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mermaidgirl30 · 6 months ago

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✨Daddy’s Best Friend, Mr. Miller Part 7: Can I Keep You?✨

Dbf! Joel Miller x fem! reader

Series Masterlist

A/N: This fic is coming to a close, and I’ve loved writing every word of this one 🥹 Thank you to @lotusbxtch for beta reading 🩵 I plan to write an epilogue for this, and I may write some one-shots to throw in if I get the inspiration in the future. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me!

Summary: Christmas with your parents and the Millers was all fine, until they caught you with Joel.

Rating: 18+ only MDNI

Word Count: 6.1k

Chapter Tags: A little angst, arguments, no use y/n, lots of fluff, soft Joel, switching POVs, going to omit some tags due to spoilers

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Christmas Day is here before you know it as the cool air blows against your crimson sweater. It sinks through your denim jeans as you make your way back into the house, back to where Joel and Sarah sit in the living room. A football game is playing over the flat screen, and glistening lights flash against the huge tree that sits in the corner of the room.

Snowflakes tap lightly against the glass as your dad gives your mom the last of her gifts, your eyes flicking over to Joel as he leans into the back of the leather couch, a smile curled against the corner of his mouth as he steals glances your way every few seconds.

God, his smile gets you every single time, making butterflies flit through your stomach as you take in the brown doe eyes that you can’t seem to keep your eyes off. You just can’t believe he’s yours. Something he reminds you every single day.

You cling to the fleece blanket Joel gifted you, twisting your fingers against the soft material, bathing in the woodsy scent that sticks to it. And let’s not forget the Metallica concert tickets he got you, winking when your dad asked who you were taking. Joel fucking Miller, that’s who. Your man. Yours.

He’s wearing the new hunter green flannel you got him, the material clinging against his broad shoulders, biceps hugging the sleeves as you try not to drool in your spot because the man just looks so damn good.

You want to sit in his lap, rake your fingers through his greying curls, let his lips brush against yours while his large hands pull you flush to his strong chest, let his woodsy scent completely lather you as you get lost in this plush lips, fingers scraping over his soft scruff. You just want him.

“Hey, Sarah. Wanna go over to the Silverton’s for a few minutes with Claire and I?” Your dad asks as Sarah bounces off the couch, excited to visit because they always make her favorite chocolate chip cookies.

“Heck yeah! Dad, wanna come, too?” she asks as her long hair swishes behind her shoulders, her sparkling eyes finding yours after she calls your name a second later.

Joel flicks his brown eyes your way and shakes his head. ��Nah, you go on, kid. Gonna stay back this time.”

She looks between the two of you and snickers, knowing exactly why you both had said no. She knows, and she absolutely loves the idea of you and Joel together which makes this whole situation much easier to navigate.

“Hun, you sure you don’t wanna come?” your dad asks as he pulls his bulky winter jacket on.

You shake your head. “No, I’m fine. Just gonna sit around the fire and watch some football,” you reply, trying to hide your smile as Joel smirks your way.

“Football, huh? When did you become such a football fan?” he laughs.

You shrug your shoulders and smile. “Guess I figured it’s not too bad to watch.”

Joel shakes his head, chuckling under his breath at the memory of a few nights ago. You were sat on the edge of his bed, his cock stretching your drenched walls wide as he thrusted his hips up and down, your back flush to his broad chest as the glow of the tv played a football game you were paying no attention to, just focusing on how fucking good he felt thrusting his cock deep inside your pussy until he made you come hard and long.

“Think she figured out how hard those players play ball,” Joel smirks. You giggle at the memory and throw a fuzzy pillow over at him as he catches it before your parents can see.

“Suit yourself. See y’all in a little bit.” He waves as he rushes your mom and Sarah through the door with a present wrapped in glittery blue paper tucked snugly under his arm.

The second they’re gone, you throw your blanket off and make your way to Joel, collapsing onto the leather couch as he tucks you snuggly into his side. You slide the palm of your hand up the inside of his black shirt, resting your fingers on his warm stomach as you breathe in the smell of his woodsy cologne.

“Comfy?” he asks, chuckling as he pulls you closer into his broad body.

“Very,” you smile. He bends his head down and presses a kiss slowly to your forehead, his fingers tracing the ends of your spiral curls as you sigh at the softness that makes Joel just perfect.

“Figured,” he chuckles.

You watch the fire crackle with orange sparks in your vision, the Christmas lights shining brightly as the tree glitters with dark green lights twinkling in the corner. It’s quiet in here, a peaceful Christmas evening, and you have Joel all to yourself for the next few minutes.

Joel runs his fingers lazily over your back, pushing your hair across your left shoulder as he trails the back of his calloused index finger over your jawline. “I, ummm, got you one more gift,” he says nervously, his free hand raking down his greying scruff.

You sit up straight and stare at him, spellbound. Another present? “Joel, what more could you possibly give me? I mean, those Metallica tickets must’ve cost you a fortune! And that fancy steak dinner you took me to? You’ve done enough,” you giggle, letting your hand fall down on his denim clad thigh.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “I know, but jus’ trust me. I think you’re gonna like this one,” he smiles as he digs deep inside the pocket of his dark jeans, pulling a light blue velvet jewelry box out as he displays it in the palm of his hand.

You open your mouth wide in shock, your index finger grazing the outside of the velvety case as your mind starts ticking like a timebomb. “What is it?” you whisper, not even recognizing the muttering voice that asks the question.

“Open it and see,” he smiles, his brown doe eyes sparkling with excitement as he hands you the tiny box.

You slowly grasp it in your palm, taking a deep breath as you carefully open the lid of the box. Your eyes grow wide when you see a silver chain necklace displayed inside, complete with a key that glints under the dim lights of the living room. You pull it out and assess it, running your fingers over the crisp edges, and then when you turn the key around you freeze.

Right there in the middle of the silver key are the words “Miller’s Girl” carved in fancy cursive, completewith a little heart to the right of the name. You freeze, your heart pounding wildly in your chest as you take in the most perfect gift he’s given you by far. “Joel…” you whisper, eyes glossing over as you think you know what this is.

He turns you toward him and leans in, a crooked smile pressed against his mouth as he looks at you with longing, syrupy eyes that make you want to just melt into a puddle on the floor. “I know you’ve been havin’ a hard time pickin’ an apartment out of all the ones we’ve looked at, but I want you to forget that. Forget every single one we’ve ever viewed, forget the paperwork, forget the costs, forget it all,” he murmurs quickly.

You drop the jewelry box on the floor without a thought in your mind, one hand latched onto the silver necklace, the other laced through his fingers, holding on to every single word he’s telling you.

“You don’t belong in any of them. You jus’ belong in my bed, in my house, with me,” he states, honey-glazed eyes locking with yours as heat builds in your chest.

“Joel…” you whisper, losing your breath as you pull yourself back together. “Are you asking me to…?”

“Yes,” he sighs, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear tenderly. “I’m askin’ you to move in with me because I jus’ can’t stand that thought of not havin’ you in my arms every single night now, sweetheart. Wanna take this a step further, if that’s what you want, too,” he smiles as he brushes the tip of his thumb over your lower lip. “Wanna see what it’s like wakin’ up to your gorgeous face in the mornings, wanna know what it’s like havin’ you in my space permanently. Move in with me.”

Your eyes glaze over with pure admiration and love for every single word Joel just spilled from his lips. You think it’s the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard.

You throw your arms around his neck and wrap him tight in your embrace as his arms tangle around your back. “Yes, a million times yes!” you shriek, planting your lips on his as he pulls you down against his lap.

When he pulls away, he spins you around, instructing you to hold your hair up as he carefully latches the necklace around your neck. When you turn back around and face him, one hand is caressing your cheek softly while the other is curving down your personalized necklace, the literal key to his heart.

Your thumb traces over the words Miller’s Girl and end on the heart as his hand comes down to clasp around yours. “Miller’s Girl, huh?” you ask with a wide smile splayed all over your mouth.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Thought I’d get it carved on there to remind you jus’ who you belong to so you never forget,” he smiles, his glistening eyes bright and beautiful as he presses a delicate kiss to the back of your knuckles.

You giggle and shake your head in amazement, watching the absolute love of your life express just how he feels about you. It’s all so surreal, all so perfect. And you honestly think it couldn’t get much better than this.

“You really want me to move in?” you whisper as you look into those gentle brown eyes you can’t get enough of.

“I really do, sweetheart,” he smiles.

He cups your chin and brings you to his mouth slowly, and then your lips are on his. The kiss is slow, passionate as your fingers curl around his soft flannel, breathing in the woodsy cologne that makes your head dizzy.

“Never gonna let you go,” he whispers as his mouth crashes back down on yours while your arms lock around his neck, and he pulls you flush to his chest.

You get so wrapped up in the kiss that you don't hear the front door being shoved open, and then your world shifts and stops in the next second.

“What the hell is this!” your dad shouts across the room.

You frantically pull away from Joel and shoot up from the couch, clutching your necklace with wide eyes as you freeze. Oh, shit.

Joel pushes himself off the leather couch and holds a hand out. “George, I can explain,” Joel replies softly, but you can see the panic flaring in his dark brown eyes.

“Can you explain why you have your mouth and your hands all over my daughter?!” he yells angrily as his roar echoes around the vicinity of the house. Sarah looks between you and Joel and wishes she could help; your mom just stands there with her hand on her chest like she can’t believe this is happening.

Joel takes a deep breath and sighs. “Jus’ cool it, George. I can explain.”

Your dad cuts Joel’s voice off and shoves past him, snatching your wrist as he starts to drag you toward the sliding glass door. “Excuse me, I need to talk to my daughter alone. I’ll deal with you next,” he growls as he throws you outside on the patio and slams the door shut, only having it become open again as your mom slips outside.

Your blood races in your body, and you can’t stop the sheer panic that’s making your heart beat straight out of your chest. “Wanna tell me why the fuck my best friend was all over you?” he asks sternly with his big hands on his hips.

“We… we're together!” you stutter out.

“Together? You mean to tell me you two have been dating behind my back?” His eyes glow almost red, and you fight to hide behind anything to shield yourself from how mad he looks.

“Yes! We’ve been dating! Not like we could’ve told you because this is how your reaction would’ve been!”

“That don’t give you the right to be sneaking behind my back, little girl. And Joel?! For the love of god, he’s twice your age! You know how bad that looks having my best friend go after my daughter who’s still in college?” he bites out with gnashing teeth.

“I’m not a child, Dad! I’m twenty-six-years-old,” you pout while you cross your arms over your chest, feeling the bite of frigid wind blast through your sweater. “And I’m not in college. I’m in law school, which is super hard to even get into in the first place. And you know what? I’m making straight A’s! But you wouldn’t get that, would you? Because once again, you’re disregarding my accomplishments and making me feel awful about them.” You feel warm tears splash against your cheeks while your mom just stands there in shock. She wouldn’t dare interrupt when your dad is having a meltdown, but you see it in her glossy eyes that she doesn’t agree with him. Maybe she’s on your side after all.

“I’m not overlooking your accomplishments,” he scoffs as he shakes his head.

“Yes, you are! Are you hearing yourself?”

“Just cool it, kid. Enough. He’s forty-five, twice your age. What the fuck were you thinking? Did he manipulate you into this or did he just decide it was okay to screw around with my daughter?” he asks with an angry tick of his jaw.

“No, it wasn’t like that at all! Joel is a nice guy, Dad. He would never hurt me. He cares about me, just like I care about him. And I really really like him, Dad.” You catch your breath and loosen the tight grip on your necklace as it falls against your chest. That was clearly a mistake because now he sees the glint of the key, and his eyes grow furious.

“What the fuck is this?” he asks angrily as he snatches it and yanks it off your neck. You reach for it, but he swipes it away as he inspects the silver key. “Miller’s girl. The hell does he think he’s doing? Is that a key to his place? Is that why you’ve taken so long to find an apartment because you were planning all along to move in with him?!” His voice is so splattered in anger that you barely recognize the man that stands in front of you, even your mom looks taken aback with wide eyes.

“No, Dad! God, just stop! If you can’t talk to me like a normal adult, then just stop. Me and Joel are together whether you like it or not. And that’s not going to stop either of our feelings.”

“Feelings, huh? That what this is?” He scoffs, scowling down at the necklace as his thumb pierces into the metal. “You clearly don’t know anything, hun. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“But Dad, I love him!” you whine, biting your lip to keep fresh tears from slipping down your cheeks.

“Love?!” he ridicules, spitting out the word like it’s poison on his tongue. “You don’t know anything about love or Joel,” he mutters.

“No? I think I know a hell of a lot more about Joel than you do. If you really took a good look at the picture, you’d see how clearly in love me and Joel are with each other. And this is why we decided to not tell you because you just wouldn’t understand. This is why I can’t tell you anything! Because you just throw it back in my face and never support my decisions. God, just for once don’t try to fight me on the one thing I want!” You blow out a deep breath and fist your tight knuckles at your sides.

“He’s not a good fit for you,” he mumbles under his breath while his fingers tap mindlessly against your necklace.

“No? Do you know who took me to Galveston when you canceled last minute? Joel did! And who took me around to look at multiple apartments, who spent hours trying to help me find exactly what I wanted? Joel! And you know who is always there for me, who helps me study for tests in my law classes, who is there for me no matter what time of day it is? Joel, Joel, Joel! That’s who! Not you, the man who’s supposed to always be there for me but can’t be. So forgive me for falling in love with someone that could give me everything I needed when I was never given those things in the first place!”

He looks at you with his jaw ticked, his eyes red from the anger that boils inside him. And maybe you see a tad bit of sorrow and regret in his lost eyes, but he doesn’t even apologize. He just clutches the silver necklace tighter and forms his mouth in a tight line. “Hun, just let me explain,” he tries.

“Explain?” You laugh and wipe a tear from your lash line.

“Yes! Look, I know I haven’t always been there for you with work and everything. But hun, Joel is not the answer to…”

You turn sharply and cut him off, looking to your mom who just stands in the corner meekly by the sliding door with her eyes wide and mouth locked shut. “Mom, please! Back me up here?”

“George, just listen to her. Will you? You’re not hearing her,” she tries with an even breath.

“I’ve heard enough!” he barks as he turns back to you with a deep scowl on his face, obviously still very unhappy with you. But when was he ever happy with you in the first place? Almost never.

“Yeah, I’m sure you have. Because you never listen. Thanks for letting me down once again, Dad.” You brush past him without stopping for the necklace, letting the tears burn hot in your eyes as the world slowly caves in on you. You don’t even look at your mom as you rush past her, just needing to be anywhere that they’re not so you can breathe.

Breathe. Remember how to breathe.

You sniffle and rub at your blurry eyes, and then you find Joel standing in the middle of the living room with the saddest brown eyes he’s ever given you. This just makes you cry more.

“Baby, you alright?” he asks with a shaky breath, reaching out an open hand for you as if he can take all the pain away.

“No.” You push away from his advances and knock your shoulder against his, tugging away until you’re practically sprinting for the door. You don’t stop for Sarah who’s standing in the kitchen, don’t stop for Joel calling your name in that broken tone of his, all you do is rush for fresh air where you’re alone, where you can think. But you don’t really want to be alone, do you? You just want Joel. But your dad has completely ruined that. He ruined everything.

Joel feels the icy sting as your shoulder brushes past him; he sees the tears cloud your beautiful eyes as they cascade down your flawless face. He knows he’s fucked, knows your father will hate him now, but all he wants to do is pull you into his strong arms so he can hold you and tell you everything will be alright, that the two of you will be just fine. Because he’s not letting you go. No. He’ll never let you go. Not even if your father hates his guts now.

Just when he starts to turn and go to you, he feels a looming presence behind him that feels a lot like a rush of cold ice freezing him out.

“Joel, a word.” George’s deep voice fills the room, and Joel nods and walks with his head down low like he’s a puppy being scolded for making a mess on the kitchen floor.

The air feels frigid, and he digs his large hands nervously into the pocket of his jeans while he stands on the back porch and looks over to see George practically tearing him to shreds with just his predatory eyes across the way.

“How long?” His voice is clipped, and Joel shivers at the sound of that icy tone.

“George, I…”

“How. Long.”

“Almost seven months…” he says quietly with his head down low.

“Jesus Christ, Joel.”

He holds up a palm and tries to explain, but his shaky breath doesn’t do him any favors. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t…”

“Didn’t what? That’s my daughter, Joel!” His eyes glow violent against the hue of the orange sunset that’s painted in the sky, murky clouds trying to fog over the brightness like the depths of his dark soul right now.

“I know! You don’t think I didn’t think of that before I started this whole thing?” Joel’s jaw ticks, and his thick fingers form into tight fists as he tries to stay in control.

“I don’t know, Joel. You tell me.” George narrows his eyes and crosses his arms as he waits for an explanation.

“It’s not like I planned to fall for your daughter, it just happened.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me!” George slams his hand against the closed grill, and Joel sees the glimmer of your silver necklace that sits locked in his unforgiving fist. The one with the key to his heart he so casually gave you earlier. Joel’s eyes glisten with frustrated tears, but he doesn’t let a single one fall. He’s stronger than that.

“Because this is why I didn’t, why we didn’t! Because we knew you’d be pissed.” His rugged voice comes out clipped because he’s tired, so very tired of hiding his feelings. No more, he’ll lay it out thick if he has to.

“You’re damn right I’m pissed! You’ve been secretly dating my twenty-six-year-old daughter without me knowing and have been sneaking around this whole time. Hell, did anyone else know?”

“Sarah knew,” Joel says quietly as he takes a step back.

“Oh, so you tell her but not me?” George looks positively pissed, to say the least.

“I didn’t tell her, she figured it out herself. Saw us on a date, and I couldn’t cover that up. So yes, she knows. And Tommy knows, too.”

“Even better,” George chuckles. “And this? What do you have to say about this?” He clutches the silver key in his palm and stares angrily at Joel while his mouth ticks up in a deep scowl.

“That’s… I asked her to move in with me.” There’s no getting around this, so he might as well come clean. But every bone in his body tells him to grab the necklace and run out the door. He needs to make sure you’re okay. That’s the only thing that matters now.

“Move in with you! Why would you…”

“Because I love her…” His voice is soft, quiet, like he’s afraid he’ll disturb anyone that hears.

“I don’t wanna hear—”

“George, let him talk. I want to hear this,” Claire turns and nods to him. “Go on, Joel.” Joel hesitates but gives her a tight-lipped smile and says thank you with his softening eyes.

George pinches the bridge of his nose while he waits, and Joel takes a deep breath before he speaks, letting his nerves settle before he spills it all. “She’s been so stressed tryin’ to find the perfect apartment, and nothing right was workin’. And I jus’… I’d rather her move in with me. ‘Cause I want her there, and I’d look after her and take care of her, and…”

George grunts and clenches the silver key harder, but Claire just gives him a stern look and tells Joel to continue. “Go on,” she encourages with a small smile.

Joel takes a breath and starts again. “Look, George, I never meant to fall for your daughter, but I did. And you know what? It was the best decision of my life. She’s so… she’s so kind and smart as hell. And she jus’ is the brightest ray of sunshine and lights up my entire life. And she’s so beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Claire tears up a little in the corner, and Joel picks absentmindedly at the fringe on his flannel. He can’t help but grin as he thinks of your beautiful smile, the way you make him feel as if no one else in the world exists when you’re with him. You’re like the golden sunset that stays up just long enough to wrap him in pure warmth and sunlight, the one thing that keeps his heart pumping through his veins. You’re it for him, he thinks you always have been. He just didn’t know it till this year.

“I never thought this would happen, but it did. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even if it meant ruining our friendship and you never forgiving me. I can’t give her up, George. I won’t. She makes me so fuckin’ happy, and I’d die before there was a day I ever hurt her. Losing her isn’t a choice for me because I love her, will continue to love her for as long as I live.”

“Joel…” Claire smiles with a gleam in her clear eyes. “You really love her?”

“Mmm. I really do. I’d do jus’ about anything for that girl. She’s so precious to me. So forgive me if I’ve spent the last almost seven months givin’ her everything I possibly could. She has my heart and always will.”

Claire shifts and wipes a stray tear from her eyes, giving him a warm smile that says she’s so happy her daughter has him. And that takes some relief off his burdened back. Now it’s just George he has to worry about.

George stares and stares at the silver necklace with knit eyebrows, contorting his features into something Joel can’t make out what it means. There’s a beat of hesitance before George looks up and stares directly into Joel’s eyes, like he’s hearing him clearly for the first time. “You really love my little girl, don’t you…” His eyes clear up, no more hatred or scowling or anything remotely hostile. They’re just awestruck.

“With all my heart,” Joel mutters through the chill of the evening.

The cold breeze slips through Joel’s tousled curls, running straight down his spine while he waits to see what will happen next. Waiting to see if his best friend will toss him overboard for the sharks to tear him to shreds, or waiting for the acceptance that it’s okay to date his daughter.

It’s like the world stops spinning, the only noise is the bated breath he’s holding while he watches his best friend flip the gifted necklace back and forth repeatedly in his palm. The silence is torture.

Finally, George looks back up and sighs before licking his bottom lip and muttering. “Here, take it.” He holds the necklace by the clasp and jangles it in front of him, edging on Joel to take it.

Joel stares at the gleaming key, reading Miller’s Girl in silver letters, the one that belongs to his girl. And when he hesitates, George shoves out his arm again, letting the necklace toss and turn in his grasp. “Take it,” he repeats, a little softer this time.

He walks forward, scuffing his shiny boots against the pavement and stops in front of his best friend, till the key is safely back in Joel’s grasp. He looks up slowly and sees George’s eyes almost tear up, but they still hold some faint hesitation in those uncertain irises.

“Look, it’s gonna take me a while to be okay with this. You’re gonna have to give me a little space to process this, but I… I give you permission to date her because… because I trust you more than any of those other clowns she’s dated. And you lookout for her, especially when I’m not around, and you obviously care a lot. And sounds like you love her a lot. So… if this ever leads to more than just moving in together and dating then… just ask me next time, but I think I’ll be okay with it.”

Joel’s eyes go wide at the words, and before he knows it he has his arms wrapped tightly around his best friend’s back in pure shock. George pounds a strong hand on Joel’s back and mumbles under his breath that that’s enough. Claire gives him a gentle smile and watches the two friends make up in peace.

“Thank you, George. For trustin’ me with your daughter.”

George shoos him away and grits his teeth together into a pressed smile. “Yeah, yeah. Jus’ go talk to your girl, Joel. Let the old man have some space for a few minutes. I need a drink,” he sighs as he heads back inside for a cold beer in the fridge.

Joel nods to Claire and then makes a beeline for the front door, knowing you're sitting out there in the cold with tears streaming down your beautiful face. He has to fix it.

The sunset slowly slipping under the grey clouds doesn’t help your mood as another tear escapes down your cheek, falling to the ground with a splash as you hug your knees tighter to your chest while you lean against the front porch railing. You always knew your father wouldn’t approve, and now he’s ruined your most favorite thing in this world.

You almost miss the large figure that stands behind you until he’s kneeling down and wrapping his arms tightly around you like a warm blanket that drapes over your skin. His usual coffee scent and strong cologne showers you in a still calmness that only he brings you, and suddenly you feel like you’re home.

“Joel,” you sniffle into his warm chest, nuzzling your face into the crook of his neck while his big hands run up and down your back in soothing motions.

“‘S’alright, sweetheart. You’re okay now. I’ve got you.” His gentle tone surrounds you in a cloud of comfort, and you suddenly feel warm and light for the first time since your parents saw the two of you kiss.

“But they… my dad…” You can’t even speak clearly. Your words are all warped and clipped each time you think of how angry your dad was, how violently he ripped into your heart when all you were trying to do was tell him how much Joel meant to you. It was a disaster that was waiting to happen, and you let it.

“Hey, look at me.” He tips your chin up and brushes the next tear away that clashes against your eyelashes. “Everything’s okay now. We’re okay.”

You look at him with confusion swirling in your irises as your fingers clasps around his fuzzy flannel you love to wear so much. “We’re okay?” you whisper out in a daze.

“Mhm,” he nods as a warm smile slips over his plush mouth. He digs into the pocket of his jeans and grasps the silver chain in his palm. Your necklace.

“Think this belongs to you.” Joel opens his palm and reveals the silver key that has your name written all over it. The key that promises for a future together, your future. A life with him in it, a step before a lifetime together.

“Joel… he gave it back?” You gawk as your finger brushes against the metal, clasping your hand over his so you can feel the promise of forever in the warmth of his calloused palm.

“Mhm. It belongs to you.” He pushes it into your open palm and closes your fingers over the cold silver, letting his hand linger over yours as his warm breath invades your space.

You take a moment to register what this means, what this might promise. Did this mean your dad… Your eyes flick to his with agility, and your lips part as you exhale a long breath. “Does this mean... Did my dad…”

A smile curls against his mouth and he nods. “‘S’alright now. After I talked to him, after I explained myself, he listened. He’s okay with us, darlin’. Well, as good as he’ll be right now. Might take some time to mend our friendship back to how it was, but s’okay. We’re gonna be jus’ fine. And you and me? We’re gonna be more than fine.”

You throw your arms around Joel’s neck and sink your lips against his, letting his cinnamon taste melt into your mouth until you can taste nothing but him. He pulls you against his broad chest and strokes his calloused fingers against the back of your neck, tugging until you’re flush to him so he can ravish and serenade your mouth with the taste and feel of his warm, lush tongue.

It only takes minutes of heated passion until he pulls his lips from yours and rests his forehead against yours. You’re both out of breath, but you guess that’s how the two of you always are. Always giving your entire being to each other until the other is completely satisfied. But it’s not about that this time, it’s about finally being able to express your love for each other out in public. No more hiding from your parents, your friends, no one. It’s you and Joel against the world now, and there’s not anything you can’t conquer now.

He moves your hair across one shoulder and clasps the necklace around your neck, leaving it right where it belongs now. Yours.

“There,” he smiles as he glides his fingers over the silver key. “Right back where it belongs. Right over your heart.”

You take a moment to admire the syrupy eyes that flick to yours as you rake your fingers through his silvery scruff, dragging your nails slowly as he groans at the feel of you. “I love when you do that,” he murmurs as his thumb strokes your bottom lip delicately.

“Well, get used to it because I’m about to be living with you,” you smile.

“Mmm. I like the sound of that. You in my arms every single night? Wakin’ up to the glow of your stunning smile? Bein’ able to kiss you whenever I want, wherever I want? Yeah, I could get used to this.” His lips drag down your cheek and end on your lips softly, but then they’re gone in a flash as he traces his fingertips over the back of your hand.

“Slow mornings with freshly brewed coffee, your lips, and me curled up in your lap? Yeah, I could get used to this, too.” Your lips find his once more, and then you’re floating off in a little bubble, to a place only you and Joel know how to get to.

When his lips untangle from yours, he smiles and gives you those loving sweet eyes you never can seem to get enough of. “I love you, darlin’.”

“I love you too, Joel.”

The evening slips by in a rush. Your parents are weirdly mellow about the whole thing, but your dad still sends a couple snarls your way when he sees you and Joel holding hands. But he surprises you when he sends you off with a hug and a kiss on the cheek before you go back to Joel’s house.

It doesn’t take him long till Joel and him are doing fishing trips, watching football games together, and going out for beers again. And you kind of love that Joel didn’t have to lose his best friend over you. No. Joel got to keep both of you, and you couldn’t help but tear up when you saw how close they were again just a month after the whole Christmas disaster. You guess some things just fall into place like you and Joel did.

You never expected to fall in love with your dad’s best friend, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you. And now? You’re finally free to live your life with your favorite person by your side.

You don’t know what the next year will bring or the year after, but you know Joel will be there no matter what.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #Joel miller #dbf! joel #dbf! joel miller #dbf joel miller #joel miller fic #joel x female reader #joel miller tlou #tlou fanfiction #no outbreak!joel miller #no use of y/n #joel miller fluff #pedro pascal character writers

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here-comes-the-moose · 8 months ago

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Bad Batch As People on a Family Road Trip

Hunter

The driver. It used to be Tech but he was banned from driving on long road trips, so Hunter had to take over.

Made them leave twenty minutes later than schedule because he decided that when they were getting into the car was the perfect time to use the restroom.

In charge of the music (he’s playing typical American dad on a road trip music). To everyone’s horror, he sings along (I headcanon that he cannot sing for shit).

Regularly reaching his hand back for snacks.

Will get annoyed at least once and threaten to turn the car around.

Somehow knows which route will take them by the best spot to stop for food.

Constantly checking on his siblings to see how they are doing. Mostly Crosshair.

Wrecker

Sitting in the back with Omega.

Constantly asking Echo for snacks and sharing with Omega.

Got bored halfway through Sleeping Beauty and decided to try and annoy Tech.

Kept trying not to laugh with Omega after Hunter yelled at them, but was actually solemn when Echo yelled at them.

Lets Omega rest on his shoulder.

Encourages Hunter’s singing and sings along with him occasionally.

Falls asleep in the last half hour of the trip.

Tech

Banned from driving because the last time he drove on a road trip he made Crosshair throw up twice and gave Hunter a migraine.

Just listens to podcasts now and stares out the window, occasionally pointing things out to Omega. Also texting a lot with Phee and occasionally smiling at his phone, causing Echo to tease him a bit.

Starts the most random conversations out of the blue. He’s just like me fr

At one rest stop he noticed Crosshair looking particularly pale, so he wordlessly disappeared to buy some cold cans of ginger ale for him to have in the cooler if he needed them.

Got so annoyed at Wrecker kicking his chair that he actually snapped and said some curse words. Echo and Hunter were not impressed.

Crosshair

Passenger Princess because he gets carsick.

His carsickness is the reason the AC is on full blast and everyone in the car either has on a sweater or sweatshirt or a blanket draped over themselves.

The only one who gets to ask to take a break outside of Hunter’s pre-planned schedule.

Was very touched by Tech buying him some soda when he wasn’t feeling that great.

Doesn’t talk much during the trip, mostly just stares at the road in front of him, drinks the ginger ale Tech got him or eats some crackers, or tries to take a nap until they get to wherever they’re going.

Complains about Hunter’s singing and music, but secretly enjoys it since it helps to distract him from how awful he feels.

Echo

Has a large bag with everything they might possibly need, from medicine to snacks to essential oils to hand sanitizer to barf bags. His brothers started calling it the diaper bag. He points out that they’re the ones who use it the most, so what does that make them?

Only person fussing over Crosshair more than Hunter. Constantly asking if he needs more ginger ale, meds, crackers, or a bag. Crosshair would find it endearing if it wasn’t so annoying.

Lost his cool and yelled at Tech and Wrecker for fighting, which made the whole car sit in tense silence for about twenty minutes.

Brought a cooler full of snacks and drinks for the car and to have at their final destination so they don’t need to go shopping.

Omega

The reason for the road trip.

Watching Disney movies with Wrecker in the backseat.

Ends up taking a little nap after lunch on Wrecker’s shoulder.

Convinces her brothers to get a sweet treat from a random drive-thru after lunch.

Also points out things she sees through the window, mostly so she and Tech can chat about them.

#I feel like crosshair’s enhanced vision would make him more susceptible to motion sickness so it’s a headcanon of mine #another headcanon I have is that hunter (and Crosshair) gets migraines #star wars tbb #star wars the bad batch #tbb crosshair #the bad batch #arc trooper echo #tbb hunter #tbb echo #the bad batch as xyz #bad batch headcanon #bad batch headcanons #tbb wrecker #tbb tech #tbb omega #mama echo

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sunny374940 · 1 month ago

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Your happiness is all I need

Another little story about Emmrich and Rook’s daughter Elanora. She is not a morning person.

Here on ao3

“Elanora, wake up,” Emmrich whispered, stroking a hand against his daughter's cheek. She was so precious as she slept, cheeks round and face peaceful, eyelids fluttering with the remnants of a dream.

“Mmph.” His hand was swatted away and Ellie buried her head under the blankets. So much for waxing poetic. Maker, there were two of them now. As if it wasn't enough that waking Rook up was always an ordeal, their daughter had to join the ranks. And she used to wake up so early when she was a baby. A touch too early, perhaps, even earlier than Emmrich, and now he regretted ever wishing she would sleep in a bit. Why was he the only person to get up at a reasonable time around here?

“Ellie, you will be late for your lesson.” He gave her blanketed form a gentle shake.

A hand snaked out from under the covers and for a moment he hoped that they could be done with this charade. But no. The hand patted around, searching, and then it arrived at its target, the dragon plushie Taash gave Ellie for her birthday. It was dragged into the depths and Emmrich sighed. This called for harsh measures.

“Very well, young lady, you are forcing my hand.”

He drew back the covers and gathered the girl into his arms. She made half-hearted attempts to escape him, still clutching her dragon close, but he wouldn't be swayed. He carried her down the stairs and into the dining room. Rook was sitting at the table, hair still mussed from sleep, squinting at them groggily. Emmrich deposited Ellie onto her chair.

“Hey, bug,” Rook said, drowsiness thick in his voice.

“Hi, dad,” she mumbled and lay her head down on the table. Emmrich found himself chuckling at the sight. Though not related by blood, those two couldn't be more alike. He took up a hairbrush and set about taming Ellie's dark curls into a braid, as it had been her favourite way of wearing her hair lately (possibly related to finding a certain dragon hunter extremely cool).

Manfred came in bearing tea and breakfast. Toast with butter and raspberry jam for Ellie, the remains of yesterday's chocolate cookies for Rook and bread with cheese and tomatoes for Emmrich. They ate in companionable (and in some cases sleepy) silence.

“Now go get yourself dressed, please, we will be leaving shortly,” Emmrich said as he was getting up from the table.

“I don't wanna,” she whined, flopping onto the table again.

Rook was watching her speculatively and there was mischief in his eyes when he addressed her.

“El?”

“Yeah?”

“I bet I can get dressed faster than you.” He grinned and jumped up from the table, running up the stairs.

“No you can't!” she screeched after him, taking off so quickly that her chair almost toppled over.

Emmrich sighed fondly as he listened to them bicker through the task of changing clothes. They were running back down the stairs a short time later, Ellie jumping over the last few stairs to land in the hallway with a flourish and Rook (of course) foregoing half the stairs entirely and vaulting the railing.

“Daddy, I won,” she sing-songed at Emmrich proudly.

“I expected nothing less from you, my dear.” Emmrich bent down to kiss his daughter on the forehead. She chose a dark blue sweater for today, the one he knitted for her with little dragons done in a warm yellow along the hemline. It was painstaking work, but well worth the look in her eyes when he'd given it to her.

Rook was scowling behind her, pretending at being angry. “I will get you next time,” he grumbled.

She stuck out her tongue at him. “No you won't. “

“Elanora, we do not stick our tongues out at people.”

Rook stuck his tongue out at her and Emmrich pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

“Are you done, darlings?” he asked, feeling a bit exasperated. A double “yeah” was produced, the perpetrators gratifyingly sounding at least a little ashamed of themselves.

“Where are we going?” Ellie asked, curious.

“You will see. Today, you will be learning something a little different.”

The answer did nothing to satisfy her and she spent the walk pestering them both, but they held fast, unwilling to spoil the surprise. They arrived at the library and there was a familiar figure waiting for them at the door. Ellie gasped.

“Neve!”

“Hey, Sparkle,” Neve greeted with a smile. “Emmrich said you wanted to learn ice magic?”

Ellie was looking between Emmrich and Neve with round eyes, as if she could hardly believe her luck. He nodded at her in encouragement.

“With you grasping the basics of casting so well, I thought you deserved a little surprise.”

Ellie flung herself at Emmrich, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Thanks, daddy!” she said, smiling joyfully.

“You are welcome, my dear,” he said, stroking her hair.

She let go of him and bounced over to Neve, eager to begin, and it was exactly the same bounce in her step that Rook had when he was happy. She started chattering at Neve, excited to start her lesson. Emmrich put an arm around his husband's waist, pulling him closer, and placed a kiss against his temple.

“And you're sure this isn't gonna bite you in the ass later?” Rook asked with a laugh.

“Language, darling,” Emmrich chided, hoping Ellie hadn't heard. “And possibly, but there is nothing quite like making the two of you happy, so you must forgive my indulgence.”

��Is that right? I know what would make me happy right now,” he said, angling his face up for another kiss, but they were interrupted by Neve's voice.

“You can go make heart eyes at each other somewhere else, we've got this,” she called to them as she took Ellie's hand to lead her inside.

“Yeah, go away, we're gonna be busy,” Ellie added, all seriousness and determination, ready to get on with learning to make ice knives.

“But pick me up for lunch, okay?”

“Of course, my dear, lunch would be terribly dull without you,” Emmrich said and left with Rook to spend some more time kissing. The lengths he would go to to make his husband happy (he was of course being entirely selfless).

They did pick her up for lunch and that evening there was a lump of ice on the ceiling, where Ellie was aiming for an unlucky fly. The fly got away.

#dragon age emmrich #dragon age veilguard #emmrich volkarin #emmrich x rook #emmrook #dragon age the veilguard #veilguard

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rentumblsstuff · 10 months ago

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Back to the NPMD x Monster High AU, a couple more things:

I would like to rescind my Werecat Brenda in favor of Nighthawk Harpy Brenda. Yes, I know I made Kyle a werewolf to parallel Brenda being a werecat but I also have a better offer for Kyle too: Yeti, which is why he still holds a grudge against Max for wrecking his dad’s ski-doo.

I have so many thoughts on Vampire Grace. She was born a normie and is a recently turned vampire (maybe even a vampire hunter that failed on an outing and was turned by her prey). She’s having trouble coping with her religion now that she’s a monster and constantly wears turtlenecks like the one she wears in Perky’s Buds to cover up her bite marks. She tried still wearing her cross necklace as a show of rejecting this new form, trying to embrace the pain of having the cross so close because she thought that loving Jesus even when she’s a form of half-demon would make herself better than other Christians, but it hurt way too badly for her to handle so now she just says she wears it underneath her sweater. Jason was born a vampire and wants to help her through her dysphoria but Grace won’t accept anyone treating her like she’s a vampire (even though she is). She does like the part about eating flesh and drinking blood- it’s what Jesus says to do with himself, so in a way, she’s making everyone she eats a little more Christ-like. That’s her thought process, at least. She also still pretends to be human around her parents and normie best friend Gabe. Gabe may or may not know that she’s a vampire though and wants to seduce her so she can turn him too.

In High School is Killing Me, the lyric is now changed to “Fuck you, biteology.”

Max’s Jekyll form is human (Max), but his Hyde form looks like his ghost (The Jagerman).

Stachie is soooo canon because Richie loves swimming but as a werecat Stacy refuses to get in the water and they feel like their romance is especially forbidden because of it. If Richie didn’t love the water so much, he’d wish he was a werecat too because he also wants to be a pretty little kitty meow meow

Ethan, Lex, and Hannah also went there obviously and Ethan was a ghost á la Jonny Spirit and Lex and Hannah are both spider people. You know tf why lol

Ruth is a lot like Frankie Stein in that she flirts with a lot of people but they Do. Not. Flirt. Back. Rather than solid stripes, her sweater looks more like lightning bolts and the mushroom design is a little creepier than just an Amanita.

A lot of the smoke club are also nighthawk harpies (because they like eating the weed) (including Deb) and so a lot of people assume Brenda is also in the smoke club. She isn’t. Monster high typical speciesism mixed with Hatchetfield High typical bullying regardless of social hierarchy.

The Woodwards are flytraps and that’s why Alice doesn’t smoke- plants don’t do that to other plants. This is often a point of contention between Deb and Alice even though they try to pretend it isn’t an issue

Steph’s secretly embarrassed about her decay so she always makes sure her wraps are FRESH, but the rest of her outfit is always her jagged hand-cut crop tops and ripped jeans. Her decay spread to her scalp and forehead and everyone knows better than to say something about the wraps on her forehead or how she always wears a beanie but Pete accidentally tells her he thinks it makes her look even cooler. Swooning ensues because nobody dares address her flaws, much less say she’s cooler for having them.

Steph secretly wishes Pete had a corporeal form because her love language is physical touch and she’s sad she’ll never be able to hold him. (Kind of like how Cleo is sad she’ll never get to look Deuce in the eyes).

Sophia/Spitfire as a background character fire elemental is a MUST.

The janitor is a crazy man who lives in the catacombs under the school and is possessed by what the student body can only assume is a goat demon and Peter Geist feels weirdly like he knows him.

Rosary as Claire Rosary as Claire Rosary as Claire-

Pete has also died recently as one of The Jagerman’s attacks when he was out of control, and he’s new to the school along with Grace. He’s stuck in this dorky outfit he wore so he wouldn’t get bullied and can never change clothes, but at least he’s impossible to punch unless if another spirit tried to attack him. As opposed to Grace in life, he was very interested in the supernatural (one of his special interests) so he knows quite a bit about monster types but is always hungry to learn more about the new world he found himself un-living in

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oceansssblue · 4 months ago

Note

Not sure how much you’d be to do Mpreg omegaverse stuff but- maybe with Omega Hunter? 🥹👉👈

And if not Mpreg, maybe just the fluff! Post preg with newborn baby girl…maybe a follow up with the Alpha OMC 😇

Sprinkle of angst turning into fluff turning into smutt 🫡

Hunter shall be a dad (again).

I think you're really gonna like how this one came out, bud.

Enjoy!

Xx, Blue.

"JUST AS BEAUTIFUL" – (a) OMC / (o) Hunter 💖🔥💔

WARNINGS: Omegaverse usual shit including smutt (scent & breeding kink), insecurities about physical body changes and self-value during pregnancy (a bit of angst related to that), male preg, comforting fluff.

Buckle up!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Hunter had always been fit. It was required of him; his body needed to be on tip top condition to push him through hours of dangerous misions of extenuating difficulty. It hadn't been too hard to develop that strength, those muscles, either; any training was a hundred times better than to remain trapped in Clone Force 99's barracks for a whole day. It had always made him feel more useful; more alive.

Perhaps that was why he now felt the complete opposite. He could barely walk without pain these days –and let's not talk about running or carrying heavy weight–; his muscles had all but dissapeared with his growing belly, and all he did was slump around and watch the holonet or read. He had started to ask himself if he wasn't being a burden for Night. It couldn't be easy for him; going to work everyday only to keep working when he got back home. He never complained, though, and always greeted him with a smile. Hunter had definitely won the lotery with his alpha.

Feeling grateful, and with a new resolve on his heart, he got up on his feet; deciding to try to put together at least a decent dinner for him. But today didn't seem to be his day; Hunter sat for a minute in order to rest his swollen ankles, and a minute was just enough time to burn through the fish sticks he had drowned in the frier. The smell of burnt food tickled his sensible nose; and Hunter swallowed the wave of nausea down, eyes cristalising. Why couldn't he...

A key moved on the lock of the front door, and soon enough, Night's voice was echoing in the corridor.

"Hey, darling, I'm home" he made himself known, as sweet as always, even though by now he was fully aware Hunter could hear him from clicks away.

Hunter tried to swallow everything down and put up a calm, smiley face; but all his efforts were inmediately abandoned when his dark brown eyes made contact with Night's light purple ones.

His alpha's face instantly switched to worry; quickly scanning him up and down and slowly approaching him.

"Sweetheart. What's wrong?" He asked softly, hands inmediately travelling upwards to cup Hunter's face tenderly.

Hunter answered with a wet chuckle.

"J-just being stupid. I tried to prepare dinner and burned everything".

Instead of growing angry, Night gave him a small fond smile.

"It's alright, darling. I appreciate the gesture" he pecked Hunter's pouty lips once. "Why don't we forget about that and take a shower together, mm? We can order in after that".

Night knew how much Hunter loved taking showers or bathing together. It was a chance to relax, to just breathe; to caress each other tenderly and bask in each other's love. The thought of Night seing his naked body right now, though, didn't bring him the same comfort.

Hunter pulled down on his oversize sweater, shifting unsurely.

"I don't know... I... I showered already today..." he tried to step around it.

Night frowned. He knew him too well by now.

Hunter's vision turned blurry; and a quiet whine threatened to escape from his tightening throat.

"Hunter... Baby..." the alpha caressed the skin of his reddening cheeks with his thumbs and whispered gently. "Will you tell me what's really going on?"

Hunter couldn't helo but cry, if only a little. It wasn't messy and loud; just a few tears running silently down his cheeks. Night brushed them away with his thumbs.

"I feel so useless" he finally broke down and confessed to him. "You're working all day long so we can live here, and I'm just lazing around. I wanted to do something nice to compensate and look at what happened. And... and I look so different, Night. I feel like a giant ball of fat. I'm not the man you started dating. How can you...? How can you...?"

Night shushed him softly, kissing him deeply, perhaps with a little more force than necessary.

"Hunter" he firmly called him by his name, and the omega couldn't so anything else but to look up into his eyes. "You're not useless, and you're not being lazy. You're growing a life inside of you; and that takes energy, and sleep, and everything else. Of course you need to rest; and of course you're not going to be running around doing missions and shooting the bad guys. After how ecclectic your life has been it's normal this is making you feel a little lazy. But I asure you, it's nothing but normal. And just the fact that you tried to do this gesture for me is heartwarming enough".

Hunter's worries started to melt with his alpha's kind words; but Night hadn't even finished comforting him.

"And as for your physical aspect..." he brushed a hand down his hair. "You're as beautiful as the day I met you in the market. You have the same handsome face, the same pretty dark brown eyes, the same long hair I love so much. And yeah, your body has changed. But don't you think it's anything close to bad. Your ass is a dream, Hunter" he squeezed it suggestively with a grin and the omega had to laugh. "And seing you naked is one too. Do you have any idea of how much it turns me on? How good you look with our pup growing inside of you? How good knowing that feels?"

"Do you really mean that?" Hunter asked, fingers clenching on Night's shoulders.

The alpha sighed.

"Of course I do, Hunter" he pressed his forehead against his, just like the omega had taught him a year ago. "It's our baby. You're mine as much as I'm yours. I'm not going anywhere, and it's going to be okay".

Weeks of silent stress vanished from Hunter's body instantly; and he tugged his alpha's neck down to kiss him. Night complied without a blink; lips moving softly over Hunter's and hands bracketing each side of his face, deepening the kiss.

When they parted, both of them were breathless; a peaceful expresion in their face.

"Wanna' take that shower now?" Night offered again, hands travelling down to caress Hunter's hips.

Hunter bit his lip.

"Could we... Do you want to have sex? Now?"

Night looked surprised at first; but inmediately smiled and chuckled.

"Of course, baby" he tugged Hunter's body as close as he could against his. "I'll give you what you want now".

Hunter sighed; relaxing in his partners arms. Night dipped his head down for another kiss; and the omega tilted his head upwards, letting him explore him with his tongue. Hunter had not been one for those kind of kisses before meeting him; it was messy, too slick, too... Disgusting. In his opinion. It came out he had just really had very bad tongue kisses. The way Night explored him was nothing but; he had no rush, he didn't force anything around. He just softly prodded and swiped, just a little tease that left Hunter wanting for more.

One by one, each item of their clothes was left scattered around the floor. The sight of the alpha naked still managed to surprise him, a year and a half later; Night was a mix between pantoran and human, his skin a beautiful smooth dark purple and the small geometric tattoos on his face a softer violet. And he was big; so big. Hunter clenched just by looking at him.

"Like what you see?" Night teased, stroking himself once, twice, while Hunter squirmed in place. The alpha hummed and gently turned him around so he was facing the kitchen table. "Hold on, darling, I need to properly prepare you before you take me inside of you".

He didn't delay; falling down to his knees and grabbing a handfull of his ass, swipping his tongue over his wet entrance, spreading him apart.

Hunter's knees buckled; moaning quietly, he quickly took hold on the edge of the table, tiny movements pushing himself back onto his alpha's tongue.

Night hummed happily behind him; fingers playing with his wetness for a few seconds before he was slipping one of his fingers inside him too.

"F-fuck" Hunter stuttered when he moved onto three, after a few minutes of opening him up restlessly.

Night finally stood up –one knee cracking uncomfortably– and smiled; molding his chest to the omega's back. His fingers continued pumping inside of him.

"You're always so tight, love" he whispered close to his left ear, sending shivers down Hunter's spine. "It's a wonder. You could think by now that your body would have permanently adjusted to the shape of my cock".

Hunter whimpered and pushed back harder against him; a rush of lust and warmth bubbling over him.

"N-night..."

He knew what he wanted, and the alpha smiled quietly.

"You want it, baby? Want my big cock inside of you?"

Hunter sighed.

"Please..."

The alpha groaned and took hold of his erection, coating the tip with Hunter's wetness. The omega bit his lip. He already felt good and Night wasn't even inside of him.

"Kark, baby" the alpha finally pushed his cock into him, slowly but steadily until he was seathed inside his warm walls. "You always look beautiful with my cock inside of you".

Hunter clenched around him, bringing out another groan from the alpha; who caressed his hands all over Hunter's body, from his shoulders, down his back, thighs, and all the way up including his pregnant belly. Hunter squirmed.

"I'm okay" he whispered to the man behind him.

Night hummed and obbeyed his wishes, pulling back and slowly pushing back in.

Hunter kept his eyes closed; getting used to the feeling of something that big and that good moving inside of him.

Night moved progresively faster, deeper; until desire got the best out of them and he was pounding into Hunter with impatience and abandon. Hunter whined and dropped open his mouth with the rush of pleasure.

"S-so good..."

Night pushed on his shoulders, directing him to bend down and push his ass up into the air. Into him.

He whispered sweet –and filthy– nothings to his ear while never slowing down or changing positions; just small adjustments to keep fucking him non-stop. Hunter clinged to the table as best as he could; until his shaky legs couldn't hold him up anymore, and he grew concerned about hurting the baby if he pressed more of his belly onto the hard surface.

"Night..."

"Yes, love?" He asked, slowing down.

"Can't..." Hunter blushed, embarassed. "Bed?"

"Oh" the alpha seemed to realise the situation, and inmediately smiled brightly at him. "Of course, sweetheart. Come here".

Hunter squeaked when the alpha pulled him into his arms; lifting him bride-style of the floor and walking towards the bedroom effortlessly.

Night chuckled, amused.

"Didn't know you could make that noise".

Hunter shot him a glance, pouting.

"You could have given me a warning".

Night laughed, and he gently dropped him down on the matress, staring at him while he remain standing. Hunter squirmed impatiently.

"What?" He asked, seing the thoughtful expresion on his alphas face.

"Mm. I'm debating wether I'd like to fuck you against the matress like when you're in your heat or if I'd prefer to watch you on top of me".

Hunter's face reddened inmediately.

"Any thoughts on it?"

At Hunter's flushed silence, the alpha dropped on the bed besides him.

"I think I want to see how beautiful you look bouncing on top of me" he stated, grinning flirtily.

Hunter might have had some reserves about his body image; but right now he was so turned on, and he wanted Night's hard cock inside of him so bad, he didn't quite care what the position was.

He climbed over his alpha's thighs; hovering over his erection before slowly sinking down onto his cock.

"Fuck, Hunter" Night moaned, hands squeezing both sides of his hips, eyes growing hazy. "Just like that, baby".

Hunter answered with his own moan and slowly moved up and down onto him; closing his eyes and enjoying himself for a few moments without a care in the galaxy. When his thighs started to burn, he whined and shot a glance to Night's purple eyes; and the man understood inmediately, tugging him forward until he was half-resting on top of his chest, planting his feet on the bed and moving his hips up against him in short, sharp movements.

When the pleasure was too much for the omega to handle and Hunter all but slumped on top of him, his pregnant weight too heavy for him to push against, Night hugged the omega to himself and grinded their hips together. By Hunter's moans, they were both pretty close to orgasming.

"Please. Please..." the omega whined, panting against his neck, kissing his scent glands here and there.

"F-fuck" Night rumbled, the sound of his wet dick music to his ears, Hunter's voice too. "So fucking beautiful, love, so fucking... Fucking breedable. If you weren't already full with my pup I'd give you another one right now".

Hunter murmured a "close" onto his neck, squirming on top of him, and Night squeezed his hands on Hunter's bubbly butt, feeding more of his cock into him.

"You like that, baby? Like being bred by your alpha? Pushing your ass up and beg to be filled with my cum?"

"I'mgonnacumI'mgonnacum..." Hunter whined in eccstasy, digging his fingers onto the alpha's shoulders.

"Beg me" Night ordered, suddenly tugging his hair back and forcing him to hold his purple gaze. "Beg me to come inside of you, come on, baby..."

"Please" Hunter cried, clenching impossibly around the cock inside of him. "Please, alpha, wanna' feel your warm cum inside of me. Mark me up, breed me again, please, please..."

"F-f-fuck, I-I'm..." Night pounded once, twice, three times inside of him and then he was cumming in long warm spurts inside of him, moaning next to Hunter's ears and the omega was done for too.

Hunter cried, clenching tightly one last time over him while the stars exploded all around his body, pleasant tingles spreading through every nerve til the very tip of his toes; then relaxing slowly.

God. That was...

"So good" Night mumbled, still twitching inside of him, gently caressing his hips with his fingers. "Love you, Hunter".

The omega sighed, swimming in endorphins and happiness. Yes, he had won the lottery.

THE END.

Damn, that was 🥵

Back to omegaverse masterlist here:

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jumping-joey1104 · 1 year ago

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Left Field Headcanons of the Creeps

Toby, Nina, and Ben have done some variation of a Jojo pose in front of Eyeless Jack because he looks like a Stand from the anime

Jack has never watched Jojo's Bizarre Adventures and just stands there like he's about to tell his mom he frew up

Cody and Toby are twins (nearly identical), but their dad only wanted one kid let alone two more. So when the two finally met each other they just stood there pointing at each other

Cody hates the sound of people gagging violently, however Toby would do it on purpose just to make Cody gag along with him

You know the meme

Jack is violently midwestern, like if he could still taste he would be caught putting ranch on humans before eating them. Yes while they're alive too

Slaps his thighs before he gets up, mutters ope under his breath and has a weird Iowan accent.

Has been caught standing out on the porch with his hands on his hips before saying a storm is coming

No he can't even see the sky

Jeff watches South Park on full blast

Nina has a monster can bazooka that's made of ONLY the Strawberry monsters and yes it launches cans. Yes it's covered in charms

Nina had an Invader Zim phase

Legend has it that Ben is still trying to steal Nina's "Gir" sweater

Jeff only stands like he just did an arm workout

Toby opens the bread bag to get the two end pieces and puts the bread back

Tim still thinks that the ends were sliced off and the bread came like that

Brian has watched Toby do this and refuses to tell Tim so Toby won't get in trouble

Jeff likes the Silent hill movies and says they're good unironically

Natalie has Sailor moon merch, Toby has Hunter x Hunter merch

Nina has Junji Ito posters all over her room, yes she knows their creepy. No she won't take them down

Jeff unironically likes the second Silent Hill movie

#creepypasta #creepypasta headcanon #jeff the killer #ticci toby #ben drowned #eyeless jack #cody creepypasta #nina the killer #clockwork #natalie ouellette #tim wright #brian thomas

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ameagrice · 2 years ago

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chapter twenty-one | it’s called…hope

percy jackson x fem reader

You’d gotten so caught up in your time with Travis, that it fell dark before you knew it. And despite the cold air numbing your fingertips and toes in your shoes, the two of you ran down to the canoe lake giggling like kids.

The wooden walkway provided enough space for the two of you to lay on your backs, knocking your shoe against Travis’s absently, watching as every breath pushed out puffs of white air into the cold against the dark sky. Stars had been thrown across it, clear as day.

In your Hunters coat, you didn’t feel much of the cold anywhere besides your hands, face and feet. But Travis had bundled up in a sweater, a coat, two pairs of jeans, and sneakers like he was about to do a runaway.

“You know,” his voice chattered with his teeth. “This was a lot cooler in my head.”

“You want it to be colder?” You turned yours, a teasing smile on your face. It took him a second to catch on.

Travis rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha-ha. Yeah, can see why you’re a daughter of Athena, alright.”

“Just got the brains, what can I say?”

“You got something but I don’t think it’s brains.”

You barked out a sudden laugh, and Travis grinned. “What is it then?”

“You’re too young to get it. You’re a child, still.”

You gasped, leaning on your elbow. “I’m a year younger than you!”

He sighed jokingly. “Hmm…no.”

You practically dropped back to the deck and Travis visibly winced. “Fine. Whatever. Doesn’t bother me one bit.”

“Yeah. I can tell.”

The balls of light placed around the lake offered a gentle, rosy-pink and yellow glow cast over where you both lay. In this light, when you turned to look at Travis as inconspicuously as possible—ooh, that side of the lake was very interesting—you could see that he had a golden glow to his face, and those wide eyes swept slowly across the sky, the woods, and then to you.

In your stomach, you could feel your pulse, in the bend of your arm, and you could hear it, beating away hard, quickly.

“Think I’m ‘boutta have a heartattack,” you whispered, just letting it slip out. You’d worry about the embarrassment later. Bleh. “Your face is so ugly I’m going into cardiac arrest. Seriously, sort out your eyebrows, Travis, what have I told you?”

“Damn, Brains. Here I thought we were on to something.”

“Yeah, tweezer sales. You should start looking.” Your hair rustled your jacket as you looked away.

He huffed a laugh, letting his mouth curve. Travis had a cheeky smile, the kind that yelled hold on to your wallets, everybody! He had a small, barely-there dotting of freckles under his dark-brown eyes, and lips a neutral pink. In this light, you thought he was the definition of pretty. Not handsome. Not godly. Just pretty. Boyish. Lovely.

“Have you talked to Percy today? He seemed pretty bummed out at dinner.”

You hummed. “I have, actually. He’s upset about Annabeth going missing.” Which you had already explained.

“He’s bound to be. I mean, come on, they’ve been inseparable since last year’s quest.” Your heart clenched. Stop it, you told it. “He’s the one who convinced her to give going home to her dad a try.”

Your brain short circuited. “I knew that she went,” you said. “Just didn’t know he was the one to tell her to do it. I didn’t know they were that close.”

Travis developed a confused line between his brows. “She never mentioned him?”

“If she has done,” you shuffled uncomfortably. “It wasn’t to me.” Something flickered in you.

The silence after made you think. Sure, Annabeth and Percy had gotten closer since their quest last year. How could they not after something of that nature? How could Travis have known about Percy telling Annabeth about going home if you didn’t know a thing before his mentioning it. You were either out of the loop, or wildly behind. Either way, things would be sure to come out now. You would all have to work together from now on, because things were growing tenser and more troubling.

Boy troubles would have to wait.

—

Percy’s cabin was next. On your walk back to the cabins—Travis going in first—you watched a window in Percy’s cabin light up where he flicked a lamp on. It must have been at least eleven, now, maybe pushing midnight. What was keeping him up?

You stepped away from your cabin door, quietly sneaking across the grass. If you weren’t a demigod, you’d have made a good career as a criminal, because you were at his door and knocking on it in seconds.

Percy answered, looking frayed around the edges. He pulled you in by your wrist and closed the door.

“Dude, you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge.”

He sent you a look. “Thanks. What are you doing out so late? You’re freezing.”

“It’s cold out.” You shrugged. “Anyway,” your arms crossed. “I’m here to check on you. You’ve not been up this late like this since Yancy.”

The edges of his eyes were rimmed dark red in the yellowish lamp by his bed. It smelled remotely of boy, sea salt and fresh air in here, a vast difference to your own cabin which held a slight smell of burning as of late. A result to an always experimenting cabin, you supposed.

“Just…” Percy shrugged his shoulders. He wore a simple pair of black shorts and a camp shirt a size larger, it looked. His eyes met the ground, and his shoulders drooped miserably. “Thinking about Annabeth. We’re safe here but she could be anywhere. Who’s to say she isn’t dead already?”

You pressed your lips together. Tension filled in you. Just how could you diffuse this? How could you make Percy feel better when you didn’t know the answer to his thoughts? To any of this?

“Luke’s a horrible guy,” you started, moving closer. You dropped a hand from your arm to flay it, palm up, as you talked. You wandered over to Percy’s bed, sitting heavily on it. “But he’s not so horrible as to let Annabeth die. They’ve known each other for years, haven’t they? That has to count for something.”

Percy was tired, you could tell, if his slowly dropping eyes flicking up was anything to go by. But he nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He moved and planted himself down next to you. You turned.

“C’mon,” you pressed your hand to his shoulder. “You’ll feel better when you’ve slept.”

“Why?” He pulled away, confused.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. Something Chiron told me when I had a meltdown over my shoes last summer. It was true, though.”

“This is Annabeth!” He exploded. He fixed you with a piercing, hard gaze. You almost jumped. “This is your sister! She isn’t a pair of stupid shoes and nothing is going to make this any better unless we start to do something about it!” He breathed heavily, chest heaving. His face was twisted in annoyance. “She’s my best friend and nobody’s doing anything.”

Once again you were at a loss for words. “We just have to have hope, Percy.”

You dropped your hand down, circling your fingers around his wrist softly. He twisted his hand, and turned his face away from you, red cheeks on show as his palm met yours. Percy held your palm to his tightly, almost squeezing it. It was warm and soft, and you almost melted.

“That’s all we can do.”

—

Fresh air was gained as you all stood crowded in front of your cabin. All you could do was thank your mother you had chosen a pair of decent pyjamas last night.

Huddled in your bed covers—now smelling profusely of smoke and chemicals—you watched as the grey smoke inside poured out and up into the air.

“What did you do?”

You kept your eyes on the cabin. “What makes you think I did something?” You asked lazily, drawling your words.

“Because,” Travis set his elbow on your head. You were pretty sure he was closer than necessary, but…who were you to complain? “You’re covered in ash.”

“What a genius!” You smiled with extremely copious amounts of sarcasm. Now you really did turn to Travis, whose elbow dropped, and who had an eyebrow raised, not impressed. “I don’t know how you’re not a son of Athena, Travis. Someone was experimenting and it went wrong.”

“Hey—”

“Don’t lecture me, man,” you turned back. Cora was retching dramatically in the doorway, sounds and all. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Gods—what, are you on your period or something?”

You snapped your gaze dangerously to him. The boy looked caught out, shocked at himself. His face screamed shouldn’t have said that, shouldn’t have said that.

“What?”

“Santa?”

You clenched your jaw. You turned slowly. “I beg your pardon?”

In this early morning light of a pale violet, your eyes stung, but the sight of your friend cured the morning’s sourness to a certain extent.

Percy had a sly, conniving sort of smile on his face. At your side, he had his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his coat, and his hair was a terrible mess of ruffled black.

“Whose chimney have you been up?”

“Aren’t you brave man considering.” You drolled.

Cold, tired, and feeling as though your lungs were weighed down with iron weights from whatever it was that was set off, you were in no way, shape or form in the mood for this this early.

Percy draped his arm around your shoulder. Out the corner of your eye, Travis had moved away from you both, escaping the tricky situation he put himself in, talking to a girl at his side. You were about to look away—

A girl?!?

“Listen, we need to talk about—”

You sighed heavily, coughing on the smoke. “The only—” HACK “gods—the only plan I have today is to shower, clean my sheets, and sleep. No can do any athletics or brains today, muchacho.”

“But—”

“Dude,” you moved your head, sniffing your covers. “I smell like a barbecue. Honestly, I gotta take a shower ASAP.”

“Can you meet me after, then?” He sounded tired. You nodded, not questioning it. Just as you were walking away, back towards your cabin as the last of the smoke billowed out, Percy grabbed you by the shoulder of your blanket. You looked at him. “I had a dream last night. Grover’s going to meet us in the fields after breakfast. I want to talk to the both of you together.”

You eyed him momentarily. Then nodded slowly. “Okay.”

—

“A cave ceiling collapsed on her?” Grover asked.

“Yeah. What the hell does that mean?” Percy twisted his fingers in the grass anxiously, pulling at it. You looked from him to Grover.

Grover shook his head. “I don’t know. But after what Zoe dreamed—”

“Whoa. What do you mean? Zoe had a dream like that?”

“I…I don’t know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked.”

“Hang on,” you interrupted, leaning forward a little past Percy to look Grover in the eye. “How do you know about this?”

Grover blushed. “I was sort of…camped out outside the Artemis cabin all night.”

Your jaw dropped. “Grover!”

“What for?” Percy asked.

“Just to be, you know, near them.”

“You’re a stalker with hooves.” Percy scoffed.

“I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn’t let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene.”

“What did she say?”

Grover grimaced. “Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout—I think that’s a bad thing, and then he called her—”

“Woah,” Percy sighed. “Wait. How could Artemis be in trouble?”

For once, you didn’t dare open your mouth to make some smart-mouthed remark. Not only was this important, but you wanted to know what was going on.

“I…well, Chiron finally came out of the house with his horsetail in curlers—” you snorted, “and, well, Zoe said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoe that the Hunters needed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said…she said ‘how are we supposed to get orders from her if she’s lost?’.”

“Lost?” You flicked your eyes to Percy, who looked just as confused. “What does she mean, lost?”

“Like she needs directions?”

“No,” Grover said, exhaustedly. “Like kidnapped. Taken. Gone.”

“But…” you struggled for the words. “How could someone just take a goddess? How’s that possible?”

“I mean, it happened to Persephone.”

“But she was, like, the goddess of flowers.” Percy said.

Grover looked offended. “Springtime.”

“Whatever. Who could kidnap Artemis? And why would they want to?”

Grover shook his head miserably. “I don’t know. Kronos?”

“He can’t be that powerful already, can he?”

“I don’t know. I think somebody would know if he was reformed. The gods would be more nervous, don’t you think? But still, it’s weird you and Zoe Nightshade having a nightmare on the same night.”

“It’s like they’re connected,” you said, and Grover nodded grimly. Percy had stopped picking at the grass. “The only people I can think of behind a dream like that would be Morpheus, or someone involved who took Annabeth.”

“Exactly. But who would be—”

“Hang on,” Percy turned his head, looking at you. “Who’s Morpheus?”

“God of dreams.”

“Ah. Fun. I’m gonna talk to Zoe about it. We have to figure out what’s happening.”

“Um, before you do…” Grover unzipped his coat pocket and dug his hand inside, pulling something out. It was folded like a pamphlet at a doctors waiting room. “You remember how the Hunters just turned up out of nowhere, right, at Westover Hall? Well, i think they were scouting us.”

“Scouting us?” You and Percy shared a look. “Why?”

He handed Percy the pamphlet, and Percy turned a little to share it with you. The front read A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! You turned the first page, fingers brushing Percy’s. Inside were pictures of Hunters running, shooting, or smiling, like an advertisement for a holiday camp. The different pages had captions like HEALTH BENEFITS! and A BOY-FREE TOMORROW!

“Only for the weird,” you muttered.

“I found that in Annabeth’s backpack she left behind,” Grover nodded at it.

Percy’s coat ruffled as he looked up, dark hair touching his jacket. He really needed a haircut. When he spoke, it was with a little irritation. “I don’t understand.”

It was then that you understood what was happening. The quest with Annabeth last year. The worry deeper than just friendship. A sleepless last night. And the look on Percy’s face now. You weren’t stupid (you thanked your mother, and also cursed her). It was clear to see, even if Percy didn’t (boys were typically oblivious to this stuff).

Percy liked Annabeth. This worry went deeper than friendship.

“Percy,” you said softly, a weird feeling in your body. “Annabeth was thinking of joining.”

—

You didn’t see him for the rest of the day.

Wherever you went, Hunters were, and they only reminded you of Annabeth’s leaflet, then that reminded you of Annabeth being missing, and that reminded you of Percy’s sadness, and that reminded you of the feelings you still couldn’t label.

But it all came back to the dreams both Percy and Zoe had. And thus brought you back to…

“Chiron!” You beamed, leaning in the doorway. He looked up from the chess table, opposite Mr. D. with a weary but kind smile. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

You stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind. It was warm inside as always, and the snow on your boots began to melt into the doormat. You dragged your feet along the harsh bristles and wiped it off. You’d settled on your Hunters coat; comfort over looks, in dire situations as these, and a scarf you left behind last year. You pushed your hands into your pockets.

“What is it, child?” He asked kindly.

You went to walk to the couch, but found yourself glaring at Mr. D. instead.

“Well, you certainly know how to ruin a good day. You and all those other whiny campers. Can we not simply have a bit of peace without continuous complaints?”

“Tushe,” you bit back, and he looked up, hand poised on a chess piece, face glowering.

“What is it you have come for?” Chiron cut in pointedly.

A shot in the dark, maybe. You sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about the nightmare Zoe Nightshade had.”

Chiron closed his eyes for a second. “Have you had any dreams?”

“No, but Percy has.”

You explained Percy’s dream feeling a little guilty to be spilling his personal life. But if it could help get your sister back, and prevent death, you had a reason to do so.

By the end, you found yourself sitting on the sofa, leaning forward with your elbows on your knees, looking desperately at Chiron for an answer.

“I really think that if we don’t start looking for Annabeth,” you said, trying to convince him. “She’s going to die. And from the sounds of things, Artemis will be in danger too. And then the gods will fight, and there’ll be carnage, and we’ll all die or something. It won’t end well if we sit here any longer.“

The fire crackled and popped, and you sat waiting for a response.

Finally, you got one. But not the kind you’d hoped for.

“You know what your problem is,” Mr. D. turned away from his game. “What all you heroes’ problems are? You get too involved. You cannot solve a goddess’s problem. Your friend is miles upon miles away. From what you have said so far, there is nowhere to start, no place to begin searching, yet here you are, complaining about how awful life is. Take this in, half-blood: some things just cannot be fixed.”

“What—Chiron!” You looked to him, mouth agape. “Even you’ve said that we need to look for Annabeth! And—and if we find Annabeth we might find Artemis, too, don’t you think? For them to go missing at near enough the same time can’t be a coincidence.”

Chiron’s worried, weary face reflected his thoughts. And he nodded. Relief filled you. “I agree,” he turned his head to Mr. D. “It is a very strange happening. And I fear if we leave things any longer, Annabeth and Artemis will not be the last to disappear.”

—

Capture The Flag only soured your mood further.

“I—” you tugged on a chest armour strap. “Hate. Capture. The. FLAG!”

Percy matched your energy. You turned your back to him and gestured to the straps you couldn’t pull properly. He tugged on the ones at your shoulders, tightening them. You did the same for him.

There weren’t many campers around, only fourteen, you counted, including yourself, and about thirteen Hunters. Little Nico was jumping excitedly and chattering away about his card game to a little boy called Harley, who was four and only hanging around to see the action; he lingered at Chiron’s side, obviously unable to join in with the game. He had turned up at camp just before you left last time.

“I’ll show them ‘love is worthless’,” Silena Beauregard grumbled viciously, swinging a sword between her fingers. The tree opposite her should have been scared. “I’ll pulverise them!”

“I’m with you on that one,” you said. Silence gave you a high-five.

Nico ran over to you in his clunky armour. You lifted his helmet from over his eyes, and he looked sad. “Percy said we don’t get to kill the other team.”

“Uh—no.”

“But the Hunters are immortal aren’t they?”

“The aim of the game is to have fun,” you said trying to be upbeat. “Even if it isn’t fun.”

“It can’t be fun if we don’t get to kill the other team.”

You lay your hands on his shoulders, pushing him towards Chiron. “Alright, kid! Let’s go visit Chiron. And maybe a psychologist.”

“Heroes!” he called. “You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!”

“Intentional maiming, my ass,” you muttered. Silena snickered quietly.

“Blue team! Follow me!” Thalia bellowed, and you set off.

Little Nico bolted off ahead to Percy, who didn’t look the least bit happy. Travis was bumping his hip with a girl you came to know to be Katie Gardener. Silena Beauregard wasn’t a particularly close friend of yours, but living at camp through the quieter months and the busier months when things were packed together provided the opportunity to get acquainted with people. So at your side, you agreed to stick together. Thalia and Percy would likely stick together. Nico was running amok. And the Hunters worked too well together.

Your team flag was to be set up at the top of Zeus’s fist—you’d petitioned to rename it the Poop Pile, but Chiron hadn’t let you despite all in favour of the name. You scampered up the rock, planting it in place before scaling it back down.

Nico was set on guard duty by Percy, along with Connor and Travis and Charles Beckendorf. Yourself, Silena, Katie Gardener, and two Ares boys, Laurel and Jason, would be the decoy group, a fact you weren’t too happy about.

“Make a wide arc around the Hunters. Attract as many as you can. I’ll take the main raiding party round to the right and catch them by surprise.”

Everyone nodded. It sounded good.

“Anything to add, Percy?”

“Uh, yeah. Keep sharp on defence. We’ve got four guards, two scouts. That’s not much for a big forest. I’ll be roving the place. If you need help, yell.”

“And don’t leave your posts,” Thalia warned.

“Unless you see a golden opportunity,” Percy added. A tiny smirk began to grow. You could see what was happening.

Thalia scowled. “Just don’t leave your post.”

“Unless—”

“Percy!”

Thalia set her hand on his arm, and he yelped. Everyone ‘oooh’d at the sound of the static shock.

“Sorry,” she said, though she didn’t sound very sorry. “Now, is everyone clear?”

“Loud and clear, corporal.” You swiped a salute. Thalia just shook her head, looking away. A couple of kids laughed quietly. Nico began to march childishly in his clunky armour, saluting everyone, gaining more laughs.

The horn sounded, and your team dashed off to the left.

“We’re the decoys, right?” You called up ahead to Silena and Laurel. They yelled back a confirmation. “Does that mean I can do anything to be distracting?”

“Sure, as long as it’ll work!”

Once you were further in, you walked up a tall hill, able to see Chiron standing watch further away, and some people running about.

You set about your plan.

“Hello?! Guys, we’re up here!”

A brief, surprised cackle came from one of the boys running past. In a gap of the tree crowning above, watery light streamed through and highlighted a silvery shade jacket, moving.

You set off down the hill, and were ambushed instantly by a taller girl with a long ginger ponytail.

It might have been a fair fight, if she didn’t have arrows.

“Are you sure this isn’t against the rules?” You asked. She trained an arrow on you as you moved slowly away. “I mean, that’s definitely offensive. I can’t be defensive if you’ve got a weapon like that—”

“OOF!”

You yelled out as something knocked her over. Silena!

“Aw, man, I didn’t even mean to do that. Don’t go down that hill, guys. The rocks are out to get us,” she groaned, sitting up. The Hunter shrieked, as if she were totally outraged.

“You’re all childish! You could never be Hunters! And you argue like children!”

“Cool, okay,” Silena was finally standing. She flipped her dark braid back. “Well, thanks for letting our team progress. We’ll be on our way, now.”

Her face was a picture of pure loathing. The shimmer of another Hunters jacket glimmered, and the girl yelled out.

“Leyla! I’ve got two!”

You didn’t know you could run so fast, but apparently, camp offered the opportunity for new findings. You ran alongside Silena, up the hill, and had to make a sharp dash to the right, sending sticks and mud flying as you skidded, when three other Hunters came out of nowhere. Now you had five after you. The two of you lead them away from your team.

Close by, people called out and shouted, and then began gagging.

“What’s going on there?” You asked.

“No fair!” Thalia’s voice came through. “Fart arrows are unsportsmanlike!”

As you ran on, you watched the scene unfold. Your team came back together; Percy sprinted toward Zoe Nightshade holding your flag; Chiron had Travis and Connor on his back, both pale in the face and sporting bandages round their heads. Thalia was yelling furiously. Then…

“The Hunters win!” Chiron announced, not with pleasure. “For the fifty-sixth time in a row.”

Zoe had ran over to her side, pushing down Percy in the process, and the Hunters were cheering. She waved the flag in the air, laughing gloriously, as her teammates crowded around her laughing and cheering.

“Perseus Jackson!” Thalia boomed. Everyone looked her way. Even a good few metres from you, the smell of rotten eggs was prominent. Her armour crackled with electricity. “What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?”

Percy had gotten up off the ground, and glared at Thalia. “I got the flag, Thalia,” he waved it in her face. “I saw a chance, and I took it!”

“I was their ATTHEIR BASE!” She fumed. “”But the flag was gone. If you hadn’t butted in, we would have won!”

“You had too many on you!”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Argh!” Thalia yelled angrily. She threw her hands out and pushed hard on Percy, shocking him with electricity and throwing him into a creek at the same time. A couple of people gasped—a couple Hunters tried to stifle their laughter—but some, like you, let out surprised noises. You stepped forward, ready to fetch Percy’s fried, dead body from the water if need be.

“I’m sorry!” Thalia shrunk back. She’d gone scarily pale. “I didn’t mean to!”

A wave roared as it burst from the creek, standing a few metres tall until it descended, right at Thalia, dousing her from head to toe violently.

Percy stood up, breathily heavily. “Yeah? I didn’t mean to do that, either,” he growled.

“Enough!” Chiron demanded.

Thalia held out her spear. A weird feeling you weren’t fond of began to seep through your body. “You want some, Seaweed Brain?”

Gods, did Percy’s face change.

Once more, Annabeth had inadvertently wound her way into the conversation today.

“Bring it on, Pinecone Face!”

Percy raised his sword, but before he could do anything more, lightening struck, hit Thalia’s spear like a conductor, and with a crack, hit Percy directly in the chest. He practically fell hard, his clothes singed and steaming.

“Thalia!” Chiron said. “That’s enough!”

Your friend stumbled to his feet, determined, and the water around him, every bit from the creek, rose and swirled into a massive funnel.

You soon realised what your gut feeling was for.

Percy dropped the water. He stared at something in the distance. Thalia frowned, confused, and turned as well, prompting others to do the same.

You moved forward, and it felt like every organ in your body dropped.

Something was approaching, clouded in dark green mist. It it got closer, you saw it wasn’t a something but a someone: the Oracle.

“No way,” you breathed. Even the Hunters had fallen silent. People began to step back on the sidelines as she grew closer and closer, decrepit, old, and faded. You moved back until you were out of the way. Looking at him, you said, “Chiron—”

“This is impossible,” he said, very worried. “It…she has never left the attic. Never.”

His words and knowledge did not matter, because she stopped in the centre of the group. In front of Percy.

Nobody moved. Nobody dared to. Then her voice hissed inside your head, and it was like a nightmare come to life. You hands met your ears.

I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.

The Oracle turned slowly, morbidly, to face Zoe Nightshade dead-on. Again, in your head: Approach, Seeker, and Ask.

Zoe visibly shook and swallowed hard. “What must I do to help my goddess?”

The Oracle’s mouth opened, and green mist poured out. It grazed the ground, and people stepped back to try and avoid it. You watched it pool around your ankles. That wasn’t the strangest part.

In the mist, images appeared. A mountain, and a girl you remembered to be Artemis standing at the barren edge. She was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks, kneeling with her hands raised as if to ward off an attacker. And she looked like she was in pain.

The Oracle spoke again.

Six shall go West to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan’s curse must one withstand,

And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.

Then, as everyone watched, captivated, the mist began to come together and go back into the Oracle’s mouth, like a giant snake. She stepped back, and sat down on a rock, and went still, as if she’d never moved at all.

—

Well then. How are we feeling about that? :P

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#capsize #percy jackson #pjo #leo valdez #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #jason grace #trials of apollo #hoo #nico di angelo #Percy Jackson x reader #pjo x reader #frank zhang #boo #the lightening thief #tlt #pjo x oc

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misc-obeyme · 11 months ago

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I loveloveLOVE the idea of a FarmSim! AU! Like yourself, I assume a lot of us weren’t raised as farmer’s children, and more or less grew up on Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon. (Altho I do know a bit about living in Indiana, land of the Corn and home of the Indy500, if that counts towards anything lmao). In any case, I hope you like mytake on the Sides!

In terms of Farm Sim tropes, I’d be willing to say that The Royals (Dia, Barb, and ‘Phisto) are a part of some sort of local govt. bc I cannot see them as knees-in-the-mud farmer types lol. Maybe the farm is the “ROYAL FARM OF DIAVOLO” or something to try and convince Dia’s (not-in-a-self-induced-slumber) Mega-Corp father that farms are important, and corpo factories are bad. Diavolo has no idea how farming works but he likes to watch and play with the baby animals. Barb does not appreciate the farm visits bc Dia gets super excited and cannot be told “NO” if he wants to walk across a muddy field and up to a bull like “You are a fine specimen! A complete winner!” Luckily he is blessed with “Animals Love Me” kind of luck. Barb makes sure to get the Young Master dressed appropriately for next time. You need to talk to Barbatos about ordering tools, supplies, and contractors to build/repair things like stables, wells, and greenhouses. Mephistopheles takes care of the buying and selling of animals, and you gotta “prove to him” that you can be responsible enough to handle a horse (he does inspections of the farm and makes EVERYONE take riding/horse care tests).

The angels run the local cafe/store where you can get food and seeds, among other things. They buy your products and sometimes make presents (like sweaters made from your sheep's wool). Simeon and Luke run the Cafe side of things, while Raphael runs the store. Since Luke is a bit young to be running a business, he’s more like an assistant baker and he runs the morning collection at your farm. When he has time, he’ll sing to some of the animals.

Thirteen would probably the the Farm Sim Mine Spelunking Monster Trapper or smth like that? She’ll toss some coin your way if you bring her monster parts or rare ore, and maybe she’ll give you some “recipes” to make mining tools/weapons/traps.

And like... How funny would it be if Solomon just... didn’t change? Like at all? He already fits the “supernatural element” of other farming sims. An interesting and mysterious figure that lives just on the edge of the village. If you come to him with the monster parts/ore instead of Thirteen, he could help artifice some of your farming equipment with special traits, or craft potions that help you talk to animals or w/e.

IDK what do you think?

PLEASE I AM LOVING IT.

Okay okay so I totally agree about Diavolo, everything about that is spot on. He's fascinated by farm life, but knows nothing about it just like he is with humans in the game. Totally gets himself dirty because he just wants to experience things! Come on, Barbatos it'll be fun!!

And the corporation dad, that is perfection, too. Of course Dia's trying to convince his dad that farms are good!

Barb is forever suffering lol. While he does have a garden, I can't see Barbatos doing any kind of hard farm work either. He's definitely more suited to getting permits and such, but I could see him frequenting the angels' bakery because he likes to cook. They swap recipes a lot. Maybe he hosts the cooking competition, mostly because I think that'd be so funny.

Mephisto as the animal guy is perfect, you better believe he's gonna make sure your horse area is up to par before he'll even consider letting you have one.

Love the angels running a cafe and store, that's something I could easily see them doing. And oh my heart Luke singing to the animals!! My precious baby son. I kinda see him also being partial to flowers in general, since that's the only thing he's grown in the actual game lol. Maybe he starts making bouquets or perfumes...

Oh man Thirteen as the miner/monster hunter type! She's got a forge and spends untold amounts of time wandering the woods.

Solomon is such a menace and honestly I can't see him doing anything other than being the supernatural being. I keep thinking of Witchie from Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon. Like it'd be funny if he was more like Dessie and lived in a pond, but let's be real, he's definitely the one making weird potions and magic tools and such.

And of course all the characters are also marriage candidates, so if you marry Solomon, he's gonna come live with you on your farm. Spends all day in his wizard tower on the edge of town, but at night he comes home to his lil farmer spouse lsadlkjdfjkfdkjl.

Wow my worlds are colliding so hard right now I can't even deal with it. What I wouldn't give to have all these characters in a game where I could deliberately pursue and marry one of them!

Anyway, I totally love this and your ideas! I'm pretty sure I would do some unspeakable acts to have an Obey Me farm sim game like this.

#this is fantastic and I love it #thank you for sharing this with me #now I really wanna play one of those games again lol #obey me #obey me side characters #dread-bard #misc answers

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avatarmerida · 1 year ago

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What is your favourite huntlow headcanon?💕💕

Ugh so many but a very important one to me is that Hunter is very much a girl dad ™ and he just has the worst baby fever ever. Like when he starts carving palisman and getting used to engaging with people in that way, kids absolutely love him. Like he is a local legend, golden guard who? Nah, that’s Mr. Hunter who made my palisman and makes little sweaters and blankets for them too he’s so nice. Like once he entertains the idea of having a family he is a goner.

Like Willow has always thought about it like causally like “I’ll be sure to teach my kids this” or “I wanna be this kind of parent” but Hunter never had even the faint idea of it since he never had his own family growing up so when he realizes that this is something he wants he wants it with all of his heart.

#ask #anon

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mr-walkingrainbow · 2 years ago

Text

Little details I noticed in the Owl house Finale epilogue sequence (Spoilers ahead!)

not Dana terrace adding her fucking signature in the show 😭😭😭😭❤️. Like she’s legitimately giving Luz and Award.

BRO ITS THE SAME COVEN KID! Like it’s so freaking symbolic and full circle that this was the kid shown and used as an Example when Eda was explaining how Sigils seal away all your other magic. And that now he’s the one being used as an example for removing the sigils once and for all. It’s so fucking full circle and I love it

Notes by Lilith :

bottom right : Glyph exhibit.

(Omg a glyph exhibit is so cool)

Top right : Space for student exhibits? Must ask bump!

(No but not Lilith like asking bump questions like their besties. It gives such headmaster vibes even tho that’s technically eda. A little nod to the OG Lilith where she was the headmaster of the school)

Top Middle : Note to self : Must write to flora to show off 🥴

(Yesss chbedjsj our Lilly is still wants to prove Flora wrong.)

Top right : Hall of titan reasearch

(that would be so cool considering the huge ass plot holes surrounding the Titans and why Kings dad didn’t just come back to the boiling isles like Luz did 💀)

bottom middle : Hooty is the curator.

SLAY

I can’t read the bottom right? Something about discovering something with Maya? Who’s maya? Liliths Palisman official name perhaps? Idk

GARDNER BUMP WITH BI COLORED TOOLS IN HIS POCKET????!? BI BUMP CANON?? BIMP? SIMP AND BIMBO COMBINED????

Dad Darius confirmed. ALSO WTF HUNTERS PALISMAN IS THE BLUE BIRD FROM DANAS SELF PORTRAIT ALL THOSE MONTHS AGO SEE

Not to mention I’m 99% sure I saw those antler skeleton thing on the front of the portal door cabin.

RAINES PALISMAN FINALLY!!!! Omg it looks to be the head of their violin they’ve had all these years! Also harpy Lilith being hot 🥵 AND SCARS RAINE YES

OMG TJEIR TEACHING ABOUT THE ILLUSIONS GLASS GALSTONE GRAVEYARD WHAT A THROWBACK

Eda framed the photo of her and Lilith as kids!!! And omg the photo of her Luz, King and Hooty in all of those sweaters 😭😭❤️

to the left : OMG THE OTHER BASILISKS!!! THEY FOUND THEM!!! THEIR SNOOZING SO PEACFULLY AND HAPPILY YEAH!

to the right : OMG A GIGANTIC PHOTO OF RAINE! And then a cute image of Luz and Amity! Wonder who that area must belong to 😏

Guys that is literally Steve on the left. Steve on the left is wearing a crop top, CROP TOP STEVE CONFIRMED

Wow 💀 they managed to give the Bat queens kids glow ups not not the BAtTs ??? Amber literally was a little kid she should be older by now. And come on Raine isn’t even wearing their old outfit so the uniforms don’t make sense. So confused how they were left out here

😭😭😭

for Luz’s Quince they made a Azura cake where the inside is the Bi flag 🩷💜💙

That’s all for now guys! Anyways, uh, Stan Raeda for Clear skin and Epilogue Lilith is the hottest thing to live

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shadowbunnydragon · 2 years ago

Text

Here is a special peek into an alternate universe! One where everyone's gender is swapped! It was a lot of fun and kinda a trip to go back and rewrite previous parts of the story. I hope you all like it!

And, I hope you all like the picture WastedTimeEE drew of Marigold (the female version of Marcus) in a family photo with her mom and dad, Zelda (Zach's female alternate version) and Varun (Vanna's male form)! It came out just so gosh dang cute and sweet! You can find it here on my SoFurry page in the link below! You can also find it on Wasted's pages over there and on FurAffinity!

Found (Genderswapped Shenanigans)

ShadowBunnyDragon

"What's the matter, Puppy Love?" Don asked, the diminutive ram reaching up to take the large gray she-wolf's paw in his hooves. Vera looked down at her mate with a smile before letting out a sigh, her ears and tail drooping a bit.

"Sweet sawgrass, Honey Ram," she said, rubbing her temple with her free paw. "That last place... did ya see the way that guy was looking at us? Ya'd think we were drooling, snarling monsters the way he acted!"

"I know, Vera," Don said with a note of sadness in his voice, "that is to be expected. B-between us being a pred/prey couple... and my criminal history... adopting for us was never going to be easy." The ram looked down at his hooves, only to be swept up into a (near) bone crushing hug by his much larger mate.

"Honey Ram, ya've more than made up fer that. Yer a hero! Anyone who holds yer past against ya like this, ta this degree, is just bein' more stubborn than Ma can be." Don let out a surprised OOF, but recovered and started to rub his mate's arms with his hooves. "We're two mammals lookin' to give some pups a lovin' and stable home, and gettin' passed over like that... it just ain't right."

"I know, Puppy," Don said as he was set back down. He adjusted his tie and lime green sweater vest. Rather than a full suit and tie, Don had decided to dress more upscale casual, so as to leave a good impression. Vera was wearing a light blue sundress. Normally a bit more tomboyish, she too had decided that their chances would be helped by dressing up a bit. "I suppose we have no choice but to just keep pressing forward. If it's any consolation, this place seemed much more promising than the previous one when I booked our appointment. And that was after they had completed a full background check on us." Looking up at his mate, Don's heart skipped a beat when he saw the smile that grew on Vera's muzzle. He was reminded daily of just how much he loved this she-wolf. It had been five years since their tithe and the subsequent caprid ceremony, but they still acted like newlyweds.

"I really hope that there's a little pup and lamb in there that we can open our home to," Vera said, standing up straighter and smoothing out her dress.

"I'm sure we will!" Holding his hoof in her much larger paw, Vera and Don walked up the well-maintained sidewalk path, Vera spotting the sign on the manicured front lawn.

"Warm Hearts, Warm Hearth's Children's Center," she read aloud. The red brick building, not being too far from Little Rodentia, was itself a bit on the small side. From the children's drawings taped to the windows to how well-kept the property was, it gave off more of a cozy feeling, as opposed to the more austere feeling the last facility gave off. It was a very welcome contrast to the couple as they entered the front doorway.

"Welcome," said a male kangaroo with a kind smile as he entered the reception area, wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Out from a nearby doorway came the excited squeals and happy laughter of children. "How can I help you?"

"W-we're the Hunter-Bellwethers. I believe that we spoke on the phone?" Don said, adjusting his glasses.

"Ah yes," the kangaroo said, heading on over to his desk and motioning for the couple to sit down in the chairs opposite it. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter-Bellwether. I'm Adam Hopper, by the way, director here at Warm Hearts, Warm Hearths. You two are early, by the way."

"We're just that eager ta adopt," Vera said, still holding Don's hoof in her paw. She could feel him give her a reassuring squeeze.

"I like that," Adam said, "and if you two are here, then that means that you have been approved to adopt."

The wolf and ram could hardly believe their ears. They shared a look, both with excited grins on their faces, before looking back to Adam.

"That's wonderful news," Don said. Vera was silent, but her tail thumping her chair spoke volumes to her joy. It was then that Don spotted a small wire picture frame on the desk, containing a picture of the kangaroo before them and a tiger, both wearing white tuxedos, the latter nuzzling the former. Don had to stop himself from cooing at how precious the moment captured was, but Adam seemed to have noticed. There was a certain sparkle in his eye as he continued.

"My mate and I know how hard it can be for pred/prey couples to adopt. But I want to assure you both that you have nothing to worry about moving forward."

"Uhm," Don said, shifting a bit in his seat, "a-are you sure? I mean... y-you must know about my... past."

"Mr. Hunter-Bellwether," Adam said, taking note of how the she-wolf leaned down to hug her smaller mate, "everyone makes mistakes in their past. What is important is that you have not only been able to move past it, but even gone on to become a hero to the entire city, at great risk to yourself no less. I promise you, there is no problem here." Don and Vera both felt assured by that. "Now, moving on, you said on the phone that you would prefer children older than infants or toddlers?"

"Y-yes," Don said, feeling suddenly nervous again.

"We know that most couples tend ta adopt the really little ones more than the older pups," Vera explained, "so we were hopin' ta make a difference fer some pups more in the six ta nine age-range."

"Understandable, and you really will." Adam smiled again, quickly getting back to business. "Now, you also expressed a desire to adopt a wolf and a sheep? May I ask why that is?"

"W-well, we felt that it would probably help us to connect with them and better guide them through certain things and instincts in life. L-like the headbutting phase," Don said with a blush. He received a kiss to his forehead from Vera.

"And o'course, the howling urges," the she-wolf said simply. "But we'll still happily adopt outside our species, so it's not a dealbreaker."

"Absolutely! We just want to be parents!" Don chimed in.

Adam chuckled at that. "That's good to hear," he said, pulling out a file from his desk and opening it. He grabbed a photo and passed it to the couple. "As it just so happens, we have a trio that fits what you're looking for almost perfectly." The ram and she-wolf looked down at the photo to see three young mammals, smiling and hugging in a pose for the camera. One was a black wolf pup, wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts, with bright yellow eyes. Then there was a little black-wooled ewe, in a yellow sundress. And sandwiched in between the two was... a largely furless mammal. He, as Don presumed the child was a boy, was wearing a similar shirt and shorts to the wolf pup. He had a shaggy patch of chestnut brown fur atop his head, but based on the rest of his face and arms and legs, he looked like he was otherwise devoid of any fur.

"This cute little trio think of each other as siblings, and have refused to be separated. The oldest, the little wolf boy, is Alex. He's eight. Tiffany, a sweetheart, is the ewe, and she's seven. And there in the middle is little Leon. He's six."

"Oh my... well, we only discussed having two lambs... but I don't think that three would be a problem, Puppy?" Don looked up at his mate, who was looking between him and the picture. Her tail was still wagging.

"True... three is a bigger commitment than two already was... but I ain't gunna go separatin' siblings from one another, even ones not related by blood. Though, I gotta ask, what species is little Leon? Don't get me wrong, he seems just as adorable as his brother and sister. I just never saw one of... whatever he is before," Vera said.

Adam began to rub the back of his head, looking uncomfortable. "Well, that's the thing. We don't know. We even had a sample of his DNA tested, but all we got back was an Unknown. And he doesn't match any kind of species on any registry we've been able to find. So... he's still an unknown species. And all we have to go on is that he was picked up from the streets at around age three or four."

"Oh," Don said, looking down at the picture again. "The poor little guy. He must've been so scared!"

Vera frowned at the thought of a child that young being all alone without anyone to take care of them, and let out a small whine. "Not knowin' what his species is might make it a bit harder ta relate ta him or some of the things his species goes through as they get older... but whatever he is. He and his brother and sister are more than welcome ta join our little pack... if'n they want. Right, Ramchop?"

Don looked up at his mate and, hopping up in his seat, he reached up to kiss his she-wolf on her nose.

"Of course, Puppy," Don said, handing back the photo to Adam, who kept in a snicker at how cute the couple across from him was together.

"Well, in that case, how about we introduce you two to them, and move on from there?" With an enthusiastic assent from the couple, Adam got up and led them through a short hallway into a room with some couches in it. Vera and Don took a seat on a maroon leather couch across from a navy blue one and waited while the kangaroo exited to go and get the children. Adam returned shortly afterwards, herding three young mammals into the room. Right away, Don and Vera noticed how Alex, who was wearing a red shirt with black shorts, was placing himself in front of the other two protectively, looking over at the two strange mammals with determined yellow eyes. Tiffany, who was wearing a blue dress similar to Vera's with a matching bow on her head floof, and Leon, who was in a green shirt and blue shorts, were both looking over his shoulder, soft hazel and curious deep blue respectively. Leon, despite being the youngest, seemed to be taller than his brother and sister, and was hugging a green stuffed dragon to his chest. Nervously, the three walked to the other couch and took a seat on it, huddling close together. Don and Vera both had to hold back a coo at the cuteness.

"Alex, Tiffany, Leon, this is Mr. and Mrs. Hunter-Bellwether; what do we say when we meet new people?" Adam asked in a gentle voice.

"H-hi," Tiffany spoke first. This was chorused by Leon and Alex.

"Hi there, pups!" Vera said, excited. Her tail was making a thumping sound against the couch where she sat, and that made Leon and Tiffany giggle. Alex turned to look at his siblings, before looking back at the strange couple before them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you three," Don said, beaming at the little lambs. After the initial introductions, the conversation continued, albeit a bit awkwardly at first. Don and Vera learned that Alex loved soccer, Tiffany enjoyed writing, and Leon liked to draw and explore.

"Are you going to adopt us?" Tiffany asked, putting a hoof around Leon and pulling him into a side hug. "'Cause Leon's our baby brother, and where we go, he comes with." The little ewe was polite, but very firm in her statement. Adam looked shocked and a little worriedly at Don and Vera, who both seemed to be holding back chuckles at the brave little lamb.

"Well, if y'all three don't mind the idea of us becommin' yer parents, we really would like ta adopt all three of ya," Vera said. At that, the pups seemed to relax a bit.

"You three do deserve to know that... because we're a predator and prey couple, we sometimes receive harassment for it. And... well, we just wanted to make sure you knew that, before deciding if you would like to come home with us." Don suddenly realized just how nervous he felt at that moment. Vera took his hoof in her paw and gave it another reassuring squeeze. The children huddled together on the couch, whispering to each other. Vera's ears twitched as she heard Leon's voice lightly drift over as he said "I think they're nice." Seeming to have reached a consensus, the three broke apart the huddle and, with Alex acting as the spokemammal for their group, he cleared his throat.

"... So long as me, my brother, and my sister can all stay together... then yes," Alex said, starting off sounding confident and strong, but his voice breaking a little at the end there, his little tail tucking itself as his ears started to droop a bit. Vera felt an urge to go over and give the pup a hug, but restrained herself. Instead, she and Don excitedly grinned and spoke with the children for almost another half an hour. When it was time for them to go, Adam led the children away, returning to see the couple out, and assure them that from that point onward, the adoption process was going to be much quicker. In a few more days, the couple would be able to take their children home with them. Walking back out and towards the minivan they had gotten, the she-wolf stopped and swept her mate up into another hug, which he was of course happy to return.

"This is really happening, Honey Ram," Vera said "it's like a dream!"

"I know, Puppy," Don said, suddenly finding himself sitting on Vera's shoulder. He let out an involuntary laugh-bleat. "We're about to become parents! Oh! There is so much we need to do now!"

"I know, darlin'! We gotta start clearin' out a third room, and triple check that the house is safe fer pups. And then we should probably hit up a toy store or two, and we'll need ta get a third bed for Leon, and then--" Vera was cut off by Don grabbing her head and turning it towards him. His lips met hers, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around him. Breaking apart, she felt a bit calmer, although her tail felt like it might just go ahead and break off from how hard it was wagging.

"Y'know, Honey Ram," Vera said as they continued to their car, now a husky tone to her voice, "when we get home, just because we're adoptin', that doesn't mean we can't try the old fashioned way to have yet another pup runnin' around with the three we're already gettin'." As the two buckled up, with Vera in the driver's seat, she leaned over and began to nuzzle the now-blushing Don, who had to remove his fogged-up glasses.

"I do believe that you make a very valid point, Puppy Love," he said, turning to look up at his mate with love and adoration in his eyes, that were mirrored in the bright green ones looking back at him. The two shared another kiss just as Vera turned the key in the ignition.

* * *

"Thankfully she was brought in when she was. The injury to the leg was beginning to show signs of infection," Doctor Catson said, adjusting her glasses as she looked up at Doreen. The lynx was consulting a chart, a slight frown on her muzzle. "If she had been out there much longer, she'd be potentially looking at a major infection. Which, when considering how malnourished she is, and her living conditions..." she trailed off, not needing to spell it out to the law she-wolf.

"Accordin' to my daughter and her mate, the two did some poking around the areas they believed she was livin'. Apparently she's been living off of foragin' and creek water, and some kinda canned foods. Sleepin' outside, I'm surprised she didn't get pneumonia, considerin' how wet and cold it's been lately."

"It's a miracle she was found when she was... but there's something else." Doctor Catson's small frown was now much more pronounced. This made Doreen pause.

"What is it, Layla?"

"Based... on her behavior, as well as some physical scarring, I believe that she had been subjected to physical abuse," the lynx said, her ears drooping.

Doreen grimaced but nodded, having had a similar thought based on how terrified the girl had been. Not to mention how she jumped from even the slightest noise or whenever someone spoke.

"Ya mentioned scarring?"

Layla nodded, shuffling her documents a bit, holding out a couple of photos to the white she-wolf. Doreen looked them over.

"There's scarring on the backs of her paws, but those pale in comparison to the ones on her back."

Doreen saw for herself in the picture, the small series of faded pink lines going down the backs of the child's paws. It was when she looked at the photo of her back that caused Doreen to wince, and even let out a whine. The child's back was a crisscross network of much larger, more fervent-looking scars that were much more pronounced, and nearly covered the entirety of her back. Doreen handed the photos back, a sick feeling in her gut.

"Know what coulda done something like that?" Doreen asked, a few ideas of her own in the back of her mind.

"Well, a knife or even a claw is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. However, it is in my opinion that the injuries to her back were caused by a whip."

Doreen winced again, the idea of those having been scars from a whip having been a theory that she was hoping had not been the case. After confirming that Child Services had been contacted, Doreen started to head towards the room that the mystery mammal was in, an idea beginning to take root in her mind. She quietly opened the door, entering with a practiced warm smile on her muzzle, taking slow and deliberate steps so as not to spook her.

"Now, Pup," Doreen said as she settled into the chair by the hospital bed. She looked at the older mystery mammal, who sat there in a hospital gown, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked upon the older law she-wolf with blue eyes filled with worry and fear. Doreen tok some solace in the fact that the girl was no longer shivering. "How about we start with somethin' simple, like yer name?"

"M-my name?" the young girl asked, scooting a little bit away on the bed, looking confused.

"Yep. Mine's Doreen." She gave what she hoped was a comforting smile.

"U-uh..." The girl looked away as she started to speak, now trying to make her voice sound deeper. "M-Marcus."

Doreen sighed and shook her head, internally muttering something about Pups not being good at lying. "Sorry, Pup, but yer gunna have ta do better than that."

Flinching a little, the furless mammal looked to be mulling it over. "Uh... I m-meant to say... my name's Eli?" Doreen just looked at her with an unamused, half-lidded stare. "B-Barry," she squeaked out, the falsetto now gone. After a moment of silence, she hanged her head, realizing the jig was up, and looked Doreen in the eyes. "M-my name is a-actually... Marigold."

Doreen's tail started to wag as her frown broke into a happy smile. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"... I g-guess not," Marigold said, gulping audibly.

"Now, mind tellin' me why you tried ta claim y'all were a boy?"

"... B-because p-people always said b-bad things happen to girls when they go into the 'system'," Marigold said.

"I promise that nothin's gunna happen ta ya so long as I'm around, Miss Marigold. Ya can count on that," Doreen said with a wag of her tail. "Now, how old are ya?"

"... 18."

Doreen sighed and just silently sat there, staring at the girl. Marigold fidgeted and squirmed before sighing.

"I j-just turned 12," she said, now a look of pleading in her eyes. "P-please don't p-put me in the system! I can take care of myself!"

"Oh, can ya now?" Doreen asked, pointedly looking to the bandage wrapped around the girl's calf. "'Cause according ta the doctor, that little injury there was close ta becomin' infected. And also, from the tests they ran, yer pretty underweight. How long were you out in the woods?"

"Uh... m-maybe a month?"

"And ya were by yerself that whole time?"

Marigold just nodded silently at that, a couple silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks. The sight hurt the she-wolf's heart. Looking at the vulnerable, frightened young girl sitting there, Doreen couldn't help thinking about her own girls. The idea of any one of them, being left alone at such a young age, to fend for themselves in the wilderness, made Doreen want to howl in anger and sorrow.

"Where are yer parents?" Doreen asked. Seeing how the girl began to hyperventilate at that question, once she calmed back down, the she-wolf decided to hold off on questioning further in that area for the time being. Noticing how the girl kept nodding off, Doreen smiled.

"Ya know, yer not the first of yer species I've encountered," Doreen said, taking note of the look of worry in the girl's eyes.

"I-I'm not?"

"Nope. My daughter and her mate actually adopted a group of pups not too long ago, and the youngest, my little grandson Leon, is one of yer species. And he's just the sweetest little guy. But the thing of it is... he doesn't know what yer species is called, and no one we've been askin' seems to have encountered anyone like y'all before either. So I was wonderin' iffin' you could tell me what yer species' name is?"

"... H-human," Marigold said in a faint voice, looking very confused.

"Uman? Mind spellin' that fer me?" Marigold did, after stifling a yawn.

"Okay, you've answered enough questions so far, missy. Right now it looks ta me like you could use some shuteye," Doreen said. While her mate Addy was the more emotional and nurturing of their tithing, she still had mothering skills she had developed after raising seven pups. The older she-wolf gently took the blanket and pulled it up over Marigold. The furless young mammal seemed surprised at first, before letting out a big yawn and laying down.

"Uhm... th-thank you, sheriff," Marigold said in a sleepy voice.

"Yer welcome, Marigold. Now, we'll be nearby if ya need us. I promise, ya ain't gunna be alone anymore," Doreen said softly as she exited the room. Walking out into the waiting area, she had to hold back a snort. She saw Yuki sitting with her arms crossed, looking annoyed, with a large quartz crystal sitting on her head. Right next to her was Undine, who was slowly waving another, smaller crystal, looking like an amethyst, around Yuki's head.

"This will align your chakras and help alleviate some of that stress I am sensing coming off you, Yuke." Doreen held back a chuckle at the sight of her daughters, the two younger black she-wolves oblivious to their mother's amusement. It was while looking around that Doreen spotted just the russet-and gray-colored she-wolf she was looking for, currently talking on her phone.

"Zelda," Doreen said, getting her attention. Zelda saw that her mother was motioning for her to follow, so she made quick work of hanging up and entering an empty room right behind Doreen. With the door closed, the white wolf looked upon her daughter with a smile on her muzzle.

"So what's happenin' with the girl, Ma?" Zelda asked.

"Well, that's what I wanted ta talk to ya about, Hun," Doreen started, a sly smile on her muzzle. "See, as ya can tell, she's had a bit of a rough go o' thangs, and is now all alone. And I personally hate the idea of her just goin' ta some foster home where she will be the only known member of her species. And, what's more, Vera and Don haven't been able to uncover any information about Leon's species, so it wouldn't really be a benefit fer anyone fer the poor gal ta just be shipped off to who knows where and surrounded by strangers. At least here we've been able to build a rapport..."

At that, Zelda's ears perked up and her tail started to wag. "So you and Pa are gunna take her in!"

Doreen chuckled at that. "Well, I'm sure Addy would be more than happy ta. But, we're makin' some... alterations at the ranch."

"So Don and Vera then?"

"I'd be willin' ta bet good money that they'd be willin' ta as well, but with the new pups 'n all, they don't really got that much space..."

"But, then, who else? Yuki and Adamo have barely enough time fer themselves over in Seaotter, and... wait a sec, Ma. Hold the phone!"

"What? You and Varun have that big 'ol house all ta yerselves, plus I know that Addy would just love to have another grandpup nearby ta dote on and spoil."

"Yeah, but," Zelda said, now looking thoughtful.

"Plus she's gunna need some stability with a good, permanent home. And you and Varun said ya were both talkin' 'bout adoptin'."

"... I'll have ta talk with Varun about this first," Zelda said, sounding like her mind was elsewhere, her tail starting to wag. Doreen bit down on a smirk, knowing that her daughter had already been sold on the idea.

"Absolutely! You go on and think what I said over and talk to yer mate." Doreen watched Zelda head out the door to look for the large tiger, and waited until she was out of earshot before pulling out her phone. Tapping on it, she dialed up a number. The other end rang a few times before it was picked up.

"Hey, Xena, I'm so sorry, Sweetheart, I know ya and Melly are enjoyin' some much needed R and R, but Zelda and Varun really need yer help right now. See, they decided ta become foster parents. Yes, that's right, the pup we found in the woods."

Elsewhere in the hospital, Zelda had found her mate sitting with the other Hunter boys (as they like to call themselves), with Tarin having been sitting on his head. Seeing his mate wanting a word alone, he had plucked the black-furred fox tod off his head, and instead deposited the small canid onto the head of a certain hyena.

"Hey! My head ain't no jungle-gym!" Adamo barked out in his Barx accent. Varun chuckled as he walked off so he and Zelda could speak. Of all the things he had been expecting, what came out of his she-wolf's mouth was not one of them.

"You want us to become foster parents to that poor girl?" he asked, scratching his chin.

"I know it's sudden, but we need ta act now! She needs stability and Ma and Pa can't provide it 'cause... well, Ma didn't elaborate as ta why she and Pa can't do it, but the point still stands!"

"Hmm," Varun looked to be deep in thought as Zelda continued.

"Plus, Don and Vera need all the help they can get in understanding all they can about Leon's species. And on top of that we've both agreed that we want to adopt. Granted, we thought about getting a feline or a canid child, but I think we could provide an excellent home for her and--"

"I agree," Varun said, his deep and soft voice cutting off the she-wolf mid-explanation.

"... Huh?" Zelda was stunned.

Varun chuffed happily and smiled at his mate, his tail swishing as he wrapped his powerful arms around her waist, making her blush as he nuzzled the top of her head.

"I'll admit I'm a little nervous about becoming a father, even a foster father. But... I like the idea of opening our home to the poor girl. And with Mama and Papa Hunter being nearby, it's not like we would be truly on our own."

Zelda's tail became a blur of joy, fighting back the urge to howl in pure excitement. She had been warned twice before if she did so in the hospital again that she would be given a fine. "I know we're probably gunna have ta take it slow... but I'm just so excited at the idea! Us, having a daughter!" The two shared a long and passionate kiss.

* * *

Morning sunlight cascaded through the bedroom window, bathing everything it touched in a warm golden glow. This included the cuddled up forms of Vera and Don, the former of which was practically encircling the latter with her body. Slowly, the two began to stir. Don's eyes fluttered open as he buried his face in his mate's neck ruff, while Vera affectionately nuzzled his head floof.

"Mornin', Floofy," Vera said with a smile, her tail thumping the bed.

"Good morning, Puppy," Don replied with a yawn and a smile.

Vera looked her mate over as she stretched a little. "Ya had the dream again, didn't'cha?"

The ram winced and nodded. "Y-yes, but instead of it just being Diana and my m-mother, there were also what I think my subconscious decided were what adult humans looked like for my dream. Only instead of looking more like Marigold or just a taller Leon, they had long gangly arms with many different joints, and could unhinge their jaws. And they kept trying to take Leon away with them." Don shuddered at the memory of the dream, feeling comfort from Vera gently pulling him closer.

"Hey, now, that's never gunna happen, Darlin'," Vera said, looking Don in the eye. "Leon, just like his brother and sister, is our pup, and no one is gunna take any of them from us."

"I know, Puppy Love... but a part of me just can't stop worrying."

"That's just you being a good dad." Vera smiled and kissed her ram on his nose, making him blush and let out a happy bleat. Don snickered and reached up into Vera's ruff, easily finding the spot he was looking for and scratching it. Vera's right leg immediately started to twitch as her tongue lolled out and she rolled over, unable to stop herself. Don stopped when he heard some giggling coming from their bedroom door. Vera's ears twitching at the sound, the two turned to look and saw their children poking their heads through, only to suddenly dart back out having been caught.

"Am I correct to believe that some little lambs decided to peek in on Mommy and Daddy this morning?" Don called out with a smile on his muzzle. There were some giggles outside the door, before the children apparently composed themselves, and opened it properly. In they came, with Alex in the lead carrying a tray with food on it, followed close behind by Tiffany, who was cuddling her new wolf plush named Mrs. Sniffy, and Leon, who was carrying a relaxing Sir Callibrie in his arms, the little lizard looking about and letting out a content chirp. The children were still all in their pj's, Alex in his soccer-themed pajamas, Tiffany in her yellow nightgown, and Leon wearing his much-too-large for him black Samurai Snakes t-shirt over gray pajama bottoms.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" the little human boy called out in excitement.

"Uh... w-we thought you might like breakfast in bed?" Alex said, looking away and trying to sound casual, but his perked up ears and slowly wagging tail were a dead giveaway for his anticipation. Don let out a coo at the cuteness before him as Vera chuckled and the two disentangled to allow the children to approach.

"Well now, that sounds so thoughtful," the ram said, grabbing his glasses from the bedside table and putting them on. Alex carefully, but quickly walked over to set the tray down in front of Don. "Now, what do we have here? Oh! Why, is that a fruit salad I spy?" Seeing Alex blush beneath his dark fur while looking away was a dead giveaway to Don. "Do I have you to thank for this thoughtful and tasty-looking salad, Alex?"

"Uh... w-well... yeah," Alex smiled as Don took a few bits of the cubed honeydew and mango, popping a strawberry in his mouth as well.

"It's delicious, thank you, Alex," Don said, leaning over and pulling his oldest son into a hug. The young wolf let out a surprised yip, but was quick to return the hug, now blushing more.

"And what's this little treat here?" Vera asked, pointing to two pieces of toast that appeared to have some kind of black frosting spread over them, with a white face drawn on, and plenty of black and white and purple sprinkles.

"I made Pirate Toast!" Leon said proudly, setting a squirming Sir Callibrie down on the bed, who darted over to Dawn and up his arm, coming to rest on his head floof, curling up to relax once again.

"Pirate Toast? Now that sounds adventurous," Don said, picking up a slice. "Did you design them to look like little pirate flags?" He smiled when Leon proudly nodded. "You are such a little artist! They look just like the real thing... only toastier!" That got a giggle from the lambs.

"I used the vanilla cake frosting I found in the cupboard, and didja know that if you mix the red, green, and blue food colorings together in it, it turns black?"

"I certainly didn't," Vera said, scooping Leon and Tiffany into her arms and setting them on her lap, her tail thumping. "What else is in it?"

"Well, I also added some sprinkles I found," Leon said as Don took a big bite of his toast, "and some red glitter!" Don froze at that, immediately feeling the tiny pieces of decorative plastic in his mouth. Vera looked to be holding back a snicker while Don continued to chew his bite, giving it a swallow while Leon looked on with joy in his eyes.

"Ah, so you did. Well... that is truly delicious, buddy, thank you." Don was quick to grab the glass of cloudy dark liquid and take a sip. It had a sweet, citrusy taste to it. "Oh my, this is lovely. What is this juice?"

"I made you Outer Space Juice, Daddy!" Tiffany squeaked.

"Now what's all in Outer Space Juice, sweetie-pie?" Vera asked, looking down at the ewe in her lap. Tiffany gazed back up at her mother with a bright smile.

"It's cranberry juice with the powdered orange drink for Astronauts mixed in! Though I wanted to pour some Deep Space Cocoa Spheres in, Alex said not to." Tiffany was very matter-of-factly about her response, letting out a giggle when Vera gave both her and her little brother a loving squeeze.

"We can make some more juice and fruit salads and pirate toast for everybody," Leon chimed in, prompting Vera to stand up, setting the two of her younger pups on her shoulders.

"Why don't I come down and help y'all with that, honey?"

"'Kay, Mommy!" Leon reached over and wrapped his little arms around her neck. The she-wolf's tail started to wag while she looked at her mate and gave him a wink. Don looked relieved as, with Leon watching, he hesitantly took another bite of the pirate toast. With the younger lambs now out of the room and down the stairs, Don sighed with relief and let out a chuckle. He then looked over to Alex, who was shuffling uncomfortably on his paws.

"Something wrong, Alex?" Don asked.

"Uh... I guess while I was busy keeping the cereal out of the juice, I musta missed Leon getting the glitter... sorry," Alex said, only to find himself being hugged again.

"There's nothing to apologize for, son," Don said with a warm and gentle smile. "That was a lovely breakfast."

Down in the kitchen, Leon was in the middle of making up some more batches of pirate toast, with Vera 'making sure thangs ran smoothly'. When Leon wasn't looking, she grabbed the jar of glitter and dumped it down the sink drain.

"Aw, shucks, honey," Vera said, feigning disappointment. "It looks like we're all out of glitter."

"Awww! But pirate toast needs glitter!" Leon looked contemplative. "I guess I'll just have to borrow some of Tiffany's glitter glue in a little bit."

Vera left Leon at the counter and took the little ewe who had been mixing some more glasses of juice together aside, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Alright, darlin', I'll give ya five bucks if ya can hide the glitter glue in yer room from Leon."

"Why, Mommy?" Tiffany whispered back.

"Uh... th-there's a glitter shortage and we need ta preserve as much as we can?"

"I'm on it!" Tiffany said, quickly running off.

"Where'd Tiffany go?" Leon asked, looking up at Vera with wide blue eyes.

"Er... she went ta go see if she can get ya that glitter glue ya mentioned. But she thinks it might be lost."

"Oh no!" Leon whined in disappointment. Vera was quick to wrap a loving arm around his shoulders.

"It's okay, sugar-pie! Pirate toast can still be great even iffin' we're outta glitter of any kind." She kissed the top of his headfur, making her little boy giggle.

"Okay, Mommy!" And with that, Leon dove right back into it, using some of the frosting he had separated and not added any food coloring to it to draw the skull and crossbones on the toast.

* * *

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, the twilight slowly giving way to the growing dark. Varun sat leaning up against a tree, looking at the first twinkling stars beginning to show, letting out a contented sigh. The large tiger's ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps. His tail swished as he smiled at his mate sidling up next to him. Varun slipped an arm around Zelda's waist as she leaned into his powerful frame.

"Yer just so sweet with Marigold!" Zelda said, her tail a happy blur. "She looked like she was havin' a lot of fun playin' catch!" She thought back to how nervous their foster pup had been when they'd first brought her home, always walking on eggshells around the two of them. It had broken her heart how often the girl would flinch whenever someone spoke to her.

"It did seem to help her come out of her shell a bit," Varun chuckled. "I'm actually thinking about teaching her how to play baseball. We've got a bat in addition to the gloves."

"That's a wonderful idea!" Zelda felt like she could howl. "I just love havin' a little girl ta dote on and do Mother-Daughter thangs with!"

Varun chuckled. He had found Zelda's adoration of Marigold adorable, especially since the girl didn't seem to have had any positive female role models, at least based on how much she went out of her way to try and please Zelda. He had found that the girl had seemed especially nervous around him at first, though Varun had taken the initiative to help break the ice by playing some games with her. She had seemed very confused about how the Z-Box One worked as well as video games as a whole, but starting with a simple game of catch, he had found the young girl had started to open up.

"I never took you for much of a girly-girl," Varun teased, kissing Zelda's nose. She rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive paw.

"Oh hush. I'm just as feminine as the next gal. It's just that li'l Marigold desperately needs some TLC and somethin' we could both bond over."

"Like dress shopping?" Varun chuckled, taking note of the light green sundress his mate was wearing, and how it was a similar shade of green as their uniform shirts. Zelda just rolled her eyes.

"We were out in town today and I saw her lookin' in the display windows. 'Course I took her inside so we could find somethin' she'd like... the fact that she and I got matchin' dresses, the exception bein' hers needed to be tailored a bit so that it didn't have a tail hole in the back, was just a happy coincidence." Zelda blushed a little, though her tail continued to wag. Varun let out a happy chuff, and held her tighter.

"Of course, my love," he said, looking around. "Where is Marigold, anyway?"

"Oh, she said she was feelin' a little worn from the day, what with goin' out with me, and then that cute little pie caper Leon went and solved," Zelda said with a slight giggle. "I still can't believe that Tarin tried to frame that cute li'l lizard of Leon's... or how well he figured it all out."

"Mama Doreen certainly seemed excited by his detective work."

"Don't let Vera hear ya say that," Zelda giggled, "she's so worried that Ma will try and push policin' on him that she's tryin' ta clamp down on anythang of the sort around her pups."

Varun looked off in the distance, stiffening suddenly. "Zelda, you said that Marigold was going to rest, correct?"

"Yeah, why darlin'?" Zelda asked, confused.

"Because I just saw her climbing out of her bedroom window with that little case in her arms, running off into the forest," Varun said simply.

"What?!" Zelda jerked around and, sure enough, she could just make out a figure running away from their house and deeper into the trees. Without a work, she grabbed her mate's paw, and started to drag him through the trees after them. "Somethin's gotta be wrong! And what if she hurts herself again like when we first found her?!"

"My love, please try and calm down, I'm sure that everything's fine," Varun said in an attempt to reassure his mate, but with a pit of worry forming in his own gut regardless. They stopped not too far from their house, near the edge of a small clearing with a stump near the center. Varun and Zelda were hiding behind a tree as Marigold was looking around, a worried expression on her face. She was still wearing the same green sundress from earlier, it taking on an ethereal glow in the fading twilight as the light of the full moon was beginning to shine. All around, fireflies were starting to take flight.

"We gotta be quiet, or else she'll hear us," Zelda said from where she was crouched.

"So whatcha think she's up to?" Tarin asked, poking his head up from a bush to Zelda's left.

"I'm not really sure yet, we just saw her runnin' off and... Tarin? What're ya doin' here?" Zelda asked, looking down at the black-furred fox tod who was smiling casually back up at her.

"I saw you both running off into the woods and decided ta see what was happening. I figured that it might be something fun."

Zelda rolled her eyes while Varun had to choke down a chuckle at the antics of his unofficial brother, as all the 'Hunter Boys' liked to think of themselves.

"Tarin, ya ain't s'posed ta be here, now git!" Zelda hissed.

"Who ain't s'posed ta be here?" Tyra asked. The arctic she-wolf scooped up her mate and set him on her shoulders.

"T-Tyra?!"

"What? I saw my cute little ball of fluff run off inta the woods, naturally I'd follow him," Tyra said as Tarin rested his head on hers.

"Sounds ta me like youse was thinkin' of maybe gettin' up ta somethin' naughty out here in da woods, away from where anybody could see or hear yas," Adamo said, stepping from behind a tree, the male hyena grinning with a toothpick in his mouth.

"Adamo?!" Zelda clapped a paw to her forehead. Removing it, she saw Yuki standing there, trying to look bored.

"We were makin' out when ya two started yappin' about Zelda bein' a girly-girl and then heard ya decide ta chase after Marigold," the black she-wolf growled as Adamo squeezed her side.

"Yeah, and we wanted ta make sure dat youse wasn't gunna go and invade that goil's proivacy," Adamo said, looking pointedly at Zelda, whol was wringing her paws.

"I thought that she might be tryin' ta run away or somethin'... I just wanted ta make sure she was safe! That's my puppy after all!" Zelda blushed, clearly flustered. Adamo pulled her into a hug to comfort her.

"She was probably drawn to this spot thanks to all the positive energies that emanate from it," Undine's voice could be heard up above. Looking up, everyone saw her sitting on a tree branch with Melvin laying in her lap.

"It is a pretty peaceful spot," the male honey badger said, looking up at the stars through the canopy. He was holding a bowl of popcorn in his claws.

"What, did a memo go out or somethin'?!" Zelda asked, exasperated.

"Now now, sweetie," Adrian said, inexplicably standing next to a very surprised Adamo and Yuki, with an embarrassed-looking Doreen standing next to her. "As it just so happens, this here spot is a favorite fer yer Ma and me fer our little picnics."

"Well, they start out as picnics," Doreen said, wrapping her arms around Adrian's waist, making the older gray wolf wag his tail and chuckle.

"Ma! We didn't need ta hear 'bout that!" Vera said from right next to Zelda, making the auburn she-wolf whip around. She saw Don perched on his mate's shoulders.

"Okay, is everyone we know here in the woods tonight?!" Zelda demanded. Right then, as if on cue, Gareth tumbled to the ground nearby, Winnie in his arms, Xena and Melanie tangled up in the gangly giraffe's legs.

"Oi! You two! What's the big idea about scamperin' in between me legs?!"

"It wasn't our fault that you didn't look where you were walking," Xena pointed out, adjusting her glasses. Standing up and brushing herself off, she reached down and scooped Melanie up into her arms, the two kissing. "Are you alright, Butterball?"

"I'm just fine, Fluffytail," Melanie said, putting her arms around her mate's neck, all the while Winnie was helping her own mate to his shakey hooves.

"No need to fret over me, love," Gareth said, leaning his head and neck down to smile at the she-wolf he was lucky to have found.

"Hey, that just seemed like a nasty fall, that's all," Winnie said, her tail swishing.

"Can y'all just keep it down! I'm amazed that Marigold hasn't heard all y'all!" Zelda quietly snapped. Everyone grew silent at that, and looked out into the clearing. Marigold was kneeling next to the stump, where she had set her case down on it and opened it. From inside, she pulled out a photograph.

"Hey, Ryan," they could hear the girl's soft voice float over on the gentle breeze. "I just... I remembered that today is... was... your birthday... and I just wanted to let you know that I'm keeping my promise." Her voice hitched a little, but she composed herself. "I'm still moving forward, b-big brother... I m-miss you so much." She wiped a tear from her cheek, before she stood up and pulled out a well-cared for violin from inside the case. She tested the strings to make sure they were in tune before taking a stance.

"Happy birthday, Ryan," she said, raising the bow to the strings. Then, she began to play. As the tune began to ring out gently in the clearing, sounding like a bouncy and fun folk tune, Marigold began to sway and twirl, spinning on her feet. As the music picked up the pace, but the tone became something more melancholic, Zelda realized that not only was Marigold skilled at playing her fiddle, but she also had some training in ballet. With each new song, the girl would dance and pirouette, leap and spin-turn, and perform other moves that Zelda didn't know the names of. She and the rest of the family watched, entranced and silent, at this little concert that the newest addition to their family was putting on, for her brother who, most of them guessed based on what they had overheard, was no longer alive. The full weight of what this moment must represent to her foster daughter suddenly hit Zelda, just as Marigold seemed to be slowing down in both the dancing and her playing.

"S-sweet sawgrass," Zelda said as Marigold seemed to be finishing on a long, mournful note. "W-we all can't let her know we saw this!"

"Truly a great invasion of her privacy," Xena mused, only to suddenly be pushed by Zelda.

"Enough musin', we gotta move, now," she barked as quietly as she could. Everyone started to head back the way they had all come, when there was a sudden loud CLICK. Turning, they all saw that Marigold had returned everything to her case and snapped the latch shut. She got up and proceeded to walk back to the house... which was in the same direction everyone in the family sans Vera and Don's pups were in at that moment. Scrambling, the Hunters and their mates ran through the trees and underbrush, avoiding the scant trail like the plague. Everyone darted around to the other side of Zelda and Varun's house. Varun stealthily peeked out from around the corner, watching as Marigold was looking all around, before trying to stealthily climb back in through her bedroom window. A few very loud thumps later, and she was back inside, none the wiser. Varun released the breath he had no idea he had been holding, all the while Zelda was making everyone swear that they wouldn't say a thing to Marigold about this.

"B-but," Undine whined, holding up her camera, "it was so in line with the natural energies of the clearing! Folks would be so energized and helped by seeing the video I took of it!

And here it is! The peek into the genderswapped AU of Found! I might do another in the future, but holy crap did this one take a bit of time! I hope everyone is having a great summer!

#zootopia #adoption #foundfamily #found #zootopia2electricboogaloo #human #genderswap

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