#he's got a vet appointment soon

[raeathnos]

.

[miryum]

Doing Something Stupid Pt 1 (Thunderbolts*!Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Part 2

Warnings: very obscure/small spoilers to Thunderbolts* (the scene I wrote about was in the trailer), allusions to sex, talk of guns, allusions to Bucky’s trauma, Bucky’s metal arm

Standing in the kitchen, Bucky watched as Alpine ambled across the counter. The cat was due for a vet appointment soon and he knew he would be the one taking her. You never liked taking Alpine to the vet because it was one of the few times the cat shook in fear and you would look over at Bucky, wide-eyed and lip practically quivering. With both of his girls looking like that, Bucky always caved.

He was wearing a white tank-top under his dress shirt, eyes scanning over packets that had been sent over weeks ago. He was still getting used to being Congressman Barnes, but he certainly liked the way your eyes glinted whenever you called him that. It usually led to other things that you called him much too old for. He always proved you wrong.

As he was taking a bite of leftovers, sauce plopped down onto his shirt and arm. He looked down and sighed in defeat. Alpine meowed at him, as if chastising him for eating messy food in his fancy clothes. Shrugging the shirt off and running it under some water from the sink, Bucky shot Alpine a glare. “Don’t tell her,” he grumbled. Alpine promptly leapt off the counter and sauntered off.

A while later, Bucky was still flipping through the packets, left arm gone. He heard you before he felt you. Your footsteps were ingrained in his mind and he was sure he would be able to distinguish them out of a lineup if need be. Your hands pressed along his back and then up to his shoulders. He could feel your cheek between his shoulder blades and he felt his muscles instinctively relax. You weren’t repulsed by the raised scars and mountains that littered his skin, leaving patches a bit lighter or redder than normal. Your fingers brushed over them all, just the same, never wavering or disgusted. After years of fearing human touch and all that it had done to him, Bucky was still baffled that yours was the one that could soften him and leave him undone. Wrapped around your finger, Sam used to say.

“What have I told you about eating before an event, James Buchanan Barnes?” you asked, voice soft and teasing.

“Did Alpine tell you? Traitor.” He turned around and leaned against the counter, hand instantly finding your hip and drawing you close.

You gave him a knowing look as you stepped between his legs. “Don’t call my baby that.” You glanced down to see the dishwasher running before looking back up at your husband. “Really?”

Bucky shrugged innocently. “It’s efficient. Plus, it needed a good cleaning after last night.”

You scoffed and pushed at his shoulder lightly, knowing exactly what he was talking of. Your hands slipped down to his waist before resting your chin on his collarbone, eyes staring up at him. Bucky silently begged the dishwasher to finish; he wanted to hold you properly, with both arms. Luckily, he got his wish. 

“Gimme a second, doll,” he said, opening the dishwasher and steam gently rolled out. It only housed two plates from breakfast that morning and a couple of glasses, the majority of the bottom rack being taken up by his vibranium arm. Clicking it back into place, after a roll of his shoulders, he could hold you again.

The silence was interrupted by his phone ringing and he let out a low groan, head dropping to rest on your hair. “Could be work,” you coaxed and he reached over to grab the offending device. You were right, as you always were, and you listened as Bucky tried to encourage Mel, the assistant of Valentina De Fontaine, to testify against her employer. You pitied the poor girl, knowing that she was in a difficult position between morality and power. Bucky’s metal hand drew absentminded circles over your waist as the call continued and Alpine mewed from the couch. 

 “Are you gonna be safe?” is all you asked when the phone had been hung up and Bucky stared down at you with that look in his eye. He was planning something that most likely involved guns and superhumans.

“I’ll try.”

“That’s not exactly convincing,” you muttered out, but let your head rest against his chest. You caught his left hand in yours and began to gently trace the golden edges of his knuckles and wrist. Your thumb brushed over the engraved gold strip on his ring finger he had gotten after your wedding. He still wore his ring most of the time, but when he was in the public eye and away from you, he wanted something that didn’t draw attention to you while also silently professing his love. It was for your protection and you understood that wholeheartedly. 

“Doll…” he said in response.

“No, I know,” you sighed softly. “Just please come back to me in one piece. And don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Alpine let out a loud meow that seemed sarcastic, if that was even possible. “I love you,” Bucky reminded you, though he didn’t need to. You knew that he did, unwavering and strong as always.

“I love you, too,” you replied, knowing that no matter what, your husband would find a way back to you. He always did. He was stubborn, something that seemed synonymous with the last name of Barnes. And that stubbornness had served him well numerous times over, always leading him back to you.

Over the years, both of you had changed. But you had changed together. Things were more mellow now than they used to be and you felt more concrete in your love for each other. It wasn’t wild and firey like it used to be when you were younger, but that was something both you and Bucky were okay with. 

“And remember,” you said as he reluctantly pulled himself away from you to go change into something not stained – you would take it upon yourself to clean his shirt, “you have to take Alpine to the vet in two days. She needs a shot, my poor baby.” You moved over to where the cat was lounging on the couch, right on top of the cushions, and gave her a few scratches behind her ears. Alpine let out a rumbling purr, leaning into your touch. Like father, like daughter, Bucky rationalised.

“Of course,” he replied, changing course to step over to you. He didn’t want to get dressed if you were standing there, looking like that. His nose bumped into yours and as his scruff tickled your cheek, he kissed you like he always did; that was one thing that hadn’t changed over your years together: he was still a starved man when it came to you.

...thinking of making this a mini-series. Thoughts?

[theoreocat]

Hi everyone,

If you’ve been following us on YouTube or Facebook you may already know this. Yesterday, I found out that Oreo has cancer in his GI tract. We went in to the vet because he hadn't pooped and threw up again pretty violently. Before heading to the vet, he made a huge stink, so when I got there I let the vet know. She palpated him and said that she still felt something in his abdomen so she decided to do an ultrasound. The ultrasound shows that he has a very large mass in his abdomen. This is what's making him sick. Many different solutions were laid on the table including palliative care with steroids or chemotherapy. The latter requiring us to see an oncologist first.

The type of cancer Oreo has is an aggressive one, which means it's fast growing. The reality of the situation is that Oreo may not have much time. We can do what we can to extend it but in order to do that, his quality of life may deteriorate dependant on the aggressivity of the treatments. It's equally possible that he may be a good candidate and treatment might be a great option. To know this, we need to see the oncologist.

I've taken an appointment with one in a week's time. It was the earliest I could get. I will have to go into Montreal for the appointment. I was told Oreo can't eat for 12 hours before the appointment as well. Pook kid. I decided to do this just to put my own mind at ease and see what cards are on the table. Depending of the oncologists outlook, I will decide what's best for him at that time.

Once again, I sincerely appreciate everyone's kind words, thoughts and prayers. I spent another $900 yesterday and if we decide to go with treatment we will be looking at thousands more. I was suggested to go directly to emergency services in Montreal as the delay time may be faster from start to finish in getting the information, however, I don't think Oreo would appreciate that. He has been through a lot in the past three weeks and I don't want to bring him to an emergency room to sit there all day and possibly have to stay there for days getting tests done. I don't know how long he has and I want him to be with us right now. He has some medicine to help with nausea as well as an appetite stimulant which we tried this morning and will soon see what results it gives.

This is all very difficult for me to process and I am doing my best. Rest assured, I will do whatever I feel is best for Oreo in the end.

Thanks for your kind support,

Tina.

[copper-16]

You Can Do This

Mapi for the life of her, cannot find Bagheera. The cat is in a place where the Spaniard and Norwegian least expect her to be.

(a/n: this is a mix between fluff and just a little bit of angst that is easily soothed. This is kind of introducing a theme about Mapi's specific struggles with becoming a parent, that is a topic I want to talk about and explore more in future stories about these three. Also, wanted to write some Bagheera/Elena content for @acornsquish, ofc :)

Mapi really, really hated waking up her wife when she did not need to. 

Ingrid was notoriously grumpy in the mornings, especially before she had her coffee, so the thought of getting the Norwegian up and knowing that she would likely be annoyed with Mapi for the rest of the day was not an enticing thought for the brunette. 

But the Spaniard also didn’t know what to do, because for the life of her she cannot find Bagheera anywhere. 

Mapi prided herself on knowing the cat well. She had been here before Ingrid, before Elena, and she had been the Spaniard’s ever since she was just a tiny kitten. The defender loved the cat with her life, and she was sure that she knew her well enough to know all of her hiding spots. 

The nook behind their kitchen table, behind the big armchair in the living room, under the TV in their bedroom. 

So when Mapi got up this morning to take Bagheera to the vet and hadn’t been able to find her, she had checked all of those hiding spots first. She was sure that the cat was somewhere in one of those, simply hiding from the crying from Elena that would start up soon enough when she awoke. 

The poor cat tolerated the baby, but she wasn’t exactly a huge fan of her either. Mapi and Ingrid were careful to keep the two relatively separated, not wanting Elena to accidentally pull at Bagheera’s tail or something like that. 

And for the most part, the cat stayed away without having to be told. She wasn’t a huge baby person, evidently, and Mapi couldn’t really blame her. She hadn’t exactly been bringing a bunch of babies home in the past, to be fair. 

But Elena wasn’t leaving, and neither was Bagheera, so the two learned to coexist peacefully, away from one another. 

Bagheera wasn’t in her cat tower, or in the nook behind the kitchen table, or by the armchair, or their bedroom. In fact, Mapi couldn’t begin to find the cat in the whole damn apartment. 

As the time of the cat’s vet appointment drew nearer, Mapi finally broke down, deciding that she needed to wake Ingrid up to help her look. 

“Ingrid, Ingrid!” Mapi whispered harshly, slightly shaking the Norwegian’s leg from her spot at the foot of the bed. 

“Mmm, go back to sleep Maria,” Ingrid mumbled sleepily, turning back into her pillow. Mapi swallowed thickly, looking around as though the cat would suddenly appear, and then squeezing her wife’s leg harder when she didn’t. 

“Ingrid!” She tried again, and apparently her voice was panicked enough that she got the dark haired woman up, the Norwegian blinking several times before looking up at her wife, who appeared more than a little frazzled. 

“What? Is something wrong?” Ingrid was suddenly very awake, wondering if there was something amiss with the baby. The next words out of her wife’s mouth are not, however, what she expects, given how panicked the Spaniard is.  

“The cat is missing!” Mapi hissed, and the dark haired woman’s whole face scrunched in confusion. 

“The cat is what?” Ingrid repeats, her words slightly slow as she struggles to follow the brunettes train of thought. 

“The cat is missing!” Mapi echoes, looking around again. 

“Mapi, she’s a cat. She’s not missing, she’s somewhere in this apartment,” Ingrid reasoned with far too much sureness for someone who wasn’t abreast of the current situation. 

“No, I’m telling you! I’ve looked in all of her usual spots, and she’s not anywhere! You need to help me look, I have to take her to the vet,” Mapi insisted, not waiting for Ingrid’s answer before she walked out of their room, her steps hurried but quiet, well aware that their six month old baby was still very much asleep. 

Ingrid let out a heavy sigh before she slipped out of bed, running a comb through her hair and brushing her teeth before she joined her wife in her quest to find their cat. 

Together, the two Barcelona players scoured the living room and kitchen, trying to find the black cat. When they didn’t find her there, they moved into the dining room, and then their bedroom. It was Ingrid who finally decided that they would check the one place that they were sure Bagheera wouldn’t be in. 

Elena’s room. 

The baby was six months old, and entirely the light of their lives. 

Bagheera’s life? Not so much. 

But Ingrid drags her wife down the hallway, despite the Spaniard’s insistence that there is no way Bagheera would be caught dead in there. 

The Norwegian pays her no mind, pushing the door open and walking into the room. She looks around, at the changing table, the rocking chair they have in her room, in the closet. 

But it’s Mapi who finds the cat first, her jaw flopping open in shock. 

“Ingrid,” she whispers urgently, moving toward the crib. And sure enough, there was Elena sleeping peacefully, with Bagheera wrapped around her. The black cat looks completely content and happy, more than willing to just sleep with the baby. Elena’s little fist is resting on the cat’s belly, and her face is turned toward Bagheera, even in sleep. 

The entire cat’s body is curled around their baby, her body wrapped around the baby’s head, her head laid gently on the mattress. 

Even the cat’s tail is laid over the baby’s body, resting lightly against her little belly. It’s the cutest thing Mapi’s ever seen in her entire life, and she quickly takes her phone out to snap a picture as Ingrid joins her at the crib side. 

“Who knew,” Ingrid hums softly, her voice affectionate at the sight in front of her. The two appeared entirely enraptured with one another, and Mapi felt bad about disrupting their peace. 

“I should take Bagheera, her appointment is in a bit and I don’t want us to miss it,” Mapi said forlornly, but she reached down to grab the black cat regardless, knowing that they really did need to go to the appointment. 

Bagheera limply allowed herself to be lifted, her eyes opening as her owner lifted her from the crib she had been occupying. She allowed herself to be maneuvered with little fuss, but the disruption was less than ideal for Elena, apparently. 

The baby began to fuss almost immediately, missing the comforting presence of the cat that had come to be a common presence in her crib at night, unbeknownst to her mothers. The little baby reached out for the cat instantly, looking for fur and warmth. Mapi placed the cat on the ground before she returned to the baby, her face knitted in concern at the clear unhappiness on her daughter's face. 

The Spaniard looked over at her wife with big, worried eyes. She made no move to reach for Elena, despite the fact that she was now crying. 

“Ingrid,” she prompted, looking down at the baby with an expression akin to fear. The Norwegian softened, knowing why Mapi was so concerned. 

Ingrid had been the one to deliver her, and subsequently the one who stayed home with Elena the first few months of her life. Becoming a mother had been natural to Ingrid, and she was quite good at it. She knew how to soothe, and swaddle, she had since she was a young girl. The Norwegian had slipped into the role of mother seamlessly, unlike Mapi. 

The Spaniard had not grown up around babies at all, really. It wasn’t something she was accustomed to or used to, and Elena was practically the first baby she had ever handled, apart from the odd ten minutes when she had been passed a baby who belonged to a distant relative at a family reunion or wedding. 

Throughout Ingrid’s pregnancy, Mapi had spent more than her fair share of fretting about what her relationship with her daughter would look like. Would she be close to her, would she come to understand what her baby needed, would they bond. She wasn’t the one to carry her child, but that didn’t make her love Elena any less, right? It didn’t make her any less hers, did it? 

“You are her mother too, Mapi,” Ingrid reminded the center back, not because she was chastising her, but because sometimes those were the words the defender needed to hear. 

She was ashamed to admit it, but it had been six months and she still wasn’t sure that she felt connected with her baby. When Elena cried she didn’t know what to do like Ingrid did, she just panicked. The baby didn’t look like her, or feel like hers. She saw so much of Ingrid in her daughter, and she loved that very fact, but she also ached to feel close to her. It felt like she was playing pretend, like she was a fraud. 

But she wasn’t, and Ingrid was always there to remind her of that fact. 

“I am going to get changed and take Bagheera to the vet. Why don’t you spend some time with her this morning?” Ingrid suggested, noting the panic that immediately flashed across her wifes face. She placed a comforting hand on Mapi’s shoulder, her words sure as she spoke once again. 

“You can do this Mapi. She is a baby, not a nuclear bomb. Hold her, check her diaper, feed her and snuggle with her. I know you know how to do that, and you can do this. I believe in you,” Ingrid promised and it took her a moment but Mapi nodded eventually, her face still a little worried, but holding more confidence now after the pep talk from her wife. 

The center back went to get a bottle prepared while Ingrid changed, getting Bagheera into her carrier before she returned to the kitchen, back to her wife. 

“If anything goes really wrong, you can always call me,” the Norwegian soothed, kissing the Spaniard sweetly before she slipped out the door with their cat, leaving Mapi alone with their daughter. 

With renewed determination, the brunette went back into Elena’s room. She quickly changed the baby’s diaper before giving her a bottle. But even after that, and being burped, the little baby was still fussy. 

Mapi bounced her gently, unsure of what to do. The baby just wouldn’t settle, and she found herself beginning to panic, not knowing what the next step was in trying to calm her. 

“Okay, what would Ingrid do? What would your Mama do, mi sol?” Mapi asks the little baby, receiving nothing but a noise that was somewhere between a whimper and a cry. She holds Elena tightly to herself, feeling on the verge of tears, the overwhelming feeling in her gut being one of failure. 

This was her daughter, and she could not make her feel better? Could she not soothe her own child? 

She felt like a rotten parent. The brunette looks down at the little baby, at the tear tracks that run down her cheeks, at the wetness of her little eyes as she stares up at the defender. She feels a renewed sense of determination to make the baby feel better. It hurt her heart to see her upset, and she wouldn’t stop trying to make her happier until she had exhausted all of her options. 

“Come on,” Mapi decides, walking out of Elena’s room and back into her own, sitting down on the large bed. She carefully places Elena on her back on the bed, ignoring the shrill shriek that she receives in response, in favor of first stripping her own shirt, and then her daughter out of her little onesie. 

Mapi lays back against the bed, sitting up against the headboard. She settles Elena on her chest, and is genuinely shocked by the speed at which the little baby settles, melting into her mother as her cries subside almost instantly. The baby's body is warm against her own, and her little limbs relax until she is completely limp and cuddled against the Spaniard. 

The brunette brings her hand up to rub soothingly over the baby's back, and Elena lets out a relieved puff of air at the feeling. Mapi feels herself exhale a breath she hadn’t realized that she was holding as her daughter snuggled into her. 

Elena waves one of her arms, making a little grabby fist at Mapi’s other hand that was not currently on her back, and the Spaniard brings it up, allowing her daughter to grasp her pointer finger in her tiny fist, holding it tightly to her chubby body. 

“I’ve got you, mi sol,” Mapi promises, her voice thick as she drops her head to place a kiss to the crown of Elena’s head. As much as she is worried about bonding with her baby, she knows that there is no shortage of love that she feels for her daughter. 

She would happily go to the ends of the earth for her little girl, no matter what it took. She can’t imagine not loving Elena, not having her in her life. And it’s moments like these, with her daughter completely relaxed into her chest, completely content, that remind Mapi that she can do this. 

Progress is not linear, and neither is being a parent. At the end of the day she loves Elena, and she would do anything for her safety and happiness. 

And that is enough.

[cuteandhughesy]

THE CAT ONE (40) with kesselKING,, he needs more kitties

prompt no.40: “we should get a cat.” “we have a cat” “another cat.”

you know michael’s up to no good as soon as he walks through the front door. he’s wearing too wide of a smile, eyes glimmering with what can only be described as mischief. to top it all off he’s got his hands behind his back, standing by the front door while you eye him incredulously from the couch.

“why do you look like that?” you ask, voice full of skepticism.

“like what?”

“like you’re about to annoy me.”

michael blows a raspberry, “you wound me.” he makes no move to walk further into the apartment. he’s still got his shoes on, lingering by the front door with his hands still hidden from your view.

you squint pointedly.

“we should get a cat.” he suddenly chimes like it’s the best idea he’s ever had.

your brows furrow, “we have a cat. two actually.” one cue, as if they could hear you, both of michael’s cats come out of whatever hiding spots they’d been tucked away in, one trotting over to him, chirping happily, while your other cat joins you on the couch. it’s like they knew you were talking about them.

he laughs once. awkwardly. “I mean another cat.”

just then, the smallest most innocent meow sounds throughout the apartment. you freeze, eye wide as you look at your boyfriend.

another meow.

you get up, cautiously, making you way over to your gigantic boyfriend. michael is smiling, a little nervously, and very slowly he brings his hand out from behind himself, revealing the smallest gray kitten.

“michael….” you start, gaze switching between the cat and michael. the kitten looks so content in his large palm, green crusty eyes staring up at you curiously with its little tail tucked under its belly. “where did you find it?”

his smile turns real, bringing the little fuzz ball up to his face cutely. “he was outside the gas station and he found me, babe! I couldn’t just leave him.”

you sigh, reaching out and running your hand down its boney back. you frown. it’s clearly been living on the streets, and looks a bit worse for wear. but regardless the kitten looks happy enough, purring while michael eskimo kisses its little nose.

your boyfriend’s eyes flicker down to you, “can we keep him?”

a beat passes.

“okay,” you huff, and michael cheers triumphantly, fist bumping the air with his free hand. you smile, “but we need to make a vet appointment and make sure everything is okay.”

“did you hear that jet,” he whispers to the kitten, “we get to keep you.”

“jet?” you ask, amused.

michael’s grin only widens, “I named him.”

you roll your eyes. “of course you did.”

—

(unedited)

[ttllynotmyshyt]

The Three-Meeting theory: MEETING TWO

word count: 1,7k

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Trying to clear her head after a breakup by going to a friend's party leads to an unexpected reunion.

1 / 3

Y/n fixed her hair in the mirror. Her throat tightened and her face warmed the second her eyes met her reflection. She couldn’t believe it. Just two weeks ago, she’d been lying in her boyfriend’s arms, rewatching School of Rock and sipping hot cocoa. And now she was trying not to fall apart thinking about how all of that was just a memory.

How could she put on the same lipstick he used to love kissing off the second she finished her makeup? How could she fix her breasts in the dress he always complimented? And how dare she fix the hair he used to play with while holding her when she felt sad?

Deep down, she knew this was coming. They hadn’t been getting along half as well as they used to. She didn’t even feel bad anymore when he cancelled dates. She barely noticed when the compliments stopped. She knew the spark had faded, but with everything else on her mind, she never had the space to seriously think about it. So when the breakup finally happened, it hit like a dam breaking.

She knew it wasn’t the end of the world. But it was a door closing — a door she’d walked through every day for the past year. Even if the love was gone, it was still hard to figure out how to live in the absence of a chapter that long.

Her friend Olivia convinced her to come to a house party. They didn’t have many mutual friends, which meant Y/n wouldn’t have to explain anything or be babied the whole night. It was supposed to be a night of alcohol, conversation, and new faces — enough distraction to help her forget. And it had been, right up until the song she first kissed him to started playing. Olivia skipped it the second she saw Y/n’s face fall, but the damage was done.

After unkindly rummaging through the bathroom cabinets without asking, she found some deodorant and hairspray. She freshened up, took a few deep breaths, washed her hands with cold water, and fanned her face until she felt steady enough to leave the bathroom.

She headed straight for a drink — gripping the margarita made by some guy she couldn’t remember the name of like it was going to vanish. It was gone in a blink, earning a small chuckle from the self-appointed bartender who topped her off again without a trace of judgment.

She smoothed out her dress with her hands, half-listening to the kitchen conversation. Something about the NBA playoffs. She tried to follow along when familiar names came up, but eventually settled for nodding and offering the occasional quiet “right.”

A few more drinks in, she actually started to enjoy herself. She ended up in the office room with Olivia and a few others. A girl named Mandy, sweet and warm, was talking about her job as a vet and some questions Olivia had about her old pets.

Something about Mandy stuck with Y/n. She was so naturally kind that just being near her felt comforting. She spoke like she already knew what you needed to hear.

When the music from the living room got too loud, the girls decided to move to another room — but not before making a quick kitchen stop for snacks.

“There you are!” a guy said as soon as they entered. Tall, skinny, short hair — vaguely familiar. “I thought I’d lost you by now,” he said to Mandy, playfully.

“Well, you didn’t have to worry. I was just in the office — we were talking,” she replied.

“Oh, okay. Was it fun?”

“Yeah. I met this girl, Y/n. She’s really nice,” she said, gesturing.

He looked at Y/n, visibly searching his memory. “Wait, have we met before?”

“I was just wondering the same thing. What was it… Matt? Mike? Mason?” she said, crunching on pretzels.

“Martin. Close. See? We must’ve met.”

“Or maybe you just have strong ‘M’ vibes,” she joked before she could stop herself. Corny, she thought. Cringe, even — if she wasn’t buzzed.

“Or maybe you’re like, a really good witch. What’s up?”

“Nah, you’re probably right. We must’ve met before. You know Liv?”

“Olivia? Yeah, she’s Mandy’s friend. We’ve met a couple of times. What about you?”

“We’re close. That what brought you here?”

“Yeah, came for a good time, to chill. You?”

“Same. Been a tough week, needed to unwind.”

Martin squinted. “God, sorry — I can’t stop thinking about it. Where do I know you from? Are you like… on social media or something?”

“Not really, no. Sorry.”

“Work? Where do you work?”

“Oh! Sonic Boom — the record store,” she said. And then it clicked. “Wait — you’re the YouTuber guy, right? With your friend? Hamzah?”

“Dude, yes! That’s it! And yeah, Hamzah. How’d you remember?”

“I don’t know,” she smiled. “Not a common name, is it? You guys were cool. Made my day that day. Is the video up yet?”

“What are the odds!” Mandy said.

“Right? That’s what I said!” Martin grinned. “Yeah, it’s up. Did pretty well — like 900k views now. You should check it out.”

“Holy shit, that’s so many!” Y/n laughed.

“Right? And Hamzah’s here too! He’s gonna freak when he sees you.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked, her interest piqued.

“Pretty sure he’s playing Secret Hitler in the living room.”

“bet I’ll see him around,” she nodded.

Later, after the music shifted from upbeat to mellow, Y/n found herself out on the porch with a handful of people smoking and chatting in blankets.

Then a familiar face stepped out. This time, she knew exactly who it was — and he looked even better than she remembered.

“Hamzah,” she called, her voice softer than expected.

He turned. Their eyes met, and he smiled. “Record store girl.”

She grinned. “Guilty.”

“Martin said you were here. He was like, ‘Bro, remember that girl from Sonic Boom?’”

She laughed. “He really said that?”

“Swear on my life. Then he tried to describe you like I didn’t remember.”

“I guess I’m just unforgettable.”

He raised a brow. “You say that like it’s a joke.”

She let out a soft laugh and looked away.

“Been blending into the background lately, I guess.”

His expression shifted—just a little, but enough. “Yeah. I’ve been there.”

She moved slightly aside, away from the crowd. He followed without needing to be asked.

“You come out here for air or just avoiding Secret Hitler?” she asked.

“Both. I was losing and sulking. Thought I’d switch environments before I threw something.”

She laughed. “Good call. Martin hyped that game like it was a religion.”

“Martin hypes everything like it’s a religion.”

They paused. It wasn’t awkward — just aware.

“You here with him?” she asked.

“Kind of. He dragged me out, said I needed to leave the house before I turned into furniture.”

She smiled. “You didn’t want to come?”

“I didn’t not want to. Just had a long-ass week, that’s all.”

“Same,” she said. “Olivia practically bribed me with tequila and girl talk.”

“Hey, solid pitch.” he blinked slowly and raised his eyebrows with a smile.

“Right?” She shrugged. “I needed something. It’s been… a lot lately.”

“Yeah?” he asked gently.

She hesitated. Then nodded. “Breakup.”

“Damn. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Not fresh-fresh, but like… still echoing, you know?”

“Yeah,” he said. And she could tell he meant it. “The space they leave takes longer to clean up than the leaving itself.”

She looked at him. That was exactly it.

“That’s a good way to put it,” she said. “I might steal that.”

“Go ahead. I probably stole it from someone else.”

She tucked her hands into her jacket sleeves, gripping the cuffs.

“You ever get that thing where you feel fine all day, and then someone says something kind or looks at you a certain way, and suddenly you're back in it?”

“Absolutely. It’s like your body remembers before your brain does.”

“Exactly,” she said. “I had a drink, heard a stupid song, saw a couple kissing in the hallway. Boom. Instant collapse.”

“You held it together, though.”

“Barely. I did raid the bathroom for deodorant like a gremlin.”

“That’s resourceful.”

“Thanks. I’ll add it to my résumé.”

He chuckled, looking at her a little longer.

“You know,” he said, “you’re really easy to talk to.”

She raised a brow. “Is that your version of flirting?”

“Depends. Is it working?”

“Maybe a little,” she said, smirking. “But I’m not sure if I should let it.”

His smile softened. “Fair. I don’t want to push. I just… like talking to you.”

“I like talking to you too,” she admitted. “That’s kind of the problem.”

“So… we let it be what it is. Just a good conversation on a cold porch.”

“Yeah,” she said. “That sounds right.”

Silence again. But a good one.

After a moment, he looked toward the door. “Want to head back in?”

She looked at her empty cup, then up at the sky.

“I think I’ll stay out here a little longer.”

“Cool. I’ll save you some chips. And maybe the last word in Secret Hitler.”

“Do me proud.”

He gave her a knowing nod before slipping back inside.

She watched him go, her chest just a little lighter than before.

She was rinsing her cup in the kitchen when she heard him come in.

“I was wondering if you ghosted,” Hamzah said lightly.

She looked over her shoulder. He was leaning in the doorway, jacket on, keys in hand.

“I was just… regrouping,” she said. “Had a moment.”

“Yeah. You seemed a little off at the end there.”

She half-laughed. “I think the tequila caught up with the breakup.”

His smile faded slightly, but didn’t disappear. “That’s fair.”

They stood in silence. The fridge hummed softly.

“I liked talking to you tonight,” he said. “Didn’t expect to. You were kind of a surprise.”

She smiled. “Yeah. Same. You’re not what I expected either.”

“Oh?”

“I thought you’d be louder. Like Martin,” she said with a teasing look.

Hamzah chuckled. “Nah. I let him do the shouting. I do the editing.”

Pause.

“I hope it helped, by the way,” he added. “Even just a little.”

“It did,” she said.

He looked at her for a second, then handed her his phone.

“If you ever want to talk again. Or, like… argue about music or something dumb.”

She took it, typed in her number.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

“Night, Y/n,” he said as he backed out.

“Night, Hamzah.”

Her heart still hurt, but it didn’t feel untouchable anymore. Just… sore, in a way that might get better.

She looked down at her dress and straightened it one last time, then sighed.

a/n: part two, i hope you enjoy it. please give feedback if you have any.

also in the last part there were some "natalie" slips i guess? sorry about that, it's easier for me to write a name and change it to y/n usually, i suppose i didn't notice some instances of its use in part one. Won't happen again.

[genericpuff]

Hey y'all, Episode 67 will be out as soon as it's ready. I'm not gonna lie, coming off the back of a crazy holiday season, I was hoping things were gonna get back on track with the update schedule, but the last 2-3 weeks have brought about a whole new whirlwind of issues:

I took our cat to the vet a few weeks ago to get him checked out (esp because he wasn't eating as much as usual and we wanted to make sure he wasn't sick). The usual vet we go to has become a shithole, the doctor we got was extremely unhelpful and every interaction I've had with other members of staff there has been confusing and unpleasant. After an hour of an appointment that was more uncomfortable than it should have been, we were out $700 which was absurd, even for usual vet fees. After I shared the more detailed version of this story with friends IRL, some of them mentioned that apparently this particular clinic (among others throughout Canada) was bought by an American company. So that certainly explains a lot -_-

Car broke down and that cost like $800 to fix. Thankfully wasn't as expensive as the fucks at Canadian Tire quoted us, but it was still another huge expense on top of the vet bill.

Our shop moved locations this weekend, which took a lot of time to both prepare for and finally pull off over the course of the last few weeks. My new booth is at least set up enough to tattoo but there's still a lot left to do to make it comfortable.

Now my cat is potentially developing jaundice (sign of liver failure) which lines up with his blood test results from the vet showing increased liver enzyme levels or something like that (but they were apparently not enough of an emergency for the vet to actually do anything about it). I booked with a different vet clinic but they can't get us in until the 20th. So I booked an appointment for today with the emergency vet up the road. I'm terrified for him, he's an old cat so it was inevitable that his health would start to turn, but other than his increasingly picky eating habits and signs of jaundice, he's still acting like himself and it's breaking my heart that he could be hiding his own symptoms. I really just do not need a pet death on top of everything else that's going wrong right now.

As for the episode itself, it's not even that long, but the set design is pretty detailed and in our attempts to create some 3D models for ourselves, it resulted in bugs that had to be fixed on the fly. Thankfully I think we've finally got it down (and it's a recurring location so it's not like it won't be useful to have again in the future) but overall the episode production just hasn't gone as smoothly as it could have compounded by everything else mentioned above.

None of these are excuses, just reasons that have justifiably required my attention. Depending on how the vet appointment goes, I'll try and stream later tonight so that folks can at least watch some of the drawing progress for this episode. Episode 67 will be out by next Saturday at the latest, assuming I'm not able to get it out in the next day or two.

I know I'm a broken record at this point, but I'm incredibly sorry for the wait and I appreciate your patience with me. I'm begging for things to calm down soon.

[going-fanfics17]

Fourteenth Member of Seventeen : Sara

Bodyguard Seventeen reporting for duty pt.2

The dressing mishap :

This was the dress the newly appointed stylist had picked out for Sara's Hot stage and Sara felt uncomfortable even at the thought of wearing that. It was too short. Her regular stylist was on leave and although Sara didn't mind wearing stylish and sexy clothes on stage, this one was a bit too much even for her.

"Look, management wants you to stand out so cope with it," the new stylist said as he harshly handed Sara her outfit.

"This isn't even on theme!" Sara protested. The concept for Hot was rustic cowboy not whatever the hell this stylist was forcing her to wear.

"I know what is best for you. We need to attract more male fans and with your body we can do so. So go and wear whatever I am giving you quickly. I don't want arguments!"

Sara was disgusted at how the stylist was objectifying her. But then she had an idea, her members would create a riot on seeing her in this outfit. She smirked thinking about how scary overprotective they would get and raise hell on that stylist.

She quickly changed into the outfit even though it made her feel naked. As she stepped out she could feel the stylist's gaze on her. Without waiting for any comment from that horrible man she hurried to her members.

"What the hell are you wearing?" DK screeched as soon as Sara entered the green room where the members were chatting.

"Change, right now. I am not allowing you on stage wearing that," Joshua stood up, walking to her as he took off his suit and put it on her.

"I tried to argue with the new stylist that this doesn't even fit the concept but he said that management said we need to attract more male fans so I need to wear revealing clothes.

"That idiot said what?!" Woozi nearly yelled as he stood up.

Scoups was eerily calm during all of this and that only meant one thing; a storm was brewing in his mind and he would raise hell on that stylist.

"He objectified me too, said my body will attract male fans," Sara repeated the words of the stylist.

"That's it ," Jun and Dino stormed over to the other room.

"Come with me, I will find you something more fitting to the concept," Minghao and Mingyu took her to another room.

They decided to not interfere and let the other members handle it because if they had gotten involved then the stylist would be going to a hospital and them to jail.

Seungkwan, Vernon and Jeonghan went to call security while the rest of the guys rounded up on that stylist. Wonwoo and Jun threw punches while Woozi and Hoshi tackled that bastard to the ground, even Joshua got in a few hits of his own. After that Scoups held him against the wall as DK and Dino berated him for his words.

"You listen to me very carefully, I am holding back on my words and actions," Scoups said in the same calm voice, his eyes dark with anger as the stylist shivered. "You will not step foot in the Hybe building or linger near my Sara. As of now you are fired. Get out of my sight because if I see you again, I will send you to hell."

The stylist barely nodded as he scurried away.

"Disgusting piece of shit!" Dino yelled after him.

"Guys?" Sara called out to them to show off her new outfit.

Their eyes immediately softened as she entered the room.

"You look beautiful, princess," Wonwoo said as he kissed her forehead.

"Now this is more on theme!" DK clapped excitedly.

"Ooooooo, we match Sara!" Dino said, his eyes lightening up as he showed her his shirt which was the same colour as Sara's skirt.

"He is gone now and from next time we will personally vet the new staff before they come in contact with you," Jun declared as he pulled her into a hug.

Jeonghan, Vernon and Seungkwan came back grinning. "We threw him out of the venue. It was fun!" Vernon said happily. "Looking good kiddo."

"Thanks appa," Sara hugged Scoups as she grinned at him.

"Don't thank me kiddo," he rubbed her back comfortingly. "You are safe here with us."

"Dude, thank us too, we kicked that pervert's ass!" Seungkwan whined at the attention his leader was receiving from their maknae.

Sara giggled before hugging all her members. They were right, she was safe with them.

[pleasantlycrazyworld]

Losing your pet.

Triggers: pet loss; talks of depression.

Author note: I had to put my cat to sleep at the beginning of the month, he was my baby so things have been really rough lately. I'm hoping writing this will help with grieving and it may be posted it may not be. If it is I hope it helps anyone who is also experiencing something like this.

Eddie:

You call him when you were freaking out about what to do. You were awoken by your animal crying out and knew they needed a vet but it's so early in the morning you don't know where to go.

When he got the call he was instantly worried for you. He knew how much having your animal helped you cope with your depression and he didn't know how losing them would make you react.

He rushed over and took you two to the 24 hour vet.

He was there to hold you as you cry, he talked to the vet for you, he called the place to make arrangements for the remains

He'd offer to have you either stay at the trailer or for him to stay at your house. He thought being in a quiet house would make you feel worse and since it happened in your room he knew you wouldn't be able to sleep in your actual bed for a while.

The two of you slept on your couch for a week after everything happened.

He would set even more reminders to help remind the both of you that you need to take your medicine

I think he would have you come and sit in on a DnD session to give you entertainment and take your mind off of things, he'd feel pretty prideful when it works

He wouldn't rush you to do anything. There is still a box of litter, still a collar, still toys on the floor oh thats fine! We can get rid of it whenever you are ready to. You want to get a new pet great! Let's get into the van! You don't even want to be around animals that's fine too!

He will map out the store trips to make sure you do not have to even walk by the pet supply aisle if you can't handle it

Steve:

He paid for everything. He knows money doesn't fix much but he didn't want you to be worried about paying for anything.

He never had a pet but he knew how close you were with your pet and he knew you were going to take it hard.

He would make sure you ate and took your medicines, he isn't the best cook but he can do basics so it was about a week of mac and cheese before you started cooking again.

He had you stay at his house, he would worry about you being alone so he made a plea deal and convinced you to stay with him. It's already pretty big and there is more than enough room for the both of you

He would try and get you a new pet better soon after everything happened

I think he would try and get you to talk about your feelings, either by making you therapy appointments or getting you stuff to journal he doesn't want you to keep things bottled up

He tends to treat it as any other heartbreak. There will be days where you two just eat junk food and watch sad movies and when that happens he doesn't mind holding you as the both of you cry into your bowls.

Billy:

Alot of people would probably say Billy wouldn't be that helpful.

I think he would struggle with knowing what to do, he could tell you were struggling but he freezes when he doesn't know what to do.

He would make some sort of comment that made you start crying and that is when he realized how serious this situation was. "It was just a cat/dog/bird/lizard/etc. get over it." Seeing you break down in front of him was his wake up call.

He would bring take out everytime he came over, he'd act like it wasn't a big deal but he knew how much it meant to you.

I think if you were to journal it would be because of Max and if/when Billy tried to make fun of the new habit you both would give him a look that made it clear to back off and he took the warning loud and clear.

I think the next time he sees a stray he would pull over and try and take it home for you. He either comes home with the animal successfully or he comes home covered in scratches and is refusing to speak about what happened.

[noperopesaredope]

The AU I Got from a Dream About the 501st Getting a Pet Dog (Part 2)

Here's Part 1 btw

It takes less than an hour for everyone to start planning things like how they will feed it, where to get an indoor dog toilet, how to train it to use the indoor dog toilet, who will feed it, who will walk it, etc. But the most essential thing of all? The name. They decide to have people submit potential names for the dog, then eventually have a vote.

They ask Rex if he has any names to submit. He says he will not be involved in this process and they can do whatever they want as long as it isn’t too inappropriate. As soon as he leaves the room, Echo immediately suggests a specific name for the dog. Everyone loves it. Later, after the vote, Rex asks what they decided to name the dog.

Echo: Sir, meet Rex Jr!

Rex:

Rex: *Whips his head towards Fives*

Fives: It wasn’t me this time! It was Echo!

Rex: Uh huh. Anyway, you’re not naming it Rex Jr.

Jesse: Everyone in the 501st voted on the name, and 80% chose Rex Jr.

Rex:

Fives: There is no way to change Rex Jr’s name.

Rex:

Rex: *Leaves the room*

Anyway, Rex does not completely trust the others with properly caring for…Rex Jr…so he decides to take over some of the tasks, such as booking them a vet appointment for when they get back to Coruscant. That goes great, especially when the vet reveals that the dog is actually female, something they couldn’t tell at first because space-dog.

Tup: She can have puppies?!

Rex: WE ARE NOT GOING TO LET HER HAVE PUPPIES!

This is also the point where Padme ends up meeting Rex Jr. There is a bit of background context to this. The 501st were trying to figure out how to save up for an indoor potty area for Rex Jr since she would be on the ship a lot and they couldn’t always take her outside to go to the bathroom, so they had to get her a more fancy indoor doggie toilet. It was hard to figure out how to get the funds together quickly, so Anakin suggested that he could ask Padm- Senator Amidala for help.

So that led to Padme learning about the dog. At first she is a bit surprised at Rex Jr’s size and also everything else, but then she quickly grows to like her because Rex Jr is very sweet and full of love. And that’s how they got the dog toilet. This whole plotline about them needing to get a dog toilet (as well as Rex deciding he was the only one who could properly take care of the dog) was actually the main dream that inspired this whole thing. The vision of Rex telling the others they need a schedule for feeding and walking the dog if they wanted to keep this random dog they found (she was a wolfhound-sheepdog mix in the dream, but in a very specific way I couldn’t find a reference for, and wolfhound fits her vibes best).

Anyway.

It takes a good bit of brainstorming for them to figure out how to feed Rex Jr, but it is eventually decided that the entire legion will pitch in a little bit of their rations to feed Rex Jr, buy a massive bag of dog food just in case, and occasionally get a doggy bag from 79s. So they manage to create a system in which they are all able to take care of the dog, and she quickly gets the title of “The 501st’s Collective Pet Dog”.

Fives is very diligent about trying to train Rex Jr, and he is trying his very best, but wow is it not working. He has no idea what he is doing, especially when it comes to training Rex Jr how to use the indoor dog toilet. It seems impossible, and does cause one or two incidents that make everyone else start to reconsider things slightly (something that Fives is deeply distressed by). But then one day, while Fives is desperately trying to coax her onto the special toilet, Rex comes in, groans in annoyance, and just points at the toilet, says a word in Mando’a, and tells her to go potty. And then she just freaking does it! Immediately! Without a problem!

As it turns out, while Rex Jr loves everyone, she only actually obeys Rex. Or at least, Rex is the only one who can train her. It also turns out that he is one of her favorite people. While she will play with Fives and sleep on his bed and stuff, she will follow Rex around sometimes. She’ll even just randomly appear next to him and sit down beside him because she feels like it.

Rex actually gets used to Rex Jr (or Junior, as he calls her when he isn’t referring to her as “the dog”), and sometimes vents to her about stuff when they are alone in his room. She will then lick his face in comfort. He will sometimes even have interactions like this:

The Boys: *Are causing shenanigans*

Rex: Why can’t you be more like Junior? 

Rex: *Points at her*

Rex: See? She knows how to behave herself and sits quietly when she is supposed to.

(Captain) Rex will basically be r/dadswhodidnotwantpets. This video is lowkey him in this AU, except he will continue to insist he only tolerates the dog.

~~~~~~~

I will be adding a few more parts to this, but there is honestly only about 2 more truly essential story parts left. But this one is the funniest part, to me.

[catboygirljoker]

content warning: serious animal medical stuff

roy has kidney disease :(

sounds like its a geriatric thing—he's nearly 12 years old. over the past few months he'd been losing weight, throwing up occasionally, then throwing up more often, and then over the past few days he had stopped grooming himself or jumping onto our bed, and nearly stopped eating and drinking entirely.

took him to an emergency/after hours vet and he's being hospitalized overnight with an IV, trying to get some of his bloodwork levels back to normal. in the morning we'll pick him up and then try to get an appointment with our regular vet as soon as possible to look at management options. sounds like it's probable he'll need regular subcutaneous fluids for the rest of his life. and even then it's not a guarantee that he'll have full quality of life. the word "euthanasia" came up—not as a certainty by any means, but as a possibility.

tonight is the first night sophie has spent away from roy since she was spayed three years ago and had to stay overnight then. when we got home from bringing in roy, she'd knocked over a bunch of shit on my dresser lmao. poor baby.

[whereianonymouslypostfics]

Sick Leave

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~2k

Summary: You take time off of work

A/N: Here’s something inspired by my anxieties😬

Warnings: Angst, hurt/comfort

You barely remember how you ended up back at the compound. The last thing you remembered was being at work and in so much pain that you’d had tears running down your face. You have just enough of your wits about you to realize that you’re in medical, and Bucky and Nat are by your bed talking in hushed whispers. You’re not asleep despite really wishing you were, but the burning in your hands and arms keeps you from paying attention to much of anything that’s going on around you. You wonder if you’ll get more pain medication soon. 

Your day had taken an undesirable turn following lunch. You’d had a pretty easy morning, but since the beginning of the day you’d had an appointment scheduled in the afternoon for a new client with his dog. You had no records on this dog unfortunately because he’d never been to the vet, so you had gone in pretty blind. All you knew was that he was a shepherd mix and he might have something wrong with his tail. 

This wasn’t a lot of information, but it’s not like you had any chance to gather any more before the dog had turned on you. You’d just walked into the room and you didn’t even get to greet the client before you register the sight of the large shepherd sitting with his leash on the ground and his lip curled. You don’t remember what you’d said, if anything when he attacked you, but he managed to bite both of your arms and a hand before the client had gotten him under control. Your assistant had heard the dog’s growls and immediately returned which was when you realized you were bleeding all over the place. You left the room without a word and headed for the back. 

You’d been called an ambulance and Bucky had followed you until you were stabilized enough to get to the compound. On the way there, Bucky had called Wanda nearly a dozen times, but she hadn’t answered. He knew she was busy today working on something important, but he would have hoped that she’d see how urgent things were by now. He didn’t bother telling you about this though given how distracted you were, and he has been trying to contact Wanda every 10 minutes for the past hour. 

Steve was also trying to get in contact with her, so she had nearly 30 missed calls. At this point, they were just waiting for her to finish up whatever she had going on. 

“Is Boone still howling upstairs?” 

Bucky sighs heavily at the thought of this before he shrugs in uncertainty. The shepherd had been picked up by Yelena earlier, but she’d simply taken him to your rooms here. You weren’t well enough to have him down in medical with you, and neither of you were happy about this. You were too delirious from your pain meds to really express this, but as your thoughts became less muddled, you began to worry about where your dog was. 

When you shift in your bed and release a pained noise Nat turns to you with a worried frown.

She hadn’t seen you get hurt at work like this before, and it was terrifying to think about how this could have been worse. You are hurt pretty badly and both of your arms and your left hand are bandaged now, but she’d seen how badly you’d been hurt. There were long red tracks of blood and mangled skin beneath the bandages where the dog had latched onto you and tugged. She’s glad you’re getting fentanyl because she can only imagine how much pain you’re in. 

“Y/n?”

You hear Nat’s voice but you don’t respond immediately as you try to take in your surroundings. You’re in medical as you suspected, but you don’t see your dog or Wanda by your side. Instead you see Bucky and Nat, and you figure you know how you got here. You don’t dare move them, but you glance down at your arms and cringe at the sight of the heavy bandages that cover up your painful, throbbing wounds. 

“What happened?” 

Any response that Bucky or Nat were going to give you is interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. 

Wanda’s going nearly 80mph down the back roads that lead to the compound. She’d spent all day off the grid trying to sort out a few things that had been weighing on her for a while. She hadn’t realized that it would take so long, and she certainly hadn’t realized she’d be out of reach nearly all day. She hadn’t figured this out until she had service again and her phone exploded. She had dozens of missed calls from Bucky, Steve, and a voicemail from Nat. She’d listened to that first, and upon hearing what happened to you she’d immediately gotten in her car and headed back to the compound. 

She’s panicking at the fact that she had nearly an hour before she could make it to you, and she decides to call Nat on her way there to check in. 

When Nat sees that Wanda’s calling, she quickly answers with a relieved look. 

“Wanda--.”

“How is she, Nat? Is she okay?” 

Nat hadn’t been very descriptive in her voicemail. She’d simply told the other redhead that you’d been attacked by a dog at work and you’d been bitten. She mentioned that you were being taken care of, but she knew any further detail would need to wait until they were speaking face to face, or at the very least over the phone. 

Nat turns to you and sees that you’re still grimacing before she sighs under her breath. 

“She’s in medical now getting treated, but she still seems uncomfortable.” 

Wanda feels her heart start to race and she pushes harder on the accelerator until she’s going as fast as she can. She hesitates to ask what she wants to know because she’ll worry even more about you, but she can’t help herself. She glances at the clock and tries to calculate how quickly she can get to you before she speaks. 

“How bad is it?” 

Natasha makes the mistake of hesitating and Wanda clenches her jaw in anticipation of bad news. You groan again as you try to sit up, but you quickly curse in pain as your arms burn from the movement. Wanda hears it and she feels like her heart is in her throat from the sound of you in pain. 

“Nat? Can I talk to her?” 

You don’t realize what you’re supposed to do when Nat hands you the phone. She can tell you’re still out of it when you try to take the phone from her with a confused look. She just shakes her head before holding it to your ear and telling you who’s on the other end. 

“It’s Wanda, Y/n.” 

You perk up slightly at the reminder that your wife isn’t here. You look around the room to confirm this before you frown in disappointment. 

“Wands? Where are you?” 

Wanda feels even worse about not being there for you but she tells you that she’s on her way. Hopefully no more than half an hour away. You don’t say much because you’re not feeling well, but you tell her to drive safe before you feel yourself getting sleepy again. You’re not sure what meds you’re on, but you don’t worry about it now as you try to sleep until Wanda shows up. 

You’re awoken by the sound of someone calling your name almost an hour later. Wanda had arrived a little bit ago, but after she’d seen that you were okay, or at least stable, she went to Bucky to find out the details of what had happened today. When she hears that a shepherd had attacked you at work, Wanda immediately fears the worst. She can’t see beneath your bandages, but she fears that your injuries are extensive and will keep you out of work for a while. 

“How are you feeling, detka?” 

Wanda waits patiently for you to wake up a little more, and she watches you turn to her with bleary eyes before shaking your head. You’re feeling a little better, but your arms feel heavy like lead and putting any thought into your injury makes you cringe. You think about whether or not you’d missed a red flag this afternoon. Had the dog who’s name you don’t remember given you any indication that he was going to attack? You’re not sure and this makes you grateful that no one else had been hurt. Usually, the assistant was the first person to go into the room, but you’d been running late to this appointment, so you’d gone ahead in. 

You’re only regretting this immensely right now. 

When you finally find your voice, you tell Wanda the truth because you’re too tired to come up with a lie. You have no idea how long you’ve been here, but you’d like to go to sleep for the night. You have a suspicion that you won’t be allowed to leave though, and you’re not going to be happy about that at all. 

“Better, but it still hurts.” 

Wanda watches your arm twitch at the thought, and her frown deepens as she pushes down the urge to grab your hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. She figures that would hurt you and she doesn’t want to do that regardless of her urge to hold you. 

“I’m sorry this happened, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Do I need to get more medicine for you?” 

When all you do is shake your head, Wanda worries that you’re upset with her. She hopes that it’s just the side effects of whatever you’re on, but you don’t let her worry long. You shake your head with a sigh before you nod your wife toward you with a small smile. 

“Can you come to this side, please?” 

Wanda doesn’t hesitate to do as you ask, and as soon as she’s sitting down, you slowly reach for her hand. Wanda beats you to it and touches you careful to not cause you any pain. You don’t seem to care and you squeeze her hand tightly before taking a deep breath. 

“Can we get out of here?” 

Despite Wanda’s influence, it takes an hour more of you being weaned off your IV pain meds before you can leave. You don’t put up a fight when Wanda asks you to sit in a wheelchair for the trip upstairs. It will make getting you, your meds and all of the bandage supplies that you’ll need for tomorrow upstairs in one trip. You also realized belatedly that when you arrived to your rooms in the chair, Boone was immediately clued in to something being off. He hadn’t jumped up on you like he usually would, instead he whined and nosed at your legs worriedly. 

“Where do you want to get settled?” 

Wanda watches you consider your options for a moment before you look toward the bedroom. You want to go to sleep now since you’re not hungry, but you’ve been without Wanda all day. 

“Will you join me?” 

Wanda doesn’t even consider refusing you, and she nods before rolling you that way with a small smile. She kisses your cheek as she helps you to your feet, and after you’re changed and ready for bed, she helps you get situated. You sigh heavily in relief once you’re under the covers with both of your arms on top since it’s more comfortable. You wait for Wanda to join you and you smile widely as you shift closer to her with a sigh. 

You’re so glad that you get a few days off of work. Even if your arms hurt significantly more the next day, you’re grateful that your wife spends a majority of it in bed with you. 

Masterlist

[pokemonshelterstories]

Howdy! I am the forster of the disabled charizard and bisharp, I have gone to my vet to see some of the issues with this mating behavior.

Also, I feel like i haven't explain well what's up with with them both very well, the bisharp (marvin) is born without any metal crest at all, no blades or anything, he's very vulnerable compared to other pawniards and bisharps, I have attempted to socialize him with his kind and almost got him killed bc the others were so freaked out by his appearance (he was in a fortified socialization cage too) , so I keep him away from other bisharps and he freaks out whenever they're around, my shelter told me all his mates were super aggressive towards him , he feels more comfortable with other pokémon than his own kind, so he isn't alone all the time, we have a meganium that treats him as if he's her child and grooms him regularly.

Our charizard (ember) is wingless, can't fly and tbe breeder declawed him, he is very gentle and scared of other firetypes and has nightmares frequently, he is much, much weaker than the average charizard should be, he is very terrified of his own kind that he bashed his head against the wall when we got a another charizard in temporary for a situation concerning the owner's health, I had to let someone else foster that charizard, I suspect his breeder didn't care about charizard social structures and given how small ember is, he got bullied severely, socializing him is hard.

I didn't actually plan on these two meeting eachother but ember left his enclosure in a daze and ended up in the Marvin's enclosure, i was at a vet appointment for my albino eevee, I wasn't aware of this till i came back with marvin putting his blankets over him, marvin never lets anyone takes his blankets.

Currently i'm letting them interact in very controled settings, even if ember can't breath fire, his meltdowns can trigger Marvin's panic attacks, my vet says as long as they're separated during mating seasons and interact via controlled spaces then they should be okay, given their individual disabilities, I might end up adopting them soon since not alot of folks can handle the level of trauma they both have, I'm keeping a close eye on them both.

unfortunately my answer to this is going to be very short and probably not what you want to hear: i am extremely concerned about the quality of life of both of these pokemon. they cannot engage in natural behaviors inherent to the experience for their species. the bisharp cannot train himself or lead a group of pawniard. the charizard cannot fly or battle and panics to the point of self harm when presented with a pokemon that might attempt to battle him. these pokemon almost certainly cannot be experiencing a good quality of life, whether separated or together.

i cannot see a world in which either of these pokemon should be allowed to suffer through existing like that if you're giving an accurate representation of their situation. were these pokemon in my care, i would be advocating for their humane euthanasia. i cannot give advice to their care outside of that.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Full Family AU Part 23

Vee had just finished her drawing, which was a little doodle of Luz. To her it was, at least. She still hasn't gotten the hang of it, but Vee thought she nailed most the important details. There was Luz's pigtails, which were just little scratches of brown at the end of a big round circle that was meant to be Luz's head. There was her big smile, that also left no room for a nose and barely any room for the eyes. Speaking of, the eyes were two little dots with a bit of blue to them to show that they were shiny.

As far as Vee was concerned, it was an accurate drawing of Luz. Looking down at it made Vee smile. She felt as though Luz was the nicest out of all the Nocedas, and it made her feel good to have perfectly drawn her exactly as Vee saw her.

She was going to get started on the body when Vee smelled...something.

Something that she hadn't smelled since leaving her cage.

A certain something that was even nearby.

'Is that...?'

Vee sniffed the air and then got out of her seat to follow the scent. It led her out from the breakroom, down the hall, and, soon enough, into the waiting room.

There weren't many people there. Some big guy with a dog who had a splinter in its paw. A girl with tattoos holding a snake that had some lump in its body. And even an old woman with a parrot singing the blues as it had what looked like a broken wing.

But none of them had the scent. The one who did was a woman at the front desk. Her dress was bright red, her short hair was a vibrant orange, and she had a green bandanna covering her ears.

"Look, lady," she growled. "I've been in this dirthole of a town for two days straight because your vet was the only one available to me. I have an appointment, so check me in."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Tanya told her, looking nervous. "But we can't really heal your pet if you don't have it with you."

"I have him with me!" The woman exclaimed. "He's right...Uh, give me a sec..."

She turned around and walked to a corner. There was a small puff of yellow smoke, all of which smelled delicious to Vee. The woman then walked back to the front desk and pulled out a tiny black puppy out from a messenger bag. It didn't bark, but it did go, "Weh!"

"Here he is."

Tanya stared at the puppy, her eyes wide. And sparkly. "That is the cutest little thing I've ever seen."

"I know he is. It's why I took him when I...found him. Now are ya going to give my baby boy a check up or not?"

"Oh, of course!" Tanya turned to the computer. "What's your name, miss?"

"Marilyn," the woman announced. "Marilyn Rosenstein."

[genericpuff]

Life updates!

Got my new driver's license with my updated legal name change which allowed me to change my name on my bank account and Paypal. Had to call Paypal support because my birthday was wrong on my account which caused an automatic rejection of my name change request (as it didn't match with the birthday on my ID), I can only assume it was younger me skirting by the age requirements at the time so I could make that Deviantart commission money LMAO (more shockingly, the Paypal support guy was really nice and we had a good laugh about it). Thankfully the fix was quick and easy :>

Only thing I'm waiting on now is my new provincial health card so that I can FINALLY book a bloodwork appointment. Once we're over that one hurdle, it's (hopefully) HRT time! <3

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

Psuwis is doing much better! He was on a round of various medications for a week to treat his jaundice / liver problems, and in between medications we got him eating as much as we could, swapping out foods and trying new things until we figured out what would stick. Unfortunately he has already gone back to being his picky self, but he's put on weight again and his jaundice has finally cleared. I'm incredibly relieved, and thankful to the vets at the urgent care clinic who were so good with him. I'm hoping this means we're still stuck with him for a few more years, as much as he drives me crazy with his antics he's still my boy and the fear of losing him really put into perspective how much of a positive impact he's had on my life and how much I need to appreciate him being here in whatever limited time he has. I love owning pets, but man, it's hard during those times when you're reminded that you're gonna outlive them 😭

Even now as I'm typing this, I can tell he just went to the bathroom because I can smell the stench of his frigging POOP emanating from his butthole five feet away. But dammit, he can stink all he wants, because at least that means he's still here <3

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I've started playing Red Dead Redemption 2. Or rather, I had started playing it a while ago, but stopped shortly after the opening tutorial of the game. Since then, I've switched primarily to PC for most of my gaming outside of Nintendo Switch games. So I recently bought it again while it was on sale for practically dirt cheap, and finally took another crack at it.

I'm not sure why I stopped playing it the first time around, going into the PC versions I had vague memories of dropping it as soon as the opening section was over and I had access to the camp. All I could feel vaguely in hindsight was a sort of confused boredom and reluctance to try and get back into it. But I'm glad I gave it another shot, because honestly... I have no clue why past me struggled to get a sense of it, I love the first RDR (I've beaten it multiple times, easily one of my favorite games from the PS3 era) and RDR2 isn't exactly that much of a departure from it as far as gameplay philosophy goes.

Now that I'm actually progressing through it, I'm having a great time! The writing is as clever and hilarious as its predecessor, and the attention to detail in the worldbuilding is phenomenal. It's so silly but what I really appreciate most are just those little mundane moments of going into a grocery store, picking up a tin of hair gel or a stick of butter, and just... looking at it. Like damn, they really invested a lot of time and care into ensuring that I could interact with just about every item in this game and get some trivia out of it.

The game runs exactly how it should, if not leagues better than it did on the PS4. It still has the usual Rockstar bugginess, but unlike Bethesda's brand of jank, Rockstar bugs are just MSG, they provide that extra lil' kick of indescribable flavor. They're never game-breaking, always hilarious.

Assuming the game's performance won't be affected by it, I'd love to stream it sometime. Maybe get my husband on the mic with me as co-host. After all, as much as these games are primarily sold as single-player story-driven experiences, they really are at their best when you have someone to experience it with. I can't express to you how much I wish we had been streaming during the bar scene with Lenny. Truly an iconic moment I wish I could forget just to re-experience it all over again LMAO

-----------

The other day I got an ask inquiring about Kore's planner. I hadn't really thought much of it at the time, probably because I'm so used to Rekindled being an obviously non-profit project, but someone pointed out to me that I could theoretically make the planner as a digital notebook.

And boy howdy, did my ADHD run with that, because I spent like 3 hours after this making exactly that! Here's a little preview!

Obviously it's been buffed up a bit compared to the original, but I really wanted to build upon its brief original appearance and make it feel like a genuine notebook that someone like Kore would own, with little dedicated tabs and sections for different things. As a baseline, I'll be formatting this for PDF so that it can be imported into most major drawing software - including Clip Studio and Procreate - however I'm also gonna be fiddling around with the Goodnotes app (which I used to use a lot of myself) and seeing if I can make a Goodnotes compatible template with hyperlinks and other clickable parts.

Overall I've had a lot of fun making this, it took a lot of initial work in designing the base look and feel of it, but now it's coming together pretty smoothly! I'm hoping to have it ready in the next few days <3 Once it is, I'll be selling it as a digital download on my new Ko-Fi page! :> So if that's something you're interested in, give that page a bookmark/follow and check back in a bit! It'll be fairly inexpensive, within the $5-$8 range depending on how much gets included (i.e. if I can provide the Goodnotes template or not).

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

January was an extremely hectic and chaotic month. It brought about a lot of unfortunate circumstances that were difficult to weather through. Despite this, I'm doing what I can to hold onto my hope that it'll all work out, that there are still opportunities for joy and progress, and that even the worst things that have come to pass will still pass. It's hard, but it's worth it.

[idontplaytrack]

Safe & sound

Janis 'Imi'ike x fem! reader

Warnings: angst. pet loss, crying

A chapter based on day in their future, losing their first pet, Nemo the Rottweiler.

w.c.: 3.4k | Other chapters to the bonus series here.

When Nemo turned seven, he started slowing down. The vet said it was normal for his age, everything else was the same. He was still playful and fiercely protective, and got plenty of exercise. He just liked to lay down more often now. Nemo was still your sweet boy, always by your side keeping you company and making you smile. Especially on days where your pain flared up. He made you smile, hard. 

Year after year, you knew his end was going to come the older he got. You just chose to ignore it because you didn’t want to deal with that right now. When he turned 11, a month after the fact, actually. He started to seem way unlike his usual self. So, it was off to the vet. Janis was working in the office today, kids were both at school, Carl and Grace were out of town so Akoni was working the dinner alone with their staff. Damian had spent the last few nights at his boyfriend’s house. In other words, you were alone. The vet confirmed one of your worst fears. Nemo was approaching the end of his life.

You went home with a cloud basically hanging over your head. You kept your spirits up on the outside, but of course, Nemo could tell. He always knew. You gave Janis a text to tell her what the vet said, because you knew that if you sent her a voice memo or called, you could be crying. You then put your phone away and just played with him. “You want a treat?” You asked, scratching his head. He tapped his feet excitedly and you proceeded to grab that ziplock bag from his food cupboard. “Here you go.” You fed it to him, he contently ate it up then dropped a tennis ball in your lap. You walked with him out to the backyard to play. There was way more space out there for him. Like usual, you threw the ball and he went to fetch. Watching him run back and forth, your mind drifted back to when he was a puppy. Your mind was then flooded with memories of those days, and tears were soon pricking at your eyes knowing you didn’t have a lot of time left with him. 

He seemed tired quickly, so you brought him back inside and filled up his water bowl, letting him hydrate. You sat next to him while he drank his water, seeming a little confused as to how upset you were. He looked at you with those big eyes of his, sweet, comforting. And your heart just began to shatter. Your lips quivered, and your throat ached as it constricted. “I’m okay.” You muttered, pressing a teary kiss to his head. He kissed you back on the cheek. You and Janis taught him this trick way back, and he learnt it so fast. “I’m okay.” You repeated, it was as though you were trying to convince yourself.

He seemed unconvinced, and laid down next to you, his chin resting on your lap. You just scratched his head like you knew he loved. In the meantime, the both of you watched Lilo & Stitch together while waiting for Janis to be home soon. She had a half day. While he watched the film, you spent most of your time looking at him. In fact, you didn’t even notice Janis come home and sit down next to you. Until someone had kissed your head. Then, you turned around to look. “Hi.” Janis said softly, “Hi, sweet boy.” She scratched his head too. His tail wagged. 

“Did they find anything? Like—”

“No, actually.” You gulped, “He’s just slowing down until he’s gonna stop I guess.” 

Janis held you, arm snaked around your waist. The three of you just sat in silence, listening to the small blue alien’s slightly incoherent voice. Nemo slept in yours and Janis’ room that night, it was past midnight and you should’ve been asleep two hours ago since you had an MRI scan in the morning. Your eight-hour fast prior to your appointment started thirty minutes ago and you have already been hungry for an hour. Still, you couldn’t sleep. You just couldn’t. What if it happened tonight? And you weren’t here for him?

He looked at you, you looked at him. He was just happy to see you. But your heart was so incredibly heavy already. “Go to bed, sweetheart.” Janis rubbed your arm. 

“I can’t.” You mumbled.

“Yes, you can. Nemo’s being a good boy, he’s gonna go to bed for the night in a minute. He wants you to rest too.” Your stomach then grumbled, breaking the deafening silence. “Baby, please. You need to sleep, you’re supposed to be asleep by now. You’re hungry, come on. Please?” 

You didn’t say anything, but this, “G’night, buddy.” 

He was sleeping in his bed on the floor next to yours and Janis’, on your side. Seeing you close your eyes, he did the same right after, falling asleep for the night at ease. 

————

The two-week wait to see your doctor in order to get the results of the scan was painfully long. But, here you were, sitting right in front of him while Janis sat next to you squeezing your hand and brushing her thumb over your knuckles. “This is your second scan post-procedure. And it worked, no diseased tissue left. It was all taken care of, no new growth either.”

“Does that mean—”

“We will continue monitoring the area and have you come back in four months for a third MRI, and a fourth— if you want. But as of your procedure, you are officially desmoid tumour-free.” Your heart leapt with joy but was then promptly yanked back down by the news of Nemo. It’s been weighing down on you since you found out, of course it had.

~~~~~

Scan number three came back clear.

~~~~~

So did scan number four. Each time, Nemo just started to get weaker, and weaker. And your relief of not needing to be in the physical pain from a tumor was swiftly replaced by anxiety and fear of how you could be losing Nemo any day now. You didn’t want him to leave. Why did he have to leave? He was like your third baby. You were his whole world, you saved him from the streets just like how he’d saved you from your own mind.

————

He never wanted to play anymore, but kept his favourite toys near him. Especially the little plush pig and the teddy bear that Kalia insisted on getting for him from that trip to Build a Bear— that was the only toy he was gentle with. It was still in excellent shape seven years later.  You found him laying by the coffee table, hugging the teddy bear. His eyes wide open and looking at you attentively as you prepared his food. You brought his food to him but he wasn’t all that interested in it, he barely ate it. The amount of food that he’s been eating just got lesser and lesser. You couldn’t even sigh despite the dread you were obviously feeling. 

“What can I do to make you eat, sweet boy?” You asked, scratching his head. As if he could tell you. You wished he could- you would give him anything he wanted. You didn’t want him to be hungry. You watched him push the bowl away, so you took it and set it aside. “You want some banana?” You asked hopefully. He barked, so you took that as a yes and got up to grab a couple from the kitchen. “After this, we’ll go for a walk in the car, okay?” You said while plopping back down on the floor, peeling a banana and feeding it to him. He gladly ate it, so you were relieved a little bit. 

After that, you led him to the car and he got into the front seat with you, excited to be going for a walk. “You ready?”

He just looked at you, obviously happy to be out of the house. He loved walks, even just in the car. “Let’s go find mommy at work, shall we?”

He barked, again.

“Alright, off we go.” You chuckled, lowering his window just enough for him to feel the wind and have his head out. 

Living in a small town had its perks. One of which was that everyone knew everyone.  At Janis’ work, they liked when you would visit and loved it when you brought Nemo along. He was a popular dude over here, and he looooved the head scratches and treats that they’d give him. “Hey.” Janis pecked your lips, you were standing off to the side with her so the rest of them couldn’t hear the conversation.

“He’s barely been eating anything and not even playing today.” You revealed.

“He’s eating the treats.” Janis pointed out. You just buried your face in her shoulder, “He gets worse every time I’ve come back from the hospital. And now that they say I don’t have to go back anymore, he’s the worst I’ve seen him. I don’t— I can’t.” 

Even Janis’ boss came out to say hi to him. And noticed he wasn’t like his usual rowdy self. “y/n, how are you?”

“I’m losing him.” You blurted out. The woman gave you a sympathetic smile, “I heard.” 

“Janis mentioned you lost your golden?” 

“Yeah, last month. It gets easier, just know that you guys take great care of him and he’s always going to be apart of your lives no matter what. They grow old and have to rest forever someday, just like us. When their job here is done, they know when to go.” 

“Nani, I finished the articles and left the file on—”

She nodded, chuckling, “I know. On my desk, I saw them once I came back from getting my lunch. You can go home with y/n and Nemo if you’d like. Your work for the day is done, anyway.”

“Oh, thanks Nani.”

“See you tomorrow, Janis. Drive safe.” 

Nemo was following you around once you three got home. Kalia was to be home soon from school, but she took the bus, of course. The girl was seventeen now. You didn’t like that he was wanting to be so close to you so often, because you knew it was because he would be gone soon and wanted more time with you. Still, a part of you chose to be in denial about it to get yourself by. He’s been with you since the beginning of your ‘chronic illness journey’, per se. You hated those words. Since then, he’s been with you through every MRI scan, review appointment, flareups and mood swings. He ran after your manipulative mother and bit her ass, even after you finally retaliated. He still wanted to teach her a lesson. Nemo has always protected you, always. Now despite how tired he was, despite you telling him multiple times that you were now okay and tumor-free…he was still following you around everywhere, watching you. So he could believe for himself.

He gave him more treats and fruit— mangoes this time. At least he ate these, he didn’t seem to like eating his usual food anymore this week. While he ate out of your hand, you just stroked his fur while trying not to burst into tears for the umpteenth time today.

Your vet offered euthanasia at home, so if needed, that was how you would all say goodbye to him. He was going to go here, at home. The only home he’s ever known. Not some sterile vet clinic. No place else. 

“Should we get him a cheeseburger?” You asked no one in particular.

“Sure, why not?” Janis sat down with you two again. “Do you want me to go buy it?”

You sighed, unable to shake the heavy, heavy feeling in your heart. You peeled your gaze off Nemo and glanced at Janis, “I think we should go together.” 

It was happening, tonight. You could just feel it. Nemo seemed exhausted, you couldn’t expect him to keep holding on for you. “We’ll wait for Kalia and Livvy to get home then, shouldn’t be long.” Kalia arrived home first, then Livvy got dropped off by the school bus. Kalia seemed to know what was happening already and immediately came over. But Livvy? You and Janis needed to explain a little bit. Well, Janis did most of the talking. Then the five of you piled into the family car. Janis drove to the nearest burger shop, with the sole purpose of getting Nemo one last treat. You were slightly regretting having the kids with you both because you felt like crying— terribly badly. Kalia just kept giving him head scratches. He didn’t have much reaction to that. At the same time, Livvy was trying to feed him blueberries. He ate a couple, then just stopped, looking around. Nemo was laying down in between the kids in the back, you sat in front with Janis. Once at the burger shop, Janis parked and asked who wanted to go inside with her. Kalia stayed, Livvy raised her hand. So, Janis took her into the shop. “He needs to go, right?” Kalia asked quietly. You nod your head, still unable to say anything. You gulped, “I think tonight, honey. He’s so tired.” 

“He’s been with us a long time, mama. He can rest now.” Kalia kissed his head, “You’ve been such a good friend, Nemo.” 

After buying enough burgers and fries for all of you, Janis started the car and drove around for awhile. She stopped the car about half an hour later so everyone could properly eat and also enjoy the view of the setting sun. There was one left in the takeout bag, just in case. By the time you all got home, Akoni, Carl, Damian and Grace were home already. You just wanted to hide and cry, you’ve been holding it in for almost two hours. Janis let go of your hand after giving it a squeeze, allowing you to do just that while she quickly told Livvy to give you some quiet time. Kalia knew you had been trying not to cry, she didn’t ask. She could see it. She was also old enough to understand all that was going on. Akoni was about to go check on you, but Janis stopped her. “Dad, let her be.” Janis told him. She and Damian then shared a look, so he knew too. That it was happening tonight. Akoni proceeded to make dessert with Livvy and Kalia in the kitchen, giving Janis some time to herself as well.

“Hey, you.” Janis sat on the couch with Nemo, “You’re tired, aren’t you, big boy?” Janis laughed tearfully, a tear finally fell after all day of forcing herself to not feel. He whined, like he was apologising. “It’s okay, we get it. You’ve been with us for eleven years. That’s a long time, you’ve made us so happy. And we’re so thankful, you came to us at the perfect time, Nemo. You don’t have to worry about us now, mama’s okay now. No more tumor. Yep.” 

Janis wasn’t sure why, but she left Nemo alone on the couch, TV flicked on playing a Disney movie. Then, she came looking for you. “Go away.” 

“No, we’re not doing that, honey.” Janis said, “We don’t do that.” She walked into the room.

You had your face buried in a pillow, tears seeping into the material. Janis sat down next to you, a comforting hand running up and down your back. “I wish I didn’t find him. My God, this is painful.” 

“You don’t mean that.” Janis patted your back, “We all have our time on this Earth. He’s done his job, had his fun. He needs to rest, and he knows you're okay.”

“He has to go, right? Obviously he has to go. He’s old, he’s in pain. Why am I making him hold on?” You blubbered.

“Honey, you didn’t— you’re not making him hold on. He makes his own choices, he was sent here to protect you. That, I believe. See, now that you don’t have that thing anymore, he knows he can slow down and rest. For good.” 

“I know that.” You choked on a sob, “I just can’t wrap my head around it.” You sighed deeply, turning around to be on your back then sitting up. “I’m— I’m gonna go sit with him.” You heard the TV, so you thought that was where he was going to be— in the living room, but no. He wasn’t. So you panicked. Janis noticed immediately. He wasn’t in Kalia’s room. “Check out back.” Janis told you, then grabbed the takeout bag with the one burger left in it. Akoni was in the backyard with Livvy and Kalia, he popped his head into the house, “He’s out here.” Then, he ushered the kids into the house and told them to watch a movie with him. “Let your moms say goodbye, okay?” 

“Okay, grandpa.” Livvy said back and plopped on the couch with Kalia close behind, telling her to pick out a movie. You rushed outside, the surroundings barely lit as usual. You spot him near the orange trees, laying down in the shade. It was rainy for a couple hours this afternoon so the grass was damp, but you didn’t care and just sat down with him. Janis followed suit, “You wanna be alone? I can go inside.” 

“N-no, no. I- I need you.” 

Janis doesn’t say anything, just sat down next to you to keep you company. She was satisfied with the goodbye she gave, she wanted to keep it simple. “You thought you could go and I wouldn’t notice?” You chuckled wryly, “Not a chance.” 

He looked at you, then looked away. “Thank you for holding on for so long.” You began, leaning down to get closer to him. Janis unwrapped the burger and held it in front of his face. He took a nice bite out of it after a sniff. Janis then gave it to you so you could feed him. He ate it all, the seemed a little smiley. Out of appreciation for the final treat. “Thank you for being here for me. For all of us. I’m gonna be okay, Nemo. No more tumor. You can go, you can rest now, baby. Thank you.” You could barely get your words out, voice quivering more and more with each word. You heard him whining, and your heart just kept shattering. You kissed his head, and he kissed you back, licking your cheek. “Go, baby. Don’t tire yourself out anymore. We’ll see you again someday, hm?” You kept your eyes on him, watching him through a clouded vision, “I love you.” Hastily wiping your eyes dry, you saw him still looking at you and Jan and he was so sad. He nudged his favourite teddy bear closer to you. And then, it happened. Janis kissed him one last time and his eyes started to shut, you became hysterical, holding onto him as he drifted off to sleep forever. “See you later, baby.” You felt it all, how his breathing came to a gradual end. Your hand on him froze in disbelief as you sobbed now hunched over him and giving him kiss after kiss. You felt Janis’ hand on your back, rubbing it soothingly as she pressed a kiss to your head. After awhile, you grew tired and just leaned onto Janis who immediately held you tight. Akoni came out to take him to the car and the vet for whatever came next. Janis shielded you from the sight, waited until he was gone from the house then brought you back inside. You were clutching onto his beloved teddy bear, tears still running down your face. “It’ll be okay, breathe. Deep breaths.” Janis reminded softly. You only nodded, staring at the toy in your arm. You noticed Kalia and Livvy were not in the living area. They must’ve got them to go to bed already- it was getting late. 

After some time, you noticed the plate of cookies on the table. ‘For Mama<33’ The note read. You reached for one and broke it in half to share with Janis through tears.

“We’ll see him again, it’s just a see you later, baby.” 

🏷️ Tag list: @arandomeee @ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartandstuff @pda128

💬A/N: This has been sitting in my Docs for at least a month. Was supposed to be a part of the main series but I've decided to put it here instead. 🤷🏻‍♀️