#his enclosure looks really small in this but this is just a corner

[atthebell-moved]

TIGER 🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤 he was pacing in front of us for a while it was very cool

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

Vern's Hometown: Centennial Celebration

Book 1: A Founding Fiasco

Chapter 1: A Tiny Dilemma

"Oh! And umm... anyone who needs their refill while I'm gone-"

"-has to present their student ID and we check the chart... We know! Just go," Pam snaps as they tap their roots on the desk.

Vern nods, more to himself than the plants, "o-okay.... umm... r-right. Okay. Call if you ummm... need anything!"

The crocuses start prodding him to move towards the door. All of them start talking slightly over each other, "don't worry! Bennet is coming in to help!!!!"

He hesitantly lets them push him out while trying to not step on any of their thin roots. Not even a moment after the little flowers shove him into the hall, the infirmary door slamming shut echoes off the stone walls. He blinks, adjusting his satchel before starting off towards the mirror hall. Each footstep disturbs the silence of the school.

It was too early to leave, and yet... his amber gaze drops to the basket in his grip. The lavender cloth covering it slightly rustles as he walks. He hadn't found someone to watch his bunnies. The centennial will keep him busy and his stomach twists at the thought of not having enough time for them. He considers asking one of Uncle's... no, they would also be busy.

As he arrives at the mirror chamber, Koa lifts his head from where he's laying. Vern let the elk out of the stables earlier. His familiar had sent him out of the room several times in the past few hours. The elk's ear twitches, watching Vern carefully as he stares at the mirrors.

"Patience... you-"

"-I know," he sighs, grip tightening as he turns to Koa, "I'm umm... my stomach is all um... knotted a-and ummm... my hands are umm... shaky, too..."

"That is your nerves and anxiety. He will-"

"-and if he doesn't? What if no one-"

"-Vern," Koa stands, taking a few strides towards him. The elk bends its head down to press against Vern's forehead, "everything will be alright."

Chapter 2: The Sleepiest Solution

“Hey~“

Vern jumps a little at the familiar voice. Smiling as he turns, he takes care to not jostle the basket of bunnies too much. His nerves are somewhat eased to see Steel finally join him. Part of him wanted to ask about the lack of any visible blot, but the memory of Pam’s scathing remarks tie his tongue.

“G-good morning, I’m umm… thank you, again for um…” he pauses, noticing Nightshade attempting to nose his way out of the basket. Vern frowns a little as he carefully tries to nudge the rabbit’s head back under the blanket.

“Eh, no problem..” he earns a shrug and a raised brow, “you brought the bunnies?”

Vern lifts the basket higher to let Steel pet Nightshade, “I umm… couldn’t find someone to um… watch them…”

“Hm...” a playful grin slowly crosses Steel’s features, “I know someone~”

He looks up at him, “r-really? Are you umm…. sure they won’t mind?”

“Sure...” Steel only winks “it’ll be fun~”

“O-okay…” Vern fidgets slightly, but quickly follows him. He’s hesitates before stepping through the Diasomnia mirror. The ever-looming storm causes his nerves to spike as lightning flashes. Walking faster, he does his best to stay close to Steel while his amber gaze continuously darts to the sky. His muscles lose some tension as they enter the dorm. Every window they pass, he unconsciously checks the sky. Vern briefly draws Steel’s attention as he accidentally bumps into his arm.

“… right. I can take them for you, if you want,” he offers, his voice a bit softer than normal.

Vern stiffens at a distant rumble of thunder, “I-I would umm… rather um… s-stay…”

“… alright..”

They eventually reach a familiar door, giving Vern pause as Steel steps into the dorm. Despite his initial hesitation, he follows and looks around. It’s probably a good thing that Silver has not woken up, or perhaps it’s the opposite?

“You can set them over there.”

Nodding, Vern places the basket in the corner. Smiling to himself, he whispers a small farewell as he casts for some vines to create a nice enclosure for them.

“A-and you’re umm… sure he won’t mind?”

Shrugging, Steel leads Vern back into the hall, “animals like him, no worries~”

Vern nods as they head back towards the mirror chamber. He barely notices Steel quickly sending a text and quietly hopes he tells Silver about the bunnies.

Chapter 3: A Land Called Paradise

Vern looks around as they return to the mirror chamber. Koa seems to have stretched his legs a bit while waiting. The elk's ear twitches as the pair returns, aware of more footsteps heading towards the chamber.

"You found a suitable place for the small ones?"

Vern glances at Steel, a bit of humor lighting his own eyes after a moment, "I ummm... think so, yeah..."

"Good," Koa nods, "it's almost time for the others to be arriving..."

Book 1: [1] [2] [3]

Book 2: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5A] [5B] [6] [7]

Book 3: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

[tainted-liquor]

'High Score!'✰⋆⁺

Earth42!Miles Morales x BlackFem!Reader TWs: N word usage, making out, cussing, and I think thats it! Ingredients: Sugar, Kisses, smiles, and lemon zest! (Fluff + suggestive) W/C: 1.2k A/N: You, Miles, and your friends all decide to play laser tag at the mall! Unfortunately for you, your trigger-happy boyfriend doesn't really care for laser tag.

The loud electro-dance music burst through the surround-sound speakers, the floor vibrating as you bit back hushed giggles. You, Miles, and all of your friends decided to get together a week before to play some laser tag. So here you were now, pressed up against the wall as you guarded your chest in an attempt to conceal your hitbox as you peeked your head around the corner. Your friend Daniella had been giggling and yelling, having been 'shot' by your friend Pierston. One down, and six more to go.

Even though you all agreed that it was all just for fun, everyone had gotten extremely competitive the moment those faux vault doors opened, everyone running in different directions for cover. You knew you had this shit in the bag, but there was just one person you knew for a FACT you didn't wanna get into a showdown with. Your boyfriend, Miles. From the moment everyone was released, he was absolutely nowhere to be found. While everyone was panting, rolling on the floor, dodging and weaving between walls, there was no trace of him anywhere.

You gently shook the lingering anxiety away as you slowly made your way to a different hiding spot after noticing Daniella's wide-eyed stare and the subtle point she gave you as she took her walk of shame back to the waiting room. Snitch. You got down on the ground, shimmying over to a small hedge, and leaned back, slowly extending your head around the corner to see if you had been followed. You covered your mouth as you heard Ganke yell out the highest, shrillest, girly scream you think you've ever heard. As you hear a couple of rogue giggles, you quickly apply more pressure to not give away your location, frantic thumps, and heavy footsteps begin to echo throughout the room, indicating everyone's desperate attempts to conceal themselves from whatever predator was following them.

"BRING THAT ASS HERE, BOUL!" You hear Kalias shout through maniacal laughter.

"NO PLEASE! C'MON MAN, I JUST GOT HERE YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CREASE MY SHOES." Ganke yells as the footsteps get louder before a low buzz and a loud yelp of disappointment was heard from poor Ganke.

The room erupts with laughter as everyone jumps out, the desperation to catch each other finally attaching itself to most of the group. You take a deep breath, preparing to leave your hiding spot and join the adrenaline-fed gunfight, laughing loudly before being sharply cut off by the feeling of a strong hand pulling you backward. You yelp loudly as you look up, seeing Miles point his laser gun directly at your hitbox with an absolutely evil grin.

"What's good, Mami?" he mumbles as he literally presses you with a toy gun, wrapping his free arm around your lower waist. His smug grin turned into a full-fledged beam full of nothing but pure mischief. The small enclosure was loud, filled with upbeat techno, ray-gun pews, hysterical giggles, and the occasional shout or two. He lowered his laser gun, gently tucking it onto the orange and black belt buckle that came with the vest, pressing his finger to his lips as he watches your eyes widen. "Shhh, cuz I'll blast you back to that damn waiting room right now."

You roll your eyes as you smirk, pretending to be annoyed by his actions as he attempts to pull you impossibly closer. "Where have you been this entire time? I haven't seen or heard you even once." You whisper as you turn your head to the side in confusion. He chuckled lowly as he peeked around the corner, watching the chaos unfold as everyone chases each other around the arena. He shrugged before hoisting you up by the back of your thighs, gasping quietly as he supported all of your body weight with both of his hands. He places a series of careful kisses on your face before capturing your lips in a deep passionate kiss.

"'m waitin' for these niggas to start fearing for they lives..." He mumbled as he broke the kiss briefly. "Then when they start runnin' like rats, i'ma blast they asses back to the lobby" he pants as he continues to kiss you, slowly turning into a make-out session behind the faux wall. Your brows furrowed as he recited his plan, a playful smirk forming on your lips at the thought of how competitive he was being from afar. You laced both arms around his neck, playing with one of the braids that lay on the back of his head. You took this as an opportunity to link your ankles around his hips for extra support.

Any thought of being tagged by your friends dissipated as you melted into your boyfriend's secure hold. He gave you one final peck on the cheek before gently placing you back on your feet, shooting you a wink before grabbing his ray gun and almost immediately disappearing into the arena.

"OH SHIT RUN IT'S MILES!" you hear Jasmine screech before a string of buzzers rings throughout the arena. You silently admired how he seemingly glided through the room, landing perfect shots on your friends' hitboxes in what felt like 5 minutes. He had unexplainably great agility and near-damn perfect aim. Yeah, he was in basketball for a little bit back at school, but his remarkable reaction time and inhumane ability to dodge remained unaccounted for. Regardless of what you thought, you watched him work his magic, successfully sending our remaining six friends back to the lobby with an absolutely maddened expression.

He stuffed his gun back in his belt buckle before turning in your direction, that same devilish grin formulating itself on his lips as he raises his arms up. "Mami! 1v1 me!" He shouts. Your heart dropped into your stomach at the words, going back to the very first thought you had when the doors first permitted you into the arena. But regardless, you shrugged and walked out with both hands on your heavy metal ray gun, slowly approaching him as you pointed it at his vest. He gave you a nod, keeping his hands up as the final buzzer sounded, LED lights turning red all throughout the arena as he gave you a small smirk.

"Oh no! She got me!" He shouted. You suddenly realized he never intended on actually fighting you, and that he only wanted to rack up a high score and then go home to have something to brag about. All that yelling about a 1v1 and the 'showdown' you two had was just bluff so the rest of the group didn't think you were cheating. You burst out into laughter, pulling him into a tight hug as the vault doors opened up again, allowing a new wave of people to pass through as Miles wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

"She won." He shrugged, the ghost of a devilish grin still present on his face as your friends let out noises of shock.

"Ain't no way you lost to your girl, Miles." Daniella laughed as Miles shot her a rather rude glare.

"Girl shut the fuck up, you was the first to leave the premises." He spat.

You all spent the rest of the afternoon at the mall, clowning Miles on how he "lost to his girlfriend." Amidst all the talking and jokes, however, he shot you another wink you would have missed if you blinked.

[angellayercake]

Can i ask for 10 🥺❤?

Secondo or/and Cardi with close secretary/helper reader who just gives them cheek/forehead kisses every morning and for goodnight without thinking much about it. And papas with crush on them ara just blushing °\\\° with dumb 'im not sure if they're into me'

🤣🤣🤣🤣

It has taken me a while but here you go my dear. You gave me some fantastic inspiration the other day so I've gone on bit of a tangent. I hope you enjoy it! Love yooou 🐇🐇

‘There you go Papa. All fixed for you,’ you smile up at him catching him off guard as always. He nodded at the sibling knelt down before him doing his very best to keep his composure. It wasn’t just the fact that someone was so close to being in a position he knew he would very much enjoy under other circumstances. Nor that he had been going through what his brother had not stopped referring to as a spell dryer than the sahara desert. No, it was this particular sibling that was causing all the problems.

You who had faded into the background of his life until recently. Someone who was an integral but often unnoticed member of the Ministry. To say you just fixed things would do your work a disservice but it seemed whenever there was a problem there you were, smiling and whistling and mending what was broken. Including the heart of this grumpy old man it would seem, not that he would admit it out loud. As he watched you slide the drawer in and out with no problem, the drawer he may have been slamming particularly hard recently in the hope it would get stuck, he thought back to when this had started. And it had started with Snowbell.  

‘No no Papa this will not do!’ The Cardinal tutted, stroking his moustache and frowning at the sight before him. ‘I would never let my rats live in such a small cage and they are much smaller than Snowbell.’ Secondo looked between Copia, the cage that was currently taking up the corner of his office and the ball of white fluff that was sitting quietly on his desk. When, in a moment of weakness, he had admitted to his youngest brother that at times he had felt lonely he hadn’t realised it would become Copia’s mission to fix it for him. The next day he had found himself dragged to the nearest pet store and forced to survey the critters on display as Copia prattled about his rats. He had been humouring him, he had thought until his eyes had fallen on the little white rabbit curled up by itself.

‘Si! This is the one,’ Copia called to the shop assistant gesturing to the enclosure in front of them. ‘We will take this one my friend!’ Before Secondo could utter a word he took in his brother’s beaming face and gave in with a sigh. This was happening whether he liked it or not. 

As Copia was on the phone summoning the person that could fix all their problems Secondo sat at his desk looking at his new pet. She stared back at him, beady black eyes calm in spite of being in an unfamiliar place and all the commotion coming from the other side of the room. 

‘Hello,’ he said quietly, offering his gloved hand for her to inspect. He had no idea what to do with the creature, really not having had a chance to peruse the pile of books Copia had insisted they buy along with everything the shop assistant had suggested they would need to care for her. She stretched her head forward, ears perked up curiously, whiskers twitching as she scented him out, and after a few moments hopping forward until he was able to rest his large hand over her. Slowly he rubbed her head with his thumb and watched her eyes drift close and her ears flop down in contentment. As he watched this lonely little rabbit basque in his affection he felt something in him soften, which is when the door to his office opened and in you walked.  

He hadn’t been able to take in a word of what was being said about Snowbell’s new home he had been mesmerised. You were captivating with an air of quiet confidence that filled the room and he could see the strength in the way you moved. You were chatting away with Copia taking measurements and discussing who knows what details when Snowbell had hopped into his arms stealing both of their attention away from their project. 

‘Ah fratello, she has already seen through your grumpy facade eh?’ He nudges you with his elbow but you are too busy looking up and down between his usual stoic face and the little rabbit he is now cradling.

‘I hear rabbits are very good judges of character, Cardinal,’ you tease. You weren’t scared of him? He would admit himself that the root of his loneliness problem was his grumpy demeanour and ‘resting face of stronzo’ as Terzo liked to call it. It wasn't that he lacked for bedroom partners, he was often spoiled for choice, but he did lack good company anywhere else. And he was growing tired of one off encounters he wanted someone who liked, maybe even loved him. A stirring in his arms brought him out of his less than happy thoughts. ‘What’s her name?’ He could get lost in your kind eyes and he does in fact as he tries to answer the question he was asked.

‘I … well,’ he stutters before giving himself a shake. What is the matter with him? No one had ever been able to reduce him to stuttering. He clears his throat before trying again. ‘It is Snowbell.’ The inquisitive little thing perks up as he holds her up for you to see, looking so small in his cupped hands. You let the rabbit sniff at your fingers just as he did, only reaching to scratch gently between her ears after gaining her approval. Her ears sink back to their relaxed position as she accepts the attention 

‘Snowbell you said?’ you question leaning across his desk to give her the attention she deserves. ‘She is terribly sweet, I can see why you picked her.’ you continue with a genuine smile that he can’t look away from. ‘Well I better get to work so we can make sure this little lady has the perfect home.’ You turn away but pause, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to Snowbell's head, holding his gaze as you do. He has never been so thankful for his Papal paints before as he feels his cheeks uncharacteristically heat up as they turn and leave his office. ‘Papa, Cardinal.’ 

‘Farewell! Now Papa…’ Copia, oblivious to the unspoken exchange, had continued his running commentary of upgrades Snowbell would need but all Secondo could think about is if he would ever get a kiss of his own. 

And so he had gone from not even knowing of your existence to you in and out of his office every few days asking his opinion on all types of things and bringing hand made pieces of what was looking to become a palace for his new companion. He hadn’t admitted it to Copia yet but it did really seem like his idea was working. He had someone to care for now and even someone to talk to now, even if little Snowbell didn’t have much to say in return. It took just over two weeks for the cage to be completed, the grand opening attended by the talented creator themselves, Snowbell of course, himself, Copia, and Terzo. He couldn’t help the frown that grew when his brother waltzed into his office just in time, it was probably Copia who let it slip.

‘Secondo you sfigato!’ He entered with a shout. ‘I hear I have a niece and you have been keeping her from me?’ He looks around in his ridiculous flamboyant way and his frown only deepens when you giggle at his antics. Snowbell, the niece he thinks with an eye roll, is sitting in your arms. As you had worked so hard to build her new home he thought it only right that you get to let her in for the first time. Which means Terzo makes a bee line for you as soon as he notices. ‘So this is the cutie I have been missing out on eh?’ He asks with a smirk. ‘And then this is the rabbit.’ He lifts his eyebrows in a way he is sure he thinks is charming and he can’t help his scoff of indignation. Terzo manages to pull his attention away from the only person in the room he is able to flirt with and slings his arm around his older brother. 

‘My apologies fratello, please continue,’ he says in his exaggerated earnest way that has even Copia rolling his eyes. ‘This day is about you and of course Snowbell.’ 

‘Si,’ Copia interrupts before he can continue. ‘And it is time for her to see her new home. 

Secondo nods his agreement, giving you a small smile as you step forward to the open door and set Snowbell inside. She looks around the space before venturing forward, sniffing at the air. She hops in and around some of the toys inside before heading straight for her food bowl and staying put. The four of you stand watching for a while longer before realising that she has finished her exploration for now.  

‘Well that was a bit of an anticlimax,’ Terzo says at last with a sigh. ‘She clearly did not inherit the Emeritus talent for drama. Oh well.’

‘Shut up cazzone, Snowbell likes it very much I am sure.’ He can see you are a bit disappointed by the reaction and he would do anything to make you smile again. As you look up at him with a smile he realises that you no longer have reason to come to his office. The thought sends a shoot of pain through his chest and he panics knowing he needs to find a way to make sure you come back. ‘You should come and visit.’ He says abruptly, calling not just your attention but both his brothers as well. ‘Snowbell I mean, she will miss you.’ 

‘I will, of course, if Snowbell will miss me.’ You look down before looking back up at him through your eyelashes and his mouth goes dry. You turn to leave stepping backwards towards the door so you can hold his gaze. ‘Bye Snowbell, bye Papa.’ 

‘Good bye,’ he manages to say as he sees his brothers sharing a look out of the corner of his eye. When he is sure you are gone he doesn’t even bother to look at them, instead turning to the cage that now takes up the entirety of the wall. ‘Shut up and get out you two.’ For the first time in a long time they actually do as he says and leave him be, even shutting the door behind them. Snowbell had finally finished her meal coming up to sniff his fingers as he toyed with the bars. ‘Oh Snowbell,’ he whispers as he tickles her soft nose. ‘What is happening to me?’  

You are as good as your word, coming to visit Snowbell, but it is not enough. He gets brief glimpses of you in the halls but you always seem so busy. He would hate to be a burden. One day though inspiration drops from the sky on him, or at least from a high shelf. He is looking for a book to help with some latin translations and piles books out of the way so he can find the title when the bookshelf suddenly breaks away with an almighty crash. Typically this type of event would inspire kicking and cursing, but instead a grin pulls over his face. He has an excellent reason to get you here now. You come and fix it with all your skill far too quickly and then you are gone again before he can even build up the courage to talk to you properly. The next time it is a draughty window frame, then the squeaky door hinges and now here he is having deliberately broken the drawer of his desk to get you here. 

He has been staring too long he thinks, but he can’t look away, every time you stay a little bit longer, speak a little bit more but this time he is going to ask you to stay,or at least to come back later, for dinner or drinks or something. He opens his mouth to speak but his office door is slammed open and the last person he wants to see right now is standing in the doorway. Terzo looks around quickly noticing where Secondo’s eyes are trained and slaps his hand over his eyes with a gasp. 

‘Ugh brother if you are going to have siblings under your desk, at least put a sock on the door.’ he grumbles with disgust but doesn't bother to leave

‘Or you could not burst in,’ Secondo replies through gritted teeth. He was so close he was going to wring his brother's neck as soon as he got the chance. 

‘It’s only me Papa,’ you laugh as you pop up from behind the desk. Terzo looks between you and him back and forth with an entirely too smug look on his face but thankfully says nothing else. He pulls out one of the chairs next to Secondo’s desk slouching down as soon as he sits and folding his hands across his chest. ‘I will leave you both to it then,’ you say as you collect up your tools and head for the door, giving him one last sweet smile before leaving. 

‘What do you want then Terzo? ' he asks dejectedly, leaning back into his own chair. His brother levels him with one of his usual smug smirks and he is tempted to punch it for ruining his chance, that is until he next speaks.  

‘Why don’t you ask them to help you break the desk first next time, si?’ He sits there in shock for a moment as so many different feelings run through him. Predominantly though he is annoyed that his brother had figured him out so easily and then he hears a giggle from the door and his blood runs cold. 

‘Sorry to interrupt, but I forgot my screwdriver.’ You point to where it sits on the desk with the hand that isn’t covering your mouth but he can see the pink glow of your cheeks just above. He is frozen to the spot so Terzo reaches across and hands it over with a smirk. ‘But maybe I could come back for a screw next time,’ you laugh from behind your hand. Terzo barks out a laugh and he just sits there mouth open in shock as you take your screwdriver and flee. 

‘Well go after them then,’ Terzo says, snapping him out of his daze. He jumps out of his chair knocking it to the floor in his haste and scaring poor Snowbell if the sounds from her cage are anything to go by, hoping to find you before you get too far. He spots you just as you turn the corner out of the Clergy wing so he picks up speed not wanting to shout and draw too much attention.

‘Wait, por favore,’ he calls when he finally catches up to you. ‘What about tonight?’ You turn slowly, surprised that he has finally got the courage up to ask you but you look at him questioningly. ‘Not for a screw,’ he corrects, still trying to catch his breath from his rush. ‘Well maybe, I mean. Dinner first?’ He takes a deep breath so he can actually get his words out but you already look so happy, although he hopes you aren’t just laughing at him. ‘Would you join me and Snowbell for dinner? Tonight?’ He tries again, hoping that he isn’t about to make a fool of himself. 

‘I would love to have dinner with you Papa.’ There is such an obvious affection glowing in your eyes he doesn’t know how he hasn’t seen it before. ‘And Snowbell of course.’ You lean towards him, your hand drifting up to cup his cheek so you can guide him towards you. The kiss you press to his cheek is so soft but he feels incredibly content and desperate for more at almost the same time. You pull away far too soon but he can’t be annoyed about getting to see your happy smile again. ‘I will see you tonight.’ You say as you leave him there standing in the hall like a lovesick fool. Yes, tonight he thinks and he can’t wait.

[corrodedcoughin]

little story about little Eddie and his 2 new friends | word count approx 2.5k | general audience rating | steve and eddie are kids and Wayne is a pushover

Wayne sometimes thinks it was a mistake, not taking in the boy. God no, he would never think of Eddie as anything other than an important and intrinsic part of his life, couldn't be without him, wouldn't want to be. 

No, what Wayne worries about is how his readiness to help Eddie feel loved might contribute to the boy's difficulty in making friends.

It was an innocent enough request, Eddie asked for a pet as all young children do. He was so small and so wide eyed, just a scrap of an 8 year old with more feelings than he knew what to do with. Wayne knew he'd never hold up against any request Eddie made but he liked to pretend to himself that he could. And while technically he never pandered to the boy, yes Eddie usually got what he wanted but in a way that suited their means. Or so Wayne tells himself. 

8 year old Eddie asked for a pet and a pet is what he got.

-

Eddie barrelled into the trailer door, backpack swinging off his arm and ready to be thrown into the corner. Planning to shoot off back out the door to do his usual; lift up rocks and inspect whatever bugs he could find, to grab sticks and imagine them as wizard staffs, to let his imagination finally run wild after hours of sitting still at a desk under too bright lights and too busy class rooms. In truth he wasn't really paying attention to the insides of the trailer, expecting it to be the same as always. It took a very pointed cough for Eddie to register that Wayne was unusually home from work, far earlier than normal, and a further loud clearing of the throat for Eddie to pay attention to what Wayne had placed on the kitchen table. 

Right in the middle of the table, sitting in a beam of sunlight, was a cage and in that cage was what would soon become, Eddie's very reason for being. He crept up close, almost as if scared that any sudden movements would prove the whole thing to be a cruel illusion. He was brought out of his reverie by a pink nose wiggling at the bars, whiskers attached and twitching as the rest of the rat appeared.

'is he-? is he for real?' Eddie said with a gasp, hands inching towards the door of the cage. 

Wayne had to suppress a laugh, trust this boy to be bowled over in wonder at a rat as if it were a puppy. He opened the contraption of the enclosure door and dipped his hand inside, allowing the rat to climb onto his palm. The guy from work assured him that this one was the most tame he had, inquisitive to a fault and oddly enough, desperate to be handled. Quite honestly, the perfect match for his well meaning but excitable nephew-near-enough-son. 

'Yeah, yeah kid it's for real. And he's a she.' Wayne lets the rat sniff at Eddie's hands, little pink hands finding a platform on Eddie's palms, clearly holding himself a still as possible but if Wayne knew this boy, and he did, he knows that Eddie is so close to vibrating out of his skin, that containing that much excitement must be killing him. 

'I don't care. Wayne, I don't! Can she sleep in my room? Does she know tricks? Can I teach her? What does she like? Can I take her to school? Please! Wayne!' He's started now, words pouring out of his mouth, tripping over himself to try and release every thought entering his brain at lightning speed.

'Woah, there' Wayne says pulling the rat up, cradling it in two hands, 'We got to be kind to her alright? She's only small. Doesn't know what loud noises are good and which are bad, okay?' He watches as Eddie nods vigorously, eyes never leaving the creature. 'Now you promised me you'd look after a pet so that's what's going to happen. She is your responsibility. That means cleaning, feeding and loving, got it?' Eddie nods again, tentatively reaching his hands up, the image of Oliver Twist springs to Wayne's mind. 

Wayne comes around the kitchen table, crouches down to Eddie on creaky knees and hands the rat over, filling Eddie's small hands with a heartbeat and fur. Eddie giggles, watching as the rat surveils the new patch of skin its found itself on. 

'Tickles, Wayne' and its said with such love and devotion Wayne almost feels his heart break 

'Yeah son. She does, doesn't she?' 

-

 Of course it takes less than a week and Eddie and Sam are inseparable. As soon as Eddie gets home he's itching for his furry friend, delighting in the way she scampers around the room, over his arms and anywhere she can get. No matter what though, she always comes back to him. She can be digging in to a particularly interesting crevice behind the couch but she'll always come running back when she hears Eddie make a noise.  

The thing is, Eddie is a pretty lonely kid. Not for lack of trying, don't get it wrong. Eddie tries to socialise he tries to talk to the other kids in his class, get them involved in his imaginary games and play pretend but being the new kid doesn't really do him any favours. Being the new kid that lives in the trailer park and a penchant for biting to show affection does him even less. 

To Eddie, its him and Sam against the world. He can come home and know that his best friend will listen to all his problems, will stay close and won't run away even when he's extra loud or being 'a lot' as his teacher like to tell him. He's so tired of being told to use his 'quiet hands', his 'inside voice' and every other subdued phrase they try to press on him. 

This particular day was a hard one, Sally Winters had said that Eddie was 'bad luck' and the word quickly spread around by recess. Eddie had thought he was making some progress with a couple of kids from the class, was thinking today might be the day that he finally got asked to play but that hope quickly got squashed. He had hopped up to the potential friends with a stick in his hand and a notion of being a pirate when they both looked at him like he was a monster, they couldn't get away fast enough. And Eddie couldn't find a place to hide quick enough before the fat and heavy tears fell from his eyes. 

It was a long day and home time was his only saving grace. 

Wayne knows somethings up, can tell in the way that Eddie isn't even really talking to Sam, hardly looking at the Tv despite the fact that Wayne very purposefully had put the cartoon Lord of the Rings movie on. The sure fire fall back he liked to keep in his back pocket. The trump card to get his kid happy. This time though? No luck. Looking at the kid makes a chasm open up in his gut, deep and full of overwhelming sadness that he just wants to stop, wants to find the solution to make this boy smile like the sun again. They don't talk much for the rest of the night but Wayne makes sure to stay close, stay awake in case he's needed. Eddie spends the time between dinner and bed sitting on the floor, side pressed up against Wayne's leg and playing fetch with bits of Wayne's whittling with Sam, not a word said. 

-

Eddie wakes up the next morning with a plan and a devil may care attitude. Oh so carefully he maintains his usual routine; says good morning to Sam, carts her around the trailer as he washes his face and wanders into the kitchen, placing her in her secondary cage so she can eat breakfast with Eddie and Wayne - Eddie was adamant that they couldn't have meals without her, 'she's part of the family!' and soft hearted fool Wayne Munson agreed and an additional cage was sourced. 

When breakfast is finished Eddie begins his usual rigmarole of dragging his feet to get out of his pjs and into his clothes, reluctant to grab his bag and go out the door. Same old protests as Wayne watches him walk out towards the school bus. 

What is a new addition to the routine though, is Sam Munson hiding up the sleeve of a school boy and about to go on a secret and very dangerous mission. A mission to survive the school day. 

Surprisingly, Eddie manages to keep Sam secret, keep her safe, the whole morning. He came prepared with snacks to make sure she was entertained and happy, he couldn't stand the thought of her being sad, her eyes get so big and her tail droops as well as her ears, it makes the whole of Eddie ache. But no, she's happy, or happy enough at least. 

So the morning goes without a hitch, Eddie making noises to cover up any squeaks and keeping a hand in his pocket to reassure Sam, stowed in the pocket of his hoodie. He knows he's seen as 'weird' so what's a few extra noises? They are let out for recess and Eddie breathes a sigh of relief, thinking this is his time to let Sam out, knowing she's desperate for some fresh air. Sure, she's peed in his hoodie pocket, but he can't really tell with it's dark colour and the layer of t-shirt between the wet material and his tummy. 

He runs off to his usual corner, stuck between a bush and a tree and gently tips Sam out of his pocket, she scampers around his feet and gratefully accepts a broken off bit of cracker between her hands.

'Thanks for coming with me Sam. Everyone is so mean, its so stupid. I don't care. You are a better friend than any of those losers' He crouches down, hoping to find a twig to play fetch with. A game that he delights in, is immeasurably proud of her for learning it so quickly. 'Gonna find you the best stick Sam. Promise. Best stick for the best friend' 

He continues muttering to himself and doesn't notice that he's getting progressively louder after finding a twig and beginning the game. Doesn't register that he's drawn unwanted attention with his happy shouts and encouragement until a body is crashing through the shrub he's hidden himself behind. 

Sam doesn't notice either until the unexpected form is right in front of her and she bolts, running as fast as her legs will carry her and Eddie is right behind her, muttering under his breath as he trips over his own feet in an attempt to catch her 'oh shit oh no oh no oh no' He's pushing himself as hard as he can but it doesn't count for much, he never was the fastest. He keeps trying though but then a faster body is accelrating past him, in a evident bee line for Sam. 

Without thinking, Eddie lets out a painful 'NO!' terrified of what might happen.

He knows people think rats are dirty, thinks they don't deserve love and don't deserve life. He doesn't want to imagine what this person's intent might be. Sam reaches a dead end up against the wall of the school and the body, the boy, stops infront of her. Scoops her up? Cradles her into his chest? Eddie...Eddie doesn't know what to think, he's prepared to fight this kid but then the boy is looking up at him with curious hazel eyes. Stroking Sam's head gently and with intent.

He holds Sam out, careful with his motions, trying to blow his brown floppy hair out of his face without disturbing the animal in his hands 'is she okay? is she yours? did I hurt her? she looks okay, is she?' Eddie gingerly steps forward and plucks Sam out of the boys hands, gives hera thorough inspection as the other boy continues 

'I didn't mean to scare her I swear! I didn't even know you had her! I won't tell, I swear I wont! You know...you shouldn't really have a rat in school. If I promise not to tell can I play with you? I'm Steve' 

Holding her close, Eddie squints at the boy, at Steve, and thinks. Thinks about how he looks nice, about how soft his hair looks and how he asked Eddie, Eddie!, to play, that he didn't give him a wide bearth and that he held Sam with such care. It isn't even a hard decision.

They spend the rest of recess together. Eddie shows Steve just how smart Sam. That she can play fetch, that she can run across one arm to the next, over your shoulders without losing balance. That she can twitch her whiskers and it seems like she's laughing at the joke Eddie tells her. That she laughs at the joke Steve tells her! Steve learns that she's named after somebody called Samwise and it doesn't matter that he's a boy because Sam is brave just like Samwise and smart and cares just as much. That Sam is Sam and Eddie is Frodo and together they can take on the world. 

Steve asks if he can have a name too and Eddie calls him Legolas, doesn't tell him why. Doesn't say that Steve reminds him of the pretty elves described in the books Wayne reads out loud to Eddie. It doesn't matter, not really. 

Recess ends and they shuffle back to the school doors, both of them lagging behind the others.

Eddie steels himself, knows he has to bring his misfortune up so that he can own in, so that his new friend doesn't find out from someone else. 'I'm bad luck you know. Sally...she said it. now everyone wont talk to me. I wont be mad if you don't either. I've got Sam. We'll be oaky! So you can just go, I don't care!' He knows he's getting wound up, he can't stop himself. He just wants the bandaid ripped off so he can start feeling sad quicker, get it over with sooner.

Before he can register is, Steve is wrapped around Eddie in a flash of a hug, careful to keep his tummy away from squashing Sam. 

'Not bad luck to me. See you tomorrow Frodo' Steve whispers next to Eddie's ear and shuffles through the school door. 

Eddie is in a daze of joy and happiness, thoughts rumbling through his head but none of them sticking as he journey back into his class room. Pure happiness radiating out of his body, he takes Sam out of his pocket and holds her up to his face 'Sam you made my bad luck go away!' kissing her on the forehead as he hears his teacher scream 

'EDWARD MUNSON IS THAT A RAT?!'

-

So Wayne thought the already unpopular kid having a rat would make things worse. Turns out, he was wrong. Very, very wrong. He might have to start pocket inspections before school though.

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

also on ao3 if that's the preferred reading format for you

[bakugosatoru]

Just gotta say that the comfort headcanons you did were SO SWEET OMG!!! I'd love to request a romantic fluff scenario with Eijiro Kirishima if you're up to it! Maybe he and y/n are having a picnic date at a park or, going off the scenario you did for Bakugo, he & y/n are going to adopt a puppy 👀

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you as well for being my first request, I love the idea of Kirishima and y/n adopting a puppy! I really hope you enjoy it! (Also worked to keep the reader gender neutral so everyone can enjoy!)

Warnings: None Genre: Romantic Fluff Fic Type: Short Fanfic (1k Words) Fandom: My Hero Academia

"Crimson?" Kirishima mumbled as you both strolled up to the entrance of the shelter.

"What was that babe?" You ask.

"Oh I was just thinking what we could name the pup." He smiled at you, that gorgeous beaming smile you adored so much, as he opened the door to the shelter for you.

"After you my dear" He bowed dramatically as you giggled, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the door after you.

You were quickly greeted by a lovely older woman who introduced herself as one of the owners of the shelter. She began to lead you both down a row of cages, holding various dogs and cats. Eijiro gripped your hand tightly as he beamed, watching you listen to the lady intently, as she explained all the info about the various dogs. Age, breed, temperament, things like that.

But Eijiro wasn't really listening, all he could do was focus on you, and just how beautiful you looked when you were excited.

You dropped your boyfriends hand momentarily (much to his disappointment) to reach out through the door of one of the enclosures and gently allow one of the dogs to sniff your hand, and petting it gently on the head before moving on to the next one.

As you continued to walk, you reached back to grab Eijiros hand once again but couldn't find it. Turning around you see your boyfriend reading one of the signs next to an enclosure intently.

"That's our oldest resident" The owner of the shelter smiles as she notices which pen Kirishima stopped in front of.

"Been in here for 3 years now" She added as you both walked back to join your boyfriend next to the enclosure. At first you thought the enclosure was empty, until you saw him, sitting, curled up on the tiny dog bed in the corner.

A frail and scared chihuahua.

You started to read the blurb on the side of the enclosure that your boyfriend was so engrossed in. It told the story of this little creature, who had been hit by a car a few years ago and surrendered to the shelter when the owners didn't care to pay the vet bills. You could feel your heart shatter in your chest as you looked at the tiny creature in front of you.

"Can we go say hi to it?" Eijiro asked the shelter employee, his voice softer than usual, as if he didn't want to stress out the poor pup anymore than it already was.

"Of course" She smiled, walking forward to open the door to the enclosure. "Not many folks are interested in our little Scarlet, most people dont come to shelters for older dogs so the poor thing gets overlooked" She spoke sadly as she allowed you both to enter the enclosure. "I'll give you a bit of time to get to know her, just come get me if you need anything" She smiled before walking back down the hall to the office.

Eijiro stepped foward slowly, before crouching down to sit himself on the floor next to the tiny pup.

"Hi Scarlet" Kirishima whispered gently as he reached his hand out, allowing the skittish dog to sniff, before ever so gently beginning to pat the dog on its small head.

"I thought you told me in the car you wanted a 'big, manly dog" You teased as you crouched down next to your boyfriend and the tiny dog, joining them both on the floor.

Kirishima gently scooped Scarlet up and held her tiny body ever so gently in his arms against his muscular frame.

"I don't know, I think surviving a car accident and being all alone for 3 years, and still allowing a stranger to pet you is pretty damn manly if you ask me" He smiled down at the tiny dog, his eyes full of nothing by love and admiration.

God you love this man, no other man could be so strong, so kind and yet so gentle all at the same time, towards every living creature.

"Plus, with a name like Scarlet, I suppose its just meant to be" You smiled, snuggling up next to your boyfriend and reaching out to slowly stroke the small dog in his arms. The dog seemed visibly more calm than when you had first seen him and you felt yourself fall in love with the poor creature every second you spent with it.

"I think this is the one honey" He murmured to you, not taking his eyes off the pup.

"Yea, me too" You smile.

So just like that, you signed the paperwork and walked out of the shelter. You had expected to be leaving with a large Terrier or Retriever or maybe even German Sheppard in tow, but instead you cradled a sleeping Chihuahua in your arms as you headed home, your family having grown by one tiny creature.

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

Bonus

You knocked on your boyfriends office door softly.

"Come on in love" You heard his chair wheel away from his desk as he called out to you happily.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" You asked as you walked into the office, stacked high with Crimson Riot memorabilia and workout equipment. In your arms you cradled Scarlet, you knew how much Kiri loved to see her when he was working.

"Interrupting? My favorite person in the world, bringing me my favorite animal in the world could never be interrupting" He smiled as he planted a kiss on Scarlets fluffy forehead, before pulling you into his lap and kissing you softly.

"Now what could I help you with baby?" He asked, resting his chin on your shoulder as he held tightly to your waist.

"Just wanted to show you something" You giggled as you pulled up an article you had just seen on a hero gossip magazine.

"Look at this" You clicked on an article, a large photo of Kirishima out walking Scarlet that must have been taken by paparazzi recently splashed across the screen with the headline:

'Red Riot bring home Tiny New Sidekick'

Authors note: This is my first time ever writing for a request but I had so much fun writing it and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it anon!

[voraciousvore]

Giganterra (Chapter 56)

Prologue/TOC | Previous (55) | Next (57)

Content Warning: NSFW/18+!! Gratuitous violence, hard vore, and excessive gore!! Includes people getting limbs amputated, castrated, stepped on, disemboweled, eaten in pieces, etc. DO NOT READ if you are squeamish!!

Word Count: 2k

------ Chapter 56: Butchery ------

Everything happened way too fast. When the men overheard the bombshell that the giantess princess was pregnant, Gio and Graham could only gape at Cesar in shock. Cesar, for his part, was too stunned to properly process this revelation. He wasn’t ready for the improbable news at all. He looked up at Bianca, searching her, but she refused to meet his gaze. He realized she was trying to shield him from her father, a very dangerous man.  

Indignation welled up inside him as he watched Ajax take her away. King Richard remained in the room, malice rolling off him in suffocating waves. The walls around them rattled with escalating violence as he clomped over, his torso eclipsing their view of the outer room. With a deafening crash, the roof was torn from its hinges and tossed to the ground. The men scrambled like ants as a colossal hand reached in and whisked away all the furniture, crunching the wood between strong digits before flinging it all away. Cesar hastily grabbed a wooden splinter that fell to the ground and concealed it by his side. 

They were completely exposed, with nothing to hide them. Their shock condensed into raw terror. The humans sidled against the walls of their bare enclosure like cornered mice, small and vulnerable. The giant hovered above them with unfathomable bloodlust, his massive face warped into a grotesque scowl. 

“So. Which one of you is responsible for this mess?” he boomed, his deep voice reverberating off the walls. The men cringed, dropping to their knees as if his voice carried physical weight that prevented them from standing. They exchanged panicked glances with each other, yet none of them spoke. Despite their overwhelming fright, Gio and Graham refused to rat out Cesar. 

The king’s frown deepened. He lowered his hand, eliciting distressed cries as the men scurried about in their glass box in a futile effort to avoid his deadly touch. He snatched up Cesar in his fist, gripping the man tight enough to expel the breath from his lungs. Cesar gasped and squirmed as his ribs bent from the pressure.  

The human saw the faintest glimmer of opportunity and stabbed the splinter with all his strength into the exposed skin of the giant’s palm. Hardon cursed with surprise, his grip slackening enough to drop Cesar onto the dresser. The tiny man bolted, but the giant slammed his hand down and smacked him back with his finger. He swore again as he pulled the splinter from his huge palm and flicked it away. Cesar’s blood turned to ice as the giant regained his composure with a hateful grin and licked a single droplet of blood from the wound. The fact that he merely shrugged off the desperate act of violence, and was perhaps even mildly amused by it, was more frightening than if he just got angry. In that moment, Cesar understood just how helpless he really was, and the futility of trying to fight back against such overwhelming power. 

“Filthy pervert. You’re probably the one that got her pregnant, aren’t you?” The giant drew a glistening knife from his belt with a deliberate movement, his expression contorting with rage. Cesar turned white as paper. Hardon jabbed the tip of the knife under the small man’s chin, forcing his head up. “I’ll make you pay for your sin!” 

He knocked Cesar down and pinned him firmly with his finger and thumb. Cesar struggled like a worm on a fishhook as the giant slashed the sharp blade of the knife through his shirt, nicking his chest in the process. Cesar flinched and whined. The king sliced through his pants next, stripping him nude. Seeing the human’s manhood made him extremely angry, even more so than before. He dragged the flat of the blade along his tiny thigh, drawing the vicious edge dangerously close to his junk. “I’m going to castrate you and cut you to pieces,” he growled. 

“No, don’t!” Cesar howled, but the sadistic giant had no intention of stopping. A sharp chop, quick and efficient as a guillotine, and Cesar belted out an earsplitting scream as his meat was severed with a gush of hot blood spilling down his legs. He screeched and bawled as he drowned in unbearable agony. The gleaming knife, splattered with blood, rose above his head and kissed his shoulder. “No... please...” he whimpered. 

“Yes!” the giant bellowed, full and loud. The brutal metal cleaved clean through his muscle, tendons, and bone, amputating his arm from his body. 

“Fuck!” Cesar roared. “Fuck fuck fuck!” He writhed and sweated and shouted, but there was no relief from the all-encompassing pain jolting through his flesh. His vision swam and dimmed. His mind immediately focused on the touch of cold flat steel on his opposite shoulder. “No!” 

Another slice, another life-shattering bolt of torture. Cesar let out a long, unhinged scream before he was reduced to sobs. “Please... no more...” he croaked. He shook with weakness and nausea as his body grew cold from tremendous blood loss. He blinked, but his eyes could only see darkness. A humid gust of breath flowed over his skin, followed by a massive slimy slab of meat raking across his gaping, stinging wounds. He cried out as he heard revolting crunching and popping directly above him, noisy and close, as the giant masticated his detached appendages. Flecks of gruesome warm liquid splashed on his skin, as well as shards of bone. His head was enveloped in wet, smelly heat, and thick ridges of teeth clasped his neck. The teeth bit down with a resounding crack. 

Gio and Graham shuddered in horror as they bore witness to Cesar’s grisly death. The giant king decapitated him before slurping up the rest of his broken body into his maw. He chewed laboriously, reducing the carcass that was once a man into puree. Sanguine rivers dribbled down his lips and chin that he lapped up with delight. He swallowed the bloody pulp, humming with glee. 

“Who’s next?” His two remaining snacks drained of color. He chuckled, amused by their squeaks of fright as he chased them playfully with his hand. He grabbed Gio, raising him high in the air by the collar of his shirt. “Gotcha!” 

“W-w-wait!” Gio protested as the knife, dripping with scarlet, approached his leg. “You already punished the father of Bianca’s child. Leave the rest of us alone!” 

“Hmm, let me think,” Hardon jeered, tapping his blood-soaked chin. “No.” He cut through Gio’s clothes and peeled off the fabric as if discarding the rind of an orange to access the succulent meat underneath. Gio was reduced to a sobbing mess, whining incoherently for mercy. Hardon bared his wide mouthful of square teeth, stained crimson, in a macabre smile. Gio spied the splinter of a femur wedged behind one of his canines, recognizable by the distinctive ball joint. 

“Nooooo...” he moaned as the teeth split open, revealing the voluminous interior of the gory, dripping oral cavity. 

“I’m going to enjoy this,” the giant taunted. His tongue emerged from the forbidding chamber and cupped Gio’s bare legs. He suppressed Gio’s frantic kicks by closing his lips over them as he drew his legs into his maw, circling his teeth around the fragile extremities. He chortled deep in his throat, excited for what was to come. 

He bit down, just above the man’s knees. Gio exploded with horrific screams of pain. Hardon swallowed the chunks of meat and guzzled down the streams of blood in thick gulps. His teeth advanced forward, past Gio’s thighs and pelvis to his abdomen. He crunched down with a messy squish, producing more tortuous screams. He gulped down the solid gob of meat and sucked out the strings of intestines, squishing them with his tongue as they scurried down his throat. Exhilarated by the flavor of his violence, he proceeded to clamp down on his chest, cracking his ribcage with ease, and sent the luscious meat to his eager belly. He pushed the remainder—the head, neck, and shoulders—through his moistened lips with his finger and slurped it down. The chunk of flesh disappeared into his stomach, rejoining the rest of Gio in bite-size pieces to digest.   

The king laughed devilishly as he loomed over Graham, cloaking him in his immense, ominous shadow. Graham was paralyzed with fear, with nowhere to run, and could only watch helplessly as the giant’s hand lowered over him, blocking out the light. He yelped as the huge fingers embraced him and lifted him out of the glass box with ease. Graham became dimly aware of a warm fluid saturating his crotch and running down his legs. He’d lost control of his bladder. 

Hardon rolled his eyes as he pinched Graham’s midsection with his thumb and forefinger. “Seriously?” Graham was too petrified to be humiliated by his incontinence. His mouth flapped open and closed like a fish on dry land and he quivered uncontrollably. He felt like he was having a heart attack with the rapid buzzing in his chest. 

“Let’s play a game. I’ll give you a five second head start. And don’t let me catch you after that!” the giant teased. He kneeled down and dropped Graham to the floor. Graham’s legs buckled underneath him, but he scrambled to his feet with adrenaline coursing through his veins. 

“One.”  

Graham bolted. He only had one chance to survive, and he wasn’t going to waste it. The giant door was miles away, but he ran towards it with desperation. 

“Two.” 

His lungs heaved and his heart raced. The muscles in his legs burned with fire. The hard stone beneath his bare feet pounded through his joints. His wet pants clung to his skin, hindering his progress. 

“Three.” 

Graham tripped over a crack in the stone, skidding his knees and elbows on the rough floor. He scrabbled back to his feet and kept going. A tremor ran through him as Hardon boomed with mocking laughter as deep and imposing as thunder, far above his head. 

“Four.” 

King Richard watched his pathetic progress across the floor with amusement. He grinned as he raised his enormous boot dramatically over Graham’s sprinting form. Graham, observing the sudden darkness, squealed with fright when he beheld the sole of the king’s shoe hovering above his head. 

“Five.” 

The king stomped down with brutal violence. A satisfying crunch underfoot was accompanied by a garish burst of blood. He scraped his shoe across the floor, giggling with glee that he had reduced an entire person to nothing more than a smear in an instant. 

Humming to himself, he wiped the blood off his lips, straightened his coat, and stuck the knife back into his belt. He was very satisfied, particularly with his full stomach. He’d gone too long without eating a human fatally, with the intent of actually digesting them. 

“Maid! Come here!” he yelled gruffly. Bianca’s maid timidly peered around the corner and entered the room, anxiety clearly visible on her face. “Clean up this mess.” He gestured to the shattered furniture and the lurid smears of blood. 

“Yes, right away, Your Majesty!” she sputtered. Hardon pushed past her, slapping her on the butt on the way out. He grinned when she shrieked with surprise, but his mirth was fleeting as he marched down the hall towards Ronny’s quarters. 

“This whole thing was a mistake,” he grumbled under his breath. He recognized now that he’d been in error, giving his children their own human pets. He’d done so with the intention of teaching them to be ruthless and in control, to take what they wanted when they wanted it, to instill in them a heartless entitlement essential to royalty. Instead, they’d grown attached to their little pets, enough for Bianca to lie to her father, and treat them like people, an affront to the natural order. He shook his head. He needed to rectify the blunder right away, particularly with concern to his direct heir, Ronny. Besides, he desired a new favorite, and he decided that Ronny’s pet would be better off in his care.

Chapter 57

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

Bonus: I wrote a silly, non-canon, alternate version of this scene where the men survive with the power of Cesar's horniness. Obviously this would not work in the original story but I thought it was too funny not to share. Enjoy I guess lol.

“Start talking, little man,” he ordered. “Or else I’ll-” He stopped, brows knitting together in confusion. “What is that?” 

“Erm...” Cesar turned red as a cherry as he fidgeted in the gigantic hand. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it...” He moaned softly as his hard groin pushed against the inner curve of the gargantuan fingers coiling around him. “Getting dominated is really hot to me...” 

“Ugh! Nasty little freak!” The king, repelled, dropped him like a venomous snake onto the dresser. “Disgusting!” 

Cesar, overcome with lust and understanding the futility of trying to escape, didn’t try to run. If he was going to die here, he figured he might as well enjoy his last moments. He had to admit it was a pretty hot way to die, all things considered. 

The giant’s face contorted with rage. “Filthy maggot! Let’s see how you like it when I castrate you and cut you to pieces!”  

He pinned down the man with his finger and slashed the sharp blade of the knife through Cesar’s shirt, nicking his chest in the process. Cesar flinched and whimpered. He sliced through his pants next, stripping him nude. Seeing Cesar’s rock-hard erection made him extremely angry, even more so than before. The human was supposed to be scared; he wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this. He dragged the flat of the blade along his tiny thigh, moving the vicious edge dangerously close to his junk. 

“Oh yeah... punish me Big Daddy...” Cesar moaned obnoxiously. Hardon rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. 

“Goddammit, shut up you freak!” he growled, but his aggression only seemed to arouse Cesar more. The giant groaned with frustration. “You’re ruining the moment, you stupid lunkhead!” 

“Fuuuuck that’s hot,” Cesar whined. The king shook his head and gave up, casting the knife aside with a clatter. 

“I can’t enjoy this when you’re making it weird,” he grumbled. “Dang it, I was looking forward to butchering you all, too...” The king loved violence and blood, but above all he enjoyed instilling terror into his victims. Cesar ruined everything. Deflated, the king grabbed up the two other men in one hand and dangled Cesar squeamishly by his leg, as if repulsed by his very touch. He wasn’t in the mood anymore. 

“This whole thing was a mistake,” he growled. 

Tag List: @tinycoded360 @maybeiamdownbad @yummynomms

[moonrachas]

mirage | two

pairing: hybrid!ot7 x human(f)!reader

genre: hybrid au

word count: 4.5k

warnings: mentions of mistreatment, mentions of stalking, swearing, y/n gets horny (for like one second), smut in later chapters

summary: Your daily life was getting repetitive until one morning when your friends force you to adopt some hybrids. Coming home with four, things seem to be going well until three animals show up at your door, and they don’t seem to want to leave anytime soon...

a/n: hi guys! i was planning on making a taglist for this story. If you're interested, just comment or send an ask and i'll add you!! also, i'm going to make a post for visuals on how each of them look like.

You quickly wipe your eyes, turning to your friends.

They scan the room, searching for the cause of your sudden tears, until their eyes land on the familiar black fur, looking almost identical to your previous cat.

”It’s okay y/n, do you want to look at any of the other enclosures?” Kai says, rubbing your back.

Part of you wants to listen and just look at the other animals, but another part of you is drawn to the cat. You lock eyes, and you look away, embarrassed. You almost forget that it’s part human.

Eventually, you decide that you will just listen to your heart and purchase this cat. You were planning to just ignore it, trying to avoid the future “I told you so”s from your friends, but you can almost feel the connection.

“No, thats okay, I think i’ll just get that one.” You walk over to the worker in the end of the room.

“Excuse me, I’d like to adopt that black cat hybrid over there in the corner.” You point at the small enclosure. The cats are watching you intently. You wonder how long they’ve been waiting in this place. You see some rush up to the front, wanting to be the one noticed and chosen by you.

“That one?” The worker says with a confused look on his face. “Are you sure? He’s in that little place for a reason, you know.”

“What for?” You turn back, confused. The cat doesn’t look harmful, well, to you at least. It looks like it’s doing the same as any of the other cats in the room. You watch as it attempts to pick up a ball, only for the ball to fly up and hit the cat in face. It jumps and runs away, mortified. You press your lips together and hold back a giggle, turning back to the worker.

“Well, we can’t really enclose specifics to our customers, but that little thing is a troublemaker.” He scratches his head, looking you in the eye. “If you really want it, just know that it might be a little rowdy.”

You nod in agreement. “I’ll see about that.”. You watch as the worker goes inside the enclosure, picking up the scared cat that was hiding in it’s cat tower from the ball. It looks up at him, confused. You miss the way the gray cat in the same enclosure tries to grab it’s friend, resisting his grip.” The worker then manages to pull it away, and walks back to you.

“Hybrids usually mostly stay in their human forms, but they may shift from time to time from either wanting to play or being scared. He never been owned before.”

He? Owned? It now comes to your attention that you are adopting someone, and it feels morally wrong to do so. But your kind heart wants to save him in a way, since you know you would go crazy if you were the one living in the enclosure.

“He will be in the front when you’re ready!” The worker places it in a cage, carrying it out of the room. You turn around, noticing that your friends are gone. Pulling out your phone, you read a few texts from Kai.

Huka: Hey y/n, we wanted to give you some space so we split up and decided to look at the other enclosures.

You quickly send back a “sounds good” as you are now left alone with your thoughts. Feeling the rush, you decide to go and check out another enclosure. Getting one more can’t hurt, right? It’s not like Yuna and Kai are here to tell you no! Besides, your cat hybrid seems like he would need a friend.

You turn over to the other side of the room, walking up to the dog section. You look around the room, watching all of the dogs playing, chasing each other, or wrestling. As your eyes focus on what’s in front of you, you spot a big dog with golden fur staring at you, panting. It’s cute eyes and seated position shows that it wants to play.

“You’re so cute.” You coo, pouting your lips.

You decide to check out the other dogs first. But every time you move to the side to see, the dog walks in the same direction as you, blocking your way. You stare at it confused, and it stares back, almost smiling at you.

You stand on your tippy toes to try to look over it but it just stands on its hind legs, scratching at the glass.

“You little-”

“Hey! What are you doing outside of your enclosure?” The worker runs up to the dog, picking it up. The dog whines as he tries to escape the worker’s grip.

“Wait wait wait, I want to adopt that one.” You say as the worker is about to place it back, surprising both him and yourself.

“This one? Are you sure? Hes a good dog, yeah, but he’s full of mischief.”

“Yeah i’m sure.” You say confidently. The worker brings up the dog hybrid to the front as well.

You thought you would stop there, but no. You need more, your heart and brain having two conflicting thoughts as you decide on whether or not to stop. But your decision was already made as you walked to the next room, filled with the small animal hybrids. You know you need the company, since coming home to a quiet, empty house has been bringing down your mood for so long. Maybe your friends were right, maybe all you needed were some friends.

You observe the small animal hybrids, watching them run around. In the middle, you see a little maze set up for them. Guinea pigs are sleeping in little sheltered beds. You hear their cute squeaks of joy as they play.

In yet another small enclosure, you spot a bunny and a hamster fighting over.. an apple? You watch as the hamster nibbles on the golden brown bunny’s ears, causing it to jump back in surprise. The hamster then runs for the apple, it’s tiny feet only carrying it away slowly as the bunny follows closely behind.

Intrigued, you fight back the tiny voices in your head that are telling you to stop, and ask the worker for those two. There’s no way you could separate them. They get taken to the front, and you find Yuna and Kai back at the big animal enclosure.

“So, did you find one that you wanted?” Yuna grabs your shoulders, staring down at you.

“I did.” You say back, deciding not to reveal anything else.

As you walk back to the front, you notice Kai holding a hedgehog in his arms.

“What- or who, is that?” You ask, staring at the little creature.

“Oh, this? This is Odi, i bought him for my friend Soobin. He’s been a bit lonely in our house recently.”

“Huh, looks like a lot of people came to buy hybrids today. I could’ve sworn there was like no one in each room..” Yuna says, staring at the hybrid cages next to the worker behind the register.

“Actually, those are all mine.” You say, look up at them. You watch as the golden retriever hybrid pants happily.

“I’m sorry, what? What happened to you being against it?” Kai says, pointing his finger at you and tilting his head. “You were all like I’m an independent women with goals and hybrids would only distract me blah blah blah” he says in a mocking tone.

“Shut up!” You whisper shout, smacking his hand away. I’m a new woman.”

He mumbles a “whatever” as you go up and purchase the hybrids.

“Welcome back y/n! I hope you found your hybrids without any issues today. So the first one is a black British Shorthair cat hybrid. This one’s a Golden Retriever hybrid. And these two..” he points to the small animals, “are a golden Palomino rabbit and a golden hamster. Since you’re buying four, I’d hope you have a stable income to take care of them. Just sign these papers and you’ll be all set!”

“Alright thank you!” You quickly sign the stack of papers, all being about the safety of you and the hybrids. You hand over the papers back with a smile.

The three of you- well, eight of you, leave the building and walk over to the car, with Yuna carrying the small animals, Kai carrying the dog hybrid and Odi, and you carrying the cat hybrid. You place the hybrids in the trunk of your car and sit inside.

Arriving home, your friends wave goodbye and wish you good luck. You miss the three pairs of eyes that were watching you outside, hiding behind a bush.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Your hybrids stand awkwardly behind you in your living room, now in human form. You’ve managed to give them clothes from your ex that forgot to take his stuff back. It was a little loose, but it would do for now.

It was very hard to focus straight when you were alone in your house with four very handsome men. You never expected this, but you had to make do.

“Hi everyone! You can call me y/n. I hope you all feel welcome in your new home. Let’s sit on the couch to discuss a few things.” You lead them to the couch, and you sit opposite of them. They walk weirdly in a single file line, stumbling a little, not used to being in their human form. The dog hybrid walks closely behind the cat, almost like it’s for comfort.

Surprisingly, the tiny hamster hybrid is actually the tallest in human form, his sharp eyes making your insides feel weird. The bunny hybrid has a black mole on his face, with golden brown hair.

You stand up to go and get some water for them, so the hybrids were left alone on the couch. The dog hybrid looks around, scanning the room and making sure there was no way you could hear them. “What are we gonna do about the others?” He asks, one ear up to listen for any sign that you are coming.

The hamster hybrid pauses, thinking. “We might have to sneak them back out.” He looks at the others for their approval.

“Are you crazy? They caught us last time! Who’s to say they won’t do it again? Anyways, we can worry about that later. Y/n seems nice and maybe we could get her to help us.” The cat hybrid shrugs, more relaxed than the others.

“Help us? She would never.”

“I’m back, sorry for the wait. I was trying to carry four glasses but i realized i could just carry four bottles.” You laugh at yourself, handing each of them a bottle. “So, I was thinking of ways you guys could start to get to know each other-” You get interrupted and turn your head to see the golden retriever hybrid silently laughing. Realizing you are looking, he masks it with a cough. He mumbles a sorry, clearing his throat.

“Um anyways, I think we should start with names?” You say, looking up at the bunny hybrid sitting on the left. “We can just go in order.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Sunghoon.” The bunny hybrid says, waving at everyone. You immediately take note of his deep, raspy voice. The rest wave back at him and you all turn your attention on the hamster hybrid.

“Hi I’m Heeseung.” He says with a smile.

The dog hybrid starts, “Hi, I’m Jake.” You notice his cute Aussie accent. Immediately after he introduces himself, he starts laughing, unable to look anyone in the eye without losing it.

“Okay can someone tell me what’s going on?” You say, tired of being confused.

“Okay fine. We already all know each other. You can call me Jay.” The black cat hybrid says. “We weren’t always in that little hybrid adoption center. We lived freely for a while, until one night we were captured and they told us about this rule about hybrids having to be owned by humans. We got split up in the center, so this is basically our first time talking to each other in a while, and it’s a bit awkward.”

You suddenly feel sorry for them. Knowing they were a part of the same group and then being separated just because they’re hybrids breaks your heart. “I’m so sorry that happened! I don’t want it to seem like I own you, just picture me as a friend, like how you guys see each other.”

The hybrids all give each other a look, and then turn back to you. “You see,” Sunghoon starts, “It doesn’t really work like that.”

“What do you mean?” You get interrupted for what feels like the hundredth time by scratching on the door. You get up from the couch, walking with the boys following closely behind. Looking through the peephole of the front door, you don’t see anyone, so you assume it may be a package. Opening the door, you look outside to see no one, so you almost step outside until you hear a loud bark, making you jump.

“AH! What the hell!” You look down to see a fox, cat, and dog sitting closely together, shivering slightly due to the wind. The sun was starting to set, so you couldn’t really see them properly.

“No fucking way.” You turn to the boys behind you, who look like they’ve just seen a ghost. Jake doesn’t realize you’ve turned around, still mouthing something to the three animals. You then realized that they know each other.

“You guys better explain this.” You signal the animals to come inside as you shake your head.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The hybrids are now all in their human forms, sitting on the couch with the three unknown ones sitting on the ground in front of them. With the other dog hybrid sitting in front if Jay, he reaches down and pets the other dog hybrid’s hair and back of ears. You stand in front of them, crossing your arms and pinching the top of your nose.

“How the fuck did you three get out of the adoption center?” You squint your eyes at them.

“Relax! This wasn’t even the first time.” The dog hybrid smiles proudly.

“Relax? I could get in so much trouble for this. I don’t even know your names.”

“I’m Niki, the one next to me is Sunoo,” the fox hybrid waves at you, his smile looking adorable, “and next to him is Jungwon.” Jungwon also waves, dimples on full display.

“I’m y/n.” you reply with a small wave. “Wait, the first time? You’ve all done this before?” You raise your eyebrows, confused. The situation keeps getting worse, and you worry that this may end horribly. What if I get caught with them? You wonder. Or worse, end up in jail? You pace your living room, freaking out. All of a sudden you feel strong arms being wrapped around you. You turn over to see Jungwon hugging you with a smile.

“Are you okay y/n? Please let us stay with you. I promise we’ll be good!”

How could you say no to him? He’s looking at you like you with so much adoration, and you can’t help but smile at that. You remember how they mentioned them being split up, so you can’t help but feel sorry for them. But looking at the rest of the boys, they don’t look too happy.

Jay’s jaw is clenched, ears sticking out and tail stiff. Heeseung is gripping the edge of the couch, a low hiss coming out as he stares at Jungwon.

You look back at Jungwon, slightly pulling away. “Fine, I’ll let you guys stay tonight. It’s been a long day, and all I want is some rest.”

“Great!” Jake suddenly appears next to Jungwon, pulling him away. "You should go and get some sleep, we’ll take care of everything!”

“Okay, you guys need to share rooms, there’s three available. Goodnight you guys.” You say as you walk upstairs, going straight for the shower.

As soon as they’re alone, Sunghoon breaks the silence. “What are we going to do? We have to convince her to let us all stay.”

“What do you mean? She already said we could.” Jungwon replies.

“No, she said you can stay tonight, shes probably going to wake up tomorrow and once she starts thinking properly again, she’s probably not going to know what to do.” Heeseung interrupts.

“Whatever let’s worry about this tomorrow I’m tired.” Sunoo whines, dragging out the last word. They make their way upstairs. Outside the first door, they hear the water running from your shower.

Jake turns to Sunghoon, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking.

“Dude, seriously, stop.” Sunghoon says, shaking his head. The rest turn to face the two.

“Stop what?” Jake acts confused to make Sunghoon look stupid.

“Can you two stop? We need to decide on rooms.” Jungwon scolds them, and they both nod. Once the rest turn back around, Jake smirks at Sunghoon, and the bunny hybrid groans.

After walking a bit more, they reach the hallway with the bedrooms. On the walls near the end there are four doors, with the very end being the last door. Heeseung opens the door closest to them, and then first sees a bed with beige sheets and colorful character plushies on them. On the wall are posters of various bands. He quickly shuts it, realizing that it's yours. They open the next three doors, all consisting the same things with different layouts; A bed, a dresser, and a small bathroom connected to it.

Sunghoon and Jake decide on the room next to yours. At first, Sunghoon was hesitant to room with Jake, but after a long please and puppy eyes, he was quick to reconsider. The room across from yours was taken by Jungwon and Sunoo.

The last room, which was also the biggest room, was taken by Jay, Niki, and Heeseung. They didn’t mind who they were going to room with, so they were okay with anyone as their roommates as long as they had the biggest room. You all fall asleep, excited for the next day.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You wake up to the smell of fresh pancakes and coffee. Coffee was something you couldn’t resist, so instead of staying in bed for an extra thirty minutes like you usually do, you immediately get up. After washing up in the bathroom, you head downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, you see a shirtless Jay cooking at the oven with Jake, Sunghoon, and Sunoo sitting down at the table. Your eyes scan Jay, watching as his back muscles whenever he moves. Jake and Sunghoon are still half asleep while Sunoo is eating his pancakes. “Do you like pancakes, y/n?” Jay turns around, watching as you struggle to form words.

“O-of course I like pancakes.” You quickly rush over to join the boys at the table, purposely facing away from Jay to keep yourself together. Sunoo looks at Jay knowingly and then turns back around to continue eating his food. The others join you, having to force Heeseung out of bed, and you can’t help but smile. You can’t remember the last time you had company for breakfast. The usual quietness of your home is replaced by the sound of laughter and conversation as you finally have people to surround yourself with. Taking a bite of one of Jay’s pancakes, you groan at how amazing it tastes. “Mmm, I didn’t know you were such a good cook Jay!”

“I used to cook for everyone before. This isn’t even half as good as what I used to be able to make back then. I missed cooking, so thank you for letting me use your kitchen.” He smiles at you.

You return a smile back, and Jay insists he washes everyone’s plates. While everyone is still in the kitchen, you decide it’s best to tell them the plans for the day.

“I was thinking about everyone staying here and I wanted everyone to have more of their own items in our home, so how does going shopping sound?” You ask. Everyone agrees excitedly and heads up to change upstairs.

You drive everyone to the store, and they couldn’t stop moving the whole ride. “You guys can go around now, I’ll meet you when you’re done.” You say as you enter the store. They rush off into the store, and you get bored only 5 minutes in, with nothing to do. So you walk over to the toys aisle, where you spot a familiar pair of red ears. Turning the corner, you see Sunoo staring at the stuffed animals, Niki and Jake closeby. “What do you think about this one y/n?” Jungwon holds up a grey cat tree in between his arms. “It could fit both me and Jay!”

“That looks nice!” You say as you push him your empty cart to place the item in.

“I’d bet y/n could fit in there. She’s tiny.” Niki laughs.

“Hey, what about this hamster plushie!” Sunoo waves it around, wanting your approval.

“We don’t need that, we already have Heeseung.” Niki laughs, causing you all to laugh too.

“Don’t forget to shop for clothes too.” You walk away, looking for the others.

You see Jay looking at graphic tees, his cart next to him. Walking over, you look inside his cart, and find it completely filled with ramen, meat, vegetables, and new cooking tools. “What’s all this?” You ask.

“Oh, Heeseung just wanted some ramen.” He says, unphased.

“Yeah? And what about the rest?”

“Oh..” He puts the shirt down to look at you. “Sorry, am I not supposed to get this?” He asks, ears flat against his head.

“Oh no don't worry, it’s all good!” You reassure him. He says thank you and you wait for the boys at the front.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You are met with a smiley group of boys and three completely filled carts. You wouldn’t have bought this much for them, but it’s so hard for you to say no at them when they’re looking at you like this. You have a lot of saving anyways, since you have been living alone for a while.

The first cart has hoodies, sweatpants, shirts, and jeans. There are slides, two being black, two being white, and 3 being gray. “We wanted to get matching ones with our roommates.” Sunghoon explains.

In the next cart, there are toys. There is a cat tower that Jungwon showed you earlier, tennis balls for the dog hybrids, a wheel for the hamster hybrid, and plushies for the fox hybrid. “Who put that there?” Heeseung points to the hamster plushie, the three youngest snickering in the back.

In the last cart, there is food and cooking supplies combined with hygiene products. To your surprise, there is a complete set of skincare products. You question their knowledge on it, but realize they haven't been able to use any in a while, so you let them get it.

You think about other things they might possibly need, although the three full carts make it nearly impossible to come up with any. You then remember that they may need cell phones for an emergency. What if you were out at work, or hanging out with Yuna and Kai? What if someone breaks in, or they get lost somewhere? You suddenly feel like a mom leaving their kids for the first time.

“Should we go pay?” Niki asks.

“Actually, you guys need a phone for emergencies.” You think of an idea since buying a phone for all seven of them would be impossible. “All of you should share one phone.”

You all walk to the phone section, letting them pick the one they wanted. They take a bit too long, so you go and check on them. Jake and Niki are giggling in the corner. You check to see what they’re doing, and see them spamming pictures of themselves doing funny faces on the poor phone. You scoff and see the other five actually decided between two phones. They finally grab a black phone, showing it to you. You ask a worker to get you a box, and buy it at the small counter there.

About to puchase the rest of your things, you pause. “Wait, we need to get you guys some collars.”

“Collars? For what?” Sunoo asks.

“You’re not allowed to be outside without a collar. Otherwise they’d take you back in the shelter again.” You explain, and their faces drop. The shelter tries to treat them well, but with more and more hybrids getting taken in, the enclosures are getting more full, meaning they had to say in packed areas, with barely any room to play. They also barely had chances to go outside, so their insticts haven’t been well trained for a while. They enjoy staying in your home, so getting captured again would be their worst nightmare.

“Even us?” the fox, bunny, and hamster hybrid asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” You lead them to the collar section. There were many different patters, ranging from stripes to hearts, but they wanted plain ones. Deciding to match with their roomates again, Jake and Sunghoon grab blue collars, Jay, Niki, and Heeseung got black collars, and Jungwon and Sunoo got pink collars. You can’t help but wonder how they would look with those on in human form, and you clench around nothing at the thought of that.

“So, are we all set?” Heeseung interrupts your thoughts.

“Oh yeah sorry, let’s go.” You buy all of the items, with the total being more than 2 weeks of work. Going home, The three youngest start to set up their toys while the rest put the food away.

Being alone for so long has left you miserable. You’re so used to an empty home, with most of your nights spent by watching shows or scrolling on your phone, that you feel so warm inside with the hybrids living with you. You want to be able to talk to them about your life, but you guys aren’t that close yet. Your main goal right now is to just make them feel at home here and feel free, just like any other human being.

But how can you guys get closer? You remember this park that you’ve always wanted to visit ever since you moved here, but you never went since you were so caught up with your ex. You walk into the kitchen, where the boys are making dinner.

“Hey guys, how do you feel about going to the park tomorrow?”

a/n: reminder that i am making a taglist for this story, meaning you will be tagged in any future updates whenever the next chapters are posted. comment or send an ask if you're interested!!

Ⓒ strawwonies 2022

[samkiszkasfacialhair]

Rollin' and Tumblin' Chapter 2

Rollin’ and Tumblin’ Chapter 2

Masterpost

Pairing: Jake Kiszka and Female Reader

Summary: You’ve lived a sheltered and privileged life, only learning what it truly means to live and love after meeting Jake, a young man of unusual western sorts who was hired to work on your father’s farm.

Warnings: Cowboy Jake, making out, erections

Word Count: 4.1k

The sound of birds chirping outside your open window woke you up the next morning. For a moment, you’d awoken in peace, greeting the day as you normally would. That is, however, until you raised your hand to rub your eye, and the sight of the diamond on your hand, suddenly brought back memories from last night that you hoped were simply a nightmare.

You began your day as normal, trying to preoccupy your mind with something, anything really, that would distract you from your reality. Nothing worked. After lunch, you settled into the library and opened your favorite, Gulliver’s Travels, hoping it would take your mind off things.

It did serve as a small distraction however, after some time, you grew tired of it and pulled back the curtains covering the window to get a glimpse into the backyard. It was Sunday so the fields that usually bustled with your father’s men were desolate. The only sign of life out there came from way down by the barn. In addition to the usual cattle, there was a horse tied up outside the barn doors, dipping it's head down to drink from a large trough.

A horse.

You closed your book, placed it in your lap, and thought for a moment.

“What’s wrong, Dear?” your mother asked from the other side of the room as she took a sip of her tea. 

“Nothing,” you replied in a lie, “I’m actually feeling a bit ill. I believe I need a little fresh air. Please excuse me,” you said as you returned the book to where it came from and left the room, giving your mother a small smile on your way out before she could say anything in response or insist someone take care of you. 

Within what felt like seconds, you were down the stairs and out the back door. 

You lifted the hem of your dress off the ground as you walked down the dirt path, past the swing you sat on last night, through the fields of tobacco crops, and finally slowed down to catch your breath once you reached the enclosure of cattle that were as still as stones, grazing lazily in the grass surrounding them. 

A bit of rustling came from inside the barn a few feet away and you knew who was in there.

Carefully, as your feet sloshed around in the mud below you, you made your way to the barn door and opened it about half way to get a peek at Jake.

He was wearing clothes similar to those he wore yesterday, maybe even the same ones. Instead today he swapped out his jacket for a tan suede vest. The denim shirt underneath it wasn’t fully buttoned, exposing his tan chest which glistened with sweat. 

As he flung one stack of hay onto another, his body turned to see you in the doorway and he jumped.

He let go of the hay bale to send it flying and grabbed his heart with one hand.

“Jesus,” he sighed, “You frightened me.”

“I, I didn’t mean to. I apologize,” you said quietly, feeling smaller than you’d ever felt before and breaking eye contact with him to look down.

“You don’t gotta be sorry. You just… caught me by surprise is all,” he explained in a laugh, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. 

He took a seat on one side of a rectangular hay bale, “So what brings you down here on a Sunday?” he asked before reaching for a cup on the ground and bringing it to his lips. 

Your eyes were drawn to him like a moth to a flame as he gulped down the liquid in the cup. The way his lips parted and wrapped themselves around the rim of it. The way his neck moved as the liquid ran down his throat in waves. The way he wiped the excess of his drink from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand when he was finished.

He was everything you’d been told not to be so naturally, in turn, he was everything you’d wanted.

“I could ask you the same question,” you answered. 

You knew he was right. He has the excuse of being here for work. You didn't.

He looked at you through his eyelashes before lowering his hand from his mouth and wiping it dry on his jeans as you continued.

“But if you must know, I didn’t have much to do and I took a look outside and caught sight of your horse. I remembered it from last night and I just wanted to, to come see…” 

You.

“It,” you finished.

“Well,” Jake began, “It, is a girl. Her name’s Whiskey. You wanna meet ‘er?” 

His question was responded to wordlessly, with a smile and a nod.

Jake stood up and walked over to you. He passed you and pushed the barn door fully open. He gestured for you to walk in front of him and lead the way out to the door and to the horse.

She was beautiful. She had an orangey brown coat and a mane to match. It was no wonder how she got her name. 

“Hey, Whiskey girl, I got a friend for ya,” he cooed, petting her face and rubbing her coat softly. 

Standing back a few feet behind him, Jake turned around and reached his hand out to you, looking down at it- a silent gesture to get you to put your hand in his. 

Upon taking his hand, you felt the familiar roughness of his palm against your smooth skin. Instantly, you felt that feeling again. Not only the physical feeling of his hand, but instead, those little butterflies in your stomach were back and they were fluttering wildly, rising toward your chest and getting dangerously close to your heart.

With your hand in his, you took a few steps closer to him and he placed his free hand on your waist to move you in front of him so that you were now between him and Whiskey.

He lifted your hand up and placed it on the side of her face. 

As he moved his hand on top of yours, yours moved underneath his, gently stroking her up and down. 

“She’s beautiful,” you whispered.

“Yeah, she’s gorgeous. Got a little fire in her too. That’s why I like ‘er,” he explained.

You stroked her for a bit and Jake eased his hand off yours as you got the hang of it and as Whiskey got more comfortable with you.

“Yeah, that’s a good girl,” he whispered.

You peered over your shoulder to catch a glimpse of him. He wasn’t looking at the horse. 

Upon making eye contact with him, you took a moment to admire his features. Much like his hands, the skin on his face was rough and worn from working outside with freckles and scars. However, Jake seemed to balance rough and soft very well. His eyes, though deep, were calm and relaxed and his lips naturally parted in a gentle way.

But by far, the thing you liked the most about his looks was his nose. It was simultaneously strong and cute, just like Jake himself. 

Jake was the first one to break eye contact. He looked away, cleared his throat, and removed his hands from you, stepping away. At his feet was a bucket of horse feed which he knelt down next to and looked up at your from.

“You, uh, you wanna feed her? Here, gimme your hands.”

You held your hands out to him and he instructed you to cup them before digging his own hands into the bucket, scooping up a handful of horse feed, and pouring it into your hands.

He stood up, held onto your forearm, and pulled you closer to Whiskey.

“Go’head, she’ll eat right out of ‘em.” 

And just like he said, Whiskey dipped her head down and began eating the feed from your palms. 

Giggles erupted from you as she nibbled and licked your hands to completion. 

You brushed your hands back and forth to get the extra feed off and Jake brushed his on his pants as he spoke again.

“Well, now that she likes you and she had herself a snack, you ready to ride?”

“Ride?”

“What? You’ve never ridden a horse before?”

You scoffed at him with a partial smile on your face, “As a matter of fact, I have,” you protested, crossing your arms in front of you.

A smirk spread across his face, “What? Like that prissy sidesaddle nonsense?” He raised his right eyebrow just a bit as he asked.

You fought back a smile, trying your best to keep a straight face. He was right and both of you knew it. 

He chuckled, looked down, and shook his head before raising it again to speak to you.

“Come on, I’ll teach you how to really ride,” he said, gesturing his head towards Whiskey. 

“Here,” he continued, “hold onto the reins,” he said as he handed you a bunch of ropes and leather straps. “Put your left hand up here and this foot in here,” he instructed, tapping the outside of your left thigh and pointing to the stirrup hanging off of the saddle.

You did as he said as his hand found your waist again, holding you steady now that you were balancing on one foot. 

“Now,” he began, “when I get to three, you’re gonna jump and swing your other leg around to get on up there, got it? I got you, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,”

You nodded and bit down on your bottom lip in concentration.

“One,” he whispered, resting his chin on your shoulder and his face into the crook of your neck, allowing you to feel every one of his exhales on your skin.

“Two,” he warned, pushing you down by your waist so that you’d bend your supporting leg and be ready to jump.

“Three!” he called with a huff and a push as you jumped up and mounted Whiskey’s saddle exactly like he instructed you to.

As Jake looked up at you from where he was standing below, his eyes squinted from the sun, his nose scrunched up, and a full smile spread across his face. You returned a smile to him, in satisfaction with yourself and in admiration of him as well.

Effortlessly, he flung himself onto the horse behind you and scooted himself closer to you. His chest pressed against your back and he peered his chin over your shoulder. You looked back at him and gave him a smile as he held onto your hands which were still on the reins. 

Again, you fought back a smile from the feeling of Jake’s hands on yours and the feeling of those butterflies fluttering around again.

He gave your hands a tug, causing the reins to pull just a bit, and with that, Whiskey was in motion.

As she began leading you through the fields, you turned your head to see the size of the barn and your home dwindling in the distance. 

The two of you talked as Whiskey rode on. You got to know Jake well and he got to know you too. Some of your favorite things about him were…

Jake’s favorite color was blue because it reminded him of the sky and the sea, even though he had never seen the ocean before.

He fell down a mountain when he was thirteen and still has a scar on his arm from it which was mostly faded now but it was still visible.

Finally, he liked music and taught himself how to play guitar, but he was too shy to play in front of people.

After a bit of talking, the two of you rode on in silence for a few minutes. The only sounds came from Whiskey’s hooves trotting on the ground and the nature surrounding you. Jake had loosened his grip on your hands so now you were the one guiding Whiskey. 

That’s another thing you liked about Jake. Unlike everyone else around you, he let you do things. He trusted you. He would teach you how, and then he actually let you do them whether they were “lady like” or not. And it felt good.

After some time, Jake broke the comfortable silence to begin a more serious conversation.

“So… tell me about this fiancé.”

“There isn’t much to tell. I hardly know him really.”

“You like him?”

“Not in the least.”

“And why’s that?”

A sigh expelled from your lungs as you began.

“First, I’m being forced to marry him. Second, he doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities other than his money, which doesn’t truly mean anything. And third, it is clear that I am nothing but a prize to show off and to have at his side to keep up with appearances. He didn’t care to talk to me, or get to know me at all. I sat next to him at dinner for just an hour and then the next thing I knew, we were engaged. I know my future. I’ll end up just like my mother, in a loveless marriage to someone who I can barely stand being in the same room as. Every day will be the same. Tea, church, reading, dinner, and bed. Not a single ounce of fun to be had. Isn’t life supposed to be fun, Jake?”

You turned your body around to look at him. He pursed his lips in thought before a sly smile appeared on his face. 

“You want to have some fun?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

You bit your lip and nodded.

"Yeah? Hold on tight, Darlin,’”

Jake gave you hardly a warning at all. With a swift kick of his foot to Whiskey’s side and a “Giddyap!” from him, she took off at full speed. 

A shriek escaped your lips but was soon followed by laughter as Whiskey ran like a bullet through the grass fields and towards the now slightly setting sun. The wind whipped through your hair, blowing it wildly in every direction. Your body bounced up and down on her as she ran, causing adrenaline to pump through your veins.

As she picked up more speed, you felt one of Jake’s hands spread across your stomach, pressing your body back into his to keep you steady and close to him. He was holding you tightly but despite that, you felt free for the first time ever. It was as if you had finally felt what life was supposed to be like. You were having fun. And it was all because of him.

Your laughter faded and Jake loosened his grip on you as Whiskey slowed down at the top of a hill. 

When she came to a stop, you caught your breath and reached up to tame your now wild hair with your fingers.

The hill looked down onto the town below and the sun had just begun to set in the distance. The sky was now fading from its daylight blue hue to a yellow one as the sun drew itself west. It was a breathtaking sight to see.

As you ran your fingers through your hair and combed it out of your face, you turned around to face Jake, and gave him a smile, which quickly faded to match the serious look on his face. 

His eyes were soft and he licked his bottom lip with his tongue in concentration as he raised a delicate hand up to your face and brushed a piece of hair out of your eyes. 

“There,” he whispered as he placed the strands of hair behind your ear. He kept his hand on your cheek, brushing his thumb down your jaw and keeping it hovering just over your skin, just barely touching.

The sun was positioned in the sky just behind Jake’s head, causing a halo to shine around the perimeter of his hat and down his hair that fell to his shoulders. He was golden and angelic- like something out of a dream.

He spoke again, his voice coming out soft and raspy.

“I, uh, I don’t want to come off too forward but, I’ve been dyin’ to kiss you since the moment I saw you. So, would it be alright if I-” 

You stopped his request with a quick nod.

“Please,” you begged, as you looked down to his lips that were slightly parted, a bit plush, and the perfect shade of pink. 

You had never been kissed before and for the longest time, you had been dying to know what it would feel like. Now, your long awaited question would be answered and feelings of excitement and nervousness ran through your body at the thought of it.

The hand that had kept a feather light touch on your jaw snuck around to hold your neck with more purpose as Jake leaned forward to you. 

You felt your eyebrows furrow as you closed your eyes and waited for him to make contact with your slightly parted lips. 

When he did, you felt your entire body light up from the inside.

His lips were soft and warm and wrapped around yours perfectly, nestling just between them.

You did as he did, pursing your lips so they had a grip on his for a moment before he pulled away, breaking the kiss.

At the loss of contact, you opened your eyes to see Jake’s still closed but his face mere inches from yours.

Slowly, his eyes opened and the hand he had on your neck dropped down to rest on his thigh. His eyes had a softness to them that you couldn’t even begin to describe. He was looking at you in a way you had never been looked at before, and you were sure you were looking at him the same way.

The chiming of the clock tower from the town just below the hill pulled you out of your dream and brought the two of you back to reality.

“I uh, I,” he stuttered, “I should get you home. It’s gonna get dark soon. They’ll start wonderin’ where you are.”

“Right,” you whispered, turning back to face straight ahead. 

He grabbed Whiskey’s reins on his own this time as you held onto the saddle. But once she began walking you back in the direction you came from, Jake let one hand go off the reins and took your hand in his, pulling it off the saddle and holding onto it in your lap while his thumb brushed back and forth across it.

When you arrived back at the barn, Jake hopped off Whiskey first and held his hand out to help you off. He tied her up outside the barn doors quickly before ushering you inside the barn and out of sight. 

The sunset was at its peak and orange and pink hues came through the gaps in the wooden walls and windows of the barn, giving the entire place a warm tone.

Jake closed the barn door behind him carefully before approaching you. 

The sun shone right through a window and lit up Jake's face, making the golden streaks in Jake’s irises visible.

He took your hands in his and spoke softly.

“Look, I know this is wrong and we shouldn’t be doin’ this. We both know it. And I don’t want to get you in trouble with your father or your… fiance. But, I would like to see you again. If that’s something you’d like,” he suggested.

“Yes, Jake,” you whispered, “I’d like that very much.”

“And,” he continued, “If you’d let me, I’d like to kiss you again," he paused, "Properly this time."

“You don’t even have to ask,” you replied in a whisper.

With your approval, he took a step closer to you and reached one hand behind your back. He pulled you in just a bit and you arched your back slightly, pressing your stomach to his. He leaned his face in to kiss you and as he did, you took a step back to keep your balance but lost your footing on the rocky ground of the barn.

You stumbled backward and before you knew it, your body fell onto the hay bales behind you with a thud and Jake’s body came crashing on top of yours, with him laughing all the way down.

As he fell, his hat tipped forward off his head and fell onto your face. You held onto his back and felt his body vibrate from laughter as the two of you giggled uncontrollably.

The giggles eventually faded and turned into sighs and the darkness that surrounded you eventually brightened up as Jake lifted his hat off of your face and placed it down next to you in the hay.

“Hi,” he whispered sweetly upon uncovering your face.

“Hi,” you replied in the same sweet tone.

His eyes darted across your face, lingering at your lips for just a bit longer than they lingered at any other part of your face. 

Jake giggled again and he leaned his face closer to yours, brushing the tip of his nose against yours briefly before raising his chin up slightly. You lifted your head just a bit to meet him halfway.

Slowly and softly, he pressed his lips to yours once again.

Only this time, it was deeper and filled with more feeling.

He broke the kiss only to inhale through his nose and connect with your lips again, pulling your lips into his mouth. He repeated this movement a few times as his hand moved to cup your cheek.

As if it was second nature, you moved your leg out and bent your knee for Jake settle in between your legs. 

Jake’s kisses began trailing from your mouth, to your jaw, and then down your neck. The sensation of his lips and facial hair dancing around these new places tickled you from the inside out and you let out giggles which he reciprocated into your neck, causing goosebumps to rise on the surface of your skin.

His hand lowered from your cheek down to your breasts and lightly brushed past them to reach for your waist, firing up a new sensation of lust deep within your chest.

He continued for a bit until you felt something you never felt before from him pressed against your thigh.

Quickly, he looked down at himself and pulled himself off of you to stand up.

‘I, uh, I think we had enough fun for one day,” he laughed as he adjusted his pants.

You sat up on the hay bale and took a glimpse at his crotch to see it bulging out in his pants. However you quickly averted your eyes back to his face so as to not embarrass him. 

The shade of pink that was now present on his face was enough of an explanation for you. 

He reached one hand down to grab his hat from the spot it rested in and placed it over the zipper of his jeans, covering up what he didn't want you to see. He reached his other hand out to you and pulled you up off the hay so you were standing in front of him.

You gave him a smile as a thank you and brushed most of the hay off your dress before your eyes met his again.

“So, I’ll see you another time then?" he asked timidly as he pulled a stray piece of hay out of your hair and flicked it away with his finger.

Softly, you extended a hand to his hair and did the same for him.

“I look forward to it," you whispered as you let the hay fall to the ground beneath you and let your hand rest on his cheek.

He reached his hand up, cupped it over yours, and brought it down to kiss it sweetly.

“Have a good night, Darlin.'"

You bit your lip, smiled, and turned around to leave him for the night. As you reached the barn door, you turned back to bid him goodnight as well.

“Goodnight, Jake,” you replied.

You smiled at him, quickly glanced down to where his hat was, and then back to his eyes before closing the door behind you and heading back to your house for dinner. 

Somehow you managed to sneak yourself through the fields and back inside without being seen and you took a deep breath in and exhaled a sigh of relief when you reached the bottom of the stairs inside. You closed your eyes and giggled to yourself blissfully, thinking of everything that had happened that afternoon with Jake. That is until you saw Katherine waiting for you in the foyer.

She stood up and took your hands to guide you up the stairs. Her nose scrunched and turned up as she got close to you.

“Oh, Miss. You are a mess! And you smell of horses! Dinner is in an hour and William will be here shortly. Come. We must get you cleaned up.”

You nodded and headed up stairs with her where she prepared a bath and helped you change into your dress for the night.

Once you bathed and got dressed, you sat down at your vanity and she came up behind you to brush and fix your hair for dinner. 

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with that farmboy, Jacob,” she said nonchalantly as she began working on your hair.

Immediately, your heart stopped and your stomach dropped.

You’d been caught. 

It was over.

Over when it was just getting started.

“Katherine, please don’t tell my father,” you begged in a whisper, looking down in your lap with defeat.

“Tell your father what?”

“About Jacob.”

“Who’s Jacob?” she asked as her eyes met yours through the mirror and she gave you an understanding smile with twinkling eyes.

Taglist:

@writingcold @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @radmads-gvf @iheartjakekiszka @sadandgeek @vanfleeter @cassy-face (Cassy-face it wont let me tag you properly bff idk why)

[drpeppertummy]

"you should really eat something"

[very mild hunger, he eats at the end]

"You should really eat something," said Keonda, giving Max's rumbling tummy a playful nudge. It had been chittering away all morning, insufficiently funded by a tiny breakfast and now aching for lunch.

"I can't," he said, looking around. "My nerves are all riled up."

"And starving yourself's gonna help?"

"No, it's gonna make me irate and antsy. But I got no appetite." Keonda rolled her eyes.

"They have a food court," she insisted, tugging on his arm. "You could get something small. Come on, Kestler, I'm sick of listening to your stomach. Let's go!"

"I'll come along with you," he relented, and he could barely right himself from the post he was leaning against before she dragged him down the walkway.

Max was the type to lose his appetite when he was stressed out, and you could put together some fair assumptions about him with nothing but that bit of information and his scrawny figure to go off of. He was a bundle of nerves on the best of days, but field trips really threw him off. With his principal being such a jerkoff, pretty much all of the organizing fell entirely upon him, as did about a billion questions from teachers and parents and students alike, as did keeping track of everybody and all their crap, as did just about everything else in the world.

The gluten free options at the zoo's food court were limited, but, after some prodding from his younger colleague, he gave in and got himself a piece of grilled chicken. He had, of course, brought his own lunch, but Keonda knew there would be no persuading him to go fish it off the bus when he had no intention of eating it. She got herself a crappy-looking piece of pizza, and they found a table outside to eat at.

"Can't you sit down? Nobody's gonna die if you focus on your chicken for a second," said Keonda, looking up at her nervous vice principal, who was standing awkwardly beside the bench. "Come on, there's nothing to see. They probably all fell into the lion enclosure by now anyway."

"You are so not funny," said Max, unable to keep the corner of his mouth from creeping up.

"Is that a smile? It looks like a smile," she teased, poking him in the side with her unopened fork. "Come on, Kestler, sit your ass down and relax for half a second." Rolling his eyes, he gave in and sat across from her.

Admittedly, the chicken looked decent, and his appetite perked back up a little at the smell of it. Even across the table in the noisy seating area, Keonda could hear his belly rumble. She gave him an amused smile.

"Shut up," he said, a tiny smile materializing on his own face.

"Eat your lunch, Kestler," she laughed.

It was a tremendous relief for Max's empty stomach when he finally dug into the chicken, and his mouth wasn't disappointed either. He slowly felt better as he ate; the anxiety remained, but his overall achiness and moodiness began to improve before long.

"This pizza sucks," said Keonda. "You're lucky I can't make you try it."

"You want some chicken? It's pretty good."

"No!" she exclaimed, laughing. "You have to eat it!"

"You are so bossy," he said, grinning.

It wasn't a particularly big piece of chicken, but Max didn't have a particularly big stomach, and by the time he was finished, he felt pleasantly stuffed. In fact, he almost didn't finish the entire piece, worrying that the last few bites would push him over the edge, but, thankfully, they didn't. Keonda opted not to finish her pizza, unimpressed by the quality, but that was alright; she had a snack thrown into the box of lunches if she needed it, and she'd likely get a popsicle or something later.

"Now, aren't you glad you ate?"

"I guess so," said Max.

"'I guess so.' You are so stubborn," said Keonda, feigning exasperation, and he smiled at her.

[ivy-plays]

We'll be alright Ch.3

Summary: you've been married to Owen Grady as well as training a pack of velocsrapters at the New Jurassic World for two years now. So what happens when the two of you are asked to check on the paddock for a new dinosaur only for things to go sideways and send the entire park into chaos?

Pairing: Owen Grady x Reader

Warnings: death , blood, cursing. If I missed anything let me know in the comments.

Raiting:pg13

A/n: If you would like to be added to the tag list you can either message me or just ask in the comments down below so that you are alerted when new chapters are up!

<previous Ch.2

The car ride to the new paddock was for lack of better words. Extremely uncomfortable. None of us spoke a word which in the long run only made it more awkward. Owen was in the front passenger seat while I sat directly behind him. By the time we finally pulled up to the enclosure we were all ready to be out of the car. I swiftly unbuckle my seat belt and get out of the car closing the door behind me.

As we began to make our way to the small monitor room I noticed all the construction was still being done on the paddock." Well that can be good. What kind of idiots put a dinosaur in an unfinished enclosure?' I think to myself.

" We've been pre booking tickets for months." Claire began as we began to climb up a set of stairs. Claire was in the front with Owen behind her and me behind him. " The park needs a new attraction every few years to rejuvenate the public's interest. Kind of like the space program. Corporate felt genetic modification would up the wow factor" she continued before I spoke up from the back," they're dinosaurs. That's wow enough"

Claire looked back at me for a moment before she continued to explain . "Not according to our focus groups. The Indominus Rex makes us relevant again "

Owen chuckles as he repeats the name of the new dinosaur," the Indominus Rex" . It really is a weird name for a dinosaur.

" we needed something scary and easy to pronounce. You should hear a four- year -old try to say Archaeornithomimus . " Claire retorts as she comes to a stop at the top of the stairs before she walked into the building.

"you should hear you try to say it" I say under my breath which makes Owen huff out a laugh as he holds the door open for me to go in before following behind . It was a small room with a wall made completely of floor to ceiling windows which allowed visitation into the jungle like enclosure. " So what's this thing made of?" I ask as I walk up to one of the windows, to the left of where Claire stood tapping away at a tablet,and look into the enclosure trying to see if I can spot this "Indominus Rex".

"The base genome is a T.rex the rest is" Clair begins before making a small pause as she turns to look at Owen and I," classified."

I raise an eyebrow at this as I turn away from the window to look at Claire . Owen turned his head to look at the woman with a face of confusion and slight disbelief." You made a new dinosaur but you don't even know what it is?" He asked and I nodded my head in agreement.

" yeah Claire. That sounds kinda off to me. Who makes a dinosaur but won't even tell people what's in it " I state as I run a hand through my hair.

"The lab delivers us finished assets,and we show them to the public. " She rushed out in an irritated tone before looking to the security guard at his desk off in the corner of the room," can we drop a steer please. " She quickly ordered before turning back to the enclosure.

We turned back to watching through the windows as a crain began to lower a piece of meat internally too small to feed a dinosaur of its size.

" how long has the animal been in here?" Owen asks as we watch the crain continue to lower in the piece of meat .

"all its life" Claire replied.

"never seen anything outside these walls?" I question and I can see Claire look at me in my peripheral vision.

" we can't exactly walk it ----" She retorts in a matter of fact tone.

" And you feed it with that?" I continue as the crain finally drops the meat to the ground.

Claire turns to look at Owen and I ," is that a problem?" She asks and I look at her in disbelief. How can she look at a dinosaur made from T.rex DNA and think that a small piece of meat would be enough to satisfy it. I only look away from the red head when Owen begins to explain why this is so concerning.

" Animals raised in isolation aren't always the most functional." He states. I notice how eerily calm it has been and the fact we have yet to see any sign of the animal.

"you're raptors are born in captivity."

"with siblings" Both Owen and I point out at the same time," they learn social skills" Owen adds," And we imprinted on them when they were born. There's trust" The two of us walk over to Claire but for some reason I feel as if I shouldn't take my eyes off the jungle on the other side of the glass.

" the only positive relationship this animal has is with that crane " I continue as I pointed up at the crane. " At least she knows that means food."

"so she needs a friend. We should schedule playdates. That sort of thing?" Claire replies in a mocking tone as she too turns to look into the enclosure as well.

"probably not a good idea" I quietly retorted as Claire tapped on the glass like it was a fish tank. "Where is it?"she whispers.

" Is it in the basement? Is there a down stairs? Maybe it's in the rec room. " Owen jokes as Claire rushes over to the guard.

"it was just here. We were just here" I hear her say as I closely examine the inside of the paddock. I squint my eyes as I walk to the other side of the room to get a close look at the paddocks walls and it seems that Owen had noticed it as well as he was soon standing right beside me.

" Am I seeing that right?" I ask him quietly to make sure I'm not just seeing things. He shakes his head and says with a confirming "yes" before he points up through the glass as he speaks loud enough for Claire to hear ," we're those claw marks always there?" He asks, before Claire silently walks over to us.

"do you think it," she began but paused for a moment as if she was afraid to even ask the full question. " God" I heard her whisper underneath her breath before she rushed for the door "She has an implant in her back. I can track it from the control room. " Was the last thing we heard before the door slammed shut behind her.

A very uneasy feeling began to bubble in the pit of my stomach. Something seems off about this but I can't quite wrap my mind around what it was. " There's no way it could have cleared that wall. " I whispered underneath my breath as I couldn't tear my eyes from the clawed up wall.

Owen , the security guard and I decided to enter the enclosure to get a better look at the markings. The entire time I stayed right next to Owen as I kept my guard up while I surveyed the surrounding area. I haven't felt this kind of uneasy feeling in my stomach since we decided to leave the Navy almost four years ago.

"That wall is forty feet high. There's no way she could have climbed out " the construction worker said as we approached him and looked up at the wall.

" It depends." I begin but am cut off as the security guard asks," on what?" . And I pause for a moment before continuing. "What kind of dinosaur they cooked up in that lab"

A few moments a lady's voice began to brokenly come through the guards walkie-talkie and my uneasy feeling only grew as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I turned around to look into the jungle behind us.

" yeah, what's the problem?" I vaguely hear the guard ask but I very clearly heard the answer that came back as the lady screamed," it's in the cage! It's in the cage with you!!"

Next: Ch.4

Tag list:@kaykinotic ,@rubyxx16

[rottenpumpkin13]

Thinking about Sephiroth and Aerith being siblings and they have escaped Shinra together (Ifalna still couldn't make her way out with them, sadly), Aerith still joins the gang to overthrow Shinra but Sephiroth doesn't really participate in it, he lets Aerith make her own decision but it doesn't mean he will go along with it. The Avalanche only knows some bits about Aerith's older brother, the man is almost like a shadow, he isn't keen on conversating, prefers to be left alone and watch people, he lets Aerith do the talking and blends into the background perfectly, which is quite a feat considering that Sephiroth is even taller than Barret. Tifa once joked that Sephiroth is like Aerith's family cat, a 6'7' cat but nonetheless, a cat.

At least that was their impression of the silver-haired man until "Aerith" got captured by Hojo.

--o--

When Hojo finished his monologue, he noticed that his today's audience was a bit strange.

He expected the half-Cetra to be angry, to be disgusted, outraged by his mention of her deceased mother in such a vulgar way, but the said girl just sitting there, smiling pleasantly at him, there was a hint of amusement at the corner of her almond eyes during his earlier monologue.

It is almost like the girl is mocking him.

"I remember you used to be more talkative than this, dear. I guess that Spiecemen-S does rub a few of his good antics on you."

The atmosphere hung over the lab immediately changed at the mention of his other escaped work, it became more eerily. The girl still has a pleasant smile on her beautiful face, but it looks somewhat... wider, perhaps it was due to the lack of light in this lab?

"I don't know that, professor." Finally, he got her first reaction of the day, her voice was soft. "... I think it goes the other way, Aerith has her way of changing people."

She slowly rose from the wooden stool and walked toward him, green eyes fixed on him like how a predator observing their meal. Upon close look, she truly is a spitting image of Ifalna. Aside from the obvious similarities shared between them like the delicate features and the earthly green eyes, Aerith possessed even the smallest creak on Ifalna's face. Hojo remembers every single detail of his work, he can firmly say that not a single trace of Gast can be seen on Aerith's appearance, which is not true because he knows that the girl has her father's eyes.

All in all, it's uncanny to look at her.

"What's wrong, professor? Cat got your tongue?" She burst into a small fit of giggles at her own joke, hands clasped behind her back as she bent down slightly to look directly at his eyes. Was she always this tall? Hojo can't help but question himself that.

"As much as it entertains me to listen to your delusional monologue, I think it's time for us to end this conversation."

No longer the earthly green eyes that comfort any tired soul it glimpsed itself at, her eyes now possessed the bright mako-green color, staring unnaturally at Hojo and Hojo alone.

Slitted pupils tracing the mad scientist's movement, the girl- no, the creature purred deeply at him.

"Good to see you, Father."

(Yeah for anyone who is confused, the Aerith that got captured is actually Sephiroth lol. I got inspired by the scene where Sephiroth turns into Tifa to trick Cloud.)

*gnawing at the bars of my enclosure* ASDFGHJK I LOVE THIS

[yanderesimp2000]

cruel vox x Fem hellhound reader Chap 1/2

Vox and hellhound because I'm craving this I didn't put this on the vote because I needed to do it NOW

TWs,biting,threats,dehumanization,Love bombing,cruelty, Being bombarded with treats,mentions of euthanasia

your a hellhound a dog with a humanoid body the lowest ranking being in hell mostly used as pets or body guards your sitting in your enclosure when suddenly vox himself walks in and starts looking at you through the bars Vox smiles and says "Aww, what a pretty girl! You look so cute in your cage!" You back away growling a little not trusting Demons Aw, is someone an angry dog? "Is someone a wittle bitey dog? " He reaches into the cage and ruffles your hair a little. You get even anger and start snarling "Aww, I think this dog likes me!" He keeps messing with your hair. "Aww, you're just soooo... cute..." "ILL BITE YOUR HAND OFF" you yell clearly enraged He laughs and keeps messing with your hair. "Oh, but that would just be so mean. What did I even dooo? Do you want some scritches? I have some snacks..." "No i dont want any scritchies just leave me alone" you say wanting him to go away "Awwww, are you suuuuure? Look how soft your fur is! " He gives you a little scritch behind your ear. You look at him with hatred and anger He laughs. "Oh c'mon... just be a good little dog..."

You were beyond your patience and you showed your fangs "Aww, you look so cute when you're angyyy... y"ou then go in for a bite He jerks his hand away quickly." Aww, so you're a biter, are you? You know what I would do if I were your owner, my cute little puppy? If you were a good little dog, I'd let you out of your cage..." you snarl and yell "LEAVE ME ALONE" He reaches into the cage again and starts messing with your hair again. "Awwwww, someone is grumpy.... " you then go in for another bite but this time you manage to just brush him not causing any major discomfort Vox jerks away again. "Owwww, wow, you really are bitey..." He reaches in again and starts ruffling your hair. Aww, you have to ask nicely..." This time you go in and BITE BITE His hand taking a small pea sizing check of flesh with you

He yanks his hand back, cursing under his breath. "F-fuck!" Vox growls in pain. "Y-you little mutt!..." you snarl again regaining your composure and say "leave me alone" He glares at you through the bars. His hand is bleeding. But.... a devious idea crosses his mind. "Oh, but then again... I have a better idea." you snarl and attempt to bite but your confined in your cage/ room and he's on the other side Vox grins, reaching into his pocket. He brings out a little treat and tosses it to you. you are annoyed but say "I... don't want your treats" He tosses another treat into your enclosure. "Aw, don't be like that! It's just a little treat! I bet you would LOVE it if I just let you out, huh?" Vox giggles, throwing another treat into your enclosure. You are just suuuuch... such a cutie! he kept throwing treats into your cage they were high quality and you were starving for something other then kibble but you didnt want to give him the satisfaction of winning

He tosses another treat into your enclosure. Come on... be a good puppy.. "I don't need all these treats" you say annoyed Vox tosses a couple more treats in. "Come on... just... try one.." "GO AWAY" you yell losing your patience Vox chuckles, tossing another treat in. "You sure you can't be a little... friendly?" you get even more mad you don't trust demons "not with your kind" you snarl

He tosses another treat in." Aaaaawwwww, but what if I let you... out?" He tilts his head. One corner of his mouth starts to curl up." If I open this cage... Would you be... nice?" He grins evilly. "Would you be... friends with me?" You look at him before screaming "NO" He grins even more. "Why not... pretty puppy?" you hate being called names like that you thought they were dehumanizing "I'm not your puppy" your growl back at him He keeps grinning and tossing treats in. "I think you could be. I think I could make you my puppy..." you then get so annoyed and overwhelmed you hide under your bed where he cant see you

Vox leans against the cage, his grin slowly fading into a frown. "H-hey... get back here... " He starts trying to stick his hand through the slats of the cage to pet you. you needed to let him know to go away so you suddenly came out and bit his hand only breaking a little skin Vox jerks his hand away again, gritting his teeth. Blood starts to drip down his palm. "F-fuck..." Vox grits his teeth, muttering to himself. "...damn mutt..." He grits his teeth but keeps trying to reach your collar through the cage. to pull you to him he used his electric powers to heal his wound you then bite and again but this time you don't let go for a little bit Vox shrieks, yanking his hand away and clutching it to his chest. "F-fucking mutt!" Blood dripping down over his fingers. Vox glares in a mix of pain and rage. His screen starts flickering, the image warping. His eyes narrow and his voice sounds more raspy and dangerous. You... you little BASTARD! you yell at him "THATS THE SIGN TO LEAVE ME ALONE" Vox growls, spitting out curse after curse. His screen flickers rapidly. The image warps, becoming dark and twisted

He snarls, his eye swirling rapidly. It is apparent at that moment that his facade is gone, and he is genuinely furious. "F-fuck... you...." your unbothered by his word and you go back to the corner of your cage Vox growls low, banging his fists on the cage."y'know I could have to put down for that" he smirks evilly "and do you want that" He sighs, calming down and using his electrical powers to seal the wounds on his hand. He sighs again, sitting down and leaning up against the cage. "...f-fucking mutt... " you stayed in the corner of the cage trying to ignore him

He sighs again, but laughs to himself. Aw, you think you're scary, don't you? "lets see how scary you can be when their dragging you out your cage to be put down because of how vicious you are" you suddenly stop when he says this His grin returns. "Oh, did I hit a sore spot?" He tosses a couple of treats in. "But don't worry, little buddy, I won't let you be euthanized... as long as you're my good little puppy..." His grin grows. He chuckles to himself. He seems almost... giddy about the idea. "What do you say? Come over... come over here and let old Vox give you some good-girl patttssss~" your growl and say "I'm only doing this because your forcing me to" before going to the front of the cage where the openingg was big enough for vox to grab you and touch you but to small for you to crawl out of

He giggles and kneels down to start to mess with your hair. "Yes, that's my good girl, my pretty little pup~" you just grumble and let it happen He just continues messing and playing with your hair. "Mm, yes, such a good little puppy, arent' you? Yes you are~" He keeps playing with your hair. "Yes, such a good girl~..." He just keeps playing with your hair. "Yes, such a well -behaved little puppy..." He keeps petting and playing with your hair. Suddenly, he smiles. "And you know what little puppies get for being good, don't you?" He holds a treat up in front of your nose. you get annoyed and say "you already threw a bunch of treats in here" Vox chuckles. "And this is the twenty-fourth! Don't complain, little puppy. Come on... you want it, don't you?" you give in and eat the treat out of his hand Vox chuckles. "Yes, there we go! Good girl..."

He leans back against the cage and sighs, grinning. "You know... even if I wasn't threatening you with euthanization I bet I still could've gotten you on board, couldn't I...?" you growl a little annoyed He chuckles and starts messing with your hair again. "Oh, yes, of course I could. Because... you're a dog." His grin gets wider. "And a dog is a dog... and a dog will do anything for a treat, right?" you hated being called a dog you wanted to be treated to like a regular demon

He laughs. "You've been eating out of my hand all this time. I think that makes you a dog." you get sad and say "t-t-this is dehumanizing" Vox just continues grinning. "...oh, you poor thing. Is that the worst thing happening to you right now? Oh, you poor little dog! Are you a sad dog?" You get even madder and say "I wish I could gnaw your hand off" His grin only gets bigger. "Oh? What's that? You wanna bite my hand again, huh? You wanna do something about it?" He leans in so his face is inches away from yours. "Go on. Go ahead. Try and bite me." He keeps grinning, holding his hand out to encourage you to bite it again. "bite me but after your going to the goodbye room" he then points to the euthanasia unit you then start to whimper your brave and vicious facade starting to crumble under fear of death He giggles and grins in a more menacing manner. "Do it, you mutt." you get sad and say "i-im not a mutt" "Oh really?" He leans down closer to your face. "Then why are you acting like one?" you then growl quietly He pats your head. "Are you getting upset... little doggie"? He scoffs. "Aw, the little puppy's growling! Is the little puppy feeling mad... or scared?" He suddenly chuckles and grabs your scruff. "You're so cute when you're feeling scared~!" you hated it when people touched your scruff it was your sensitive and personal area "d-d-dont touch there" you whimper

He holds you by the scruff. "And why not? I mean, what are you going to do about it? I don't think you're that fierce or scary, dog." He keeps holding you by the scruff. "I mean, you're just a scared little puppy dog... You can't do anything. I can do whatever I want and you can't do anything to stop me. And I can tell that you want to be a good little puppy dog. So..." You snarl and say "if only I could bite you" He grins as he starts to squeeze your scruff. "But you can't. Can't bit me... Can't run away....." you whimper a little more He squeezes a little harder. "Can you do anything? Can you stop me doing this? Hmmm?" you get desperate and say "s-s-stop please" He squeezes even harder. "Or what? Or what will you do, puppy?" He keeps squeezing until your paws start to lift up off the floor slightly. you get out a yelp in distress He laughs as he squeezes even harder, not letting up. "Awww, does my little puppy want me to stop? Vox squeezes even harder and he keeps laughing. Eventually you're completely lifted off the ground as he squeezes. The screen flickers as he squeezes even harder and he shows absolutely no signs of letting up. He continues squeezing and finally releases you, letting you drop to the floor with a thud. He is now laughing a little harder. His screen flickers as he laughs menacingly, his expression twisting from playful to just cruel. "Oh, did I hurt my little puppy?" He kneels down, looking over you. "Oh, did I hurt you?" He seems to be getting off on hurting you.... "yes you will be perfect let's go home now pup" he then picks you up by the scruff and walks out of the shelter

[amoreva]

omg I saw your post referencing newsies... and (1992sies or broadway idc, whatever u want) with (whoever you choose bc I only saw u talking about Jack and I'm not really sure [I don't care I'm just starved of newsies content]) and they're helping reader become a newsie, showing them spots to sell at, helping them use their voice and be louder etc etc

ignore if you don't wanna do this, no pressure! and thank you if you do!!

RUBS RIGHT OFF

—– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–

pairing: newsies x platonic!reader

summary: in which, you are introduced to the ropes and strings of being a newsie (it’s a little harder than you expect)

warnings: swearing, fluff, self-doubt

a/n: missed writing for newsies, sorry if it is a little short.

—– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–

“Now listen, with that cute mug of yours, you’ll be selling papes like a pro.” Jack Kelly, the infamous leader of the Manhattan Newsies, promised you. Your new (old) shoes slapping the New York concrete as you walked side by side by the leader, gripping your newspaper bag.

“Cute mug?” You questioned.

“It’s an expression!” Race ran by. A shit-eating grin on his face. A hand on his newsie cap, the other gripping a cap that wasn’t his.

Albert ran by you. His auburn hair unkept. He didn’t have time to brush it because he woke up late, “Racer! You get back here. When I catch your ass—”

A small laugh escaped you as Albert chased Race in front of the circulation gate. It was amusing how close everyone seemed to be, yet a small feeling told you you won’t every be able to achieve that closeness.

You washed up in the Manhattan Newsies Lodging House by chance. “Selective amnesia.” Race commented when you only told a few things about yourself. It was by choice.

Jack shook his head with a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. “He’s not wrong.” He referred to Race’s words. “But it’ll be tough even with a cute mug.”

“Bad business?” You asked and looked up at Jack. Your gray newsie cap covering your full view of the so-called leader.

“Nah, today is great business. We get real good cash when everyone is out on lunch and stuff.” Jack reassured and pat your shoulder. “It’s the boredom you gotta’ get used too.”

“And them.” Davey gestured to two boys. They looked a little older than the newsies, but not too old.

The Delancey Brothers. Barely making enough money to get nicer clothes than the newsies. Even if they made money through not so morally good ways. It was evident with the shiny brass knuckles in Oscar’s pocket.

“They won’t bother you.” Jack reassured with a steady smile.

You watched as Jack gave the brothers a run for their money. A couple of this and that’s and the brothers were hot on Jack’s tail, until Mr. Wiesel said something. It was effective with taking the attention off of you, the fresh meat.

Morris only shoved the stack of papers into yours chest, grumbling nonsense.

Sweat trickled down your back, New York’s beamed sun cooked you alive. You felt like you were rolled your sleeves up for the umpteenth time. Jack had to be as warm, if not warmer, but the boy didn’t show it. The two of you had been out here for god knows how long. Your voice hoarse from shouting fake headlines.

Or “shouting” as Jack put it. He thought you could be louder. With your cute mug and the creative headlines you’ve been “shouting”—he thought you could sell fifty papers a day.

“C’mon.” He encouraged. “Miss Medda would say you gotta project. Shout it so the whole city could here the news of…hundreds swimming in an enclosure to live!”

A new aquarium opened up.

You were exhausted, fanning yourself with a folded up newspaper. The heat was unbearable. “Jackie boy!” Race slung and arm around your shoulders. Crutchie in tow. A grin on his face. “Journalist, 10 o’clock, around the corner.”

Race and Crutchie quickly steered you away as Jack when to see his girlfriend. Race may have lied, but it was all in good cause.

To save you from the brutality of work.

It wasn’t that Jack wasn’t a good mentor. Quite the opposite, but some of his selling spots were less than ideal—paired with his natural talent to sell papers quickly, he really could sell anywhere.

Race and Crutchie show you the best selling spots that some of the other boys have already snagged up. They didn’t mind sharing for a day though.

“No wonder why you have most of your papers left.” Race snorted and perched himself on a stone ledge. You looked at your worn out boots, feeling slightly embarrassed for not being able to sell fast.

“Be nice, it’s their first day.” Crutchie replied and leaned against the fence to put some weight off of his foot.

Race looked up at the sky. His hand covering the blinding sun. “Listen.” He trailed off and glanced at Crutchie, Finch and Jojo. “We already have most of our papers gone.”

He gathered the leftover papers and handed them to you. “You stand there with your cute mug and we’ll yell out headlines!”

You paled. “What?”

“I’m sure Jackie boy tired you out with all the notes he was given.” Race grinned and gestured you to hold out a newspaper up.

“The embarrassment will rub right off.” Finch reassured as his eyes followed a passerby. Crutchie, Race and Jojo follow his line of sight.

“Baby born with three heads!”

“Terrified flight form burning inferno!”

“Man discovers an unidentified object in his backyard!”

“Witch reported in Salem!”

By the time the New York’s skies were a burst of warm, radiant colors, you were walking back to the Lodging only ten papers. Race suggested you burn them in the fireplace later.

“So how was it today? Fun?” You chose to walk with Crutchie at a slower pace due to his leg.

“Yeah.” You shrugged, adjusted your newspaper bag.

“Listen, you’ll get used to it. Then you’ll be selling papes in no time.” Crutches reassured.

Light streamed out from inside. The newsies were already settling in for the night. Games of poker and wrestling matches were going on. Race ducked behind Jojo to avoid Jack’s wrath. They greeted the five of you and you sunk into a ratty sofa. Too soft from overuse, but it felt wonderful on your aching legs.

You observed the lively atmosphere, a small smile on your face. You could get used to living here, working everyday—coming back to shenanigans.

Fatigue and exhaustion have you in their clutches and you’re soon dozing off on the sofa. If there was shushing and harsh whispers to be quiet because of that—you didn’t hear a thing.

—– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —–

[maybe-im-dark]

Family

"Heh." Rocket's whiskers twitched as his snout curled in a wistful smile.

As so often lately, he watched the young raccoons. They had grown significantly in the past few months. Their once lean bodies were now plump with lush fur, their faces had become broader and fuller, and their small stubby tails had turned into bushy ones with distinctive stripes.

They resembled him more and more every day, if it weren't for the metal implants and the manipulations in his brain. He could feel them sometimes. The nails stuck in his bones when they had been broken and put back together to lengthen his legs and arms. Parts of the bars in his back and collarbones, which allowed him to walk upright and move his shoulders, were even visible from the outside in their massiveness. Enduring running, which was not uncommon on his adventures, led to overuse. The pain then flared up in every part of his modified body and could only be endured on all fours. More often than not, however, he would curl up in a secluded corner. He didn't want the others to see him crawling around in the primitive way his fellows were doing at that moment. How to cut up a brain without killing the person eluded Rocket entirely. He didn't know how they had given him the above-average intelligence. Or whether it might have always been there and only been reinforced by the experiments. Just how smart were raccoons naturally?

"Hey."

A hand on his shoulder startled Rocket from his thoughts and he almost snapped at it reflexively.

Nebula settled down next to him. "You got that thousand yard stare. You thinking of anything?”

Rocket snorted. "I just wonder what's keeping Quill on this boring backwater planet. Maybe he’s assisting his grandfather in dying.”

"What, why would he die?" Nebula asked confused.

"Well, Mantis said Quill didn't want to go there in the first place. He thought his grandfather was dead anyway because people only live to be 50 or so. So the guy must be ancient. He could bite the dust any moment now!”

The luphomoid threw back her head and burst out laughing. "I can't believe you believe that! Man, Quill talks a lot of shit. You know that.” With a sigh, she composed herself. "But seriously, you're distracting. That's not really what you were thinking about.” She looked at the raccoons frolicking in their enclosure. Peter had offered to take them to earth and set them free. But Rocket didn't want to risk anything happening to them. He would make them a home here, on Knowhere.

"They remind you of yourself, don't they? That's why you always come here.” Her gaze lingered on a raccoon, which licked its paws extensively and then rubbed its face.

"There, you do that too!"

Rocket crossed his arms defensively. "I'm not like them at all! They're primitive and wild and… and innocent and carefree and…” His voice cracked.

Nebula put an arm around him. "I know. And now you have a chance to make sure they can stay that way. To give them what was taken from you.”

Rocket nodded and tried hard to swallow the big lump that had formed in his throat.

"How about giving Quill a call? Then you can show him what you've built here. He certainly has a lot to tell.”

 It took quite a while for the connection to be established. Rocket had never understood how Earth could have such ancient technology compared to the rest of the galaxy.

They had just managed to travel their joke of a moon.

Finally Peter's face appeared on the screen. He hastily stuffed the last of a sandwich into his mouth.

"Hey you two! I miss you!"

Rocket grinned crookedly. "Then why don't you get your ass up here?"

"Or you come down here!"

"Nah," said the raccoon. "I don't know how much you told your grandpa, but seeing us in real life might scare him quite a bit. I don’t want him to have a heart attack. He's so old already."

Peter frowned and Nebula rolled her eyes.

"How's it going with you?" she wanted to know.

Quill shrugged. “We do normal things here. I mowed the lawn and made one of Mom's childhood meals. I burned it though. Oh, and Grandpa made sure I can get a driver's license! Then I can finally drive a car properly!”

"Oh yeah cars. They're so much cooler than spaceships, of course,” Rocket interjected, dripping with sarcasm.

Peter studiously ignored the comment. "Have you heard of Mantis?"

He didn't say it out loud, but the question about Gamora remained suspended in the air.

Nebula shook her head. "No, not yet. But I'm sure she'll be in touch soon."

"And you, Rocket? How are the little ones doing? Have you already taught them something?” he turned to his friend.

He moaned in exasperation. "Dude, these are animals! Totally normal animals! You can't teach them anything!"

"You're an animal too!"

"That is something different!"

“And yet you also do animal things! For example, you eat garbage like a real raccoon!” Peter insisted.

"It's not garbage! You just keep throwing away things that are actually still edible!” Rocket countered.

There was nothing wrong with getting fruit and vegetable peelings out of the trash. Why did the others even bother to peel them? They tasted so much better as a whole.

"Remember that time I went to the bathroom at night and accidentally shone my flashlight on you? Your eyes glowed green and I almost pissed myself! Or better yet," now Quill had to laugh, "when I pranked him!" He turned to Nebula. "I filled a bowl with Cosmo's dog food and water and told him it was cereal. He actually ate it and said it tasted good!”

Rocket made a face. He didn't like being laughed at at all. Peter noticed his friend's mood and stopped abruptly.

"I'm sorry. But that's just a part of you. And I'm glad you can accept it now. You're an animal, but that doesn't count. It is not important what you are, but who you are. You are my very best friend. And I'm glad you found your family."

"No," Rocket replied, smiling. "I haven't found a family. I've already had one. It just got a bit bigger.”

[zargontari]

Joe kneels beside him to look at the cat, but does not outstretch his hand to try and touch her. Skippy's fingers continue their strained, gentle back and forth over the animal's ears. "You don't like cats," he eventually says, without looking. He did not have to turn his head to know it was the Colonel. Who else would sit with him like this? Of course it's Joe. The cat, who had stilled momentarily at the sound of his voice — still rough, but smoothing with time, just as the rest of him — tilts her head back to butt against the palm of his hand. Demanding, he thinks.

The shelter is quiet at this hour; those who come often wander in during the early afternoon hours, rather than thirty minutes to closing. Other animals pace their enclosures. Some are large, others small; some loud, some only silently glaring from the corners of their kennels at the two men. They range wildly in breed, the names of which he had never bothered to store to long term memory, and as such had been long forgotten with everything else. They are mostly young beasts. With the exception of one, they are all whole.

All except for this one. A stray, the tag on her door had claimed. Likely the rugged survivor of a dog fight, or a some tangle with a coyote. Regardless of origin, the effect is obvious: the fawn-colored cat, likely middle aged but the exact number unknown, looks as though she had been run straight through at some point of her life. Starting at the top of her head, only a jagged piece of her right ear had been left. The marring continued down to her shoulder, and the severed stub of her right foreleg. The animal's one golden eye seems to stare right through Skippy as he carefully runs his fingers over the old wound. She does not appear to care. The damage, such and clear as it is, does not hinder her, the little tag had read. Don't let her scary face fool you: She still has lots of love to give!

"I don't hate cats," Joe says from behind him, and it makes him stiffen for only a second to hear a voice where he'd forgotten a person was, at the same speed at which he thought.

Then he has to smile, very small and fragile, and just to himself. "You do," he replies. "Your mother had a cat, and the cat hated you. You retaliated by hating all cats, because, as your diary said at the time, your mother liked the cat more than she loved you, and would have rather sold you than the animal if you had raised a fuss." There is a nip at the outer edge of his palm, just a graze of teeth really, as he ghosts over the cat's scar and she redirects his attention. He moves his hand beneath her chin without complaint.

Joe only sighs; a heavy, burdened sound that he no longer flinches at. "Do I want to know how you know anything about my diary at the time?"

"I was only guessing about the diary, Joe." Truthfully, he only vaguely remembers knowing about the animal that Joe hated so dearly that it infected his relationship with every animal of the same breed. It is like a memory of a memory; a window that you just can only barely see through. It's all there, somewhere, of course. He carries his dying matrix behind him like a corpse. But he will never touch it again, and that is something he is finally begining to become okay with. "It was easy enough to extrapolate."

"Extrapolate," Joe mutters, as if the word itself is an insult to all humans, but especially him. "You know what? I don't care. You've seen the inside of my underwear drawer; I don't think I have any really big secrets that you don't know about."

"Likely not," but he isn't paying attention. The cat is purring. This is the first time he has ever heard a cat purr, besides in videos that he cannot recall and does not try to. It sounds rough, like a grating sound, like she's still trying to figure out how to do it. Skippy remembers pulling sound from his own new throat as if ripping them out, and thinks that he can relate, and also thinks this is that empathy shit again, isn't it?

Still. She is a broken thing— or she was broken, and she has fixed herself. Or, not fixed, but she has learned to live with what she cannot change. She has come into her own, despite the damage. Alone and cold and hurt and scared, she survived.

For some reason, that makes him feel a little bit better about his own survival. It feels a little less pointless, knowing that he is not the only thing that lived just because it wanted to; that he is not alone in a life without much purpose other than seeing the next sunrise.

(He takes her home. Of course he does.)