#i honestly think the problem was the dogs at the shelter that could be heard barking all the time

[aleatoryw]

the shelter: this cat is very timid and quiet. she spends a lot of time hiding, and we have never heard her make any noise

the cat after being in my home for a few months: *meowing because I'm not paying attention to her* *meowing because she entered a room* *meowing because she ate the last of her food* *meowing because I came home from work* *purring*

[imagineanime2022]

She's A Gamble

Ciel Phantomhive X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 882

Requested: Anon

Request: If it’s okay, can I request Ciel with a fem!s/o who’s like Celestia Ludenburg from Danganronpa? If you don’t know who that is I’ll give a brief description. S/o is really good at gambling, like she has never lost a match, really intelligent, dresses in a gothic Lolita like style, lies a lot to get her way and she get really scary when she’s angry.

AN: Ciel is aged up for this, I know canonically he went to a lot of seedy places but we’re just going to age him up for the themes and romance.

Ciel met you when he was investigating something for the Queen, you had caught his eye as the only woman in the place and seemingly the most sort out gambling opponent and in some cases ally. You were dressed in a gothic lolitia style dress, it was black with the pastel purples accented lace and accessories, honestly from Sebastian’s point of view you matched the young master perfectly and that was only proven more right with you sharp tongue and you ability to turn any situation into a winning one.

You glanced at the queen's guard dog as he walked into the small underground gambling ring. “Don’t get distracted sweetheart.” One of the men on your right spoke and you looked at him and rolled your eyes. “I’m not distracted.” You answered, putting your cards on the table and effectively ending the game, you gathered the winning that you had acquired but before you could move away from the table the man grabbed your arm, you glanced down at the harsh grip around your wrist. “Sebastian.” You vaguely heard across the room before a shadow loomed over you but you looked up at the tall butler and smiled. “Please sir, go back to guarding your master. I can handle this thug.” The smile on your face was sweet, almost sickeningly so, you were almost unnerving to the others around, the man in front of you that you later learned was Sebastian bowed in response and stepped back, though he still remained close in case you needed help. You easily twisted your arm out of his grip and slammed the man's face into the table. “I’ve been attending these underground meetings for as long as I can remember so I suggest you think before you attack me next time, your status does not protect you down here.” “You’ve been here before?” Ciel asked as you walked past him. “Ciel Phantomhive.” You smiled, you were trying to be friendly it would seem but Ciel had been lied to before. “You know my name?” He asked. “Everyone knows the name of the best bachelor in town, you know after you and Elizebeth parted ways, every eligible bride had your name in their mouth and all of their father’s ended up here.” You explained. “I told you young master you are somewhat sought after.” Sebastain said from his place behind him. “You’ll do.” Ciel finally said and you looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “For what?” You asked, leaning towards him. “I intend to destroy this place by order of the queen, you are going to help me do it.” He said and you looked at him and smirked. “As you wish.” You nodded. “Your name?” Ciel asked. “I’m sure you already know that.” You said as you disappeared into the crowd to continue your winning streak.

Years later and the ring was shut down but you hadn’t left Ciel’s life in fact he offered you shelter in his home after realising that you didn’t have anywhere else to go. He noticed that if you were good at talking, should you find yourself in a situation that could ruin his reputation or that of someone close to the family, you could talk your way out of the problem and even sometimes flip the blame. People just assumed that you were a couple considering he would usually take you to events, dance with you or use you to redirect attention.

Before you knew it you were acting like a couple without having made it official so one day after Sebatian had brought Ciel his tea you decided to go and see him. “Ciel.” You called as you opened the door, the other servants had nearly had a heart attack when they realised how informally you addressed the young master. “(Y/N) what are you doing up here?” He asked. “I wanted to ask you something.” You said closing the door as you walked towards the desk, he had the tea Sebastian had brought him in his hand. “Yes?” He urged you to continue. “Well I wanted to ask you about how long you planned to string me along.” You said, you had decided on the way up that you needed to be more direct otherwise he just wouldn’t understand what you were saying but by the way that his cheeks heated up you might have been too direct. “Excuse me?” He asked. “”Well you treat me like someone you are courting and yet you haven’t asked me for permission.” You smiled as you walked around the back of the table to stand in front of his chair which had been side facing the whole time. “Any reason for that?” “I was unaware that was how you felt.” He said after a moment of thinking “do you want an official courting?” “Do you remember what I called you when you first met me?” You asked as you leaned forward, hands on either arm rest effectively caging him in as your face got closer to him “who wouldn’t want that, my love?” You leaned forward pressing a quick kiss to his lips before standing up and leaving “I’ll be waiting for your official proposal.” Ciel didn’t say anything he just watched as you left through his office door.

Request Here!!

[lilacella]

I've got 99 problems, would you like to be one?

Ao3

Chapter 3: Like Cats and Dogs

Previous Next

"Just leave him, you know he'll come around to it."

The female voice coming from the corridor in front of the common room made Remus look up from his book.

"He better! If he thinks this is negotiable..."

That was Sirius, unmistakably. Apparently the board meeting hadn't went as smoothly as they both had hoped.

AWERE had been founded with the intention to help werewolves of all classes and backgrounds. But children had never been considered. Maybe because the thought of children being affected was too hard to stomach to even think about or maybe because they needed a lot more in depth care than adults.

The inhabitants of the housing project were mostly responsible for themselves. Food and shelter were provided, but they were expected to prepare their own meals - except for two days after the moon where, Remus had been told, the board members pulled double shifts to make sure everyone was taken care of - and to mostly occupy themselves.

Children however came with a whole different bag of responsibilites. They needed supervision - depending on the age pretty much constantly, they needed to be fed and kept clean, they needed to be taught and parented.

The association simply didn't have the resources to provide these services on top of what they already did. The active members consisted of only five people: Sirius, Gilford, Acacia, Renfred and Aisling - a lot less than Remus had assumed. And they already ran on fumes.

Still, Sirius had assured him throughout the past week that Olivia would be able to stay. As long as Remus stayed with her and took over the main responsibility.

He hadn't been ready for this. It had scared him and honestly, taking care of a child on top of the mess he currently called his life was the last thing he needed.

Of course he had agreed.

Olivia needed someone. And as scary as it might seem, Remus would do his best to step up. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, as long as Sirius had his back...

The door to the common room was pushed open and Sirius and Acacia entered. Olivia looked up from her magical creatures puzzle and excitedly waved at them.

Sirius smiled back but Remus could see the worry in his eyes. That did not bode well.

"Go talk to Remus," he heard Acacia say quietly while she nuged Sirius towards the couch Remus was sitting on, making her own way over to Olivia. "Wow, you almost got it solved already! Good job!"

Sirius plopped down next to Remus and sighed. Then he glanced over to the book on his lap with a smirk.

"Oh my, you are reading a book? I thought you never do that!"

Remus snorted in annoyance and slapped the book shut.

"I merely said that it's not the only thing I do."

"Which I never implied."

"Yes you did!"

"No, I just said you would enjoy the library and you got all catty..."

"I didn't get catty, I just pointed out that..." Acacia shot them a look from across the room and Remus faltered.

"How did the meeting go?"

Sirius dropped back into the seating and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Peachy. Gilford thinks Olivia will 'destabilise the integrity of the whole project' - ridiculous, really - and I think Aisling just doesn't want our workload to increase. Acacia is on my side though. I think Olivia reminds her of her sister..."

Remus nodded. During a quick intro to his fellow board members, Sirius had mentioned how Acacia joined because her little sister got bitten young and died, because the local hospital had refused to treat her.

"I think Aisling might be onto something...If you take one, you are..."

"Setting a precedent, Merlin you sound like Gilford," Sirius growled. "So what, then let's set a precedent! We should figure out what we can do for affected children anyways, we might as well start now!"

"But you don't have the people for it."

"We've got you, for Olivia. And...Well, I guess I agree that we can't make this a large scale situation now. But I don't think it is ludicrous to allow children, as long as they are accompanied by an adult."

Remus nodded again. "I'm the adult."

Sirius laughed.

"Looks like it."

"So can she stay?"

"Yes. But Gilford hates it and will blame me, if anything goes wrong. And he refuses to take any type of responsibility for her so if it's his shift, you will be on your own I'm afraid."

"That's alright." Remus drew thoughtful circles on his thigh. These were good news. If Olivia wouldn't have been able to stay, he would have left with her. And he didn't want to leave. He didn't like to admit it, but Sirius was really a life saviour in this case..."Thank you, for taking care of this."

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly and leaned his arm onto the backrest behind Remus.

"It's no bother."

He threw a look at Remus' book again.

"What are you reading?"

"The tragic tales of Timonberd the Troll hunter. It's a memorial biography for... Well, for Timonberd the Troll hunter. Apparently he died in a ravine because a Troll threw a rock at him... It's not very good."

Sirius grinned in amusement.

"Then why are you reading it? Considering that you have so many other options..."

Remus huffed. This fucker.

"It's not like I don't have any interests besides reading, it's rather that I lack the energy to do much..."

That should shut him up.

"Excuses. You could do anything you wanted, for at least two weeks of the month. You just like reading, admit it."

"I want to kill you, how about I do that?"

Sirius grinned widely.

"See, that is a great idea! Would keep us both busy."

Remus felt warm. Something about bickering with Sirius like that felt oddly comfortable. Like it was something that was theirs...

"You are one to talk about hobbies, actually. What do you even do besides AWERE? You are here all the time!"

Sirius let out an indignant gasp.

"I do have hobbies! I have my bike..."

"Riding a vehicle is hardly a hobby."

"Well, I also need to fix things on it occasionally..."

"Fix things?! I thought it was perfectly safe?"

"It is, because I fix the things!"

"Still, hardly a hobby. What else have you got?"

Sirius snorted and crossed his arms.

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

"So you don't have anything else then."

"I do! I read, as well."

"You do?"

"Did you just sound surprised?!"

"No no, I've just never seen you read..."

"Because I read so fast."

Remus couldn't hold back a laugh.

"I bet you do."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Now, Sirius seemed actually a little offended.

"No," Remus said quickly. "Reading has nothing to do with how smart you are..."

"I do read though..."

"Fine, name five authors?" This was a stupid question, but ribbing at Sirius was just so much fun...

"Oh boy, be careful that you don't get a cramp, holding that gate so tightly..."

Remus spluttered at the mental image.

"I'm sorry I'm just getting at you."

Sirius rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Are you reading anything right now?"

"Yes. But it's mostly specialized non-fiction to be honest. I don't think I could get invested into Timonberd's adventures..."

"It's a hard thing to do."

"Trollskin hard..."

They burst into inexplicable laughter.

Remus had found that he enjoyed spending time with Sirius. With him, things just seemed to flow. Sometimes in the wrong direction, leading them into whitewater, always in motion, never stalling, but it didn't concern Remus. He knew that if he would fall off the boat, no matter how mad Sirius would be at him in the moment, he'd jump after him in a heartbeat. And then continue to pretend like he really didn't care at all, after dragging him back on board...

Pretentious bastard.

**

"Ouch, you are pulling too hard!" Olivia slapped Remus' fingers off her head. "And this looks really bad!"

"I'm sorry, I'm not very well versed in braiding hair..."

Olivia pulled on her half braided plait and inspected it with open distaste. Remus cringed in frustration. He was trying his best here!

Something Remus hadn't considered when taking over the care of the small girl, was the long hair. You couldn't just keep it open, it would tangle horribly and brushing it at night would become an unmanageable ordeal.

Remus had figured out how to do a ponytail and pigtails, quickly. Wasn't that hard. Brainding, on the other hand turned out to be rather complicated and he was a little out of his depth. But Olivia had asked for plaits and Remus really didn't want to dissapoint her.

An idea crossed his mind.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

He rushed out the door towards the reception where Sirius was bent over a notebook, scribbeling down numbers.

"Hey. Are you busy?"

Sirius looked up and regarded him with a brief smile.

"Just writing the list for next month. We are low on a bunch of stuff... Do you need anything?"

"Uhm. Yes. Could you maybe just come with me real quick?"

Sirius frowned, but followed Remus into his room.

"I can't figure out how to do plaits. And... I thought maybe you knew how to."

Sirius crossed his arms, defensively.

"And why would I know that?"

"Well, you've got long hair and..."

"Is it braided?"

"No, but..."

"You are unbelievable."

Sirius shoved Remus aside and picked up the questionable braid.

"This is parted awfully, and what is this supposed to be?"

Remus pressed his lips together. Olivia giggled.

"He is really bad!"

"Don't worry love, I'm here now," Sirius said softly to Olivia, shooting Remus a side-eye, before proceeding to undo Remus' work while clicking his tounge with contemptuousness.

"I want pretty plaits! Not the simple ones!"

"French or fishtail?"

Olivia squealed. "I don't know. Pretty ones!"

"Then let's go for french braids today," Sirius said as if these words were commonplace knowledge and started brushing Olivias hair into more even parts.

He threw Remus a look.

"Don't just stand there. Pick up the other side and follow along! I'm not going to do this everyday!"

Olivia giggled and kicked her feet on the chair as Remus meekly followed Sirius' directions.

"So you do know how to braid," he stated as he tried to somehow follow what on earth Sirius was doing there, pulling strands from the outside in and crossing them over in a rapid rhythm, creating a clean and even pattern. Remus own fingers constantly got entangled in the hair and he had to reopen sections, because they looked wonky.

"But not my own. Used to do it for my cousins when I was a kid. When we were still close... Kept me busy during all the dismal family functions."

Remus realised, that he barely knew anything about Sirius' family. He knew that the Blacks were blood supremacists, all in Slytherin, except Sirius.

Sirius, the black sheep of the black family. Rather ironic. He also knew, that Sirius had ran away from home during one summer. Apparently things had been pretty bad. Remus didn't know any details, only faint gossip and theories about the most horrible things. He couldn't imagine them to be true. Or maybe he just didn't want to imagine something like that happening to carefree, brave Sirius.

"What are you doing? You will ruin her hair!" Sirius pulled Remus' hand off the braid, having already finished his own and swiftly undid Remus' braiding once more.

"Watch closely! Take hair from the outside, right over the middle. Take hair from outside again, left over the middle. It's really not that difficult!"

"I'm just not used to it, okay? No need to be so snappish."

"I'm not snappish, you are..."

"Are you two in love?"

Olivias innocent words made them both freeze up.

"What?"

"Well, Mommy always said that if a boy is being mean to me, it means he likes me. So you two like eachother?"

Sirius smiled painfully and mumbled between gritted teeth: "What a great thing to teach a child. Maybe it's good we are keeping you here..."

"We aren't mean to each other," Remus tried to explain. "We were just..."

"Bantering." Sirius helped him out.

"Right. Just bantering. Friendly."

"So you aren't in love then?" Olivia didn't seem entirely convinced. Sirius shot Remus a look that he couldn't quite read.

"No, love. Were just... Friends."

Sirius let Remus take over the braiding again, this time only gently correcting him when he picked up the wrong strands.

**

"Can I keep it?" Olivia looked up at Remus with large, pleading eyes, tightly clutching the crusty stray cat she had met while playing on the street and had promptly carried into the foyer.

"No pets! Take the cat outside!" Aisling said sternly and pointed towards the door. Olivia directed her puppy eyes towards her now.

"But it doesn't have a home! And this is a shelter!"

"It is a cat! This is a werewolf shelter!" Aisling said, already a lot less sharp. She threw a look over to Remus, seeking for backup.

Remus knelt down and carefully removed the animal from Olivia's grip.

"Please let go, love. Look, you can't just pick animals off the street like that," he gently explained. "Maybe it does have a home."

Both Aisling and Olivia looked rather sceptical at the emaciated creature. It meowed heartbreakingly and latched onto Remus' jumper.

"See," Olivia said excitedly. "She likes you. Oh, can't we keep her? Pleeeease?"

Remus sighed. This was one of the tough moments of parenthood...

"No," he said firmly. "We will have to take it back outside. But we can start feeding it, if you like...Outside!"

Olivia pouted.

"But I want to keep the kitty!"

The cat looked rather like an old tomcat than a kitty. And it smelled. No way Remus was going to let this thing sleep in Olivia's room. It probably had fleas...

"No," Remus repeated and started to carry the cat back towards the door.

"Nooo! You are so mean! I want to keep the kitty!"

Olivia started wailing and did not stop, following Remus all the way outside. He had to carry her back to her room, kicking and screaming.

"Olivia! You cannot keep the cat, okay?" He placed her down on a chair. "It lives outside. It probably wouldn't even like being in a house."

"It would! You are being mean, like Gilford!"

Remus flinched. Now that was uncalled for!

Despite Remus' and Aisling's many attempts to console her, Olivia kept sulking the entire rest of the day. Throwing whistful glances out the window, looking for Kitty. Remus felt awful. But part of parenting was keeping firm boundaries. He had read this in a parenting guidebook from the library.

When Olivia heard the front door, she dashed out of her room, tearfully storming into Sirius' arms. Remus hurried after her.

"What's wrong, love?" Sirius picked Olivia up with concern. He turned to Remus and Aisling. "Did something happen?"

"She is just mad, because we aren't letting her keep the cat," said Aisling and started to gather her belongings from the reception desk - more than ready to be replaced by Sirius. "She has been sulking all day, so enjoy the night..."

Sirius frowned in confusion.

"What cat?"

"Kitty! They are mean to her because she is dirty!"

Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow at Remus. Remus sighed.

"It is a stray cat she met outside. It looked quite neglected, so I didn't think it would be a good idea to let her keep it."

"But kitty needs a home! She is all by herself! And I want to keep her! Can we, please?" She turned to Sirius, clinging onto his shoulders. Remus took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Olivia! I already said no. There will be no further discussions!"

Sirius set her down, pulling a thoughtful face.

"Why not, though? If she wants to keep the cat, why don't we let her? I don't see the problem with it..."

"Well, you never see problems with anything," Remus murmured. The last thing he needed now, was Sirius playing the fun dad.

"We can't let everyone keep a cat, Sirius," Aisling pitched in and gave Olivia an apologetic look.

"But she is just a kid. She needs a companion..."

"She's got me!" Remus stated, feeling mildly offended.

"Yeah sure, but that's different. She's got no other kids to play with... And if the cat would like to stay..."

"If the cat would like to stay?!" What a ridiculous thing to say. Remus couldn't imagine anyone saying something like that apart from Sirius...

"Well, it wouldn't be fair to just imprison it inside all of a sudden. It would still need to be able to get out. Maybe we could install a cat flap in Olivia's room..."

"Out of the question! Who knows what else would crawl inside!" Remus was shocked that Sirius would even suggest this. He already saw Olivia buried under a nursery of racoons!

"We could secure it magically so it only lets this particular cat through. Can't be that hard..."

"I leave you two to this, I'm out! But if you are doing reconstructions on the building without consulting the board, Gilford will choke you." Aisling waved and rushed out the door, faintly shaking her head.

"A magical cat flap? Really?" Remus crossed his arms. He was pissed. All day he'd had been the mean one, to teach Olivia an important lesson, only for Sirius to turn up and blow his efforts to smithereens!

Remus watched with barely concealed anger how Sirius went to look for Kitty and proceeded to sit down with Olivia in her room to clean up the filthy cat.

"Looks like she has some fleas. What do you think we should do about that?"

"Give her a bath!" Olivia shouted and rushed to fill her bathroom sink.

"That's right! But it needs to be a special bath, so the fleas go away. I'm going to get some stuff from the supply room, don't put Kitty into the water until I'm back!"

When Sirius left the room, Remus followed him, determined to give him a piece of his mind.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Sirius turned around looking innocent.

"Bathing a cat?"

"She can't keep it!"

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

Sirius scoffed.

"That is a horrible argument."

"Children need to listen to their parents. She is five! We need to provide guidance at that age! Not let them do whatever they want!"

"You sound like my parents," Sirius spat and unlocked the door to the supply chamber. Remus had a feeling that that was hardly a compliment. And he had about enough of being compared with awful people!

"I am just trying to raise her! That's what you wanted, right? That I take over responsibility. Well, I am! And I don't need you to sabotage me..."

"Sabotage you? I just don't agree with you. What is the issue with her keeping the cat?"

"That she won't ever listen to me again if I say no, because she knows you will override my decision!"

"I'm not...," Sirius paused, turning around from the shelf he'd been inspecting. "I didn't mean to override anything."

Remus let out a breath as his anger quickly subsided at Sirius' change of tone.

"I mean, she just got abandoned by her own parents. That can't be easy for her. And I really think she would benefit from a pet. Don't you agree?"

Remus' heart clenched. Of course he did.

"I...Yes, but..."

"Then don't say no, just for the sake of it."

"I wasn't..."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but there was none of the usual disparage in his expression.

"Remus...She will listen to you, even if you sometimes revert your decisions. Actually it's way more likely she won't listen to you, if you keep making up pointless rules. Or tell her to listen to you just because. It will only drive her away. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about..."

Remus sighed in defeat.

"I just want to protect her."

"From a cat?" Sirius cocked his head.

"From making rash decisions. People like us can't afford that."

"You made a rash decision when you took her here."

Remus looked up, meeting Sirius' gaze. It was almost magnetic, drawing him towards him.

He sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I did. But I don't like it."

"Then leave the rash decisions to me. I'm not saying we should allow her to do everything she wants. But this is not a threat to her wellbeing. I won't let anything happen to her..."

"Does it have to be this crusty animal though..."

"We'll clean it!"

"Still. What if it scratches her..."

Sirius raised an eyebrow again.

"You see the irony in this conversation, do you? Remus, I run a werewolf shelter program. I don't think someones - or somethings - sheer potential to hurt you should be the indication whether you let it in."

Remus frowned deeply at Sirius' wise words, when he suddenly had an epiphany. He chuckled.

"You are doing this to piss off your parents don't you? I'm sure they aren't a fan of their offspring working at something like this."

Sirius looked taken aback.

"What? I..." His eyes wandered to the ceiling lights. "Well... Maybe. A little. But I think I pissed them off sufficiently even without spending all my assets on a minority support project. I do care about this!"

"I didn't say you didn't. But I did wonder... I mean, Acacia's motivation is her late little sister, Aisling is in it because she witnessed the stigma first hand due to her scratch marks, eventhough she isn't a wolf, Renfred studied law and came across it this way. But Gilford and you are a puzzle to me. How did you even stumble upon this?"

Sirius scoffed.

"Gilford thinks it's unjust. Believe it or not, but he really doesn't like it if things aren't right. And when he got with Justine, he was pretty offended on her behalf..."

"Gilford has a werewolf girlfriend?!"

Wild news. And Sirius was dropping it as if it was something to be expected of the uptight dandy...

"Wife."

"Oh."

"Yep."

Remus nodded, processing the new information and trying to adjust his image of Gilford.

"And you?"

"I don't have a wife."

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Well, I figured. You don't wear a ring..."

"You noticed?" Sirius smirked, causing Remus to blush.

"Your motivation, Sirius. What is it? If it's not youthful rebellion..."

"Oh it's always a little rebellion, I'm afraid. Everything I do. But...Well, I guess Gilford and I aren't that different - at least regarding this. After school, I started Auror training and one of the first hands-on jobs I tagged along on was a "wolf hunt". They had spotted a rampaging werewolf in a village in Kent and our superiors took the chance to demonstrate how to take one down..." Sirius glared at the floor, rubbing his elbows. "Needless to say, I didn't care much for their strategies. They just killed the poor lad... Apparently that's easier than to catch them. And...I never believed in that 'werewolves have no soul' bullshit. They were just killing them like rabid animals! It wasn't...It wasn't right." He sighed. "After that I started to look into the legislation, because I couldn't believe that that could be legal! But it was. And among it, I found so much more...So much bullshit to fight against. So that's what I decided to do..."

"Bullshit like 'parents bear no responsibility for the wellbeing of a lycanthropist child' and are free to abandon them in the woods?"

Sirius nodded.

"Yeah. I'll make sure we'll tackle that one next," he said grimly. He looked back up to Remus. "I'll keep Olivia safe, I promise."

Remus sighed.

"You take responsibility for the bloody cat," he murmured and turned to walk back to the room, where Olivia was tending to Kitty. He had a lump in his throat as he watched her petting its head, quietly reiterating what she had had for dinner. Maybe Sirius was right. At least this time.

**

Remus was reading a book in his room, enjoying his well deserved peace after spending an hour reading Olivia to sleep, when Sirius popped his head in.

"Heading out. If there are any issues with Olivia, send me an owl." Sirius handed Remus a card with an address on it.

"Going to a pub, huh?" Remus mused as he saw the logo. Sirius smirked.

"Mandatory pub night. Can't call out on that." He gave Remus a thoughtful look while he hovered in the doorway. "Do you want to come with me? Might do you good to get out a little..."

Remus huffed. He had no desire to go out whatsoever. On the other hand... The thought of spending the evening with Sirius did have a strange appeal.

"I can't leave Olivia alone."

Sirius' smirk was replaced by a fond smile.

"Don't worry about her. She's in bed."

"And yet you gave me the address of the pub in case something goes wrong."

"Sure, but I'll just give it to Acacia instead. It's her shift and I'm sure she won't mind having an eye out for Olivia."

Remus contemplated it for a second. He didn't exactly have any money to go to a pub.

"Come on, prefect boy, my treat."

Had Sirius read his mind? Maybe he should go. No real excuse not to.

"I don't know anyone there. Won't that be a little weird? I don't think anyone would want me there."

Sirius waved him off.

"Just people from school. They know you and sure will be glad to see you again. And besides that..." Sirius paused and leaned against the door frame, his eyes shooting down to Remus' feet. "I'd want you there. I'm sure you can be great fun if you aren't busy moping around..."

"I'm not moping, I'm..."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Are you coming or not?" Sirius had already turned to leave and threw him a questioning look over his shoulder. Last chance.

Remus clambered out of his chair, quickly snatching his jacket.

"Yes, wait. I'm coming."

Sirius didn't exactly wait, only slowed down his steps towards the entrance, asking Acacia to check on Olivia every once in a while, before steering towards his motorcycle. Remus stopped in his tracks.

"We are not riding that thing again, are we?"

"Yep, we are. Hop on Lupin."

"But you will be drinking! Isn't that against the law?"

Sirius laughed.

"So is drunk disapparation and yet everyone does it. Besides, I won't drink that much, so chill." He swung his leg over the bench. "We can still decide to take the train back, but we will fly now. Come on!"

Reluctantly, Remus climbed behind Sirius, barely having the time to hold onto him before they set off.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius, his cheek pressed against his leather jacket. He wondered, whether Sirius could feel his racing heart. He could always claim it was his acrophobia.

"So, how did you guys meet? I mean, again?" James looked back and forth between them. Remus almost choked on his beer.

Things had gone considerably well so far. Sirius' pub group was thankfully not that big and Remus did actually know everyone at the table:

Sitting next to Sirius was James Potter, of course he was there. Remus would have been surprised and concerned if he wouldn't have been. Sirius and him had always been joined at the hip.

Next to James sat Lily Evans. Remus had been genuinely glad to see her as he had been something close to friends with her, during their joined prefect years.

And then, at the opposite side of the table, next to Remus, there was Peter Pettigrew. A friend of James and Sirius that had always been running after them at school and he seemingly hadn't stopped.

The conversations had been nice and they had indeed all enjoyed to catch up a little. Remus had had a good time so far.

But now this.

They couldn't know the truth - his secret.

"We hooked up."

Now Sirius was the one who almost choked, throwing Remus an aghast look over his glass.

"You what?!" James grinned brightly at Sirius and slapped his back jovially.

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

Sirius only pulled a face and hummed apologetically, while taking a large swig of his beer.

Remus wanted to vanish. Why had he said that? This was ridiculous. His wishful thinking had gotten the better of him. As if Sirius would ever hook up with someone like him. He bit the inside of his cheek.

James didn't seem as shocked and surprised as Remus had expected, though. He leaned back in his chair and wrapped an arm around Sirius.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with a thing for prefects, huh?"

Sirius gave him a tortured smile before shooting Remus a barely concealed glare.

Remus found Sirius in front of the pub, smoking. He had excused himself shortly after Remus had blurted out his badly thought out explanation. Probably to avoid further questioning by James and Lily, who both seemed very intrigued by their supposed hookup. Only Peter had eyed Remus with questioning suspicion. He probably wondered what his handsome friend wanted with a bland looking dude like him.

"I'm sorry about this. I just didn't want them to find out." He leaned himself next to Sirius against the brick wall.

Sirius threw him a look from the corner of his eye and pulled on the cigarette, blowing the smoke into the night.

"You couldn't have thought of something else? Like, literally anything else? A hookup, really..."

Remus cringed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I know it's ridiculous. You would never hook up with someone like me..."

Sirius snorted.

"Quit your self loathing bullshit, I don't want to deal with that right now." He took another drag. "I just don't do hookups in general. Nothing to do with you."

Remus frowned. "You don't do hookups? Really?"

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" Remus defensively raised his hands. "I just figured you had options... so why not use them?"

Sirius huffed. "I don't like any of my options."

"Picky, huh?"

"I'm not picky, I just have standards. Not my fault noone is meeting them..." Sirius tapped on his cigarette, sending the ash to the pavement. "I won't waste my time with people that don't deserve it."

Remus nodded quietly, eventhough he found this statement awfully arrogant. But it made some kind of sense. Why would you go see someone that you knew wouldn't do it for you anyways? Remus found himself wondering why Sirius was spending time with him then.

The door to the pub opened and for a second the merry voices mixed with clinking glasses spilled out onto the quiet street, before they faded back out as the door thumped shut again.

James sprang down the few stairs to the street and joined them.

"Ah, there you are Pads." He stopped, looked at Remus and gave them a conspiratorial grin. "Oh, sorry! Am I interrupting something?"

Sirius put out his cigarette and shook his head.

"No. We were finished. Let's go back inside." He lightly nuged Remus' elbow, sending tingles up into his shoulder. What had he done?

"So...how did you hook up then?" James leaned his elbows on the table fixating Remus again. He threw a helpless look to the bar, where Sirius was getting their next round, but he seemed to still be waiting for the pub keepers attention.

"Uhm. We met at a bar." Remus took a nervous sip from his almost empty pint.

"A bar? I didn't know Sirius went to bars? And without me? We always have to drag him out."

Peter nodded vigorously in agreement.

Fuck.

"I don't know, maybe it was a one off thing..."

"And then?" Lily seemed just as determined to get the details as James, obviously trying to squeeze Remus out before Sirius would return and put a stop to it.

"Ah, erm... Well, I... He... I just recognised him and then we got talking."

The two were hanging on his lips, giving him a synchronized encouraging nod.

"And then... We talked about his bike. And then he showed me his bike... And then..." He drew a circle around the rim of his glass. "Well, you can imagine."

"He gave you a ride?" Lily asked with a wicked grin. Remus blushed so hard he was sure he must have looked like a ripe tomato. What was he doing here?

"Lily!" James nuged his girlfriend, but giggled himself. "Oh Padfoot... I really didn't think he'd be like that. He must really like you."

"Maybe he was just really drunk," mumbled Remus into his glas. God, this was awful. Sirius would kill him!

"Hmm maybe, but he liked you enough to bring you around." James grinned knowingly. "That means something."

Remus shrugged, too embarrassed and mortified to talk anymore.

"I'm surprised he even has time for dating, next to his werewolf thing," Peter said. Remus knocked over his empty pint, scrambling to pick it back up.

"Right, did he tell you about that, Remus? You must know, don't you?" Lily turned to him, pretending she hadn't noticed his clumsiness.

"You... You mean the..."

"AWERE. Ambassadors for Werewolf Empowerment and..."

"Resource Establishment. Yes, he told me about that."

James chuckled. "Would have surprised me if he hadn't. He won't shut up about it since he founded it."

"He founded it?" Now, this was new.

"Yes. Did he omit that?"

"Apparently. I knew he was part of the board but I didn't know he was the original founder."

"Well, him and Renfred. But Sirius came up with the name. He's very proud of it."

"Right."

"I just don't think he should invest this much," Peter pitched in. "He barely spends time with us anymore, always has shifts in this shelter thing they run or is busy preparing meetings with the ministry. I mean, they won't change anything anyways so why waste your time."

"I think they could! And they are doing great work actually. If noone ever tries to change anything, everything will stay the same!"

Peter looked a bit startled by Remus sudden enthusiasm, and to be honest, so was he.

Lily nodded encouragingly.

"I agree. It's a good thing that Sirius is doing this. So you've been there then?"

"Uh, yes." Fuck. How was he supposed to answer this without further entangling Sirius and him in lies? Remus turned around to the bar again, seeing Sirius balancing their drinks on a tablet. "I should go and help him!"

He scrambled to his feet and pushed his way towards Sirius, who gave him a questioning look.

"I can manage, thank you."

Remus leaned in and took two glasses of the tablet, almost ruining the careful balance Sirius had created.

"We met in a bar," he whispered.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Did we now?"

"Yes. I chatted you up and you showed me your bike." Sirius looked awfully amused, but nodded, surpressing a grin.

"And when did we meet? Want to keep it cohesive."

"I didn't say that. Three months ago?"

"That's not a hookup anymore."

"Well, I thought you don't do hookups anyways." Remus' traitorous heart started beating in his throat.

Sirius snorted but nodded again. "Fine then. Three months it is."

They reached the table and set down the drinks. Sirius returned to his chair across from Remus, giving him a reprimanding smile and shook his a head a little.

"You can't make me lie to James," Sirius said, on the train home. He had stretched his long legs out in front of him, watching the darkness pass by, through the scratched windows of the tube. "I'm not good at it. He can, like, read my mind."

"Sorry." Remus rubbed his knuckles together. "I didn't mean to get you into trouble."

Sirius snickered.

"Who would have thought that you would get me into trouble. Should be the other way around, really." He nudged Remus' knee. Remus gave him a pressed smile.

"You can just tell them that it didn't work out and we stopped seeing each other after this..."

Sirius looked over, his eyes lingering on Remus' face for a couple heartbeats.

"Maybe I'll do that."

Maybe. Why did he say it like that? Didn't mean anything.

Maybe it does.

Stop it, mom.

[iwait4youalexg]

Hiii I’m getting a cat soon and I was curious how u got ur son, did u adopt him? And do u have any advice for soon to be cat owners?

Yay I'm so excited for you!!! Yes I adopted Percy. When I went in I had a few cats in mind but I did notttt think I was gonna take home a kitten. Kittens are definitely really tough so personally I would go for an adult but I've heard if you do want a kitten you should adopt 2 so they can be properly socialized. Like Percy just grew up with me so now he can be pretty aggressive with the other cat and even my dogs because he's not used to sharing 'his' territory with other animals. I'd definitely recommend checking out the youtube channel jackson galaxy he makes videos on just about everything you need to know about cats but off the top of my head I'd say

get a hard carrier. The soft ones come in cute colors and are collapsible but they suck and its sooooo much easier to just be able to close the door. Try to encourage a good relationship with the carrier - have it out in the room so they can explore, give them treats/meals in it so they know it's a safe place. I regret so much that I didn't stress this. Getting him in the carrier is a nightmare

It is more expensive but wet food is really so much better. It's really important for cats to be properly hydrated, especially with boys who are more prone to UTIs and urinary issues. I started Percy on Hill's science diet bc that's what they sold in the shelter and it's not bad ("the worst wet food is better than the best dry food") and I also like Weruva, though it's expensive. I give him Weruva BFF now which is slightly cheaper. Chewy is the best . I give him majority wet food now but I sprinkle a little dry on top bc he still just likes dry food

Speaking of hydration tbh Percy has no problem drinking water when he pees it sounds like someone left the faucet running but there's a lot of fountains out there that make cats wanna drink more

World's Best Litter is really good. It's also the only one I've ever used. It's made of like corn I think and I believe it is septic safe

Toys - very important. Cats need to be intellectually stimulated (I am not kidding). I think Jackson galaxy probably has a video on toys. I would try to stay away from toys with feathers because I've heard if they chew on those it can get lodged in their digestive tract. Percy really loves these little plastic springs, but honestly when I first got him I bought him all these toys and he just wanted to play with a crumpled up receipt. so do what works for you

Treats - Churus are great. The vet gave one to Percy when he had to get his first shots and he was so into it he didn't even notice. Percy goes apeshit for them now though so I will warn you that could happen like if I throw away the tube he will dig through the trash to lick it

When you first bring them home, limit their space at first to just one room. Percy spent his first few days in my room only so he could be acclimated to the change in environment and not get scared

Lmk if you have any more questions!! Good luck :)

[purposefully-lost]

Alex knocked but didn't wait for an answer before he was pushing open the door. He'd spent far too much time in hospitals to want this to be anything other than brief. He found the man inside either having just sat down or in the process of getting up, settled on the side of the bed with his hands braced on either side of him. He almost seemed to relax at the sound of someone else slipping into the room, then stiffened again when he glanced up and saw who it was. Surprise, confusion, and something almost like fear all ran across Andy's face, pervaded by a deep sort of exhaustion.

"..Prescott," he said. His voice was sort of soft, more tired than anything. Alex raised his eyebrows in response.

"Campbell."

"What are you doing here?"

The honest answer was: he didn't know. Alex gave him half of a shrug, letting the door shut behind him as he wandered a little closer. The time since the trial, which had been when they'd last spoken, really, hadn't been kind to him. He'd heard through Rabbit or the grapevine one about his injury, about being outed, and now about the overdose. It was a lot to endure a short frame of time, but that was something he and Rabbit were all too familiar with. Maybe that's what it was. Maybe he and Andy were finally something like on the same page.

..No, it wasn't that. But the pages were ever so slightly more adjacent now. "Just checking in," Alex finally said. He pushed his hands into his pockets, standing just a few feet away to watch Andy. "How are you feeling?"

A long beat. Then Andy shrugged. "About the same," he said honestly. Alex decided that he wasn't quite sure he wanted to figure out that meant. Instead he nodded, searching the other man's gaze. He knew Rabbit had already been by, offering time and companionship Alex wouldn't have dared to. That was the thing about Rabbit, though. He was a good man. "What do you want?" Andy asked finally.

"I was trying to figure out if I should apologize," Alex answered, a frown drawing at the corners of his lips. "Y'know, for, uh, some of the shit I've said to you."

Andy put on a bitter smile, so far and away from the kind of grins he'd worn on the front page of the papers or in his baseball interviews that he seemed like an entirely different person. "Like wishing I was dead?"

"That's one of the big ones, yeah."

"Have you made a decision?"

Alex kicked a little at the tile floor. "No, not really." The problem was that he didn't really regret it. He'd meant it, all of it, when he'd said it, and it'd convinced Andy to give a shit about Rabbit again, even if it'd been kind of cruel. He'd wanted the world at large to just leave Rabbit alone, let him recover and live his life, and Andy had been a prime target to represent all the people Alex had hated. Being the last of his little group of friends, he still kind of was. "I still kind of hate you, honestly. But--"

Glancing up, he could tell that Andy had been about to speak. He paused when Alex did, looking for all the world like he was waiting for a blow to fall. Like a scared shelter dog hiding in the corner of it's kennel. Alex sighed. "I really don't think you're the worst person in the world."

"Thanks," Andy said dryly. His fingers sort of drummed against the bed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I mean it." Holding his gaze, Alex shrugged again. "Listen, man, it- its not that complicated. I hate you, but you're still.. I- I don't know, allowed to exist. No use in hating you if you're dead."

That drew an almost-laugh from the man that made Alex wonder if maybe that had been his goal. He still wasn't sure. "You want me alive to hate me. Gotta say, Prescott, not really a compelling reason."

"Still a reason," Alex offered. Andy let out a quiet, defeated huff.

"Still a reason," he agreed.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

That’s a good idea….will start check marking….. I’m also realizing I think part of the problem was I actually do press send sometimes but if the connection is spotty and I don’t realize I close out tumblr and then it never ends up fully loading/sending properly….

SHSHS I cant imagine that’d be comfortable with the dizziness…well uh..at least it’s over now!! Haha…..

OUUU wait that’s a good take…..it’s kinda funny I think I remember Isagi and Yuta having the same mbti too?? Not sure how accurate the typing actually is but I thought that was funny LOL but IM CRYING LMAOOOO you really said I need some spice in my life let’s switch it up

Honestly I would not be surprised if that ended up being the case like….after every single time we’ve manifested something into existence I’d be more surprised if it didn’t get manifested into reality LMAO

SHEGSHS every now and then I think about how I’m blowing up your inbox but omg another special tag I’m so honored LOL hope the ideas prove useful for when you’re in a slump!!

AHAHAHA atp trying to guess your final wc should just be a game im sure its at least mildly frustrating for you but I can’t lie every time it happens I chuckle a bit especially when you post it with that one ant meme LMFAOOA

Oh em gee very excited!! Whenever that comes out im gonna reread part 1 to refresh first LOL it’s ok we gotta give our man a break from being protag he’s been going through it LMAOAO between getting insulted by the love of his life in fwtkac the whole freaky Friday conflict and now bfb where he’s been pining since he could walk I

Gotta bless the other sectors of the fandom with your work….give them a taste of your writing then they’ll discover your blog read the Karasu fics and join Karasu nation…that’s the end goal LMAO atp you’re just overseeing all of bllknation covering every base

Hsjshsj glad it went well!! Struggle because of motion sickness I assume? Manifesting very hard that that goes away soon…

GAGAMARU AND YUKI LMAOOO ok that’s a pair I was not expecting ngl it’s ok it’s the power duo one blind one and one with super vision /j actually I feel like that’d be really funny like…since yuki is also a model he has such a refined vibe and as we know is very well mannered while gagamaru spends a lot of the time in the woods in the wilderness fighting bears or something LOL such opposite vibes

Yeah…like I get the shock factor thing but tbh to me that still doesn’t “justify it” to me LOL like it was just so sudden?? And there’s still so many holes like how’d she suddenly just appear good as new minus the one eye…no I fully agree like it was so random, not lead up not even a hint from the past what like 30 chapters?? Like they really just decided to throw her back into the ring at the last second….like we haven’t seen her since Shibuya arc and she somehow just spawned back like make it make sense…..tbh I think the “shock my readers” thing is such a gege thing to do :,) considering all the other comments we’ve heard from him LMAO but yeah the execution was not it……jjk fandom is also scary I see people getting eaten alive for “hot takes”

LMAO safe from kaiserism today…tbh I can’t see myself actually converting BUT the compass >>> the whole animal shelter dog scene was Lowk so cute I love the use of the dog’s own background in paralleling kaiser’s own situation! But that line “she’s my mother but I’m not her son” LITERARY GENIUS but also I’m crying when they talk about marriage and a wedding I’m fr just imagining ness just standing there alone on kaisers side something about the scene just seems so funny to me

- Karasu anon

tumblr is so glitchy sometimes i can’t even blame you 😔 the amount of times i’ve thought i posted something and didn’t or someone will send an ask and i just won’t get a notification for it??? same with dms and then people think i’m ignoring them but that’s not my intention at all 😭💔

yess they do have the same mbti!! and so does hiori apparently 🤔 tbh i tend to like characters who are sassier because they’re more like me so they’re easier to write/connect with (asshole karasu 🤝 asshole mira) but realistically in a relationship you can only rlly have one person like that the other needs to be nice or else it’s just stressful 😭 irl whenever i meet people who match my freak toooo well i get annoyed because like why are we only being mean to each other but when people start to get too moral abt it it’s like “oh it was never that deep” LMAOAAO there needs to be a happy medium of someone who finds it funny and can throw a jab or two out there when necessary but for the most part they’re just chilling 😩 which lowkey IS isagi (and hiori) now that i think abt it but NOOOO if i convert to isagism what will become of me

HFJDJSSJ okay random kiyora headcanons speedrun (kaneshiro if you’re watching these are fire pls include them in the manga): he ran cross country for one year during the soccer off season and he liked it because he could listen to music during races but it wasn’t competitive enough for him so he quit, he’s lowkey fire at either knitting or crochet but no one knows (he’s not shy abt it though it’s just that no one talks to him for long enough to realize), and he got a pet umbrella cockatoo after watching the movie rio in theaters

NO I LOVE GETTING THE NOTIFICATION YOU SENT AN ASK it’s so fun to read them 🥹 and PLSS honestly it’s less frustrating and more just like 😨 whenever the word count gets crazy long because for the most part i’m just happy to be providing 😩 the only thing that worries me is when i take too long writing smth rlly long and people think i’m on hiatus 😭 like no i’m still here it’s just that this one shot is now novel length so…

okay wait genuinely multiple people have been converted to karasu nation because of me LMAOAOA especially bfb and fwtkac…honestly it’s a role i’m proud to play 🤩🙏🏻 but yes atm i need to expand my outreach/not make karasu suffer any longer he’s been through it in the miraverse as of late 😟 i’m excited for cherry tree pt2 i think it’s probably going to be shorter but very cute 🥹 which yk cute and rin don’t necessarily go together very naturally given how he is but trust i will make it work 🤩

HEAR ME OUT GAGAMARU AND YUKI / TARZAN AND JANE AU LMAOOOOO no it’s so perfect hold on i’m going to edit a screen cap of it once i’ve responded to this why does it fit uncannily well…i’ve convinced myself gagamaru and yuki besties number one bllk duo forget bachisagi or kunigiri or nagireo or tabieita or whatever 🥱 gagayuki the ONLY pair i care about (and karasu + shidou they’re cool too)

i completely agree although i’ve already seen people on all corners of the internet calling people who are dissatisfied with it brain dead or without reading comprehension/media literacy…that’s just how it’s going to be ig 😓 jjk to me has this problem where it’s simultaneously overhated AND overrated 🤔 because people do not realize there is a middle ground!! like no it’s not the worst manga ever and there are several high points + on the whole it is better written than several other animangas especially shounen ones however it is NOT peak fiction and it is definitely not the best thing to come out in recent times!! like people don’t realize you can criticize it and still not bash it/gege completely 😒 also i have to say it…a manga being popular ≠ good idk WHY that’s such a popular argument but things can be popular without being well written!! look at any number of ya dystopian novels from the 2010s for proof 😭 nobody’s denying that jjk is popular it’s just that that doesn’t automatically make it the best thing ever…i saw someone on tik tok say that a lot of jjk fans confuse hype moments/panels with good writing and i do think that that’s the case at times 🫣 but what do i know lol

tbh smth abt kaiser’s fuck ass haircut turns me off rlly bad like maybe if he still had the shaggy blond going on or if he put it in a bun more often i’d see the appeal but the rat tails are not it 😰 and LMAOAOAO PLSSS kaiser’s side at the wedding is just ness and noel noa (he was paid to be there) and both of them are just like 😐😐 the whole time HAHAHA they are not into it at all…maybe kaiser was onto smth when he said that they should just get married without any guests because imagine how awk it would be otherwise 😭

[waugh-bao]

Why did Charlie join the Stones?

A few months ago, one of the journalists who was interviewing Keith asked him about why he thought Charlie had ever gotten mixed up with the Stones in the first place:

"I never did ask him that myself: 'Why the hell did you join us, man?' I presume it was something he heard in the music we were listening to and trying to play. Also, he had that sense of adventure: 'I’m just going to be another jazz player in a big pond. Or I can hang with these crazy guys and see where it goes.'"

Keith never asked Charlie, but he was quite remarkably on point as to what happened.

In recent years, whenever a journalist would press Charlie on that question, he was pretty evasive. It was always some version of 'I was in three other bands at the time anyway' and 'it was all good luck.'

But in the early '80s, a music journalist who was doing an interview with Charlie found, like many people after that same task, he wasn't exactly much of a talker. So when he got to Stones history in the piece, the writer mixed Charlie's contemporary answers with ones from magazines and newspaper pieces done in the early to mid '60s.

This is how he described his initial encounters with them, and tentatively joining:

"[After leaving Alexis Korner] I sort of backed out and worked with one or two other groups, meeting up with Brian and Mick and Keith from time to time. So they asked me about kicking in with them. Honestly, I thought they were mad. I mean they were working a lot of dates without getting paid or even worrying about it. And there was me, earning a pretty comfortable living, which obviously was going to nosedive if I got involved with the Stones.

It made me laugh to think of them trying to get me in with them too. But I got to thinking about it. I liked their spirit and I was getting very involved with rhythm 'n' blues. I figured it would be a bit of an experiment for me and a bit of a challenge, too. So I said okay, yes, I'd join. Lots of my friends thought I had gone stark raving mad."

The really remarkable bit, which he only gets to in that later interview, was that his hesitations weren't just a few friends being nervous about his potential bandmates and making less money. Which were substantial issues on their own. The Stones were total pariahs in the London jazz scene:

"It's true to say nobody had a good word for them. They were complete outsiders. Nobody wanted to know about the great sound they were making - because everybody was too busy looking on them as just a gang of long-haired freaks. And I certainly wasn't keen on letting my own hair grow at that time just for the sake of being a member of the group."

If you see the Stones from the very early days, you can get sort of a sense of why people were telling Charlie to stay away. Before he got involved with them, he was in groups that looked like this:

And after:

That was them looking pretty respectable, too. It was a long standing difference, honestly:

Anyway, after expounding on why no drummer with steady work wanted to throw in his lot with them, Charlie explained:

"But this bunch of outsiders, what people called 'lay-abouts,' struck me as having a pretty good future. I thought the atmosphere they got going simply had to make it big one day."

The best analogy I can come up with is someone (a very nice and softhearted someone) walking through a dog shelter, stumbling upon a litter of slightly odd looking puppies with a bunch of problems who only do weird tricks that no-one wants, and saying 'I'll take them all!’ Because he thinks with a little love and help they could be just as great as the ones they got passed over for. And then actually keeping them, and doting on them, for the rest of his life.

It was a good choice, though. In the end he got, just as he predicted, a very successful band. And something that would have been much harder to foresee; two guys to love as "brothers" of his own for 60 years, and two guys who loved him back, at the very least, just as much.

[scary-lasagna]

How would the slender brothers react to somebody going yandere over them? (Mother and Lume included). Maybe reader is this super powerful demon being who wants to love their new obsession. I always love the idea of insanely powerful readers, but dangerously powerful. Life with them is sweet as sugar! Praise, kisses, maybe a bit of jealousy here and there. But punishments are the worst hell imaginable

Slender

Slender pretends not to be intimidated.

He is.

But, to protect his ego, he forces himself into the mindset that he's superior, which is a dangerous game to play around you.

The first time he told you 'no' was quite interesting, and wet the mood for the rest of your short relationship.

"What did you just say to me?"

There was a tense silence, and it lingered in the air between the couple like a dense fog.

Slender slowly turned his head, questioning if the tone he heard was really as audacious as they seemed.

"I said, 'No, I would like to attend a party tonight with my business partners and Offender.'"

"That's what I thought you said."

Slender paused, and he would glare if he had the proper equipment. "You aren't my mother, I don't need to ask permission to leave the house at a reasonable hour."

"Well, we'll just have to find a way for you to stay home then."

"I'm not making up an excuse just-"

And before he could finish the next syllable, six thuds hit the ground. Out of pure primal instinct, Slender teleported somewhere safe inside his forest.

He left your claws immediately, and he'd rather stay that way, even if he must constantly be on the run from you.

Offender

Honestly, as long as you're nice to him, he might not even notice that you're yandere.

He loves attention, physical affection, praise, and sappy romance in general.

And you could kill him in one swipe??? That's sexy. He's already praising the ground you walk on.

He's always head over heels for people that are taller than him, considering it's extremely rare.

Sometimes a big guy like him just wants to be the little spoon, y'know?

But it will be difficult when Offender tries setting boundaries.

He's a man that has a big social circle, and if that is a problem for his dangerous yandere, he's going to be in for a hell of a ride.

After the first punishment, he realizes you're fucking insane and he needs to get out of there as soon as possible.

As a trade negotiator for Slender, he has a lot of connections, possibly beings that would be able to shelter him if need be.

He never learns his lesson, "The crazy ones are always the hottest."

Trender

He's not much of a fighter.

Trender would rather take the easy route and let you follow him around like a rabid puppy dog.

If you start complimenting him and giving praise, Trender will fluster to unimaginable limits.

And he hates to admit it, but he really loves the positive attention you give him.

He's so used to being unrecognized for his hard work in the small friend circle he has, it feels pleasant to have some pats on the back once in a while.

And he's a very passive being as well, you won't have to worry about him talking to other people or disobeying your wishes. He's just has a huge passive personality that likes to avoid conflict with the ones close to him.

Unless you're referencing his work.

If you try to control his work, his best stress outlet, then you're going to have an equally hard time punishing him as he's being disciplined.

He's stubborn just like his Mother, but he's also a huge baby when it comes to pain and discomfort.

He hates it, and promises to listen if you stop. But once the situation arises again, the exact same scenario plays out.

He'll try to escape from your claws as soon as possible if similar events keep happening.

Splendor

He thinks you adorable! And the both of you are sickeningly sweet together.

Splendor has a dark side as well.

He can be sweet as sugar one moment, and break your arm the next if he would really like to.

Splendor understands what it's like to be twisted in that sense, a terrible curse that's uncontrollable.

Chances are, he's willing to work through it with you, yandere or not, and work towards a healthy relationship.

Splendor falls hard when he's in love, and he'll do anything in his ability to mend your relationship.

Every couple has their bumps in the road.

Some couples argue, some sleep in different beds, some rip the bells off of a tendril because their partner spent too much time away from home.

But! Anything can be fixed with a little bit of love and duct tape! Splendor is sure of it. And he's convinced deep down you're the sweetest being in the Underrealm. You just need a little help discovering yourself.

[i-need-air]

Oh-- I really really -really- liked your wolf hybrid Bakugou and-- if you don't mind, can you do one on Kirishima? Just the general headcanons, if this is too bothersome then you can ignore this once again- thank you

Just general headcanons you say? Okay, I had this written 2k words in before I got this ask and now it's at... ehem, let me take a deep breath for this;

Word count: 3.5k 💀 [of HCs 💀💀💀]

Why do I keep doing this to myself aksdjkd I love Kiri so much, my god! Thanks for the ask!! 💗

[ Masterlist ]

Hybrid!AU Kirishima Eijirou HCs

× i mentioned him as a dog hybrid and we're sticking with it because it just feels right, yano? anyway!

× you found out about how the new hybrid shelter in your city helped bust a fighting ring

× which was horrifying to think about

× one of your friends explained the process to you and you were definitely interested in helping someone out

× shelters were still underfunded and didn't provide much to help the hybrids adapt to society

× so you found yourself in front of the shelter without a plan

× just a dream and a spare couch that could thankfully convert into a bed

× before you could chicken out you stormed through the doors like a mad person, catching the attention of the guards and the front desk man

× it surprised you how disinterested they were though; were they seriously the people that dismantled a whole illegal fighting ring?

× they called a sweet old lady to accompany you

× when you explained your situation her eyes sparkled, looking you up and down and nodding her head

× she took you through some hallways, showing you around the precinct, questioning you about what type of hybrid you'd want

× to which you honestly didn't know how to respond, like anyone you could help????

× it kinda pissed you off how she spoke about the hybrids like they were pets, suggesting you'd get a kitty or a bunny, since [her words] they were low maintenance

× is this really a good shelter?

× you looked around, finding prison like cells left and right, some with people that looked at you curiously, some covering from your glance

× they were locked in...

× some growling could be heard far away but the woman shook her head at you, disapproving gaze turned to the side as she took you further into the building

× another room, this time cells were bigger, a few occupied, yet covered from you, indiferent and uninterested

× a man was sitting on the edge of the bed, hands in his hair

× "Kirishima, boy, get up to greet someone"

× his red eyes snapped up, whatever he was thinking about slowly forgotten

× he blinked curiously as you hugged your frame, feeling uncomfortable, even ashamed to be there

× but a sweet smile took over his features

× "Hey! I'm Kirishima Eijirou!"

× it's really all it took for you to grow fond of him; he got up and came closer to the entrance of the cell and introduced himself in such easy-going manner you forgot about everything and anything

× he calmed you with his presence, even if it was very disheveled, with old ripped clothes and hair messy, painted red with obvious dark roots showing

× he had a black fluffy tail waving slowly behind him too

× you introduce yourself with his encouragement and mumbled how you wanted to help someone out today

× he just smiled at you, taking you in

× let me tell you something about dog hybrids: they can sense emotions and intentions so Kiri would be a very good judge of character and he really, genuinely took a liking on you

× the problem is how the fuck do you say out loud that you wanted to help him out

× because you sure as hell weren't going to say you'd adopt him; he's not a child? we're talking about a grown ass man here? literally looked like 6'4ft/1.95m?????

× it was so shameful, your gut turned as you cursed society and he sensed it, expression changing, falling a little as he saw you look very out of place

× "Hey, hey, everything's gonna be fine!" he said

× he told YOU that

× instead of YOU telling HIM those words;;; you almost burst into ugly crying, forgetting about everything else, your minuscule problems or shame or whatever and just nodded at him

× "Would you like to come home with me, Kirishima?" you said, ignoring the happy clapping the old lady was doing, watching carefully how his expression, clear as water, switched from easy-going and reassuring to shocked then hopeful

× "I'd like that" he breathed out "—a lot."

× as you went out the lady was telling him it was a shame they separated his group of friends, something about being sent to different shelters, how he had to be a good boy, to behave, yada-yada and seriously;;; he was taking it so lightheartedly, as if he was so used to this behavior or even was thankful for it?

× it was starting to get annoying, specially when they gave you a collar for him, like no fucking thanks, but you'd take care of it later

× since it was very random and unplanned, you were making mental gymnastics to figure out what to get and what to do first, like clothes, food—

× journey home was pleasant as he walked close to you, asking you questions about yourself with a gentle smile on his features

× meanwhile people got out of both your ways because he was intimidating and big and large but his smile screamed sunshine

× all while he never really mentioned anything about himself

× you made a point to ask him if he was hungry, to grab a quick bite at any restaurant you could get at then go buy some clothes and necessities

× you were so casual and this guy was so shocked

× i swear, looks at you blinking stupidly then ✨beams✨

× spoiler alert; big boy was hungry

× it didn't matter honestly, just seeing him eat without a worry [even if everyone at the restaurant was wary of him but got a stink eye from you] was a relief

× since you answered his questions about you, you decided to ask some about him; you were going to be roomies soon so might as well get to know each other

× shocked again

× stops mid-bite when you ask him something and stares wide-eyed

× doesn't answer but you can see he wants to and you're confused??

× "did I—... did I say something wrong?" you'd press, scared you'd spook him away or something

× he just gulps down and looks ashamed

× casually tells you they've been told at the shelter owners don't care about them

× 🙃 say what now bby?

× he kinda starts apologizing because he understands why you wouldn't wanna know and you put your hand on his; kinda mutes him for a second

× "Kirishima, we're gonna live together and hopefully be friends in the process, right? I'd like to know about you, as much as you're willing to tell me"

× [ falls in love right then and there ]

× he's met humans before, many actually—

× even in the short weeks he's been at the shelter he's seen people come and go and none talked to him like you did

× stares with stars in his eyes and chuckles awkwardly, blush on his face

× "You're really nice, [Y/N]" he said before eagerly answering your questions; course, it leaves you confused lmfao but you brush past it

× okay! shopping next, long story short it was very hard to find hybrid clothes for his size so you pick to change human clothes and adjust them for him

× as you again mention this stuff casually he's just awestruck

× when you got home, bags in hand, you were explaining to him how you really didn't have much; you were working to get a promotion soon but for now you had a couch that could open up into a very comfy bed, which he assured you it was enough

× you were lowkey unsure if he fit it because like i mentioned, big boi is big

× he does! so that's a relief but you started considering giving him your bed; you mostly fell asleep on the couch anyway and to be fair, it was really comfortable and you mention it as he looks around

× his head snaps at you, wide eyed, yet does not talk

× so you ramble bc that's something fun to do! "I mean I went to the shelter without a plan and uh, I want you to feel as comfortable as possible and maybe the bed is a better fit and—"

× Kirishima Eijirou sees: 💕💞💕💞💕💞💕

× has never been treated like this, like he's an... equal... something he'll take months to share with you, but we're getting ahead of ourselves

× the thing is this boy will fall pretty hard pretty fast, but will definitely take time to make a move

× bc he is respectful

× so he thanks you for the offer and tells you it's probably the best place he slept in all his life

× can your heart stop breaking for him? i mean it's a good couch but it's no luxury hotel bed???

× [ we need to pause, OP made herself sad ]

× ok, so he's really helpful around the house, and he knows how to cook!

× takes no time to talk about his friends, special his best friend that cooked for everyone at the fighting ring and forced them all to help and that's how he was pretty decent at cooking himself

× wasn't the best though, but followed instructions like a boss

× he lives for your compliments

× literally his tail wiggles with no shame

× seriously;; tell him he did a good job even at the dumbest thing and—

× puffs chest

× wiggle-wiggle

× "Thanks!"

× 🥺💕💞 make him stop, he's so cute

× did i mention he has like floppy black ears? Omg his earsssssssssshnnngggggggggg

× because they move whenever he walks and they're mesmerizing

× and one day that you're observing them for science [not because your heart was like 💘pom-pom💘] you noticed his roots

× remember when your heart broke for him? hah, have some more because as you asked him, he started telling you that he was pushed into dying his hair red for the spectacle, diversity and what-not

× reassured you he grew to love it now, being part of who he is

× also gets a little bit shy when adding he wouldn't want to change the color in hopes of finding his friends someday and for him to be easily recognizable

× you bought him hair dye that same day

× WHICH! apart from gaining extra 🥺💕💞 from him, it created a nice routine between you two!!

× you offered to dye his hair and it was such a great time; he made you laugh, conversation going just as easy whenever you talked, you got to know each other a little bit more and—

× heh

× at the end, after applying all the red hair dye, you massaged his scalp gently

× guess who melts in your hands? yes, giant ass dog-man melts into a puddle under your hands and it's the cutest fucking thing you've ever seen

× I'm serious, he sighs and leans into your gloved hands with zero [0] shame, eyes closed and peaceful expression on his features apart from a small smile

× you tease him and he laughs it off, but promise him you'd give him head scratches when he was finished with the dye, washed off and hair dry

× and you better deliver

× "Don't think I forgot!" he'd say as he'd hop on his make-shift bed in the living room by your side, tail moving from side to side

× as you start playing with his locks, he falls into your lap and starts snoring

× move an inch and he opens his eyes to look at you confused

× puppy eyes questioning you if you're leaving 🥺

× yep, you fall asleep together

× you point out to yourself that those puppy eyes will be the death of you

× he's a touchy guy, okay? since he's been touchy with you from the very start you never questioned it, even read on the internet that many hybrids descended from house pets need physical affection, like hugs, pats, scratches, all the bag, so it wasn't a big deal for you

× except it was a big deal because he's been around for a month and you're already catching feelings and that's bad because you did not bring him there to fall for him but to help him start a new life and—

× oh my god, what if he thought you were one of those people from the horror stories about hybrid adoption that only wanted them for one thing—

× no, no, no, nO, NO.

× anxiety was getting to you as the guilt of catching feelings for him, plus the fact that he was financially dependant on you for the time which would've made it even worse if he found out, PLUS he comes from such a rough life, he definitely needs a break and doesn't need his first human friend in forever to be a piece of;;;

× Kiri catches on this really constant and increasing feeling of anxiety; he starts to send you worried glances but doesn't know how to proceed

× in such a soft voice he asks if you're okay, if something is on your mind

× and since you weren't sharing anything but acted as if everything was alright even when he felt you lied, Kiri started to get worried too

× why were you anxious? why weren't you talking to him about it?

× oh, god, was he a burden? because he felt like one;;; did you want him out? he felt like an extra weight for you and wanted to do something about it but maybe you got sick of him? he felt unmanly...

× the fact that he knew he cared about you as more than just a friend made him even more anxious and it didn't help that whenever he touched you he heard your breath hitch or your heart beating louder; he got his hopes up then down because

× you smelled like people; people he didn't know, people he wanted to know because he needed to know why did you smell like them? were they a treat? were they potential partners? he really did not want to ask bc Kirishima felt like it wasn't his place to know

× as tension grew in the house you decided to gift him a new phone, ready to give him some news that reached your ears

× it seems Kiri himself liked to do sports and mainly jog to keep himself active and he's started to pass by the local dog-park to play with the dogs

× imagine your surprise when a few neighbors asked you if he'd be willing to train their dogs bc he's been teaching them stuff like once a week and the dogs listened

× big time dog whisperer; he says "Sit" to one dog and all dogs in the neighborhood sit too, you get me?

× so you said it would be nice for him to have his own money; not like you didn't help him without care, but you saw his face every time you bought something for him and really felt like he needed some real independence

× he's in ✨awe✨ because you came up with clients already that were very eager for dog training sessions, which he loved??? and suggested hours, wages??????

× and you gave him this new phone to help him with it if he's interested too?

× "Well, the normal price on the internet around the area is—"

× "[Y/N]."

× "Hmm?"

× "You're really amazing, you know that, right?" he'd have his lips curled into a sweet smile

× which makes your heart go crazy and this man notices how you get flustered

× loves it

× get ready for compliments; a lot of compliments just expecting your sweet flustered reactions

× he's slow at realizing your feelings for him because he beats himself down and seems himself as less of a man but tests the waters nonetheless and a d o r e s every time you struggle to thank him for said compliments and don't know how to continue functioning

× catches on and gets his hopes up

× and so you do

× listen, this is hilarious because you're both dumb idiots and want to be respectful towards the other meanwhile he hugs you tighter and for a little bit too long, loving how you melt into him, kisses you on the cheek and sees you get all flustered, looks at you like you're the only one to ever matter until you stop talking, turning everything into a giant mess of silence until you both grin at each other???? I'm getting second-hand embarrassment, just kiss???????

× and it happened with an accidental kiss

× you greeted him as he walked through the door, excited to tell him about your promotion, rambling about the take-out you ordered while he smiled at you

× and it started to be usual for you to greet him with a kiss on the cheek, right? just what normal roomies do, you know [mhmm~]

× he's taking his shoes off and knows the kiss is coming, but just before you press it on his cheek you whisper/squeal "I got the promotion!" to which he turns his head in surprise at you making your lips press together by accident [mhhhmmmmm~~~]

× cue both of you apologizing, looking like a mess

× he's blushing

× you both loved it

× why are you standing so close to each other?

× why did he lick his lips in daze while staring at yours?

× which one of you was leaning in for another kiss?

× it didn't really matter because he's kissing you slowly, taking you into his arms like you were made of porcelain

× glues his body to yours and breathes you in, lips locked, neither believing it was real

× lifts you up in his arms with no difficulty and smiles, both inches separated from another; "Congratulations..." his breath would fan over your face;;;;

× yeah, okay, he takes no time to confess, resulting in a mess of manly words skdjekldj you guys talked that whole night while cuddling and stealing kisses, you on his lap

× [ his nose brushing your neck; he loves your scent omg ]

× it becomes official pretty much instantly and then all your worries wash away

× all the anxiety, all the stress and overthinking, they've all been sorted out in one night and trust me, afterwards this man is pure honesty and loyalty

× he won't hesitate to talk to you about anything and will be such a patient sweetheart with you, listening to every word you say without judgment

× loves cheesy stuff? as in the most cliché stuff seen in movies? that's his shit right there; whenever you two see each other after some time apart [sometimes 5 minutes apart] he'd pick you in his arms and spin you around, then expect you to kiss him

× if you don't, i will skfjdkfk step aside 👀

× skin contact; please, touch him

× if you're not he sends you those famous puppy eyes and we all know they're killer

× sighs, happy to hold you tight against him, engulfing you into his big frame; yeah, you're where you belong, in his arms.

× everyone in the neighborhood loves him; it's ridiculous, seriously, because you find out he helped around all the time when you were at work and gained everyone's love

× makes an instagram account to teach people how to train their dog and becomes an internet sensation, a small celebrity

× also bc he's hot and sometimes posts working out pics

× skdksjs imagine this: makes dinner for both of you, lits up some candles, goes all in, then fucking posts it on ig saying "waiting for my baby to come home #surprise" forgetting you can see it lmfao

× you see the story on your way home and 🥺💞 "ye i love his oblivious ass"

× soft gasps when you tell him after dinner

× has the audacity to be surprised, like babe????

× Kaminari finds him through social media and this baby cries in relief for a good half an hour

× both team up to find all the gang

× guess who talks praises about you all the time? mhm, this guy right here is proud to have you

× and Denki has to deal with it;

× anywho! want to break him for good? tell him you love him for the first time

× GETS. SO. EXCITED. AND. EMOTIONAL.

× but forgets how to speak

× finds his words to say it back after staring at you entranced, grinning like an idiot, taking you in his arms and giving you a bone crushing hug while shaking in place

× he's never felt this loved and adores every second of it

× you're like a drug and he's deep gone, man

× tells you he loves you every single day

[lubdubsworld]

Better Man. ( Taehyung x OC)

Chapter 1    Chapter 2

Rated 18 +

Post Divorce, Getting Back Together, Second chances, Angst.

Chapter 3 ~ The problem with marriage is this  : it isn’t worth the pain of divorce. 

Denial isn’t healthy.

 But sometimes it helps you stay sane , at least long enough to get your act together. When you’re in denial, you kind of keep yourself together a bit. You process things a bit more slowly. Take your time examining the facts. 

It helps you make a delayed but possibly more informed decision.

 Impulsive decisions never end well.

 So it’s good to stew in denial for a while ( a short while) and then slowly begin processing what happened, think about it, think how its gonna affect you and then make a choice. 

Unfortunately for Taehyung and I... I wasn’t in denial. 

Maybe I should have been.

 The time between Taehyung turning up drunk and the me leaving the house was less than twelve hours. Taehyung showed up drunk and I just told him I was leaving. That we needed a break and I didn’t know when I’d be back. 

Terrible choice.

 In the first twelve hours, the hurt is so potent and strong , the wound so raw and fresh that you can’t think beyond the pain . Your instinct is to repay the pain, to retaliate and make the other party feel exactly what you’re feeling. So you think of the thing that would hurt them the most and you go ahead and do it. 

Like move out of your shared home of eight years, take away the son he adored and possibly rip the ground right out from under his feet. 

And then after the first twelve hours, reason begins to catch up. 

I had wanted to go back. 

I had wanted to go back to him but I was scared. 

Scared that I was being weak.

 That if I didn’t stick to the choice I made, Taehyung would forever see me as a pushover. That he would take it as some sick permission to do it all over again. That he’d just think I was too weak to walk out on him. 

And i couldn’t have that. I couldn’t have him hurting me and not facing the consequences of it. I just couldn’t.

So I stayed away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I worked on the seventh floor of a high rise in Gangnam, probably a twenty minute drive from Taehyung’s agency. It was an electronic/ tech company that dealt with everything from mobile phones to home fittings . As the  assistant director of Marketing I dealt with branding and keeping up the image of the company. Annual budgets, endorsements, campaigns and what not. 

I was good at it and i enjoyed it . everyone agreed that i did a good job because the numbers spoke for themselves. But I think the main reason I got the job was because I was married to the biggest brand ambassador in the country. 

“ I need the reports on consumer trends for this month and I want to meet with Social media team before lunch. There’s a drop in our web traffic and that needs to be fixed.” I told my assistant, accepting the hot coffee and muffin that he held in his hand before moving to the corner office, my strides faltering just a bit when i noticed that  someone  was already inside. The figure had his back to me but I could vaguely recognize the broad shoulders and muscular arms. 

“Mr. Jeon’s been waiting for about ten minutes now.” Mingyu said with a smile and I nodded. 

“That’s fine , I’ll handle him.” I waved my assistant off and moved to the  door, unlocking it and stepping in. 

“Morning, Jang Mi.” He smiled, eyes flashing with ill concealed delight and I inhaled to calm myself down. . 

I could already feel a headache coming on. 

“Jungkook.” I said curtly. “ To what do I owe this very early visit?”  I glanced at my table finally taking the bottle of champagne in the small ice bucket. 

“Thought we’d celebrate you finally being free.” He grinned. 

Jeon Jungkook was handsome, intelligent , and annoyingly good at everything he did.

At 34,  He was one of the youngest CFO’s in the industry, and everything he touched turned to gold. I didn’t report to him and he had zero reasons to be in my office at any given time. But , unfortunately he had never gotten that particular memo. 

“I’m not in the mood, Jungkook.” I sighed, moving to the back of my desk and dropping my bag on the small ottoman on the side and my keys in the desk. I plugged my phone into the cable on the side and then went to open the blinds. 

“Come on... You know how sick I’ve been of two years of  hearing ‘ I’m sorry, I’m married.’ .... you’re gonna have to come up with  a better excuse the next time i ask you out.” 

“No. No is a whole entire sentence that you should be able to accept.” I said evenly, fixing the cushions on the couch only to have him plop down on them immediately after. 

“One date. Dinner anywhere you like. i can fly you to Paris if you want.... Macua? Jeju Do? Tell me what you want and I’ll get it done. ?” 

i stared at him. 

“I want you to fire Kang Yeseul from the Social Media team.” I said with a shrug. 

He frowned. 

“The new girl? Why?” 

“She’s been posting nudes that she took in my office when I was on leave last week. My name plate is literally visible.”

“Jesus fuck...these bitches get dumber by the minute.”

I couldn’t even deny it.

“I’ll take care of it.” He said swiftly. “ Anything else?”

“Web traffics gone down and I’m gonna find out why. It’s probably time for us to work out the budget for the Christmas Carnival. I think we should go for something new this time. If you can set up a meeting with all the department heads we can brainstorm a few ideas...” 

“I can’t forget about that night.” 

I froze. 

God. 

i turned around to stare at him as he lounged on the couch. If Kim Taehyung was the most handsome man I’d ever seen, Jungkook was definitely the second.

 He was disconcertingly good looking and where Taehyung’s image was always the clean cut gentleman with the perfect character, Jungkook had a reputation as a bit of a delinquent. Simply because he had a penchant for leather jackets and liked to ride around Seoul on his motorbike on days off. 

Which was ironical because in truth, Taehyung was far from a saint and Jungkook was relatively more put together 

He was also a divorcee and a single parent. His daughter Jennie was easily the cutest two year old on the planet.

His wife and him had fifty fifty custody but she had cheated on him with his best friend. Jungkook had no patience for her. They had a very volatile relationship but he was fighting for full custody and rumor was that he would most certainly be granted it, soon. 

A marathon runner ,  he didn’t drink or smoke.  

Jungkook liked to paint and volunteered at an animal shelter once or twice a month because he loved dogs but couldn’t keep one because of his busy schedule. 

So all in all , a pretty solid candidate if I was looking for a guy. 

Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that I was completely and utterly done with relationships for the rest of my life, I would actually give the guy a chance. 

But , it is what it is. 

“That sounds like a  you  problem. “ I shrugged. “ It was supposed to be  one  night  with no strings attached. And by string I meant awkward conversations three months later .” 

Jungkook groaned and sat up straighter, legs spread and shirt sleeves riding up to show a very sparkly watch. Rich men and their vices. I smirked a little. 

“Come on... its just dinner. I want to get to know you, that’s it.” he held his hands up. 

“There’s nothing to know Jungkook. I’m actually more boring than i appear, which is saying something. I’m not going to be the girl in the leather jacket clinging to your waist when you’re joyriding that motorbike of yours through Seoul. That’s not me. I would hate something that” 

He chuckled. 

“Are you sure? You ever tried it?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“That’s not the point.”

“I’ll buy you a jacket. Join me this weekend. We’ll go a ride. Then you can make a decision.” 

I opened my mouth to argue when the phone rang. I grabbed it quickly.

“Hello?” 

“This is Lee Taemin from the Advertising Department.”

“Yes?”

“We have a Mr. Jung from HYBE on the phone. They want to talk to us about a possible candidate for our Christmas Campaign.... “

I blinked, surprised. 

“We haven’t even decided on a theme yet. “

Choosing the right actors to endorse stuff was usually the last step. 

“I know but he’s saying they want to talk about Mr. Kim Taehyung as a possible candidate?”

I felt my entire jaw come unhinged. 

I turned to Jungkook stunned. His eyes widened at the look on my face and he mouthed a ‘ What’ 

“Please tell him I’ll call him back in fifteen minutes.” I said quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook demanded. 

“Taehyung’s manager...he... he wants to make him the face of the Christmas Campaign.” I said dully, mind ringing. I was utterly stupefied. 

Taehyung was the face of Gucci and Versace . He was so far out of our company’s league it wasn’t even funny. 

Jungkook stared at me in disbelief.

“No.” He said quickly.

I gaped at him.

“What?” 

“No... we can’t have that. He’s.. he’s obviously doing this to get back with you...”

I shook my head.

“that can’t be it. He’s the one who gave me a divorce. He’s the one who wanted to end it. “ 

It was the shock of what I’d heard. There was no other explanation for why I said that to Jeon Jungkook. 

Jungkook gave me a look.

“Really? But you wanted one too right?”

“Of course I did.” I lied easily, waving him off. “Anyway that doesn’t matter. We can’t say no to him, Jungkook. Our sales would skyrocket if we get him onboard.” 

Jungkook swore.

“Fuck, you’re right. The Ceo will probably piss himself in excitement. You sure you’ll be okay with it?”

Jungkook looked worried. 

“You forget that Taehyung and I are actually quite good friends.” I said gently. 

He grimaced.

“That's just unnatural. If you can stay friends with an ex it clearly means that either you’re still in love with each other or....”He shrugged. 

“Or what?” 

“Or you never loved each other in the first place.” 

I swallowed the remark hitting a little too close to home for comfort. 

“Schedule that meeting Jungkook. We’ll come up with a campaign theme that would fit Taehyung’s image. I’ll take to Hoseok and Taehyung.” 

“You’re going to call Taehyung?” Jungkook asked casually.

“Hoshi’s with him today. I’ll probably go over to his place after work and talk to him in person.” 

“Lucky bastard. He gets to hurt you and yet  still have you.” Jungkook said bitterly. 

I rolled my eyes.

“He doesn’t have me.”

“Doesn’t he? Why else would you turn down dates with anyone who asks? its one date.. a dinner... If you’re not still hung up on your ex husband why wouldn’t     you just go on one date with-”

I’d really had quite enough of it. I threw my hands up in sheer exasperation. 

“Alright fine.” I yelled, “  I’ll go to dinner with you...can you just stop psycho analyzing my relationship with my husband?” 

Jungkook’s smile told me that I’d been played like a fiddle. 

“excellent. Go see your husband after work and I’ll come pick you up at eight.” 

“What...no wait...”

“I know where he lives. Don’t worry about it. I’ll schedule that meeting and maybe after lunch we can go over the kind of budget you’ll want. Okay?”

I felt a little like I’d stepped into quagmire. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn’t go see Taehyung after work. 

I didn’t have to. 

An hour before I was due to finish my daily report, he turned up at the office with my son. My assistant let him in and I could only gape at him.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked , completely thrown. 

“Mama I had ice cream with strawberries and sprinkles in a hundred colors.” Hoshi looked excited, eyes shining the way they usually did when he was with Taehyung. 

“That sound incredibly exciting....”

“We missed you mama....can we go again?” He said excitedly.

“I’m sorry honey, Mama’s a little caught up with work...”

“Why don’t we wait?” Taehyung said cheerfully, “ Mama likes blueberry scones so we can get those for her...” 

I stared at him.

“Okay...” I sad carefully, staring him down. What was he doing really?

“Okay... Can I go see the fishies....” Hoshi waved at the large fish tank built into the wall in my office and Taehyung laughed, letting him down.

“Sure bud.. go see how many of the fish you can identify...” He said brightly. 

“ Since when do you pick me up for blueberry scones after work?” I asked briskly and he shrugged.

“Let the kid be happy , Mia. I heard Hobi hyung already spoke to you.”

“What is that all about, Tae?” I said tiredly. 

“All the other offers i got are out of Korea. I want to stay with Hoshi during the Holidays so i thought this way , we could spend some time together..”

“By we, I hope you mean you and Hoshi.” I said drily.

“Of course. I could’ve picked another mall or something but i thought it could be a good thing if we worked at the same place... we can keep Hoshi with us and there wont be all the commuting back and forth nonsense....” 

I nodded. 

“I suppose you’re right. “ I sighed. “But be warned, you’re probably not going to have a very exciting time. 

“I’ll enjoy it nonetheless.” 

I nodded. 

“I won’t tell you how to live your life And I most certainly won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. My Ceo might just give me a huge pay raise for this. He’s been waiting for it since the time he hired me.”

Taehyung gave me a smile.

“I would have done it the minute you asked. You never asked.” 

I shrugged. 

“Like I said, I won’t tell you how to live your life.” 

“Jang Mi?” The knock on the door made us both look up.

Jungkook stood framed in the doorway, jacket off and slung over his arms . He looked bigger than usual, muscles straining against his button down and hair mussed. 

He stepped in casually, holding a hand out to Taehyung.

“The golden boy of Korea. in the flesh. A pleasure to meet you Mr. Kim. I’m Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook” 

The pair of them shook hands and I felt that I would rather be anywhere in the world than there. 

“ Nice to meet you Mr. Jeon.” Taehyung smiled politely. 

“We still on for tonight?” Jungkook asked casually, turning to me with a bright smile. 

This is why i hated men. 

Taehyung’s eyes snapped to me so fast that i was sure he must’ve got whiplash. 

“Sure. I’ll call you.” I said shortly. 

“What’s tonight?” Taehyung smiled, face neutral and smile still in place but his eyes flashed and his voice carried a knife edge to it. 

“Business dinner. We’re going over the budget for the Christmas campaign.” 

“Oh... where?” Taehyung asked with the same smile and I frowned.

“We’ve not decid-”

“I thought I could cook for you. i make a mean steak dinner and I thought I could pick up a bottle of your favorite wine on the way. You have my address right? ” Jungkook smiled. 

Taehyung went still next to me, his entire body taut . 

“A little inappropriate for a business dinner, don’t you think?” he snapped.

Jungkook glared back at him, eyes narrowed. 

“Well, you know what they say about all work and no play-” he began but I’d had enough. 

“I think this conversation needs to end now.” I said loudly. 

They  both shut up but glared at each other.

“I’m gonna make a reservation at the Hyatt for tonight. I’ll meet you there at seven thirty. “ I said, glaring at Jungkook. 

He nodded.

“Pleasure meeting you Kim Taehyung.” He nodded curtly at my ex husband before moving away. 

The silence he left behind was pretty awkward. 

“Bit too much of a douchebag than your usual type.” Taehyung said casually. 

I groaned.

“Don’t start.” 

“ I won’t if you don’t date him.” 

I opened my mouth to argue but then stopped. 

“Lets just get that ice cream ? “ I said tiredly. Hoshi reappeared from the inside room, looking excited and happy and I smiled despite my weariness. 

I could use a little sweetness in my life after a bitterly exhausting day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s note : Feedback is welcome . Probably going to be a long , terribly angsty fic with a lot of pain for everyone involved. I still haven’t decided who ocs going to end up with so we’ll see... what do you guys think? 

[prurientpuddlejumper]

Cold Hands

Jackson Neill x Reader

For @storiesofsvu​​​’s Fall Bingo! Requested by @detectivebarba. Followed up in Cozy Sweaters​

Warnings: NSFW (smutty lines, no smut). Angst, cheating, breakup.

OK, so, my fluffy Jackson fics take place in a world where Sarah never happened or after she & Jackson broke up… But what if they didn’t? 

1,800 words

“Here’s another one: ‘Professor Neill is super dreamy. He’s a PILF.’ What’s a PILF?”

“I honestly don’t know. I don’t read these comments. I don’t care,” Jackson replied with irritation. He did, and he does, but he wasn’t going to let some cultist make him out to be an exploitative, charismatic leader.

“But you did ‘eff’ a student, right?”

Jackson laughed nervously under the hot stage lights.

“Any chance you had a sexual relationship with a student you used for a source in your article?” Cal Roberts, the man sitting across the news set from him, raised an eyebrow innocently, reveling in the way his little ace in the hole had Jackson pinned.

“Of course not. That would be unethical.”

“Right, right.”

How the fuck did he find out? When Sarah chose to go back to the Meyerist Movement instead of listening to reason, he didn’t think she would tell anyone. Their fringe movement was dangerous—restrictive to personal freedoms. Letting them know that she was his source would have put her in danger. The fact that one of its leaders knew blindsided him.

He was tense for the rest of the debate, and the cameras picked up on it. He looked like an asshole. The cult won this round as far as the audience was concerned.

As the cameras turned off and the PA came to unclip his mic, Jackson stepped close to Cal and said, low enough not to be overheard, “I did care about her. I do. Tell her I miss her, and I hope she’s OK.”

Guilt over their affair swirled in his gut as he walked off the set—and came to a screeching halt as he ran into you.

You had been sitting in the vacant live-audience area to watch the filming, but you were standing now, as if you’d gotten up to meet him but froze halfway there and were just… staring. Your eyes were dull.

“Who was he talking about?” you asked in a small voice.

Anger he could have handled. His ex-wife was always screaming at him for his screw-ups. But this was something worse.

He could have placated you with lies. Told you that everything with Sarah was before he met you, but you were too clever for that—too interested in his research not to realize when he started using her as a source. Besides, you didn’t deserve to be lied to again. If he hoped to salvage his relationship with you, then you deserved the truth from now on.

“Listen, let’s just… go home and talk.”

You silently nodded.

***

A thick silence haunted the car ride home, punctuated only by the howl of autumn wind through the dark city streets.

On the ride to the studio, you had been so animated, helping him prepare for the debate. You would pretend to be a Meyerist and argue against him so Jackson could practice his response. He put his hand on your thigh, and it was so warm. You squealed at his icy fingertips, but instead of batting them away, you shoved them deeper between your thighs. “Someone has to help your bad circulation,” you declared with a grin. “Can’t let you get frostbite.” He could barely focus on the road.

Now, when he tried to say something… to broach the subject… you only stared out the passenger window at the passing streetlights and bare trees.

He reached out to touch you, but you shrugged him off.

***

Jackson couldn’t have known the deafening chaos of that car ride home. His home, not yours, though you had all but moved in. You’d been planning to make it official when your lease was up, but now you would have to renew it.

You’d have to let your roommates know you’d be staying.

All these little thoughts swarmed through your head like post-it notes caught in a cyclone—reminders of a million mundane plans falling apart and being remade. The logistics of separating two entangled lives. Would you take your houseplant back or leave it in Jackson’s kitchen? There was never enough light for it in your apartment.

If you started thinking about the big things—who was the student? How long? How many nights did he say he was working late when he was with them?—then you might fall apart.

The car was silent, but inside your head was an endless dark roar.

Jackson parked in the driveway, and without a word, you began wandering through the house like a ghost, picking up your things and packing them up in a plastic garbage bag. Half your wardrobe was here. It should take two trips, but if you had to come back… if you had to see him again, and he asked you to stay, you might be too weak. So you’d have to get everything in one trip.

Your feet shuffled lifelessly into the bathroom to retrieve your toiletries when Jackson squeezed through the door in front of you and blocked the sink.

“Stop. Please. Let’s talk about this.”

“What’s there to talk about? I don’t want to know his name.”

The obvious thought was, maybe it wasn’t true. That Meyerist guy would have said anything just to make Jackson look bad. But if that were the case, Jackson would have told you so right away. He didn’t, and he wasn’t even trying to sell you an alternate fiction to exonerate himself. For a cheater, he was honest. Jackson never lied to you, so you used to think. That was why this… this was so unexpected. You never saw it coming.

You tried to get around him, but he kept getting in the way of your toothbrush until you looked at him. “She wasn’t a student. She was participating in one of my classes as a guest speaker. She’s not even enrolled at the university. He made it sound as if—”

“DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT’S THE PART I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH?!” you screamed.

Your anger had been so seething, quiet, you didn’t even realize you were angry until you finally opened your mouth and fury poured out like dragon’s fire. It caught you both by surprise. You shoved past him to grab your toothbrush and marched back out into the master bedroom without another word.

Tears pricked the back of your eyelids. You didn’t like yourself when you lost control like that, especially knowing how his ex had been. How much he flinched at raised voices. Part of you wanted to turn around and hold him, comfort him, apologize. Then you felt sick that that was your first impulse after what he did.

Maybe the bastard deserved it.

“I… just wanted you to know I’m not some kind of… of predator.” He sounded like a child, his voice high and thin.

You turned.

He looked so pathetic standing there in the bathroom with his rumpled shirt hanging off fallen shoulders, his eyes shining wet and desperate.

“Why?” you asked. It was the only question you could ask. The only one that mattered—if it even mattered. You heard your voice breaking as if it were in another room.

“It was just supposed to be research. I chatted her up to learn about the Meyerist Movement�� It wasn’t cheating, at first. I never meant to let things go that far. But she was so smart, but vulnerable… I thought I could help her get out. I thought she was ready to leave religion behind, like I did. She was so much like I used to be. Before I knew it, I was falling in love with her. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

Tears escaped your eyes, but you didn’t want them to. You didn’t want him to see you cry over him. “So you love her?”

“No! I love you—I chose you,” he croaked. “It’s been over for a long time. She was only using me to help her research the history of Meyerism. When I realized that...” He took a few steps toward you, but you took one back to stay out of reach.

You let out a bark of cynical laughter. “So I was your fallback? The one who actually cared about you? Supported you? It was too hard having this woman lean on you for help, so you just used me the same way?”

“That… that isn’t—”

“You don’t love me. I’m just a soft place for you to land. If she patiently waited at home for you, you would have left me, wouldn’t you?”

“It was a mistake. The worst mistake of my life. Please...”

“The worst part is, I thought you were better than this. I believed in you. You were always so cuddly and domestic, the kind of guy you settle down with—I thought I finally found a man I could trust.”

“You can. It will never happen again. I’ll spend my whole life making up for it if I have to.”

Unlike the tightly clenched tear ducts on your face, regularly scrubbed dry with the back of your sleeve, Jackson’s tears were freely flowing down his cheeks. He tried to hold you, but you shoved his cold touch away.

It was too late for that. His arms were not comfort anymore.

All you could see was him wrapping those arms around her. All while you were cooking him dinner, being so understanding of his late nights, waiting for him to come home. Never knowing. Never thinking he would betray you.

He must have washed her scent off him. Did he scrub his cock with soap twice just to make sure you wouldn’t taste her on him when you knelt between his knees? Did he think about her hair when he was pulling yours? Imagine her lips wrapped around him?

Was she better than you? Was that why he did it?

Did he finger her the same way, slow and gentle, before fucking her? You wondered if he murmured the same praises, told her she was taking him so well, if he gave that same breathy, “fuck,” just before he came inside her.

Weren’t you enough? What did you do so wrong that he needed to cheat?

Finally, you began to sob. Your whole body rocking, shoulders heaving in big gasping breaths. He took advantage of the moment and hugged you tight, whispering shallow promises meant to be comforting, and you could tell his heart was breaking at the sight of you in pain.

You let him hold you, just for a moment, because it still felt so good—he still felt like home.

But you were sobbing for broken plans. For the apartment lease you would have to renew when you had been looking forward to moving in. For the dog you and Jackson wanted to adopt from the shelter. For the Airbnb you booked in Vermont for leaf-peeping season that would have to be canceled.

His cheating hands felt cold on your back, but you let him hold you a little bit longer, because despite everything, your heart was breaking for him, too.

Because this would be the last time he ever held you.

• ● • ━━━━━─ ••●•• ─━━━━━ • ● • @beccabarba​ / @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ / @thatesqcrush​ / @dianilaws​ / @permanentlydizzy​ / @mrsrafaelbarba​ / @madamsnape921​ / @astrangegirlsmind​ / @neely1177​ / @onerestein​ / @dreamlover31​ / @isvvc-pvscvl​​  / @shroomiehomie / @storiesofsvu​ / @welcometothemxdhouse​​ / @feedthemadness-sweetie​ / @law-nerd105​ / @amelia-song-pond​ / @michael-rooker​ / @xecq / @madpanda75​ / @alwaysachorusgirl​ / @bananas-pajamas​ / @leanor-min​ / @mad-girl-without-a-box​ / @katierpblogg​ / @worldofvixen​ / @sassyada​ / @detectivebarba​

[garrothromeave]

mcd garroth + laurance headcanons for the sake of me posting something while working on my long-ass post, also happy birthday blaze ily, 

garroth - total momma’s boy. seems obvious, but it’s true -- back in o’khasis, he was practically glued to the side of zianna. whenever she had to leave for a few days when he was younger, he’d cry if he couldn’t go with her. when he left for the guard academy, he wrote to zianna on a daily basis. to put it simply, he had separation anxiety. the hardest thing about faking his death was not being able to see or talk to his mother. - incredible piano player. his father made him take lessons when he was younger for quite a few years, but he was naturally very good at it. he never mentions this skill to anyone. while they were at malachi’s castle and were looking for materials before they left, garroth stumbled upon an old piano and played something. he got really into it, and laurance ended up stumbling on him playing. he made laurance swear to never tell anyone about it. - when garroth was around eight or nine, his stutter was so bad that garte didn’t let him speak in public or around any people other than the family out of shame. vylad and zianna used to help garroth with his stutter.

- garroth is very sensitive to the saying “oh my irene.” growing up in the ro’meave house, it was taboo to use irene’s name in vein. or anywhere in o’khasis, really. nowadays he’s still very caustious whenever he says it, because he thinks that someone is going to yell at him. - horrified of getting hurt. back during the days of training in the guard academy, while he was very good with technique and fighting itself, he had a very bad flinching problem. overall, for the longest time, wounds and pain made garroth very uncomfortable. because of this fear of getting hurt, he has a bit of a stubble because of the one time he hurt himself while shaving.   - 6′4, because 6′11 is unbelievably tall and i honestly don’t even think that it’s canon? s’yeah. he seems 6′4 to me.

- garroth often sees new things and (internally) has this very child-like wonder response. he was sheltered for the entirety of his childhood and teenagehood. and after the guard academy, he stayed put in the same village for 5 years -- so he hasn’t experienced very much. he often wants to ask dozens of questions, but because of his shyness, he tends to just observe anything new very closely. which leads me to my next headcanon,

- because of o’khasis’ intolerance to many things, he was not very commonly exposed to magick’s users. the first magicks user that he directly met would be zoey, and he was very nervous when talking to her the first time he met her. when garroth gets to know her more, she catches on that he’s curious about a lot of things, and offers to tell him about things. he declines, and he regrets that decision to this day.

- as stated before, o’khasis isn’t very tolerable of things, which caused garroth to develop incredibly bad internalized homophobia. when aphmau comes along, he gets a very strong desire to protect her (little do we know, this strong desire comes from his connection with esmund) and confuses it for/tries to convince himself that it’s romantic love. it is in fact love, just platonic. so basically, this man’s gay as hell.

- garroth has more freckles than any other ro’meave family member. he’s mildly insecure about his freckles, seeing them as a ‘childish’ trait, which is why he wasn’t very bothered with the idea of hiding his face with his helmet. 

- his hair is super curly. it used to be more tame, but as he got older, it got more curly. it’s usually a mess because he doesn’t know how to take care of it, but it somehow looks hot as hell. (no homo ofc.)

- garroth is allergic to blueberries. 

- raven was garroth’s first genuine connection since he left o’khasis. zenix was his second. he loves raven a lot, and hates that he can’t see him as often as he’d like to.

- garroth is a total cat person. don’t get me wrong, he loves dogs, but if he were to choose between having one or the other, he’d choose to have a cat. he had a pet cat when he was little that he still thinks about a lot. (probably named sprinkles, just for the hell of it.)

- because of how he grew up, garroth’s actually a very picky eater. while he’d never admit it to himself or anyone else, he misses the more “rich-people” food he was spoiled with. 

- garroth isn’t actually that stupid, when he first arrived at pheonix drop, he had a name in mind that he wanted to go by (to better hide his identity). however, when his name was asked by someone, he panicked and “garroth” accidently slipped. he beat himself up for the longest time after that. the only reason he finally let go is because no one had ever pointed out how/seemed suspicious he had the same name as the deceased first-born son of o’khasis.

laurance - his hair grows decently quick, so even after cadenza cut it for him, it only took about 4 months for it to grow back just past his shoulders. he prefers it having some length to it anyways, and usually ties is back into a ponytail. after the irene dimension, he would let nekoette braid his hair. - has a very lanky body type. naturally has long limbs, and would often get called a ‘stick’ when he was younger. he’s about 5′11. but don’t confuse his thinner stature for weakness, he matches garroth’s strength easily.

- bi icon. fuck that “you were my first kiss” bullshit he gives aphmau, the list exists and while it’s stupid and weird, according to it, garroth was his first kiss. which is fuckin funny as hell if you think about it.

- laurance is very good with animals. more so rodents and smaller creatures, like squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc. cadenza was convinced that laurance could talk to animals for the longest time. he even had this little mouse that would pop in his house. however, on the contrary, larger animals -- not so much. he’s shit with horses and cows, especially. 

- incredible singer. has serenaded aphmau on multiple occasions, and has even gotten her to sing along with him from time to time. he sang for malachi to help him fall asleep every night since the day they met him. this caused him to start singing for levin at night as well. when laurance saw malachi again after the 15 year jump, within the first few days of his return, malachi asked for laurance to sing for him again just like he used to. which brings me to my next headacanon,

- laurance saw malachi as his own child, and treated him as such. they were very close, and malachi was the most heartbroken over laurance’s disappearance since he saw him very much as a father. it wasn’t that laurance favored malachi over levin that created this bond, it was the fact that laurance first-hand saw a child in need of a home and someone to love him, and it reminded him of when he was small. 

- he’s a sucker for bets. gambles, wages, anything like that. while he’s not directly a gambler, if someone offers he’s sure to accept. he’s a risk-taker, and ends up getting really into it. this also branches into his competitive behavior. he’ll be really upset and possibly a bit petty if he loses. why else do you think he still hadn’t given castor the 5 dollars he owes him?

- slingshot master. you give this motherfucker a slingshot he can kill someone with his impeccable aim. he’s also very good with a bow and arrow or any sort of projectile, but he’s the best with a slingshot. when he was younger, he hand-made slingshots from materials that he’d find around the forest.

- speaking of the forest, laurance is a very nature-loving soul. when he moved to meteli when he was adopted, he’d often go and explore the forests nearby. he and cadenza would use their imaginations and play all sorts of games. laurance and her especially loved to climb trees, and would jump from branch to branch. this helped laurance become very flexible. this is also how he met sasha, she was sitting in his favorite tree one day and they just hit it off from there.

- after he was rescued from the nether, laurance frequently had nightmares that would lead into sleep paralysis episodes. the first time it happened garroth had been looking over him (since this was around the time when laurance first got back and garroth had allowed aphmau to go do her lord tasks while he watched over him) and when he had the ability to move and speak again, he started freaking out. garroth had to calm him down and assure laurance that he’d talk to zoey about what happened. garroth and zoey are the only ones that know of laurance’s sleep paralysis, mainly because he didn’t want to worry aphmau or anyone else. zoey often gave him ways to cope with it. it didn’t happen every night, but it did occur at least 5-6 times a month. his sleep paralysis stopped the moment he entered the nether for the second time. 

- the first time laurance heard he’d made the list for the jury of nine, he felt honoured. when he was oblivious to how corrupt it was, he saw it as a huge opportunity. after learning about it’s true nature, he was still glad that he’d made the list -- because him being on the list prevented another person from risking being on the list and being chosen to be apart of the jury.

- yes, laurance can cook very will in this universe as well. it’s not that he was taught, it’s more that he can look at ingredients and just throw them together to make great combinations. zoey also taught him a few things.

- laurance does not know his real birthday. malachi does not remember his. since cadenza had “given” laurance a birthday, he offered to let malachi share his unofficial birthday with him. malachi accepted. 

garroth + laurance

- laurance began referring to garroth as “pretty boy” after seeing his face. he continued to call him that for the first month of their friendship. garroth hated it, and that’s the only reason laurance eventually stopped.

- laurance and garroth are both very good story tellers, but after one incident where garroth was telling levin and malachi a story, he started stumbling a bit over his words and couldn’t articulate correctly, so laurance picked it up and continued it. from there, they took turns with the story and occasionally interrupted one another to add a detail or plot point, and after that, malachi refused to listen to garroth or laurance separately when telling stories, because their collective minds came up with the most fascinating shit.

- garroth isn’t the best at coming up with insults because he’s simply too nice, but laurance loves to make fun of garroth (in good fun, of course). however, there is one thing that garroth could hold over laurance; and that was their height difference. whenever laurance would mess with him, garroth would just bring up height to piss laurance off. 

- when laurance regained his sight, him and garroth sparred very often. that’s when garroth realized how much strength laurance actually had, since he’d originally underestimated him. laurance, in all honesty, was equally surprised. their spars were pretty evenly matched.

- while these two are best friends, the amount of arguments they’ve had is insane. most of them were light-hearted and were more so disagreements, but sometimes things escalated and would result in yelling. that’s because laurance always took it a step too far. that, or garroth would try to disregard what they were talking about, which only made laurance more heated. but they’re both incredibly quick to forgive each other. once they had a really bad argument and didn’t talk for an entire hour afterwards, but once they saw each other again it was like they’d never fought. 

- since garroth grew up with everything and laurance often had to hunt and shit, garroth wasn’t amazing at it. laurance found out, originally teased garroth, but gave him tips and took him out and taught him how to hunt. garroth’s still shit at it when he does it alone, but when he does it with laurance he’s pretty decent. 

- garroth doesn’t drink. laurance does. laurance once tried to convince garroth to drink, but he refused -- which laurance respected, but garroth had to deal with drunk laurance for the rest of the night at the guard station. he learned things that he really wish he hadn’t that night. 

---

i had more for garroth and laurance’s relationship, but uh, i don’t really have time to write them down, so take these for now! i hope y’all enjoy them as much as i did writing them :]

[doberbutts]

Honestly your love of actual breed standard chihuahuas is really great. Ever since I heard some (unsourced) claims about the health of small appleheads specificually due to breeding them for the standard, my worry started informing my opinions on them.

But like...that's not...correct??

I mean, yeah, obviously there are super bad breeding practices. But even if unethical breeders do certain things to pretend they meet standard, that doesn't mean that the breed standard requires those things?? Like. Yes. Some breeders pretend that hydrocephalic puppies are appleheads. That doesn't mean that the applehead shape is caused by hydrocephaly! Same with short legs. Short legs do not automatically come with joint issues. They're two different things, and someone who says that short legs = bad joints doesn't actually know what they're talking about!!

It doesn't help that everyone and their mother labels every small vaguely chi mutt that arrives at a shelter a purebred chihuahua. Like of course one will consider a breed unhealthy if that's one's baseline understanding of it!!

So basically this was another small rant of mine in your inbox about how you've helped change my mind on things. I do still love the leggy deerheads and I think it's a shame that the dog world doesn't seem to have a place for them at the moment, but they're not better than the ones that actually meet breed standard. And I'm glad I understand that now and I'm actually doing my research on these things instead of jumping to conclusions like I used to.

Personally I think that if someone were to create a breeding project to recreate an approximation of what the techichi would have been- the taller, longer-legged, deer head terrier-ish dog of the Toltecs- then a respectful recreation would be fantastic because obviously, clearly, people really like the aesthetic and the larger size and provided the Native people remaining in Mexico that are still connected to their historical roots are also down I think it would open up a good conversation on breed preservation in cultures that colonizers have repeatedly tried to wipe off the map.

The problem is that it just doesn't seem to exist. I looked for ages and could not find a single "techichi preservation project" or "deer head" breeder that was doing adequate health testing or longevity tracking. I wanted that more than I wanted standard chihuahuas and that was why I rescued and even when I rescued a "pure" chi it was still pretty clear she was probably mixed and she also was doomed to die long before I got her considering she died after suffering horrifically at 10 months old. I would love if people could breed this option for those that want it but I would only support it if people were being honest and respectful, and if people were actually health testing their dogs. And neither of those things seems to be happening.

And when the country of origin says "this is what this breed deeply connected to our heritage is supposed to look like" I find it hard as a non-Mexican to argue with Mexico on what the dog breed named after one of their states is supposed to be. I feel like they'd know the answer to that best.

[milkacchan]

Request for anon: Fav boys with an S/O that's usually a hardass but has a moment of just 'oh my god that's so fucking cute' that they start crying??

Bakugou:

• Listen, you weren't totally against showing emotion but you really only showed two

• Frustration and 'happiness'

• Aka you laughed a lot but had no problem blowing up on someone

• No one had ever seen you outside of those two moods

• Half the class just assumed you never got sad or anything

• The other half assumed you never really had a reason too but maybe one day you'd snap

• Crying? You? Off the table.

• You're not capable of it

• They'd seen you detach yourself from things without a second thought

• CRAZY how you and Bakugou actually WORKED together in a relationship

• To be honest Bakugou doesnt even know if he's seen you cry

• He figures he'll see it eventually

• And he's right :)

• Bc one day you two are walking ahead if the bakusquad

• And theres this fucking puppy

• And it's so small

• Its a lil weiner dog

• And an audible rasp is ripped out of your throat followed by a small 'oh my god'

• His head fuckin WHIPS around• And he's met with you tearing up as you stare at this small dog and his mouth d r o p a

• This??? This is what it takes for you to cry????

• You put a hand over your mouth, mumbling something else and Bakugou is having a stroke

• You're like full crying now

• There are t e a r s

• He moves a little closer, wrapping and arm around your shoulder

• "Are you seriously crying over a dog right now?"

No words. You just nod.

• He accepts it

• No questions asked

• Bakusquad is what you call

• V fuckin confused

• "I want a puppy," you mumbled, breathing uneven.

"I know,"

"Katsu he was so tiny,"

"I know,"

• Cue more crying

Izuku:

• Hard ass 100%

• emotionally constipated on the Bakugou level

• emotion what's that??

• Idk

• Neither do you apparently

• You were just chilling most of the time

• Just- looking really blank

• never really felt comfortable with showing a lot of emotion

• People could use that against you

• call you week-

• You didn't want that

• you were dating the new symbol of peace, you had to keep up

• This happens during a rescue

• You get people out and once you're standing on the sidelines, the fight over- this little boy runs up to you, hugging your legs

• Thank your's are falling out of his mouth and he looks teary eye'd

• He puts his hands up and makes grabby hands and you immediately pick him up

• You kiss his forehead, your hold on the child tightening

• I mean at this point you're crying too

• Bc he was so damn cute

• Even with all the dirt on his face

• And Izuku is just standing there

• baffled

• bc you

• the person who was literally STABBED four times and kept a straight face the whole time about a year ago

• is crying over a child saying thank you

• He takes care of the press- and whatever else he needs to before slowly making his way over to you, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

• The boy was still in your arms

• "You okay princess?"

"Fine, thanks,"

• New image for the press!!

• You went from known for no emotion to Oh my god they have emotion????

• ur v upset about it

Hitoshi:

• He know you cant express emotions exactly how you want

• you'd told him it always felt weird and uncomfortable

• Especially letting other people see it

• Deadass took him 3 months after the initial four you guys were dating to pry that out of you

• He's never really minded though

• he just wants you to feel comfortable and be okay

• So he's always gone along with the casually mean laugh a lot vibe you've had

• But one day

• one faithful day

• you two are walking after an icecream date

• And you see these 2 little kittens in a beat up box

• you GASP and your hand immediately leaves his as you jog over

• And you coo at them, picking them up, one in each hand

• He's behind you when the water works start

• "Toshi...they're so cute-" you sniff

"Are you crying?"

"No- Yeah, just look at them. They're so tiny, they're gonna die out here alone,"

"Oh my god babe,"

"Toshi we have to take them back."

"I don't know if we can do that, we can take them to a shelter-"

• you're full on sobbing now, a blubbering and hiccuping mess

• he feels like he's gonna pass out

• what's he supposed to do

• you chose now to start crying??

• "No-No because they might end up on the street again and they need love, toshiiiii-" you whine out

• So he hugs you from behind, using one hand to pet the cat in your left hand. "Okay, we'll take them back. We can talk to Aizawa sensei."

• he presses a gentle kiss to your neck

• You def apologize later for crying in front if him, almost refusing to look him in the eye

• He flicks you and tells you to do it more often

Sero:

• hardass?? Yes and no

• You vibe

• you just chill and go with the punches

• but GOD do you refuse affection and basic human emotion.

• It took him 3 MONTHS to convince you to go out with him

• That he wasn't going to hurt you or judge you

• 3 MONTHS

• And what felt like fucking forever for you to accept his advances for affection

• He's so patient with you, you'll never find another man like this

• pls keep him forever

• Anyway now yall just vibe together

• But he's never seen you upset tbh

• And he's never seen you cry

• You push all that down, constantly just staying in a place of whatever

• He's a little concerned about it ngl

• but he doesn't know how to really help it

• Has deadass secretly been reading books about it

• Anyway

• One day y'all are chilling

• You're in his room

• he's at his desk- looking over an essay that was due the next day and you were in his hammock, already having finished it

• But he was bopping

• he had an earbud in one ear and he was mumbling along with the song, bopping his head and moving around in his chair, randomly bursting out a lyric here and there

• And then he heard a sniffle

• He immediately turns around and he see's you

• Your eyes are watery

• he pulls his earbud out and he's making his way over to you, clearly worried

• "Babe what's wrong?"

You shake your head, waving him off.

"No no, c'mon tell me-"

"You're just so damn cute and I love you so much. Precious."

• He's confused for a moment before it processes and he grins

"Is that why you're crying?"

"Yes!" You wipe your eyes again. "Thank you,"

He climbs into the hammock carefully, and wraps his arms around you.

• Not particularly what he had in mind when you finally decided to show emotion like that but he'd take it

Kirishima:

• puppy and cat

• aka

• Bubbly jock and hard ass motherfucker who can and will kill you

• He knows that you cant freely express what you feel all the time

• He understands more than most people think

• Because he knows it's easier to just be bitter than risk getting hurt again

• and you've opened up a lot!!

• and he's proud of you! Really.

• He tells you all the time and you gag and call him a sap but he knows that you secretly enjoy it

• Anyway you two are eating lunch outside

• Kirishima is babbling about something that happened after class the other day and you were eating quietly listening to your boyfriends ramblings

• And suddenly he feels a finger on his lips

• He opens his eyes confused, going to talk again before you sush him

• You're looking at a bird

• a REALLY small bird

• you take a small piece of bread from his sandwhich

• "Hi baby," you coo, "how you doin? Want some food?" You slowly hold the piece out

• The birds head tilts a little and he takes a hop

• then another

• and he watches you tense up

• and the bird takes the bread piece and flies away, he watches it go before looking back at you

• he about has a stroke

• you're fucking crying

• "Babe- wait- why are you crying?" He puts a hand on your shoulder

"What the fuck, that was so cute. Eij, he was so cute."

"Well yeah-"

"Jesus he was so tiny," you sniff, "did you see the way he tilted his head- oh my god and his little hop? No fuck off I'm gonna cry more,"

• And you do

• But honestly he doesn't even care bc you're finally letting something else in

• and it means you're comfortable around him

• so he only wraps his arms around your waist and pull you closer

• "he was very cute,"

[onetwothreefarkle]

Puppy Dog Tails

Just some tooth-rotting seblos fluff! Future fic based off this post. I hope you like it, @redmeanslove 

Summary: Seb comes home with a surprise (also read on AO3)

Carlos stood in his kitchen, stirring a mug of hot tea with honey and lemon. Outside, snow was falling, rapidly turning New York City into a winter wonderland, though it was mid-January, so most people were sick of it, especially in the city. Not Carlos, though. Winter was his favorite season (dry skin and chapped lips notwithstanding). The snow reminded him of Salt Lake, and kept him from getting too homesick. Not that he didn’t love his life in New York, but Salt Lake would always be home, no matter how long he spent chasing his Broadway dreams.

He was close to achieving them, too. His choreography had already been nominated for a Tony once, and while this year he was between shows, he had a good feeling about the projects he had in the works, most notably an original show currently in workshops, which meant most of his work was yet to come. In the meantime, he was focused on supporting his boyfriend—soon to be fiancé, if he had anything to say about it—who was currently the star of a genderbent production of Legally Blonde. Carlos couldn’t have been prouder, even if it meant days like these, spent alone in their apartment. Seb had left an hour ago and Carlos had already skimmed through his notes and sent an email to his director about a new routine.

He sipped his tea slowly and sighed. He knew he had things to do, dance routines to practice and more emails to send, and honestly laundry to wash, but he couldn’t bring himself to do any of it. Instead he moved from the kitchenette to the living room, and settled on the couch with his favorite blanket--the one Seb’s mom had gifted them when they first moved into this apartment. It was wool (sheep’s wool from the farm, not cashmere, obviously) and it was thick and warm and it reminded Carlos of home because somewhere along the way he started thinking of the Matthew-Smith’s farm and home as a little bit his. Also, it smelled like Seb always did when they were back in Salt Lake and he was spending time on the farm, sort of earthy and sweet.

Carlos was pulled from his thoughts by the high pitched tone of his text alerts. He set his tea down on the coffee table and pulled out his phone.

New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Guess who’s coming home early?

Message Sent: What? Why?

New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Check your weather app, sweetheart. The storm’s getting worse, our shows are cancelled today so nobody ends up snowed in at the theatre.

Message Sent : OMG

Message Sent: Get home safe!  

New Message From Seb 🥰💖: I will

New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Love you!

Message Sent: Love you too!

He set his phone down, and picked up his tea again, though he could barely wipe the smile off his face long enough to take a drink. He knew that Seb would be unhappy about missing a day of work, but he couldn’t help but be excited to spend some extra time with his partner, especially if they had to huddle for warmth. With that thought in mind, he flicked on the TV and began scrolling through their Netflix library, looking for something for them to watch.

45 minutes later, Carlos’s unfinished tea had gone cold on the table, and he had queued up Schitt’s Creek, a show they’d already watched multiple times, and that happened to be one of Seb’s all time favorites. He checked his phone, but there were no new texts from Seb. He frowned. Seb should’ve been home by then.

Message Sent: You almost home?

New Message From Seb 🥰💖: Coming up the stairs now!

Carlos grinned (and sighed in relief that his boyfriend wasn’t stuck out in the snow somewhere freezing to death). He picked up his mug and headed back to the kitchenette to dump out the rest of his tea. No sooner did he set the dish on the drying rack than he heard the door open, followed by some shuffling and grunting.

Wait-- Grunting?

Carlos peaked around the corner to see Seb closing the door behind him while holding a large cardboard box with one arm. Well, this was going to be good.

“Whatcha got there?” Carlos asked, in lieu of a proper greeting.

Seb looked up with a wide smile, cheeks and nose pink from the cold, snowflakes starting to melt in his hair. “What would you say if I brought home six puppies?”

Carlos eyed the box. “What’s in the box?”

Seb didn’t say anything, but a whining sound came from the box.

Carlos put a hand on his hip. “What’s in the box, Seb?”

Seb sighed. “I think you know.”

One of the puppies whined again, prompting Seb to set the box down and pull her out. She was brown, with big eyes and floppy ears, some kind of labrador mix, if Carlos had to guess. “Shhh, it’s okay,” Seb was saying, soothingly, petting the top of her tiny head.

“I want to be mad, but you’re so cute,” Carlos shook his head.

Seb grinned. “Come say ‘hi’ to Anne Boleyn.”

“You named them already?” Carlos rolled his eyes. He’d never met anyone who loved animals as much as Seb did. “Of course you did.”

Seb just stepped forward and deposited the puppy into Carlos’s arms. She squirmed adorably. Seb bent down and started taking the rest of the puppies out of the box. They all looked about the same as Anne Boleyn. Brown and floppy and soft, somehow though Seb was able to differentiate between each one.

“This is Catherine of Aragon and Jane Seymour and--”

“Did you name them after the cast of Six?”  

Seb shrugged. “Well, there’s six of them, it makes sense.”

Carlos raised an eyebrow. “And are they all girls?”

“Gender is a outdated social construct that dogs aren't restricted by,” Seb chirped happily. “But if you’re asking if they’re all female, the answer is no."

“Fair enough.” Carlos looked down at the puppy in his arms. She looked up at him with big brown eyes. “So, how did this happen?”

“I found them on the street!” Seb’s tone turned grave. “Someone had just left them out to freeze in the snow! I had to save them!”

“Wow,” Carlos’s eyes went wide. “That’s awful.”

“I know we can’t keep them,” Seb continued. “But I figured we could take care of them until the weather improves a bit and then we can take them to the animal shelter.”

Carlos nodded. “Sure.” Anne Boleyn chose that moment to lick Carlos’s glasses, pushing them part way off his face. “But they’re your problem.”

Seb giggled. “C’mon, she loves you!”

“If you say so,” Carlos pouted. “Not exactly the kiss I was hoping for.”

“Oh?” Seb grinned. “What kind of kiss were you hoping for?” He leaned in, stopping short of actually connecting their lips so he could fix Carlos’s glasses. “Maybe something like this?”

They kiss with Anne Boleyn squished slightly between their chests. Even after all these years it still makes Carlos’s heart race and warmth flood his body, all the way down to his toes.

“You do know,” he started, pulling back abruptly, “that you can’t convince me to let you keep one just by kissing me, right?”

“Well,” Seb smirked. “I could do more than kiss you.”

Carlos patted his cheek. “Not with six sets of eyes watching you can’t.”

Seb’s smirk turned into a pout. “Can’t we just keep one? I think Anne Boleyn really likes you.”

“Anne Boleyn is adorable, but do you really think she would be happy living in our studio apartment?” Carlos shook his head.

“Yeah,” Seb sighed. “You’re right.”

“Hey,” Carlos poked his partner’s arm. “Someday, after we’ve won a bunch of Tony awards, and we’re ready to retire from Broadway, we can move out of the city, to a big house somewhere and get all the dogs you want.”

Seb looked up hopefully. “Yeah?”

“Absolutely.” It was an easy promise to make. “I always thought we might end up moving back to Salt Lake eventually.”

“Oh, you’ve thought about our retirement, have you?” Seb grinned. “You don’t think you’ll be sick of me by then?”

Carlos flushed. “Never.” He thought about the engagement ring sitting in his sock drawer, the words Marry Me hanging off the tip of his tongue. He swallowed them. “Impossible.”

“I’ll never get sick of you, either,” Seb pressed a kiss to his cheek. “And I love that you’ve been imagining us retiring to the farm someday.”

“I never said--”

“It was implied,” Seb’s grin didn’t falter. “I’ve gotten pretty good at deciphering your riddles after all these years.”

Carlos couldn’t argue with that, because Seb was obviously right, and a part of Carlos wanted to be annoyed that Seb saw through him so easily, but most of him just felt warm all over. “I love you a lot, Seb Matthew-Smith.”

“I know.” Seb’s voice was soft and overflowing with fondness. “I love you a lot, too.”

[ruewrites]

Raising Them Right

AO3

WBT

Ships: Diavolo/Lucifer (minor near the end)

Word Count: 3960

Warnings: Abandonement, Self Deprication

A/N:  Here it is! So this is the second fic that was inspired from the one angst anon that wanted to know more about Asmo’s past relationships. I really had a wonderful time writing it, and I hope you guys enjoy!

Lucifer could still remember that day. It was clear in his mind and bit at him like a viper, slowly killing a part of him that was now long lost to time. He knew that Levi and Mammon remembered as well. Maybe Satan. But Asmo and the twins? Not so much. Regardless, he knew it had toyed with his brothers in various ways. Forcing different insecurities and means to cope down their throats. Honestly Lucifer didn’t even get away unscathed. 

Hurt and betrayal had bubbled up in his throat as he tore their room apart. Part of him was looking for an answer of sorts. A reason. But the bigger of him wanted destruction, wanted to erase them from their lives entirely. They chose to leave, so why should they have any memory of them? 

Lilith’s room was left untouched. Lucifer boarded up the door the best he could. This made his heart ache the most. He couldn’t focus too hard on what he was doing. It wouldn’t lead to good things. He needed to keep a steady composure for his brothers. They needed someone to look up to. Someone they could rely on. 

They had all packed up and left that night. The oldest three couldn’t bear to be in the house anymore. Satan hadn’t said anything, conflict swirling within his young mind. Asmo and the twins questioned their actions slightly.

“What if they come back looking for us?”

“Are we gonna go home soon Luci?”

“What if they miss us?”

It made the situation worse. It made Lucifer’s throat tighten and his eyes burn. How could he tell them that they weren’t even going back? That that place was no longer home? That they’d been abandoned? That was how Lucifer saw it, and he could feel that Mammon was just as bitter. His teeth were clenched, trying so hard not to snap at the little ones. They didn’t know any better, and Lucifer wished he could have protected them all from this reality. 

He was helpless.

They’d travelled around for a while, until they found a small motel with a vacancy. The older three had done the math. If they worked enough, they could stay here.. He wasn’t sure who called about them, but he wasn’t surprised. Who wouldn’t have been worried about seven children of varying ages wandering around alone on their own? Honestly, it was the responsible thing to do. Even if Lucifer hated admitting to it.

Ever since that day, Lucifer fought tooth and nail for his family. He refused to let anyone take his brothers away from him, refused to let them be torn apart any more than they already were. He’d heard everything. He was too young to effectively take care of them, that the little ones would be better off in more stable households. These conversations only succeeded in making Lucifer angrier. Eventually they reached a compromise. All seven of them would move in with a family, until further notice. 

Lucifer had agreed to this, but also took it as a challenge to get them their own place as soon as he could.

***********

Lucifer had gotten the call. He put himself down as the primary contact for all of his brothers, so he always knew what was going on with them. 

Deep breaths. In. And out. 

Getting angry at Mammon rarely got him anywhere. It was just frustrating. Mammon was smart  dammit! And he was a good kid deep down. Lucifer knew this, and it made it even worse every time he heard that Mammon had acted out once more. Lucifer had apologized to his professor multiple times about not being able to show up to class, and they understood, but it didn’t make the situation any better.

Lucifer got out of the car and started the routine he’d become so accustomed too. What could it be today? Acting out in class? Snatching something off of the teacher’s desk? Stealing from the cafeteria? Oh Lucifer could only imagine.

Greeting the ladies at the front desk, Lucifer was quickly ushered back to the principal's office. Mammon was hunched over in one of the chair’s, his hoodie obscuring his face.

Suspended.

For getting into a fight with another student.

It wasn’t  a long suspension, but Lucifer still didn’t exactly know how to feel about it. There was a tense silence in the car.It got to the point where Lucifer pulled off into a parking lot and shut his car off. Mammon sank down further in the car seat.

“Would you like to explain yourself?” Lucifer hoped his voice came out even, despite the twitching he felt in his lip. 

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“It wasn’t- Mammon you got suspended.”

More silence.

“Let me see.”

“Luc-”

“Let. Me. See.”

Mammon hesitated for a moment before pulling his hoodie down and looking over at Lucifer. He had a black eye. Lucifer put his head in his hands and Mammon quickly went on to try to explain himself.

“It wasn’t my fault! These guys came along n’ they were makin fun of Levi and were tryin to take his-”

“Levi?”

Lucifer’s head perked up as he looked at Mammon. His frustration slowly melted away as he listened to his brother with new interest.

“Yeah! These guys are normally jerks, but then they started goin at our family, and messing with Levi really bad.”

Lucifer was silent for a moment before starting the car. He was quiet for a few moments before speaking up, “Is there anything you want?”

“What?”

“You know I don’t reward bad behavior Mammon,” Lucifer started, “But I don’t think I consider what you did today bad behavior.”

Mammon blinked a few times before snorting, “You sound like a dad.”

“Don’t push it.”

“Aight aight…. Thanks Lucifer. I’ll think about it.”

***********

Levi had always loved his games, and he was good at them. The time he spent on them honestly had Lucifer concerned for his eyes. They made Levi happy and Lucifer could usually hear him talking about the lore behind them or the characters when he wasn’t talking about his favorite shows or manga.

Lucifer didn't understand any of it, he didn’t pretend to. Usually he couldn’t stop the confusion that spread across his face. Understanding what Levi was trying to understand quantum physics. But Levi didn’t seem to mind, he would continue to talk, excitement rising with each word that passed through his lips. Honestly, Lucifer was fine with anything that made him happy.

As long as his brothers were happy and safe, that was all that mattered.

So when he heard sniffling from Levi’s room, Lucifer couldn’t help but investigate. The door was open ever so slightly. He peeked his head in first, eyes scanning the room and settling on a pile of blankets in the center.

He walked closer and sat down on the bed and let the silence permeate for a moment.

“Levi,” he said softly, the sniffling stopped for a moment, “Why are you crying?”

Levi didn’t say a word. Lucifer didn’t move.

“I’m not gonna do anything or amount to anything,” Levi sniffled, “I’m not good at anything. My interests are weird. I’m  just taking up space and… and-”

And Dad said so.

The unspoken words lingered like a bitter perfume in the air. Lucifer knew their father had most likely said such things to Levi, he knew that he’d probably said more to Levi and the idea made Lucifer’s blood boil. Just because his brother had interests that their parents hadn’t deemed worthwhile, it didn’t  mean that it made them any less important nor did it define his worth in any way. 

Yet the words of their abandoners still ran hot through Levi’s veins, and the idea of his own self worth suffered. 

It was despicable.

Deplorable.

“Who told you this Levi?” Lucifer asked.

The pile of blankets went quiet for a moment, “Just people…”

“Well they’re wrong,” Lucifer said, pulling the blanket down from Levi’s head, “You have plenty of talents and you have a place in this family.”

He picked up one of the controllers around them. The plastic felt awkward in his hands, and the buttons were foreign to him. Levi hadn’t moved, so Lucifer went to the next thing he could think of.

“I’d like it if you could teach me how to play.”

***********

After countless hours of research on cats, Lucifer finally made a decision. Satan had difficulties when it came to being calm. He surrounded himself with teas, and books, and music, but every now and again something (or someone) would ruin the atmosphere he worked so hard to create. Lucifer wanted to help him, he wanted him to find some sort of peace and maybe a cat was just what was needed.

Satan loved cats. Ever since he’d been young he’d had an affinity for them. Lucifer used to catch him setting out scraps for the strays outside of their old house, and maybe on more than one occasion Lucifer had left out said scraps for Satan to find. 

Cerberus was good with other animals, he’d seen the dog around cats and Lucifer didn’t think there’d be any problem with having another pet in the house. Satan was responsible and a wonderful student.  Lucifer wanted to help him and wanted to see him succeed.

“Where are we going?” Satan asked, crawling into the passenger seat. 

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

The look in his brothers eyes when he realized where they pulled up  to was one Lucifer swore he’d never forget. He asked him not to run as they got out of the car, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He knew every cat in the shelter would be coming home with them if Satan could have his way, but they would be settling on one.

“Lucifer?”

Satan was staring into one of the pens. A small grey kitten with bright green eyes stared back. Needles to say, the soft bundle made the trip home with them. Lucifer swore that the calmest he’d ever seen Satan was when he was with that cat. He became a happier child and took care of her all on his own. His laughter filled the halls of the home more often, and it was contagious. Lucifer enjoyed seeing Satan smile, and he hoped the world would continue to allow him to have this type of happiness.

***********

Clothing stores had become a second home for the Morningstars. Lucifer swore the clothes he bought for his brothers never fit past the mall dressing rooms. Every other week he was bringing one or two of his brothers for shirts, or pants, or shoes, or some other article of clothing. Today it was him and Asmodeus.

Lucifer pushed the cart down the thin aisle glancing at the various clothes on either side of them with Asmo hot on his heels. However, the closer they got to the usual section the further and further Asmo lagged behind. It wasn’t until Lucifer was in front of the button ups that he realized his younger brother was no longer close behind him. Panic seized him for a moment, thinking he’d lost one of his siblings, but soon he spotted Asmo a few aisles down looking off at something.

“Asmo. Don’t wander off,” Lucifer said, as he approached him. The closer he got to Asmo, the better he could see what he was looking at. 

Pretty bows, flower clips, other sparkling hair pieces, skirts, loose fitting sweaters. Lucifer took a moment, looking over all of the different clothes, before realizing how nervous Asmo looked. Normally he was talkative and bubbly, but right now he was uncharacteristically silent and avoiding Lucifer’s eyes.

His brother had always liked pretty things. He loved picking flowers and having Lucifer catch butterflies for him to look at. He loved to watch the way sparkling dresses twirled in the movies they watched together and looking at the makeup on models on posters in the mall. Lucifer noticed these things, Lucifer knew these things about his brother, but Asmodeus didn’t know that Lucifer knew.  Asmo was worried, and unfortunately Lucifer thought he knew why. 

His brothers deserved to feel safe, to be happy, and even if they’d had a rough beginning, Lucifer wanted to make sure the rest of their stories led to a happy ending.

Lucifer leaned against the cart and offered a smile, “Well, pick out some things to try on.” 

Asmo perked up, looking shocked before a wide grin spread across his face. He put multiple outfits together from various sections and filled the cart. Lucifer honestly hoped they’d last him a while and that he wouldn’t outgrow them as soon as they got home. Asmo’s excitement was contagious.

Later that night, when he dropped him off at Solomon’s, Asmo tore out of the car, excited to show his friend his new clothes, hair clip sparkling in the sunlight.

***********

“Is dinner ready yet?”

Lucifer sighed and put the knife down next to the vegetables he was chopping. Beel had an appetite unlike any he’d come across before.  Doctors had said that he was probably going through a growth spurt and that he was likely going to be tall. A growing boy needed food, and Beel was far from a picky eater.

“Not yet.”

It was the same answer he’d given a few minutes ago.

Beel’s stomach echoed through the small kitchen as Lucifer picked up the knife once more. As he chopped away, his younger brother inched closer until his little eyes were peaking over the counter. A small hand reached out to steal a carrot piece from the counter. It wasn’t sneaky, Lucifer saw, but it didn’t matter.

Beel watched Lucifer in silence for a while, eyes wide and tracing every movement his older brother made.

“Lucifer?”

“Hm?”

“If I help you with dinner will it be done faster?”

The chopping stopped once more as Lucifer thought for a moment. Of course he could let Beel help. He didn’t want him using the knife, but this could still be a good opportunity to learn.  Slowly he nodded and looked towards the vegetables he’d already cut. 

“See those right there? Could you put those into the pot for me? I have another pot on the stove filled with water if you’d like to watch it warm up. When it’s boiling we can put the noodles in,” he said.

Beel’s grin widened and he nodded quickly, almost tripping over himself to help.

“And make sure you wash your hands, and be careful with the stove!”

Dinner had been quite lively that night. Beel chattered on and on about how he’d helped Lucifer with dinner, which led to some of the other younger ones wanting to learn so they could cook what they wanted. Lucifer chuckled quietly to himself. He knew he’d have to teach the rest of them eventually, but he never thought that he’d have a little cooking class on his hands.

***********

Finals had Lucifer stressed. He was running off of at least thirty-six shots of espresso split between six separate cups of coffee. Sleep seemed like a distant and fond memory to him, something he hadn’t experienced in a long while. He almost didn’t pick up on the sounds of small feet slowly padding against the floorboards of the house.

“Lucifer?”

The voice startled him, and he almost spilled one of his cups of coffee that had long gone cold. He swore softly before turning around. The soft glow of his laptop had been the only light source illuminating the room, and it took his eyes a while to adjust. Belphie stood in the doorway, pillow in one hand and his blanket trailing behind him. 

“Don’t tell the others, but,” Belphie was hesitant, his eyes swept to the floor, pink flooding his cheeks, “I had a really bad nightmare, and I can’t fall back asleep.”

Lucifer sat up a bit and tilted his head, “Is there anything you’d like to tell me about it?”

Belphie started to shake his head, then he hesitated. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head again. “No,” he said, “But can I stay out here with you? But don’t-”

“Tell anyone? Of course I won’t, but you’re welcome to stay,” he yawned, scooting over ever so slightly to make room on the couch. He could feel his brother hesitate for a moment before wandering over to lay down. Minutes ticked by, and it wasn’t long until Belphie’s eyes shut once more and his small body slowly rose and fell

The more peace he could bring his brothers the better. Even at the slightest disturbance of sleep, Lucifer would smooth back Belphie’s hair in an attempt to calm him. Nightmares had become a common thing after what happened for a lot of them, and that meant Lucifer became alright when dealing with them.

He wasn’t going to leave them ever.

*********

Had he made the right decision? Or had his own pride made him so stupid as to make the worst mistake of his brothers’ lives? Should he have let them be taken by other families, potentially more stable families, and just set up dates to meet? Had he been selfish in his decisions?

These thoughts often plagued Lucifer when he was alone with his own thoughts. He thought about the problems his brothers faced and part of him felt responsible. He felt responsible for their fears, their problems, their worries. Everything bad that afflicted them could potentially be his fault. 

Mammon’s rebellious behavior.

Levi’s self deprecation.

Satan’s frustrations.

Asmo’s issues with his image.

Beel’s misplaced guilt.

Belphie’s angst.

Maybe he thought he could do more for them than he was actually capable of.

Maybe he’d been wrong.

**********

“Lucifer!”

Lucifer’s eyes glanced up from his paperwork to look at Diavolo from across the desk. He’d had piles of paperwork today, it felt like more than usual. There’d also been an influx in clients. New hires would definitely be needed soon. Perhaps he could have a meeting with Diavolo and Barbatos about it. 

“It’s time to clock out!” he said, bright and chipper as usual, “I was wondering if I could walk you home?”

Lucifer sighed and put down his pen. Diavolo was a good man and Lucifer did love him, but sometimes Lucifer felt like he took his work a little less seriously than he did.

Or maybe Lucifer was a little too strict. 

“That isn’t exactly necessary, besides, I have some things I need to finish up before I head home.”

“Nuh uh!” Diavolo clicked his tongue and shook his head, “The last time I let you stay past close to work, you were still here when I got back in the morning! It’s time to clock out. I’ll even help you where I can tomorrow!”

If he could stay on task when Lucifer needed him to. But Diavolo was a good man to work with, and he had proven himself time and time again. So Lucifer really shouldn’t worry himself all too much…

With a sigh of defeat Lucifer stood from his seat, each vertebrae in his spine cracking as he did so. He’d sat longer than he intended to…  “Alright, you win,” he said, “Just let me organize my work.”

Barbatos was waiting for them by the doors of the firm, keys in hand. Diavolo’s hand was pressed firmly against Lucifer’s back as he chattered away excitedly. It brought a soft smile to Lucifer’s face as he nodded to Barbatos. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how routine it had become for the three of them to walk home together. They were two of the closest friends Lucifer had ever had. After all, taking care of his brothers hadn’t left much room for socializing.

He knew Diavolo walking him home would also require him staying to talk for a little bit. Lucifer was already thinking of the variety of teas he could make for the two of them to relax with. His home wasn’t ideal, considering his brothers could be nosey when it came to his relationship, but if it made Diavolo happy it would suffice.

“Thank you,” he said as Diavolo opened the door for him, “Now-”

His sentence was cut short. No sooner had he walked into the kitchen and turned the lights on than confetti streamers went off, and a chorus of ‘surprise!’ surrounded him. 

His brothers were all there, standing with wide smiles and eager faces. In the center of it all was a cake: “Congrats on One Year!”

Diavolo was behind him again, guiding a stunned Lucifer into the room. His hand squeezed his shoulder, excitement coursing through his veins. 

“You haven’t forgotten have you?” Barbatos hummed, “The firm has been around for a year now. Your brothers wanted to congratulate you and asked us both to help.”

Ah. That’s right. This is why Barbatos was their secretary. The man knew how to keep track of the passage of time. 

Seeing that their brother was still in shock, Beel decided to speak up, “We wanted to let you know how proud we are of you.”

“Despite everything you’ve had to do and all the odds stacked against you, you still did it!” Asmo chirped in.

“And you did it while still raising all of us,” Satan smiled.

“Even when we could be the biggest pains in the ass,” Mammon said.

Levi turned to look at him, “Hey, stop talking about yourself Mammon.” 

“Oi!”

“Nah, he’s right, we can all be annoying,” Belphie snorted, “Well, you guys anyways.”

Despite his brother’s bickering, Lucifer’s smile had found its way back on to his face, “Thank you… All of you.”

“Well, why stand here when we have a cake to eat?” Diavolo chuckled, “Come on now Lucifer, let’s take a seat. Ha! That rhymed. Look at me being a poet!”

As Lucifer sat down with the others, he couldn’t help but look over all of his brothers. They’d all grown into such fine young men with bright futures. They were laughing, and happy, and together… They’d had their rough patches and a rather depressing beginning, but now they had a bright future ahead of them. Maybe Lucifer did make the right decision and maybe he’d been too hard on himself at times.

Despite every terrible thing that had happened they’d made it. They’d all beat the odds. As he sat there with his family he looked each of them over.

Confident and boisterous Mammon, who enjoyed drawing in attention.

Passionate Levi, who loved his hobbies more fervently than anyone Lucifer had ever met before.

Intelligent and calculating Satan, who’d always be hungry for knowledge.

Sweet little Asmo, who wore his heart on his sleeve and could spot beauty in anyone.

Gentle giant Beel, who was so compassionate and was always sensitive to the needs of others.

And a mellow Belphie, who knew how to appreciate the little things in life.

Lucifer was proud of them. No. Pride couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling spreading throughout his chest. This feeling was so much more intense. They were all so happy together, and Lucifer wouldn’t give this up for the world.

Their parents would never understand what a grievous mistake they’d made. Lucifer would never understand their reasoning, and he would never make excuses for them.

Lucifer had one thing they’d never have: the love of his brothers.

They would never have the satisfaction of seeing them be successful in life, and Lucifer would make sure they were successful and happy.

Even if Lucifer hadn’t been perfect, he knew he raised them right.

He knew they’d have bright and happy futures.