracted, Blair jumped out of the bag she had curled up in and snatched the piece of bread from his hand. “Hey!” Soul shouted as Blair ran off with her prize.

Black*Star started to snort, which caused the other two to start laughing, which only further escalated the issue. The three dissolved into laughter, Black*Star falling down and Maka having to hold onto a tree for support. While they were laughing, Soul couldn’t help but notice that for the first time, they truly looked their age. The ghost lines of stress disappeared, alleviated for just a moment by happy chance. His head turned in Maka’s direction, and as she was finally able to stop laughing, Soul was struck by an odd thought- “I’ve heard that laugh before”. The closer he looked at Maka, the more he realized that there was something undeniably familiar about her. Perhaps she had stayed in the orphanage for a while before becoming an urchin.

The strange thing was that Black*Star and Tsubaki were not nearly as… familiar as Maka was. Yes, there was something about them that reminded Soul of a conversation he had had once. He couldn’t remember anything other than that it was spring, and they had been standing near an open window, looking at a garden below. But even that Soul didn’t trust; there were no gardens in Death City. He figured he just read about a garden while hearing about these two, and the memories just phased together. Of course, there was the fact that Soul didn’t read, but this was the only explanation.

Tsubaki, who had just gotten out of her laughing fit, frowned. “Soul, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he stated, not sure if he was lying. “Now eating properly- that sounds boring. Let’s skip that.”

[aalissy]

Dare

Day 5 is done! Woot woot! And Chat learns Marinette has a crush on Adrien ;). One of my favoriteee things for him to learn haha! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter <3. Lemme know what you think :D

AO3

“Truth or dare?” Marinette asked while sketching a new design in her notebook. There’s a brief pause before she looked up at the superhero lying relaxed on her bed, his nose buried in a book. She frowned, tossing a ball of fabric at his head in the hopes of gaining his attention. 

She giggled quietly when Chat jumped in the air, his eyes blinking down at her rather hazily, “Wh-what? Why did you just throw a ball of yarn at me?”

“Truth or dare!?” Marinette repeated herself, ignoring his question.

“So we’re doing this now are we, purrincess?” he raises an eyebrow at her amusedly.

She nodded a few times before looking back down at her latest sketch, “Yep! I’m bored and you’re here so... truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Chat shrugs, putting down his book as he turned his full attention onto her.

Marinette snickered quietly to herself, before turning to him completely serious, “What’s your secret identity?”

His eyes widened and his gaze darted around her room in a panic, “Marinette... I...!”

She couldn’t help the laughter that burst forth from her then. Marinette practically fell onto her desk, wheezing in gasps of air, “I’m kidding! I’m kidding! You should have seen your face!” 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he hissed at her with a fierce scowl.

Eventually, she managed to calm herself down, smirking at him, “I’m not that crazy, you know. You should have figured that out when I first asked.”

Chat groaned, sticking his tongue out at her. In no time at all, however, his face brightened mischievously and he slid down her ladder quickly. Soon, he was leaning in on her personal space, his own smug smirk on his lips, “Since you furfeited your right to a question the moment you decided to purrank me, it’s now my turn to pawlay. So, truth or dare?”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works,” Marinette raised an eyebrow at him, “And the puns... really?”

“Too bad. Truth or dare?” Chat completely ignored her comment about the puns, leaning in closer to her.

Rolling her eyes, Marinette shoved him away some, trying to ignore the slight flush in her cheeks, “Alright, truth.”

“Who’s your current crush?” he chuckles at her playfully, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

If her cheeks were a light pink before they were a raging red now as she ducked her head shyly, “U-uh, I mean dare!”

There’s no way I can tell him about Adrien! That’d be way too embarrassing!

“Ooh, do you have a crush on someone purrincess?” Chat’s bright, green eyes gleamed down at her.

“Pfft, n-no... I just... want to do a dare now!” Marinette gulped and avoided his piercing gaze.

“Alright, I dare you to tell me,” he snickered at her.

Her eyes jerked back to Chat’s, glaring at the superhero fiercely, “You can’t do that! That’s not how the game works!!”

“Well, that’s just too bad, purrincess. You started this! And if you give up your dare I can think of plenty of punishments! So, who’s your crush?”

Marinette’s scowl deepened harshly before she stood up, jabbing at his chest, “This stays private, got it?! Only some of my closest friends know who I like, so you can’t tell anyone, ok?”

Chat’s eyes seemed to wince with pain for a second before it cleared up. Before Marinette even had to time to think about what that meant, he was speaking, “Cat’s honor! I will keep your secret fur mew.”

“Yes, the puns are very reassuring,” she spoke sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Summoning her courage, she cleared her throat, “W-well... there’s this guy in my class.”

“He’s in your class?!” Chat sputtered at that, already interrupting her.

“Yes! Why do you look so surprised?” Marinette frowned at him in confusion, “Were you expecting something different?”

The superhero seemed to turn a dark red before he snapped his fingers, “I just thought you liked that one guy... what was his name... the musician...”

“Who Luka?” she tilted her head.

“Yeah, him!” he beamed at her.

Marinette bit her lip to hide a smile as her cheeks turned a light pink, “Luka’s sweet and all but he’s not the guy. I mean, maybe if I ever get over him...,” she trailed off before shaking her head harshly, “But you don’t want to hear about that! The dare asked who I had a crush on and that’s not Luka. I-it’s a boy named Adrien, actually.”

Chat looked at her blankly for a few seconds, a frown slowly starting to form on his forehead. She gulped nervously, tapping her fingers together, “W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, no, sorry,” he shook his head, “I just thought that there was only one Adrien in your class.”

“There is only one Adrien in my class,” she frowns back at him, “Why?”

For a long moment, Chat just stood there blinking at her, “Like Adrien Agreste... or?”

Hearing the superhero speak his name caused Marinette to giggle nervously, rocking back on her heels, “Y-yeah, the one and only.”

Chat drew closer to her, planting both his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her rather seriously, “You have a crush on Adrien Agreste.”

“Yeah?” she asked slowly and suspiciously, “Why? You’re not planning on telling him, are you? You promised, remember!”

He froze for a brief moment before shaking his head, “No, no! I-I won’t tell him! I-I did promise already.”

“Then why does it look like you just swallowed a rock?” Marinette’s eyebrow rose.

“N-no reason!” Chat squeaked before turning red. Clearing his throat, he continued, “I just didn’t expect your crush to be on him, is all.”

“Well if you saw how I act around him, you wouldn’t be. Alya tells me that Adrien’s probably the only one who doesn’t know I like him,” she shrugged once.

“Your friend sounds smart,” he gave her a soft look, one that she couldn’t identify the meaning of, “Adrien can be a bit oblivious.” “Hey, that’s my crush you’re talking about!” Marinette scowled at him, whacking his arm lightly.

Snickering, Chat darted away from her light punches, “I heard he smells too! Like cheese!”

“Chat!” Marinette screeched, chasing him around the small room as he laughed loudly.