#i meow back at him and nap with him to show my support

[anerdyfeminist]

As always, I process my feelings with words. Here’s to the spicy tiny meatball that was Zora.

Dear Zora,

You left the world the way you lived in it…on your terms alone. A piece of me knew when we got your terminal diagnosis last week that you didn’t have “months” left in you. If you couldn’t run and play and jump, it wouldn’t count as “living” to you. Other than epic naps, you were in constant motion for 18 years (we estimate?) Just up until about 3 weeks ago, your old lady zoomies and chasing your tail or attacking a laser pointer rivaled the intensity and cuteness of cats 1/9th your age. Until the past couple of weeks, we got so lucky for so long that the worst health issues you faced were a recurring case of sneezes and anxiety overgrooming yourself.

I don’t know what happened to you before we met in 2006, but it was clear you had survived and seen some shit. You taught me more than I can ever say about practicing patience with someone who is traumatized, which means that you taught me a lot about loving myself, too. You couldn’t be picked up or held or contained BUT if we waited for you to lead, you were the sweetest pet, with the loudest purr, obsessed with cuddling your humans, glued to our sides every chance you got.

You loved so HARD…with every ounce of your 5 pound little frame. You followed me like a shadow through my day. You loved our pandemic life routine. You cried when we left the house and yelled with joy when we returned. You wedged yourself between us in bed to claim the best, warmest spot and you found it well worth the risk of someone much bigger than you accidentally rolling onto you in the night. When Ronald and I were in different rooms or on different floors, you rotated spaces to try to get as much time w/ us both as possible. When Ronald went on film trips, you cried and pawed at the door for him to come back. He told me you also lost your mind when I was away.

I’ll miss everything about you…like your spicy attitude. You were a “pet at your own risk” animal in our house and many of our guests could tell you why I issued warnings about you. Your surprise periodic CHOMP wasn’t hard but it was a message.

I’ll miss how you couldn’t be trusted in a room with plants because everything you shouldn’t eat is all you actually ever wanted. (Of course, you rejected the cat grass or cat nip I grew you, full stop.)

I’ll miss how finicky and particular you were…if I got too convinced you loved a new food and bought a ton, the next week you were done and you turned your dang nose up at it. And yet, you kinda liked wearing your cone when your overlicking stuff happened.

I’ll miss how much you seemed to feel…it was impossible to get you in a carrier for years and you had panic attacks in the car (likely from whatever happened in your life before me.) But you also showed great joy and gusto attacking a laser toy or toward the stuffed husky you stole from me to claim as your baby you carried around the house.

I’ll miss your mind of your own…because I got you as a “friend for Sienna” you turned out to be kind of a jerk to her. While the two of you eventually settled into a sense of peace, you were never going to “be” for anyone but the 2 humans you loved most.

I’ll miss how much you cared about our feelings…you could have had a great career as someone’s emotional support pet because BIG FEELINGS couldn’t emerge from Ronald or I without you showing up with purrs and concerned meows. (I’m trying not to just cry 24/7 because I know you’d hate seeing me this way.)

I’ll miss how excited you were when we got home from a trip and how much you yelled at us to let us know you thought it was messed up we went anywhere without you.

I don’t know quite how to BE without you, but we’re both survivors so I promise I’ll figure it out. It’s just that so much of how I live and move around the house was informed by the idea you’d be tagging along through my day. It really feels like I’ve lost a limb. But I’ll do what you showed me and survive and LIVE.

I’ll end this little note just like I did for your sister 2 years ago…my grief is immeasurable, but so is my gratitude. Sweet dreams, my sweet girl. We love you so much. (Shout out to @pom-seedss for making beautiful art of both of my cat daughters, the one of Zora shown here.)

[solar-bean]

 Grimmjow Headcanons Plus a Few x S/O ones 

( pretty sure I read some of these somewhere but I forgot so here's a self indulgent list :)

He died in his early twenties so he's still pretty young mentally but physically as a hollow he's old as hell

He's European

He takes a lot of naps in random places such as the roof of Las Noches

In fact he does a lot of cat like stuff and doesn’t realize it

He can purr but rarely and it’s mostly in his sleep 

When he became an arrancar he had long hair similar to his release form. It kept getting in the way so he cut it

he doesn’t like wearing clothes

Him and his fraccion use to sleep close together in case they were ambushed by other adjuchas and still did even after they became arrancars

They didn’t think much of it. Except Di Roy. He’d say it was weird and ‘un-masculine’ to which Grim would tell him to shut up and go to sleep after laying an arm or a leg over his face. 

Di Roy would also occasionally guilt trip him

Grimmjow: You’re too weak to fight with us.

Di Roy: I wouldn’t be if someone didn’t bite my face off. 

Grimm:..........fine! do whatever you want. See if I care. 

He was actually much closer to them than he let on

Most of the epsada knew it. Especially after Syazel threatened to experiment on them since they were ‘expendable.’ He did his best to avoid Grimmjow after that.

He only really got to grieve of their deaths when the war against Aizen ended

As much as he genuinely enjoyed fighting Ichigo it was also a distraction from all the pain he tried to burry

Harribel and Nelliel helped him with his grief

They became sort of friends afterwards tho he still tries to fight them both on a weekly basis 

Refers to Pantera with female pronouns 

One perk of most of Los Noches’ inhabitants being defeated is the nearly infant amount of space. So he was able to choose his own room

He keeps it surprisingly tidy aside from the nicknacks he’s hoarded from wandering around Hueco Mundo

His bed is full of pillows as a substitute of having a pack to sleep with

When asked he’ll say its for comfort

Nelliel: Have you seen my pillow? 

Grimmjow: * sitting on it in his pillow pile* No.

He steals everyone’s stuff now and then but mostly Nel’s cuz he likes to mess with her ( insert low key sibling energy )

He talks to animals like people

Grimmjow: I told you to stop crossing the street at the red light idiot!

Cat: Meow

Grimm: Don’t talk back to me you little shit!!

Hangs out at Urahara’s place when he’s in the living world and not trying to fight Ichigo

Likes human food. Especially meat.

Grimmjow: *eating bacon for the first time* hmm tastes like hollows but better

Ichigo:.....I’m sorry what??!!

Was dared that he couldn’t beat Yoruichi at twister. He won five crates of snacks to bring back to Hueco Mundo ( may or may not have shared them cuz “ they gave me too much so take it or I’ll throw it out” )

Says things around the characters in the living world about his terrible experience under Aizen’s rule like it’s normal

Grimmjow: *having another rematch with Ichigo* Damn that almost hurt as much as Tousen slicing my arm off

Ichigo: *pauses the fight* Tousen did WHAT?!!

Becomes friends with Ichigo but won’t admit it.

Somewhat apologizes to Orihime and Rukia for what he did. But not Ichigo cuz he’ll do it all again but with less deadly intent.

Learns how to cook

Likes just about any kind of movie/show. He isn’t picky 

Would get his 6 tattoo edited to something else if it bothered him

Would freakin die for Kazui!!! 

Here are the S/O ones:

Is pansexual so gender isn’t an issue

Prefers someone who can beat him up but is ok with a human if he feels a very strong connection to them

Doesn’t really have a physical type honestly 

Will admire things about their appearance cuz he likes it on them and not in general

Will be in complete denial about his feelings at first 

Like “hollows aren’t meant to love” and all that ish 

Makes up excuses to hangout with them but it’s mostly for his own benefit

“ I don’t like them. They just have a nice movie collection.” “ I don’t like them. They’re just nice to spar with.” “ I don’t like them. They’re just nice to talk to.” “I don’t like them. They just make me feel safe when I sleep next to them.” 

Gives them random things he’s found when wondering around Hueco Undo’s desserts like gems and cool sharp bones

Let's them hold and even use Pantera

Starts to unconsciously turn off his hierro when he’s with them. It causes a lot of fliching and embarrassing gasps when they touch him since he’s not use to feeling so much

Did I mention he’s touch starved?

Like a lot.

Holding his hand for too long would literally kill him

Once he’s gotten use to feeling something other than pain from another person he starts to let them touch him more. Like hugs. Lots of hugs. 

He even lets them rub his release form’s cat ears

Then here come the purrs. Louder than they’ve ever been before! It startles them both. He denied it but the blush gave him away.

He’ll do his best to purr more often since his s/o likes it so much. Such as when they’re cuddled up for a nap. Though he doesn’t really have to try.

Is confused as to why they like to squish his toe beans but lets them do it anyway

Wraps his tail around them in his release form

Will let them braid his long hair

Will also let them paint his claws as well as put makeup on him

He’s a total pushover ( insert the ‘please for me’ meme )

Is very protective of them

“ Why are you sad? Do I need to kill someone?”

If asked will follow his s/o when they’re out at night so they feel safe. Potential muggers? Thrown by an unknown force. Stalker? Punched by an unknown force. Cat callers in a car? Car gets flipped over by an unknown force.

Eventually no one bothers them at all cuz word goes around that they’re protected by a ghost or something else supernatural.

They’re of the few that can call him by a nickname and survive. Grimm, Grimmy, Grimmykins, Grimmy-kun, Kitty, Kitten, Catboy, Stinky cat, Baby boy, Baby boi, Big guy, Tough guy, My Arancar, My love, My one and only, Handsome, Blueberry. Literally anything is fine with him.

But call him My King and he’s done for. Dead. A second time. Deceased all over again. His heart will reform just to burst out of existence. 

Takes them to Hueco Mundo a few times 

Makes a pillow fort with them with his hoard of pillows 

Will be skeptical as to why they like him and won’t be surprised if they get tired of him and break up

But oh no! They’re in it for the long run! You’re stuck with them Grimmykins:)

Would most likely say I love you without even realizing it till later

Grimm: *blushes* F*CK!!

Harribel: *pauses the meeting* Is there something wrong?

Grimm: I told Y/n that I love them before I left without realizing it! *puts his face in his hands and groans* I’m so screwed.

Nel: Well it’s about damn time!

Harribel: Congrats Grimmjow

Grimm: *groans and blushes some more*

If he really loves them he’ll find a way to weaken his immortality so they can grow old together ( yes it’ sappy but he figures he’ll get bored after they long gone )

Might go to Mayuri for help and becomes his lab rat in return. Won’t tell his s/o till it’s done so they won’t try to stop him.

It’s not fun. Like at all ( insert angsty fit energy here ). But it works and as an added bonus him and his s/o can have kids if they’d like

A great dad. Incredibly supportive and loving. Mess with them and you’re dead. Or at least scarred for life. No one messes with his cubs.  

Grimm: Isn’t it weird that our kids are best friends?

Ichigo: No. We’re friends.

Grimm: I tried to kill you.

Ichigo: Who hasn’t?

Grimm: I’ll drink to that.

Ichigo: That’s a juice box.

Grimm: Have you seen my kids? The last time I wasn’t sober they ceroed the roof off and beat up a hollow. There’s no way I’m missing that again.

[cloudninetonine]

TW for poor animal health and death and maybe one quick mention of past animal abuse? He was happy though and that thing was before he was adopted

My aunt had a cat some years back who was very old. He had long, thick fur, but he couldn't retain weight and his overall frame was frail--you could feel his individual vertebrae very starkly. He was declawed as a kitten (badly, if I remember correctly--his toesies were little stumps, but I don'tknow if that's how it is. We were always pissed about that). I think he was missing some teeth. His meow was very hoarse and scratchy and quiet. But he was the sweetest lil guy. He was somewhat skittish and took a little bit to get used to new people, but he loved affection and was always very gentle.

I raise you Player owning this cat and being dropped together somehow in Hyrule. The chain slowly getting to know Player by extension of wanting to pet the sweetheart. Twi bonding with them over being cat-lovers. Sky thinking this weird remlit is super cool and doesn't even scratch him at night. Legend being unable to bring himself to push the little furball off when it decides he's a prime napping spot. There's a headcannon that Four is terrified of cats (for good reason), so imagine Player sitting at camp, petting this beautiful, calm, purring cat who couldn't hurt Four very badly if he tried (not that he would--he made it clear when he was displeased/overstimulated and Player knows how to read cat body language, and teaches the others too). Four eventually deciding this cat in particular isn't so bad.

(Yes this is largly because of Tongs the Benevolent)

Showing other sides/flavors of Player's personality the others might not see quite so much when they coddle this little dear and coo at him and cries happily when he bleps or naps on them. Soothing and praising him after coughing up hairballs. Spoiling him with soft wet food they cook themself. Him looking so spiffy in the sweaters they knitted for him. Holding him in their coat and hugging him. Emotional support friend-shaped furball. (Wolfie having to compete for attention. Wolfie with a cat napping on his head. Wolfie not minding at all.)

This cat still being a playful little shit and knocking things over with no remorse. Stealing Leg's other fire rod and bringing it to Wild, Roolie, and Player. Leg being unable to retaliate and no one believing or caring the little bastard shat in his bedroll or dragged his food over to eat in it. Leaving hairballs in his pillowcase. Tiny asshole getting his bedroll completely taken up by an even tinier asshole (but Player likes this one and doesn't insult him unless they're using the Babey Voice(TM))

Player sleeps even the slightest bit and theres fur in all their facial orifices as a dramatic Miette kinnie waxes poetic in the style of a disparaged Victorian child about how he's starving and the cold cruel world and betrayal and it's all going dark (without actually speaking. Player is just as dramatic)

NO BECAUSE THIS SOUNDS ADORABLE 😭😭😭😭

PLAYER WITH THEIR CAT SIDEKICK.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BABY.

CAT SITTING ON WOLFIE!

CAT SITTING ON LEGEND!

(Cat also acting as Player's guardian angel but getting revenge on Legend because they don't want to cause drama but Cat is here to cause problems)

[tajellie07]

What's this?

Fandom: Mystic Messenger

Tags: SFW, fluffy, kinda suggestive

Pairing: Jumin/Reader, Jumin/OC

Saeyong and Zen got engaged around the same time so you took it upon yourself to prepare presents for ex-bachelors. You folded the last flap then pressed and pulled the ribbon of the overflowing gift bag.

"And done", you scratched under the kitten's chin, "do you think they'll like it Lizzy?" The purring bundle of fur in your lap meowed happily, "me too." You both look to the bedroom door when you heard the penthouse door open, "seems like Appa is home." Elizabeth turned her head. A self-satisfied smile tugged at your lips, it rocks being the favoured parent.

Jumin opened the bedroom door to the image of you wrapped in a comfy robe, sitting on the floor with Elizabeth napping on your lap is an image he'll never get tired of coming home to. "You're both in here", a small smile graces his lips.

"Of course Lord Husband where else would we be?" your eyes twinkled with a teasing glint.

He ignored your teasing but his smile grew. "What are those?" he nodded to the gift bags by her feet.

"Ah", you turn back to the heavy individualistic gifts, "the things I've ordered for our newly engaged friends came today." You smiled bashfully as he drew nearer, "I went a bit overboard with decorating." He said nothing as he sat on the bed. "But these are my gifts, you still need to prepare", then your eyes narrowed scoldingly as you added, "don't pass it off to Jahee."

"I will not trouble assistant Kim", he nodded taking the threat seriously. "I had assistant Kim do some online shopping in my stead."

"Ah..." your brow arched. You gathered Elizabeth in your arms and rose to your feet striding towards the door, Jumin watched with some confusion. "Eomma and Appa are going to be busy", you whispered to your fur baby.

You couldn't help but chuckle at Elizabeth's displeasure when you put her on the carpet outside of the room door. She immediately rose to her feet walking back to you. Oh the woes of being the favoured parent, you smiled to yourself as you made quick work of the door.

"Your items also came Yeobo", you nodded and reached over to an opened box on the shelf, "imagine my surprise to find a collar in leash in the items I bought."

Being married for two years you read the emotion that flashes in his eyes when you held the red leather and lace collar with a leash attached by your throat, making a show of stretching the leash. You walked towards him slowly, the expectancy in his eyes rising with every step.

"It's funny that we had the same idea", single-handedly you skillfully pulled at the satin robe.

It fell away to reveal a white Askasu Morning dew lingerie. It perfectly complemented the collar. You climbed onto his lap. Jumin's hands were quick to wonder that familiar path, exploring your thighs but supporting you at the same time.

You press the collar against his chest, "humour me Yeobo", your feverish whispers fanned his lips, "let us relive our honeymoon."

He met your lips in a bruising kiss, deft fingers captured and secured the collar around your neck in a soft click. The ravenous desire swirling in his onyx orbs made your heart skip a beat.

His lips quirked up in the shadow of a dark smile, "it would be my pleasure."

You can check out my Masterlist here!

[sword-brainrot]

Hi hi! Would like to request for a matchup 👀 she/her. Im an ambivert. Extrovert by day, introvert by night (for most of the time) I dislike routine and am always spontaneous. I'm also a barista as I enjoy the procedure of making coffee and also the making of the latte art. I'm optimistic but also realistic? I try my best to look at the positive sides in the most realistic way whenever possible. I'm also told that I have motherly vibe end people send to confide in me and some even unintentionally. I'm quite independent (would love to have someone to take care of me pls I'm tired of carrying my own weight orz) mbti is ENFP-T! Physical appearance, short petite and slightly tanned. Wears glasses. Long black hair with brown undertones. I think that's abt it. My favourite sword boys are Yamanabagiri Kunihiro, Akashi Kuniyuki and Kanesan but I don't mind getting paired with others (´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`)

Always okay to add more if it comes to you later! Very well written! It gave me a lot to work with to match you up with someone I think would be perfect for you! I hope you like it  🌹

I Match You With...

🌸 Nansen Ichimonji 🌸

♡  Nansen tries to be tough since he is part of the Ichimonji clan but due to his curse, he blames any weakness on that. His first introduction to others would be trying to act as tough and intimidating as he can... but that all goes out the window when he lets out a meow or sees a ball of string.

♡  He hates his curse a lot and tries to suppress all his cat-like tendencies... It seems like that causes them to flair up even more. 

♡  When you get to know him, you will find out that he is a very kind hearted man that loves affection. Perhaps that is the curse or maybe he was like this before... It really not known and he doesn’t really share that information to anyone. All he tells people is that he was very tall and intimidating before he was cursed. 

♡  Nansen would enjoy your  spontaneous lifestyle! He is also very much like that. He goes with the wind and sometimes the wind tells him to nap on the roof of the citadel so the sun can warm him up. 

♡  If/when Nansen grows fond of you, you may find yourself with your own tail. Like a kitten, he may follow you around just to see what you are up to. He tries to not bother you because he doesn’t want to annoy you and make you hate him but he really enjoys your company. 

♡  The first time he watched you make coffee and did pretty art, he was astonished. You could make drinks look so beautiful with their own little designs??

♡  Nansen has often requested for someone to get him black coffee before to look like he was a business man like the rest of his clan... Only for his nose to scrunch up when he takes that first tiny sip. He would never admit how much he hates coffee... until you showed him a new light.

♡  When you showed him you could make latte art and showed him that there was more to coffee than bitter black coffee, he started to come to you requesting to try all the drinks you made. He actually liked most of them!

♡  The first time you make him a cup and did art inside, he stared at it and wanted to just take it back to his room instead of drinking it. He wanted to keep it forever. He soon learned that he can’t let it sit around for too long or else the art will disappear on it’s own... Much to his dismay. 

♡  Being around Nansen, you will always have your own personal heater. He is always incredibly warm and will offer his hands if you ever are too cold. 

♡  On top of that... Cuddles. His favorite thing in the world. 

♡  You stressed and need to be held? He is there. He will purr and listen to all your worries. Everything great about an actual cat but he can talk back and give you soothing words to help you. He might not know exactly what to say to help but he is all about emotional support for his favorite person. 

♡  He may... Also... Be a little... Protective. You may complain about someone and he will suddenly sit up to go fight them. No one messes with you while he can do something about it. 

♡  As spontaneous as he is, cats often like to have a routine. 

♡  Around dinner time and you still haven’t came out of your room? Nansen is the first one to pop his head in to remind you. 

♡  He has a pretty good memory and clock inside his head! If you need someone to remind you about something, he is there. 

♡  The first time you showed him a musical/stage play, you could see his eyes sparkle with joy. He would enjoy watching them rather than trying to act in them. Any show you want to watch, he is there. 

♡  If you hear him sniffling, something just got in his eye, okay? Tough kitty man doesn’t cry. 

♡  If you want someone to be affectionate and totally in love with life itself, he is your guy. He has almost child-like wonder with every new thing you introduce to him. 

♡  His favorite moments would be anytime the two of you can nap together and he can hold you close. Everyone needs a break from time to time. If you wish to have that break with him, he will be very grateful.

Top Three Picks: Ookanehira, Daihannya Nagamitsu, Nansen Ichimonji

[a-system-of-nerds]

Griffin owns a cat, and Victor falls in love with her.

“‘Kay, I’ll just be a sec.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Victor replied, moving to the open sitting room. As he went to sit, he saw a white fluffy bundle on a white fluffy blanket, barely noticeable.

“Griffin?” he called.

“Yeah?” came the distracted reply.

“Do you own a cat?”

There was a pause, before a disgruntled, “Yeah.”

Victor smiled at the white bundle, excitement brewing. “Can I pet them?”

“Yeah. Knock yourself out.”

Beaming wider, Victor reached out to touch the soft long fur. A head popped up, looking at him with slitted red eyes. The cat yawned widely before opening their eyes wider, showing off a brilliant red colour not unlike Griffin’s.

“Hi, pretty kitty,” Victor whispered. The cat purred, closing their eyes and pushing into his hand. He chuckled softly.

Behind him came a snort, and he turned to see Griffin leaning against the wall, smirking. Victor blushed, turning his face away and back to the cat.

“What’s their name?” Victor asked.

“Cat,” Griffin answered.

Victor turned back to his friend. “‘Cat?’ You named your cat, ‘Cat?’”

“Yeah. Keeps it simple. No mess, no fuss.”

Kemp laughed, the noise growing louder as he approached. “Don’t let Griffin fool you. He loves her. And he named her Iris.”

Victor awwed as Griffin turned to his QPP.

“No, I didn’t. And I just picked her up off the street. She needed a home.” He turned to face away, pouting. Kemp just laughed.

Victor, his attention back on the gorgeous cat in front of him, whispered, “Iris. What a pretty name.” He smiled as she purred again, laughing when she butted her head against his hand, entreating him for more.

“Do you have any pets, Victor?” Kemp asked.

“No. Well, yes, my family has a dog. But Henry and I don’t.”

“Do you want one?”

“You’re not giving Iris away,” Griffin said vehemently.

Kemp chuckled. “No, no, I wouldn’t do that. I couldn’t tear the two of you apart.”

Griffin gasped at that, as Victor chuckled.

Kemp soothed with, “And I wouldn’t want to lose her. She’s a sweet little thing.” With his hand covering the half of his mouth nearest Griffin, he whispered conspiratorially, “She’s just like Griffin. They take naps together and she’ll sit on his shoulders while he works.”

Griffin gasped once more and smacked Kemp’s arm as Victor awwed again.

Iris meowed then, demanding attention. Victor chuckled and resumed petting her.

Kemp said, “Loves attention, just like Griffin,” and the sound of Griffin smacking him once more followed.

“I think it’s be nice to own a pet, but to be honest, I have no idea how Henry and I would handle that. I mean,” and here he laughed self-deprecatingly, “I can hardly care for myself!” At Kemp’s hum and Griffin’s comment of, “Mood,” Victor continued, quiet and wistful, “But I think it’d be nice. What we’d get, I have no idea, though; dog, cat, fish, bird, hermit crab.”

“Something snuggly, warm, and caring,” Griffin advised.

“Talk to Henry about,” Kemp said gently. “I’m sure you two will figure something out.” Victor looked back to see Kemp smiling supportively and Griffin looking approvingly. Victor blushed once more and turned back to Iris.

After a moment or two, Victor coughed once, and said, “Did you get it?”

“Uhh, yeah,” Griffin said, “I got it.”

“Okay,” Victor said, though made no move to leave. He waited a moment or two before kissing Iris’s head gently, with a soft, “See you later.”

He stood and went to the door, and Kemp said, “Have fun, you two,” and after a questioning look and a nod from Griffin, kissed Griffin on the cheek with a tender hold on his other cheek.

Griffin, beet red, pressed a kiss back and walked quickly to the door, walking out.

After a huff of a laugh, “Take care, Victor,” Kemp wished.

“You, too.”

Kemp was just giving a wave and smile as Griffin called, “You coming, Frankenstein?”

“Bye,” Victor smiled apologetically. After Kemp’s, “Goodbye, Victor,” Victor rushed out the door to follow his friend.

[yuulina-vre]

Gifting you a new life

Awkward

Pairing: Steve x Bucky, Reader insert

Warnings: none

word count: 3642 words

Part: twelve

Summary: Y/N’s now staying at Bucky’s.

Masterlist

* * * 

Y/N sits in the back of the ambulance as it rolls to the emergency ramp. Wanda talks to her about a lot of things to distract her without saying that she wants to distract her. And it works. She feels calmer than before, though she would rather have Steve by her side. The car stops and shortly after the backdoor gets opened, Sam appearing. “So, beautiful. Getting rolled in like a princess or walking like one?” Wanda snorts a laugh and Y/N shakes her head with slight amusement. She’s surprised that she can smile right now. The pain’s still pretty bad when she moves her hand or fingers. “Walking.”

“Alright, girl. Come on then.” I called ahead. Dr. Banner will see you in a few minutes. We just have to get the necessary paperwork done.” She only nods and lets Sam guide her to the waiting room and sits down on a free chair. While Wanda checks her in, he gets the paperwork and fills it out for her. Each time the doors to the Er get opened she looks up to see if Steve’s coming, though there’s no luck until now. After five minutes a man with curly hair and glasses walks up to her and Sam. “Miss Y/L/N?”

“Yes?”

“My name’s Dr. Bruce Banner. I’m your doctor for today. Would you follow me, please?” She nods but glances at Sam. “Has Steve- Can you-”

“Don’t worry. I’ll call him and let him know where you are.” She nods again and follows her doctor through the hall until she gets guided into a room. “Have a seat, please.” He gestures at the stretcher on the wall and rolls a chair over. Then he prepares a tray with all sorts of things before he sits down in front of her. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I- I got a package with a bowl of acid in it and it l-leaked over my hands.”

“How much of it got on them.”

“N-not much, I think. I dropped it quickly.”

“Did you wash your hand under water afterward?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” The man nods, getting a pair of gloves on and hold his hands out. “I’m going to unwrap your hands now to look at them, to see how bad it is. Afterward, I’m cleaning them off and do what’s necessary. We’ll see if you have to stay. It depends on how bad the burns are. Do you live alone?” He starts unwrapping her hands and Y/N is so distracted that she doesn’t even notice it at first. “No, my best friend Steve lives with me.”

“That’s good. You’ll probably need some help for a few weeks.” Dr. Banner finishes unwrapping her hands and looks them over, turning them to see the other side as well. In a matter of twenty minutes her hands are wrapped again, she has a description for some cream she should use and more bandages with the instruction to switch them every few hours for the next few days. He even measures her blood pressure. He states that it’s way too high and that Y/N looks still too tense so he offers her some painkillers and give’s her something to help calm her for a while. Then he admits her to a single bedroom. She doesn’t need to wait long. Just a few minutes after Dr. Banner leaves her Steve shows up. He looks a little frantic but relaxes as soon as he sees her propped up on the bad. “Hey.”

“Hi.” She yawns sleepily, stretching her hands out for him. She feels drowsy and tired, thanks because of the meds and the adrenaline that leaves her body now. Steve walks over to her, embracing her in his arms and kissing her head. “Ready to get out?”

“Home?” She closes her eyes sleepily, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Almost, yeah. We’re going to Bucky’s.” She only hums before she feels herself drift a little.

Steve carries her all the way to his car. She hears him talking about moving to Bucky because Brock doesn’t know where he lives but she only catches half of it. Shortly after Steve starts driving off, she falls asleep, forehead pressed firmly onto the cool glass of the window. Her dreams are vivid, brutal but sweet, too. One moment Bock almost kills her while choking her and then she’s suddenly standing in her living room, still gasping for air but wrapped up in Steve’s arms with Bucky beside him, contently watching a movie. Only to be thrown back to Brock again.

The next thing she notices is that Steve lifts her again. She feels sluggish and tired, only able to wrap her arms around his neck and snuggling deeper into him. “’eve? Home?”

“Yeah, doll. We’re at Bucky’s, remember?” She hums and closes her eyes again. “Hey. I prepared the guest room on the right for her. It’s directly opposite yours and mine is next to yours.” Y/N opens her eyes again only to be met with a half worried and half-smiling Bucky. He looks at her with concern in his eyes while he guides Steve through the halls with a hand on his lower back. She smiles a small smile back and lets Steve carry her all the way upstairs and into a room. Her eyes have closed again but they fly open as she hears Bucky scolding someone. “Maggie! Get down. Y/N is supposed to lie there.” Y/N looks around and spots Bucky standing at a bed, glaring at a white cat that ignores him completely. Her green eyes are trained on Y/N, though. “That’s Maggie?” Bucky looks up, surprise on his face. “Yeah. The little rat. Always where she’s not supposed to be.” Bucky sighs and picks the cat up. The fluff ball protests with a loud meow and some struggling but Bucky’s grip is tight. Steve sets Y/N down with a small laugh. Instead of getting settled, scooting back to sit comfortably, she stretches her bandaged hands out for the cat. “Give me.” Bucky raises his eyebrows, wearing the same amused smile that Steve has on his face. “You sure, with those hands?”

“Yeah, give me, please.” She pouts a little so both boys laugh. The brunette lets the cat jump from his arms onto the bed and she walks proudly over to Y/N, not even glancing back at him. Maggie starts sniffing carefully on Y/N’s pants and on the bandaged hand she stretches out. Y/N squeals lightly as she butts her head against the wrist before climbing up on her lap. “Oh, I think they’re best buddies now, Steve. We’re no longer needed.” Bucky sighs dramatically making Steve laugh and Y/N giggle a little. Steve looks fondly at her and Y/N raises her eyes to meet his. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s nice to see you laugh.” She smiles lightly at him. “Sap.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be downstairs.” He raises his hand with another laugh but before he can follow Bucky outside Y/N stops him. “Steve?”

“Yeah?” He turns around and looks expectant at her as if Y/N would demand he stay and help her fall asleep. “Make sure you don’t let him go.”

“W-what?” Y/N sees him blush in a deep red and smiles at him. “You know what I mean.” Steve’s small smile shows that he knows exactly what she means. He nods shortly and leaves the room, letting the door just a slit opened. She smiles still at the door but then looks at her lap as the white feline climbs on her and starts rumbling in her chest. With all her care and energy that she has left, she shuffles back until her back hist the headboard, then she strokes with her hand carefully through the white fur. She doesn’t apply much pressure; afraid it will hurt her hand or the cat but she feels the fact immediately. She gets calmer the longer she has the can on her lap. The door opens after a silent knock and the brunette quickly peeks back inside the room. “Y/N, I saved your pizza and put it in my oven. If you’re hungry you can come down, yeah? Should be ready in ten.”

“Thank you, but I’m not that hungry anymore.”

“Alright. I still save you some if that big blonde goof didn’t eat everything by the time I get down.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Y/N chuckles at him but is quickly distracted as Magnolia supports herself on her shoulders and butts her head against her chin. She misses Bucky’s smile and the snapping of his camera.

 * * *

 That night, Y/N turns in bed several times. She’s tired, but each time she closes her eyes, she has pictures of Brock in her mind, of the things he did and the things he could do. Maggie lies next to her on the bed, fast asleep, tightly cuddled against her shoulder. She had purred for a while, obviously trying to calm Y/N down, until she fell asleep herself. Y/N sighs and carefully slips out of bed. Her hands burn and throb badly and she remembers that she could take another dose of painkillers. As silently as she can she leaves the room only to looks up and down the hall. Her eyes lock on the door across hers, trying to remember which room belongs to who. She thinks Bucky said something about Steve being right across her so she steps up to the door that’s slightly ajar. For a moment she debates if she should wake him and ask if he would watch a movie with her. That usually helps her fall asleep pretty fast and if not, she always tires herself out while painting. Though, that won’t be a possibility for a while. At least as long as she’s not willing to learn drawing with her nose or feet which she really isn’t interested in.

She stares a little longer at the wood until her tiredness wins and she opens the door silently with one foot. “Steve?” The room is dark and no noises are heard except for soft breathing and the occasional snore. “Steve?” She whispers a little louder, tip-toeing over to the bed, and is surprised to not only find Steve there but Bucky, too. She had stayed in her bed, napped a little. She hasn’t heard them get up the stairs nor them slipping together into Steve’s room. Well, Y/N isn’t blind though, and has seen how well they get along, so instead of being concerned that they already started sharing a bed, she decides to be proud of Steve. He usually is a little awkward and old-fashioned about this kind of thing, so it’s an immensely big step for him as well. She blushes a little, feeling like she’s intruding and seeing something she shouldn’t see. They’re dressed, thankfully, which means this isn’t more awkward than it could have been. She’s just about to leave as she hears Steve groan. “Y/N?” His voice is slurred, obviously tired and sleepy. “Sorry. I’ll go again.”

“Nah, was’sup?” She watches as he sits up a bit, letting Bucky’s normal arm slip from his chest. The brunette huffs in his sleep and turns a little. Y/N can see that he’s not wearing his prosthetic. Thankfully. If it hurt on the day what must it feel like at night and sleeping on it? “Y/N?” Her eyes snap back to Steve and she shuffles on her feet. “I can’t sleep.” Steve raises his eyebrows at her, not really looking surprised. “Wanted to ask if you’re watching a movie with me, but… you have a guest, so I just-” She points back at the door ready to leave, but Steve stands up, walks around the bed, and crosses the one foot over to her to wrap her in a hug, pressing her to his chest. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I know it’s a lot right now.”

“Not as worse with him as it was before.” She chuckles dryly. She knows she’s right, though. Burns aren’t the worst that Brock can do, and she knows it pretty well. They stay like this for a moment, reluctant on what to do. She buries her face in his chest and sighs deeply. Another hand startles them. The hand grabs Y/N’s arms and she’s about to scream, but then she notices that Bucky had gotten out of bed. He pulls her with him on the bed, lies back down, and pulls her into him with a yawn. “Ehh…” Y/N looks startled and confused at Bucky, whose eyes are closed already. Then her eyes switch to Steve who just stands there and looks surprised. “Punk, you’re staying there?” Y/N looks a little uncomfortable to Steve, haven’t thought Bucky would do something like that. He knows her even less than he knows Steve! But then again, she doesn’t know him that well either and still invited him over and plays matchmaker for both of them. Steve only raises his eyebrows before he snorts. “Jerk.” He crawls back in bed and warps Y/N in his own arms, pulling her close to him like they do, when one of them is in a bad mood. She snuggles a little closer into his embrace and closes her eyes. Sleep comes sooner than she has expected it to come and it’s calm.

* * *

 Monday morning is a slow-going one. Bucky stays home with Y/N, Having off anyway. Steve has gone to work like usual, promising to tell Tony that she won’t be at work for the rest of the week and telling her, that he will be home around lunch, skipping his last class, since they are still working on their art projects and it’s not like the kids won’t be happy about it. As long as they finish their projects until Friday it doesn’t bother him as well. He should be home any minute now.

Y/N sits on the couch, flipping through a book with her fingertips as best as she can, while Bucky plays with Maggie on the carpet. He was supposed to do housework but Y/N isn’t the one to tell him that. Then the doorbell rings. “Could you?” Bucky sits on the floor while Maggie crawls all over him, so Y/N nods and stands up. The doorbell rings violently. Instantly, she knows who it is, even before she opens the door. Tony is pressing the button violently, while another man stands behind him, looking pretty embarrassed. Y/N stares for seconds before she catches herself. “What are you doing here?”

“What does Rogers mean, you can’t come to work because that asshole burnt your hands?” Y/N looks down at her wrapped hands before she really notices the other man behind Tony. “Dr. Banner?”

“Hi.” Dr. Banner waves shyly at her and Tony only raises his eyebrows. “Why do you know each other?”

“He’s the doctor that looked at my hands.” Y/N looks still confused at the doctor, but Tony turns around to him. “Why haven’t you told me? I worried for nothing!”

“You wouldn’t let me finish.” Tony rolls his eyes and turns back to Y/N. “So, are we gonna have a chat at the door or will you let me in? And where’s your Robo-friend? I want to look at that arm.”

“Tony!”

“Where’s who?” Just then does Bucky comes around the corner and steps up next to Y/N, looking at the new guests With Maggie on his arm. “Oh. I know that one. Isn’t he your boss?” Bucky raises his eyebrows and looks at Tony, who only crosses his arms. “Yeah, he is. Also, a friend.” She glances back at him before she looks at Bucky. “And a little worried about me. Hey Bucky, can I talk to you for a sec?” Y/N doesn’t wait for an answer and starts dragging the man to the kitchen, careful of her hands that start throbbing again. She doesn’t tell Tony or Bruce to come in, knowing Tony does it anyway. “What’s wrong?” Bucky stops walking in the kitchen and Y/N turns to him, glancing nervously at the door and back to Bucky. “Well, you know. Tony isn’t always the nicest. I mean… eh... He doesn’t mean to be bad, but sometimes insults just… slip.” She cringes a little at her sorry excuses of explanation. “Aha.” Bucky frowns at her, looking like he doesn’t understand her concern and Y/N clears her throat. “So, he knows you have-”

“Y/N, I don’t care if he insults my arm. I’m used to it by now.” Y/N sighs and looks at his arm. Bucky really shouldn’t be used to it. He’s such a nice person and knowing that he gets lots of comments about his missing limb makes Y/N sad. “Okay. There’s something else, though.”

“What is it?”

“Okay, so, you know Tony works at the school and is the headmaster, right?” She waits for Bucky to nod before she continues. “Well, he’s not only the headmaster and a teacher but an engineer. He built some things for the army before he dropped that and invented stuff like mobiles, tablets, things for clean energy… for people.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with me.” Y/N looks at him, a bit lost, debating how to tell him that Tony wants to see his arm. She still doesn’t know if it’s a difficult topic for him to get touched by strangers. “He wants to look at your arm.” She blurts it out and curses herself afterward. “Oh.” Bucky suddenly looks pretty unsure. He looks down at his hand with a frown before he looks back at Y/N. “You don’t need to let him. You can just tell him you don’t want to, but he knows what he does. Sometimes, though, he’s a bit harsh with words and feelings.”

“No, I- I think it’s okay.” Bucky shrugs and Y/N can see that he tries to play it cool but really isn’t. “Maybe he might help with your shoulder. He could figure out why it so uncomfortable.” Bucky only nods. “Yeah…” For a moment she worries that she did something wrong but then Bucky sighs and gestures her to start walking. “Let’s meet him.” Tony has already made himself comfortable while Dr. Banner throws an apologizing look at them. Y/N smiles kindly at him, settling down beside Tony. Bucky gestures for the Doctor to have a seat. They chat for a while about the school, the renovations Tony’s doing on his house, again, and about a lot of normal stuff. Bruce, how she learned to call him now, wraps her hands again and says that it looks better than the day before, but she still has to apply the salve and wrap it up for a few more days. Magnolia seems to find the new guests as a disturbance but settles on Y/N’s lap and lets her stroke her fur in pleasure. She still throws glares at the two brunettes, though. At some point, Y/N looks up at Bucky and finds him staring at her with a pout. “What?”

“It’s not fair, you know?”

“What do you mean?” She watches him confused. His eyes wander to Maggie and Y/N’s hand and back up. “She already loves you more than me. That’s not fair. I’m feeding her.” Y/N instantly barks out a laugh. “Are you jealous?”

“Yes.” Y/N laughs even louder now and just throws a pitying look at him. “I’m sorry. Can’t help it, though.”

“Maybe I can help with that.” Y/N looks up to see Steve entering the Livingroom, crooked smile and work bag slung over his shoulder. He walks up to Bucky, who turns around and puts his hands on the other man’s shoulder, lightly massaging him with a soft smile. “Look at that, Rogers finally found himself a girlfriend.”

“Tony!” Y/N scolds him the same moment Bruce does. At least he has the decency to look ashamed and shatters that the next second. “A boyfriend, sorry.” Y/N rolls her eyes and catches Steve blushing furiously while Bucky just looks equal confused, embarrassed, and… happy? Steve rubs his neck, casts a small look at Tony, and vanishes quickly. Y/N glances at Bucky. “I’m sorry, I told you he’s not good with feelings and all.” Bucky just shrugs.

„So, Robo-cop. Show me this arm.”

“Tony! Sensitive topic, remember?” Y/N glares at him but Tony doesn’t care. He only mutters a silent please and stands up to walk closer to bucky. The brunette looks a little uncomfortable at the engineer. “Buck, you don’t have to.”

“Pah, nonsense. I’m just wanting to look at it. Any trouble with it so far?” He steps closer to Bucky inspecting his arm first without touching, then he crouches down and holds out his hand. Despite what most people believe, Tony knows damn well that not everybody likes to get toughed, especially when it’s about the prosthetic so he offers Bucky the chance to choose when and if he likes to get touched. Bucky hesitates for a second but then puts his hand in Tony’s. “It hurts my shoulder. Doesn’t fit right and it’s pretty heavy. Sometimes the responses are delayed and instead of grabbing something I knock it over.”

“Hm. I see.” Tony runs his fingers over the prosthetic from the fingers up to the elbow. “Can I?” he motions for Bucky’s t-shirt and bucky nods. Y/N watches in amazement how Tony runs his hand along the arm, shoving the sleeve up as well, and then… suddenly barks out a laugh. “hammer tech!” He stands up, still laughing, and it's down beside Y/N again. She has to admit that she can’t suppress her own smirk. “What’s so funny?” Poor Bucky looks utterly confused and Steve matches his look as he joins him on his couch. “hammer tech is bad. I can build you a better one.”

Previous Part / Next Part

[br333]

new parent moments

:-) bleep bloop. *drops this here*

“I’m so proud of you,” Benson grabbed his wife’s hand and held it between his own, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.

Pam, in her exhausted and emotional state, could only mumble a response as tears blurred her vision for the nth time today.

She blinked, and could now see a dark-haired nurse approaching them, holding their babies in her arms, their tiny forms unmistakable, as blurry as they were in that moment.

The nurse smiled warmly as she gently placed a baby in each of Pam’s arms. The tiny boy squirmed and whimpered. His sister simply relaxed against their mother’s warm chest.

Pam and Benson, both teary-eyed, could only look at their new babies, seemingly unable to take their eyes off of them. The gumball machine moved a hand to his wife’s shoulder and ever so gently pulled her close so he could place a kiss on the top of her sweaty head.

“They’re beautiful,” he breathed, resting his head on the back of the bed next to Pam’s, “you did so well.”

The gumball machine reached out a finger to touch his son’s cheek. He felt his heart melt at just how soft his skin was. The baby boy opened his eyes to look at his father and Benson noted they looked just like Pam’s.

He moved his finger to stroke the little boy’s tiny palm, and gasped when his son’s whole hand wrapped around it and grasped surprisingly tightly.

——————————

After their first feeding and a long nap, the twins were brought back to their parents, the boy placed in Pam’s arms and the girl in Benson’s. They were clean and dressed now, little knit hats on their heads, both pairs of eyes wide open.

“Hi, my girl,” the gumball machine sighed contentedly as he looked at his daughter’s lovely little face. She looked just like a baby version of himself, he realised, from the silvery limbs to the glass dome of her head, the main difference being the hair that more closely resembled her mother’s. He brushed some brown hair off of his daughter’s forehead and adjusted her pink hat.

“So, I guess we should name these two pretty soon,” Pam spoke up suddenly, looking up from her baby son to a nurse on the other side of the room.

“Mm-hmm,” was all Benson could say to that, gaze still firmly fixed on the child in his arms.

“Well, I was thinking Justin for this little guy. It means fair and just. What do you think? A nice name for a gorgeous boy?” She cast a look at her husband, looking for his approval, then back at their boy. His big, bright eyes were staring up at her, “I think he likes it,” she giggled.

“Huh,” Benson grinned at the child in his wife’s arms before turning his attention back to the tiny girl he was holding, “what about… Samantha? Sam for short? I like it, plus, rhymes with Pam.” He chuckled.

Pam giggled again, “Samantha… I love it. Suits her.”

The woman looked from her son, to her husband, to her daughter, “Justin and Sam. Welcome to the world, little ones.”

——————————

The family had to spend a few more days in the hospital before they could go home. The house was about a half hour drive from the hospital, and by the time they arrived the twins were sleeping peacefully in their car seats.

Benson and Pam approached the front door, each with a baby in their arms. As the gumball machine rifled through a pocket for his keys, the couple could hear the clicking of Applesauce coming down the hall, and some meows from one of the cats.

They entered the house and immediately saw an excited Applesauce standing in front of them. The cat was perched on the buffet by the door, where Benson placed the keys, as was now the routine. He leaned down to give the pig a scratch behind the ear.

“Hey! Applesauce, this is Justin. Justin, Applesauce.”

Applesauce just sniffed the tiny new human, the quiet snorting noises coming from his nose making Benson chuckle.

“I wonder if he knows he’s a big brother now,” came Pam’s voice from behind him, followed by a giggle.

——————————

An instructional book sat on the kitchen counter, open to the chapter on bathing newborns, while the new parents got their children ready for bed. Occasionally they would have to quickly glance at the book to make sure that they were doing it correctly.

Samantha and Justin lay in the kitchen sink, each supported by a parent’s arm as Pam and Benson gently but meticulously washed their tiny bodies and splashed water on their heads.

In unison, the couple carefully lifted their babies out of the bath and placed them on clean, dry towels on either side of the sink. After drying them off, they returned to the nursery where two clean, fresh sets of pyjamas were waiting.

Once the twins were both dressed, they were placed in their cribs with a kiss on the head and a stroke on the cheek.

Before leaving the room, Benson and Pam stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching their children, his arms around her waist and head tucked into her underarm. She tiredly rubbed a hand up and down the side of his head.

——————————

The sound of the twins crying woke Benson and Pam only a few hours after they finally got to sleep.

The gumball machine sighed and shuffled a little. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw his wife looking terribly tired, one hand rubbing at her eyes and the other reaching out for her glasses on the bedside table.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got ‘em, you go back to sleep,” he stroked her hair and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

He got out of bed and stumbled into the twins’ nursery, where they were both awake in their cribs, crying, eyes scrunched tightly, fists flailing.

The gumball machine got their bottles ready, placed them on the small table in the corner next to a big, soft chair, and then picked up his children and sat down to feed them.

After a while Justin and Sam were relaxed again, making soft mewling sounds and snuggling against their father’s chest, both sets of eyes blinking up at him.

The three of them sat there like that for a few minutes, Benson simply admiring his babies, trying not to disturb them as they drifted off to sleep once more. Eventually he returned them to their cribs and, after making sure they were both comfortable, wandered back to the bed, much more awake than he had been when he’d left.

——————————

“Hey, so, I was thinking we could take these two out today. Show ‘em the outside world?  What do you say?” the gumball machine spoke up after silently playing with the twins for a while.

His wife looked up from the book in her hand, “yeah, that sounds like a plan,” she grinned and placed her book on the coffee table, “the sunshine could do us all some good.”

It took a few minutes to get the twins organised and into their stroller, and a few more to get the harness on Applesauce, but eventually the family were strolling around the park.

The day was beautifully warm and sunny. Birds chirped and an occasional breeze blew through the trees.

They walked around the whole park a few times, occasionally being stopped by strangers approaching them to stare and “awww!” at the newborns.

“Why are people like that?” Benson wondered aloud.

“Well, look at these two, can you really blame them?” his wife chuckled.

“True, that’s a good point,” he reached inside the stroller to touch his daughter’s cheek, a little laugh escaping his lips.

On the way back to the house, the family stopped to visit Skips’ garage, where the yeti was taking a break from cleaning the golf carts.

The gumball machine introduced his old friend to his children with a “Skips, there are some new family members I want you to meet. Justin, Sam, this is Skips.”

The yeti simply offered a wave to the two tiny babies whose huge, bright eyes were now fixed on him.

They continued talking to Skips for a while, before Pam spoke up, explaining that they should be getting the twins to sleep, to which the yeti said he had to be getting back to work.

A series of ‘bye’s and ‘see ya’s later, and the family were on their way home again.

It was silent for a few minutes, the couple basking in the peace of the moment, before Pam spoke again.

“Ahh… Lovely day for a family walk,” she put her arm around her husband and pulled him close, “you always have the best ideas, Benson.”

[the-currian]

Finally emptied my askbox!

Well, to be more accurate, I finished all my requests. The askbox ate the original ask, so shoutout to the anon who wanted Hisoka angst!

“I don’t know if I can trust you.”

Hisoka x Reader

It was insidious.

At first your curiosity was small. Harmless. When you heard the up-and-coming Mankai Company was having an act-off against the famed God Troupe, you knew that you had to catch both their performances. God Troupe’s performance was flashy and impactful as always, and while the leads of Mankai had a subtle flair of their own, it was one of their supporting cast members that truly caught your eye. You were captivated by his unique stage presence. He appeared confident and secure in his acting but underneath it all you could sense a hint of sadness that drew you in further.

To your shock and utter delight, he plays one of the leads in his sub-troupe’s next play.

“Hisoka…” you whisper to yourself as you trace the actor’s name on the flyer you received.

His gaze pierced straight through your heart, leading you to make an impulsive decision. Quickly scrounging up what leftover funds you had for the month, you resolve to attend all of their performances.

Watching Hisoka act night after night onstage makes your heart bleed for this man that you hadn’t even officially met. Again, you resonate with the melancholic aura that he gives off. It’s silly, really – the most interaction you’ve had with him was at the end of each play when the actors went to the lobby to personally thank and see their patrons off, yet there was just something so hauntingly beautiful about the man, and before you knew it you were drawn in deep.

You wanted to know more.

Days pass after the play’s closing night and you feel as if you’re in a drought – deprived of your favorite muse.

‘Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe I should just keep this admiration as a fan, after all.’

Trying to lift up your spirits, you visit a newly opened cat café. As you walk through the doors, a paw-shaped bell gently chimes and a smile blooms on your face. Immediately, you are comforted by the mellow atmosphere that the establishment exudes. While you take your time to observe the café, a white Japanese bobtail cat walks up to you and gently nuzzles your leg, trying to grab your attention. You slowly squat down to pet the feline and it purrs at your touch.

“Welcome.” a familiar voice greets you sleepily.

Looking up, you yelp in surprise and fall onto your bum at the realization that the worker in front of you is Hisoka. Unperturbed, the fluffy cat you were petting moves over to plop down into your lap.

“Marshmallow.” Hisoka chides lightly, picking up the fur ball and cradling it in his arms. “You’re not supposed to play with the customers until they’ve gotten a table.”

The cat mewls lowly in response, and your heartbeat quickens at the affectionate smile that spreads on Hisoka’s face.

“I’m surprised that Marshmallow has taken a liking to you so easily.” He mumbles, shooting you a curious glance. “Anyway, please follow me to sign a waiver for playing with the cats.”

You quickly read through the document and sign the paper without fuss. Hisoka looks over it and nods before leading you to a table low enough for you to interact with the cats but still kneel comfortably.

Somehow, amidst your internal freak-out, you manage to address Hisoka, “Do you have any recommendations?”

His eyes immediately light up and you find his giddiness to be infectious as he lists several suggestions. “The hot chocolate with marshmallow crème is good. So is the s’mores cupcake – they put a giant toasted marshmallow on top. Oh, but the chocolate marshmallow mousse is also one of our best-sellers…”

You stifle a laugh and scratch the ears of the fluffy white cat in your lap. “I take it that you’re the one that named Marshmallow, then?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I get carried away again? The manager says I need to work on that. Something about how not all people would want to eat marshmallows when they’re here, which is ridiculous.” Hisoka mutters the last sentence under his breath, but you still manage to catch what he says and find it quite endearing paired with the pout on his face.

“It’s fine. Those all sound amazing, and I’m going to be here awhile, so I’ll have those three that you mentioned.” You say with what you hope is a reassuring smile.

“Okay. I’ll be back with your marshmallows soon.” He quirks a shy smile before heading back to the kitchen with your order.

Once he’s out of sight you let out a huge sigh, grabbing at your chest, willing your heartbeat to slow down. As if sensing your distress, Marshmallow meows loudly and rubs his head against your hand.

“Alright, alright.” You murmur in a placating tone and obligingly scratch behind Marshmallow’s ears. He makes a satisfied chirping noise in response. Minutes pass by as you absentmindedly pet the cat while you take in the café’s ambience.

Hisoka returns with a serving tray full of marshmallow treats as promised, and your mouth waters as he sets them on the table. You turn your gaze away from the table to thank Hisoka but find that he is also transfixed on your food. A pout appears on his face and the gaze in his eyes as he regards the marshmallows is almost longing.

Mustering up your courage, you ask, “Um… would you like to join me? I kinda just realized that this is way too much for me to finish by myself…”

Hisoka’s gaze locks onto yours, his expression the liveliest you’ve ever seen off stage. “You sure?”

Brain short-circuiting over how adorable he looks, you only barely manage to nod back.

“Hold on.” Hisoka says, rushing off to the kitchen with an unnatural speed. Before you can really process the interaction, he’s already back at your table and kneeling opposite from you. “My manager said I can take a break for a short while since there’s not too many customers right now. Thanks for sharing your marshmallows…” he trails off. Realizing you forgot to introduce yourself, you immediately do so.

He softly smiles in return. “My name is Hisoka Mikage.”

“Ah, I have to confess that I already knew that.” You laugh nervously. His eyes narrow at you in suspicion, and you honestly don’t blame him. However, the dangerous aura he suddenly exudes has you recoiling a bit. “I, uh… I’ve seen you act before in the Mankai Company.”

His demeanor relaxes ever so slightly at your explanation, but you can tell he’s still on edge.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that I’m a big fan of your acting and I can’t really believe that I’m seeing you outside of your show runs.”

Still, Hisoka remains silent, staring at you coolly from across the table. Wordlessly, you slide over the chocolate marshmallow mousse to his side as a sort of placating gesture. Hisoka’s eyes narrow even further, squinting at the dessert as if it had personally offended him.

“Is this a bribe?

“…Is it working?”

Hisoka puts a spoonful of the mousse into his mouth and hums thoughtfully as he takes his time to savor the flavor. Seconds pass agonizingly slow before he simply nods at you.

“Apology accepted.”

You feel as if a huge weight is lifted off of your shoulders.

From that day forward you get to know more about Hisoka Mikage, rather than Hisoka the Winter Troupe member of Mankai Company who you so ardently idolized.

And so what if you still idolized him for that? It’s not like it took away from the real affection you had for him as a friend.

‘Only as a friend.’ You think to yourself glumly.

You were thankful for his friendship, really. After that day you two officially met, you frequented the café quite often. In return, Hisoka would set aside his break time for whenever you stopped by. Your relationship had gotten close enough that he felt comfortable resting his head in your lap. You always teased him for this, calling him a “cuddle monster that can only be satiated by naps and marshmallows”. Hisoka has no qualms with this and completely accepts his role.

However, despite the progress you’ve made, you could sense that there’s a barrier he always had up. You could tell that he was trying but there were times that Hisoka would get a faraway look in his eyes as the two of you lazed about. It was during these moments that you felt so close but still so far from him.

One day, he decides that the two of you should hang out at a beach – which is frankly quite ridiculous given the season. Within the first few minutes of arriving, Hisoka remains silent, so you decide to tell him as such.

“So… what’s the reason for taking to me to the beach on this cold winter day?” you joke, trying to lighten the heavy aura Hisoka exudes.

His eyes suddenly snap over to yours as if broken out of a reverie. Just as you’re about to let it be – Hisoka gets into these moods at times, after all – he replies.

“This beach is a place I’ve only shared with my troupe members; it’s a significant place to who I was – to who I am. You’ve become an…” he pauses, mulling over his words carefully. “…important person to me. I can’t explain it, but there’s something about you that makes me feel safe. But–“

Filled with a surge of affection at his words, you blurt out, “Would you like to maybe make this official?”

Hisoka stares at you incomprehensively.

‘Hell, I’ve gotten this far already.’ You think to yourself, thoroughly embarrassed, but determined. ‘I may as well let it all out.’

“I’m sorry if I’m coming on too strong, but this has been on my mind for a long while. Ever since we met at the café – maybe even long before that, when I first saw your acting,” You give him a watery smile. “I was so intrigued by you. I always felt like there was something that just drew me to you. You can’t believe how ecstatic I was that we were able to become friends. But lately, it just hasn’t been enough for me. I’m sorry. I’ve fallen for you.”

Your eyes squeeze shut, scared to see his reaction.

“I love you, Hisoka. If you’ll have me, I’d like the chance to make you happy as your friend, but even more so as your partner.”

Seconds tick by, your anxiety skyrocketing in the silence, when Hisoka’s words strike straight through your heart.

“I can’t.”

“…Oh.” Your voice cracks, tears welling up in your eyes at his rejection. “I see. I totally get it. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be obligated or anything because of my feelings. I’m sorry – “

“Wait.” Hisoka cuts you off then makes a frustrated noise. “It’s not you, I promise.” He grabs your arm causing you to freeze in place, preventing you from making your escape. “It’s not fair to you. I know it isn’t, but…”

“But?” you prompt.

“I don’t know if I can trust you.” Hisoka mumbles, head bowed low, unable to look you in the eye. “…and it kills me.”

He takes a deep breath before continuing.

“There are things that I’m still trying to figure out for myself – things I’m still trying to figure about myself. To drag you into it would be selfish of me. You don’t deserve that.”

“And if I said I didn’t care?” you sob. “What if I told you that I want to help you through it?”

Hisoka makes a pained expression at your words, letting go of your arm as if he was burned. He returns back to his shell that you so desperately tried to pull him out of. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. This is my burden to bear… I’m sorry.”

And just like that, he walks away.

The next day you go to the café where you first met. You pet Marshmallow when he comes over to you as you take a seat at your usual spot, but Hisoka never shows up.

[hms-chill]

Alex the Cat-Dad

This piece Ukiyosplash on Deviantart did for my fic about Alex and Henry fostering kittens is absolutely incredible and I love it so much it inspired this

If you haven’t read that fic, just know that Alex and Henry fostered five kittens, and Zest was the one they just had to keep

Alex has pretty much given up on trying to fix his sleep schedule. He's tried basically everything: avoiding coffee before bed, getting up early, even having Henry cajole him into bed at a decent time. None of it works. Henry is too easy to distract, and his sleep schedule is almost as bad as Alex's. Even when he could get to bed on time, they tend to use that extra time more effectively than sleeping. The coffee thing was an entire disaster, and when he wakes up earlier, he's just more tired in the morning. It's the worst on days when he's home alone, or on weekends when he's on his own schedule. He'll get wrapped up in something and forget to eat, or he'll nap in the middle of the day and not be tired when it's time for bed. He can turn alarms off too easily, and he can't ask someone to babysit or check in on him. Even David's not great at keeping him on a schedule, and he tends to go to England with Henry when they can anyway. At this point, Alex has just accepted that he's not going to be the most functional human on the planet. After all, he's tried everything.

What he hasn't tried is a cat. Specifically a cat who is very vocal, very social, and apparently able to read clocks. The first day he and Zest are home alone together, they play some, then Zest joins him in the office. He's got a bed on Alex's desk, so he naps there while Alex works, occasionally balancing a paper on his head or a business card against his paw. He sleeps until noon, when he stretches, toppling the senator's business card that Alex has balanced against him. His foot gets caught on his bed, and he almost falls over before Alex leans over to help him escape. From there, Zest's primary goal in life seems to be causing problems. He starts small, batting at Alex's charger and his hands as he types, then he upgrades to yelling, walking to the door and back until Alex sighs, gets up, and follows him. Zest leads the way to the kitchen, then sits on a counter (where he's technically not allowed, but Alex doesn't mind), and stares at him until Alex gets together a sandwich.

"Are you... are you babysitting me?" Alex asks. Zest chirps in agreement, and Alex laughs, scratching under his chin the way he likes. Zest purrs, hopping up onto Alex's shoulders. He's too big to perch up there like a parrot anymore, so he wraps himself around Alex’s neck instead, purring. Alex gives his ears a scratch and brings his lunch and a glass of water back up to the office to keep working, and Zest falls asleep draped around Alex’s neck, kneading sleepy little biscuits into Alex’s shoulder while he eats and answers emails. He sends Henry a snap of the two of them, Zest's sleepy face curled up next to his smiling one. Henry replies quickly, a picture of himself and David on a rug in Kensington, and Alex video calls him. Henry picks up almost immediately, his face appearing on Alex's laptop. He's lying on the floor, David cuddled to his side. They look cozy, or at least as cozy as they ever look when they’re there alone. Henry smiles when he sees them, a tired smile that’s so full of love it makes Alex’s heart skip a beat.

“I swear this cat can read clocks,” Alex says, by way of introduction. “He started being a little asshole at exactly noon today.”

“Aww, is he looking after you?” Henry asks, grinning. Alex sighs.

“I don’t even… he just took me downstairs for lunch. Like he took me to the kitchen and then sat on the cou— I mean, he sat—“

“Alex, you both know he’s not allowed on the counter! You’re going to teach him bad habits.”

“Hen, I don’t think I can teach this cat anything. It took him two weeks to learn where his food bowl is, and he still steps into his water dish and then gets mad that his paws are wet. I adore him, but his head is just air. Air and apparently a clock to babysit me with. He took me down to the kitchen and just sat and watched me make a sandwich.”

Henry laughs at that, relaxing a bit. David moves his head to Henry’s arm, and Henry rubs his ears.

“How are things there?” Alex asks, and Henry shrugs.

“You know. Not awful, not great. I miss you.”

“It was meetings today, right? Anything you want to talk about?”

So they chat about new policies the royal family is moving toward, and the wyas that royal support will influence different things, how rules might shift or policies might change. Zest wakes up about halfway through their call to yawn and stretch, nearly toppling backward off Alex’s shoulders as he unbalances himself. Alex catches him just in time as Henry laughs, and Zest starts to purr directly into Alex’s ear. It’s only then that Alex realizes how much tension he’s carrying in his shoulders and lets them relax a bit. Zest makes biscuits in his shoulder, and Henry keeps talking about their plans, but Alex isn’t quite as tense. Henry has to go to dinner eventually, but he seems lighter, and happier, too. He’s laughed at Zest, and he’s gotten some things off his chest, and as he fixes his tie and his hair in the little window that lets him see himself, Alex gets to experience one of his favorite things even across an ocean.

He gets to watch Henry fuss with his hair, gets to watch him tie and retie a tie until it’s just right, gets to watch him make sure everything looks just right before he says goodbye and presents himself to the British public. When he hangs up, Alex scratches Zest’s ears, then turns back to his computer and the maps he’s pulled up. Maps of states whose voter demographics and popular vote don’t match their electoral one, maps covered in ink-blot districts and red tape. And he gets to work, looking into state laws and bylaws to figure out how to fix it. How to let each state represent itself the way he knows they want to, how to help them show the world their souls the way Texas could in 2020. He makes lists of local organizers to call, and governors to pressure to restore stripped voting rights. He tweets something about the situation in Iowa and dms an activist from Florida on twitter to see if there’s anything he can do to help them. And when he’s overwhelmed enough that Zest wakes up to purr in his ear again, he gets up and goes for a run, his feet pounding the pavement and his music blasting in his ears as he works off all the pent-up rage he’s been harboring against old white men with names like “Elbridge” who destroyed communities for their own gain.

When he gets home, dripping sweat and panting, Zest is there to watch him stretch, then to sit next to the sink and scream until Alex gets himself some water. He’d been planning on showering first, but Zest will have none of it, and it turns out he’s right-- the headache that had been threatening to burst from the base of his skull recedes, washed down as he hydrates and pets the cat, leaving bits of fur stuck to his damp hands. Zest doesn’t seem to miss the fur; he wanders between Alex’s legs, leaving more stuck to the sweat there before Alex bends down to scratch his ears and follow him, giving him all the attention he needs. After all, no one has been home with him for almost an hour, and he can see a tiny sliver of the bottom of his food dish. It’s a miracle he hasn’t starved to death by now, and he desperately needs Alex to shake the bowl a little bit so that the bottom is solidly covered. Alex is more than happy to oblige, rolling his eyes as he does. Zest doesn’t even eat any of the food, just curls up on David’s bed while Alex goes to take a shower.

When Alex comes out of the shower, he’s in the middle of towel drying his hair and almost trips over the cat who’s decided he absolutely needs to be right in the middle of the doorway. Zest yowls in surprise, turning to run for the bed, where he can safely glare at Alex for nearly stepping in the middle of the floor.

“Listen, dumbass, what do you want from me? I didn’t see you; I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” He’s pulled on Henry’s shirt now and goes to lie on the bed next to Zest, who turns his back, hops down, and walks to the door, tail swishing. Once there, he stops and looks back at Alex expectantly, all memory of their near-collision apparently gone. He meows, and Alex sighs and follows him. Zest leads him downstairs and settles directly next to the stove’s clock. It’s dinner time, and Zest is not going to let Alex get away with procrastinating it any longer. He makes dinner under the cat’s watchful eye, then follows his meowing little boss to the living room couch. He picks an animal planet show, because that seems like something Zest will like, and a few minutes later, Zest has dragged his food bowl into the living room to eat with Alex. He sends a picture of that to Henry, too, telling him they miss him and David at their family dinner.

When dinner’s done and the dishes are washed, Alex is going to go back upstairs to the office to work, but Zest won’t hear of it. He stays on the couch and complains so loudly that Alex has no choice but to bring his laptop down and sit on the couch, and Zest promptly drapes himself across the keyboard, looking up at Alex with big eyes.

“You’re worse than Henry, you know that?” Alex asks, scratching between Zest’s ears. Zest just purrs, letting Alex pick him up so that he can close the laptop and settle the cat on his lap instead. Absently, he digs around under the coffee table for yarn-- Henry’s been teaching him how to knit, giving him something to keep his hands busy when he’s not supposed to be working, and he’s not very good at it, but it helps. Zest bats at the yarn lazily, but his claws are in. He watches through half-closed eyes as Alex knits, the TV playing in the background as Alex very consciously focuses on the yarn and needles in his hands, the ways they move and the way the lumpy, holey… thing draping off them grows. He’ll call it a scarf and give it to Henry for Christmas as a joke.

Zest largely ignores him for a while, dozing intermittently as Alex focuses and the TV plays. But at 11 PM exactly, Zest wakes up, stretches, and begins to bat at the yarn in earnest, meowing at Alex until Alex puts the yarn away, and Zest hops off his lap and twists around his legs until Alex is up and following him, and they go up the stairs to the bedroom, where Zest sits on the bed and turns to look at him. Alex rolls his eyes and grabs his pajamas, going to brush his teeth. When he comes back, Zest is curled up on Henry’s side of the bed, and Alex smiles as he gets to climb in next to him, because going to sleep without Henry is never fun, but at least the bed isn’t empty.

On AO3

--

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[tempesrature]

50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You”

Pairing: Ride or Die | Logan x Ellie Summary: A highlight reel of the most important moments of their life. A/N: Highly suggest reading this in order (all even numbers for Logan). @troublemakerinspace @choicesarehard

#32 Wrapping a blanket around them when they are sitting on the couch and watching a show.

Ellie groans as she tries to push open her heavy eyelids before she blindly tries to grab her phone from the nightstand. She squints and grimaces when the light of her phone hits her directly on the face. She tries to focus her blurry eyes to the time and realizes that her one hour Sunday afternoon nap has turned into two. 

She sighs, drops the phone to Logan's side of the bed, and turns to bury her head into the pillow. She gives herself a few minutes to restart her brain and gather her strength before she pushes herself up and off the mattress. She then starts to do some stretches to wake her body before she goes through the mental list of ingredients she’ll need to prep for dinner as she exits the bedroom with a big yawn. 

Her eyes immediately catch Logan sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to the TV as Jiji, their black tabby lays down beside him like a dutiful daughter. Ellie pads towards him, ready to greet him and ask what he’s watching, when she realizes that his attention is fully enraptured by the show he’s watching. Ellie’s eyes flick to the screen, squinting for a moment to try and figure out what it is, until she picks up the familiar narration style and tone of voice. 

“A documentary?”

Logan blinks, finally realizing that Ellie’s beside him, and he quickly pauses the show with a small smile. 

“Yeah trouble, want to watch it with me?”

Ellie sits beside him and folds her legs under her. “I don’t really like documentaries,” She shrugs as she leans her head on his shoulder. “Faster to just read about it, you know?”

Logan chuckles with a nod before he starts the show again. Ellie tries her best to piece together what she’s seeing so far and she’s able to mostly infer that it’s about how inmates are getting their degrees as part of a prison program in a Correctional Facility in New York. She glances up at him, seeing the way his eyes light up, and she can already tell that this is important to him. 

“Why did this documentary catch your eye?”

“Hmm?” Logan looks down at her, smiling sheepishly, before he turns to pause the show. “It just seemed interesting…kinda makes me wish I had that where I was.”

Ellie’s eyes widen. Now she’s curious. Logan has never told her about his time in prison and she’s never pushed him to do so because she’s well aware it’s a subject that’s difficult for him to open up about. But this is the first time he’s ever mentioned it first and she wants to be supportive but not pushy. 

“Yeah?” She reaches out, taking his hand into hers with a light squeeze. “I bet you’d be a star pupil.”

Logan laughs, squeezing her hand in gratitude as he looks at her pointedly. “I learned from the best after all.”

Ellie gives him a small smile before she gazes into his eyes. “You can talk to me Logan. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.”

“I know you are El,” Logan grins, interlacing their fingers together. “But that’s not what’s bugging me. I think…” He starts, the words almost dying in his throat but he coughs to resuscitate it. “I think…I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to have a degree?”

Ellie’s eyes widen but she keeps her shock to a minimum because she doesn’t want to spook him. “Would you want one?”

“Yeah…kinda,” He laughs a little as he runs his hand through his hair. “My boss was an Automotive engineer before he retired to run the shop and we ended up talking a little and he says there’s a community college offering it in the area. The pay is better which will help when we foster kids,” Logan laughs, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable, and he quickly dismisses the thought. “But yeah no, it’s stupid El. Never mind.”

“No baby, no it’s not stupid at all,” Ellie reassures him, untangling her fingers from his and taking his face in-between her hands. She searches his brown eyes, her eyes unwavering when she says her next words full of nothing but love and support. “I think it’s a great idea. If you want this Logan, then I’ll support you all the way. Late night study session where you need unlimited coffee? Done. Pre-test jitters where you need to vent? I’m there. Lousy professors who hold a grudge against you for no reason? Let me at ‘em.”

Logan chuckles weakly, his eyes misting with tears as he encircles his arms around her waist. “This will mess up our plans, you know? We might even need to push back the wedding date.”

Ellie shrugs as if it’s the least of her worries. “So we push it back. It’s not like we’ve paid for anything yet and I don’t need a piece of paper to feel married to you Logan. I already do.”

Logan drops his head on her shoulder, the feeling in his chest so freeing and tight it almost hurts. “Am I really doing this?”

“If you want to,” Ellie smiles, running her hand through his hair. “Whatever you decide Logan, I’ll support it.”

“Thank you Ellie,” He breathes out a little, his arms tightening his hold on her waist. “Just…thank you.”

“Mm, you’re welcome,” Ellie chuckles, placing a kiss on his forehead before she leans back and tips his face up to her. “I need to start preparing dinner,” She peeks over his shoulder and looks at Jiji. “Want to accompany me, Jiji?” Jiji lets out a short meow before she hops off of the couch and pads over to the kitchen. Ellie rolls her eyes at the black tabby. “Of course when I mention dinner, suddenly she loves me.”

Logan chuckles softly, placing a soft kiss on Ellie’s cheek before he untangles his arms from her waist. Ellie stands up and reaches for the blanket underneath the pillows, wrapping it securely around Logan, before she places a passing kiss on his head and makes her way to the kitchen. 

After she feeds Jiji, she starts to gather her ingredients on the countertop when she hears the documentary starting up again. Ellie stands up on her tippy-toes, peeking towards Logan, and she grins when she sees his head bowed and his face illuminated by the light on his phone. 

She turns back around, her heart squeezing and pride and love for him, and starts her prep work. 

[buckybarnesbingo]

BBB Discord Party Round Robin

What started out as simple summary, one prompt and one sentence per person, ended up being so intriguing that we went all-out and created a fic!  Each person was given about half an hour to write up to 300 words, and the option to cross off one of their bingo squares, and this is the glorious result!

Prompts

cookies 

dragon

window cleaning

potato salad

cat stalker

sharing a bed

beach

Participants

@rebelmeg​

@fightingforcreativity​

@ladydarkphoenix-blog​

@psychiccatpanda​

@dreaminglypeach​

@ibelieveinturtles​

LiquidLightz

@menatiera​

Summary: To say that Bucky had been surprised when a FREAKING DRAGON showed up at the summer BBQ at his beach house would be an understatement. How should the ex assassin have anticipated a dragon, who seemed to have followed his cat to the BBQ? It didn't seem to be dangerous as of yet seeing as the two were happily sharing potato salad.

When Tony showed up late, he nudged Bucky, "Hey Buckaroo - I brought - WHOA! I didn't know you had a... cat."

Sure, it’s the cat that surprises you, Bucky thought, but Tony was still talking a mile a minute around the cookie in his mouth, “So, anyway, I brought that- fuck, is he your window cleaner, he’s gorgeous!”

"Window cleaning is just one of the many services I offer," the dragon said swinging it's head around to stare unblinking at Tony.

Bucky jolts back and stares at the dragon as he recognises the sound of that voice, then quickly pulls his phone out to text Steve... "where exactly are you right now?"

Steve doesn't answer his phone, obviously, but a telltale notification sound pings from somewhere inside the dragon's belly, audible through the slightly open mouth of the creature, and Bucky has to rub the base of his nose, muttering, "of fucking course you do this reveal to me after we've been sharing a bed for weeks."

And you can find the rest of the fic under the cut!

@rebelmeg

Tony, another cookie in his hand, held up a finger. “Um, excuse me, I hate to be nitpicky about weird details when Steve has apparently turned into a dragon, BUT…” he pointed at the dragon.  “Did I hear a cell phone in there? How did you manage to SWALLOW A CELL PHONE?”

Steve turned his large, scaly head in Tony’s direction, and it was amazing, he actually managed to have an extremely Steve expression on that reptilian face. “Classified.”

Tony snorted and dipped a plastic spoon into the potato salad. “You’re a lying liar who lies. And you’re going to need some very intense tech support for that phone by the time it gets… out.  And oh, ew, all of the options for how it gets out are just disgusting.”

Bucky, who had been standing there fighting the temptation to call Steve (he wanted to see what happened when the swallowed cell phone started vibrating and ringing), dragged himself back to the conversation. “Steve, I think you might wanna tell us exactly what’s going on.” He glanced at the cat that was now sitting next to Steve and very daintily licking its paws. “Maybe start with the cat?”

LiquidLightz

The dragon remained stubbornly quiet, a strange fiery blush spreading across its face.

Bucky waited him out for a full minute before he threateningly pulled out his phone and began to dial... 

"Ok, OK!"  Steve caved in as the first riffs of ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ echoed around inside of him and Bucky’s eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously as he mercifully ended the call while Tony coughed up cookie crumbs from all his cackling…  great, thanks Nat!  One more thing he would be having to explain later in excruciating detail.

Raising his huge snout skyward with a big defeated sigh, Steve let out a little spurt of fire before starting on some ridiculous explanation about how he had wanted to look good for the BBQ, so Nat suggested he go to a day spa she knows, but he had nobody to leave the cat with and so he took him along since they offered pet day care services... 

He trailed off as the laughter of everyone around him burst out in a crescendo and he leveled his steely gaze back down on them, now irritated beyond embarrassment. 

Bucky was the first one to compose himself, once Tony started making hot stone massage dragon jokes and he quickly recalled what was most pertinent here. 

"Steve, can you please get to the part where you're a dragon and if this is something you've been keeping from me or a temporary mishap?"  Bucky was not exactly sure what he'd prefer, since, well, dragons are pretty magnificent and he wouldn't mind having his own. His mind began to wander into the possible perks of a dragon boyfriend and whether Steve could fly now.

@psychiccatpanda

Dragons can scowl - that was a thing Bucky knew now.  

Steve harrumphed and glared, trying to work through his embarrassment.  “So I never actually made it to the day spa. I went to bed last night and the cat I adopted when you got Alpine - d”

“Inky?”  Bucky asked.

“No, I called him Beetle,” Steve said with a puff of steam.

“Still say Beetle’s a dumb name for a cat,” Bucky mumbled.

Tony nodded in agreement and helped himself to another cookie. “I’m gonna start the grill, okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine Tony,” Bucky said and then tried to turn the conversation back to the dragon boyfriend issue. “So you slept with the cat and now you’re a dragon? Or were you a dragon before?”

“No. I’m not a dragon… well, I wasn’t,” Steve sighed. “So Beetle slept with me, sneezed… and turned into a guy named Loki. I freaked out, he got mad, and turned me into a dragon.”

From the grill, Tony said, “So where’s this guy now, Steeb?”

“I wish I knew,” Dragon Steve said miserably.

“Meow?” Alpine interjected himself and twined between the dragon’s toes and Bucky’s legs to situate himself at Tony’s feet. He looked up with wide blue eyes.

@menatiera

Steve turned his gaze to the cat. “I know, I know,” he said. “Food will be ready for you soon.”

Bucky’s eyebrow arched up. “If you tell me that you can talk to animals…”

The fiery blush somehow deepened on Steve’s dragon face. “Uh, not all animals. But cats… I think they speak a dialect of dragon, somehow, because I kinda understand them now.”

Instead of answering, Bucky decided it was a good time to stuff his mouth with two cookies at once, lest he let out a scream of excitement.

Alpine jumped on the table, and started to rub his face to Steve’s scales. He kept this up, right until Steve started to breathe heavily, and with one final tickling of his full body, Alpine threw himself off the table and ran under the cover of it.

Steve sneezed.

Several times.

With violent force.

The table turned out to be an inadequate hiding place, as it was blown away by the wind of the squeeze, along with most of the BBQ supplies, including the plates, utensils and napkins.

Tony was saved thanks to Bucky’s quick reflexes, who dragged him out of the way of a flying pitcher that was full of hot water to become Bruce’s tea later.

Steve was sniffling and scratching his snout. “Sorry,” he said nasally, then he stared at the ground. “Uh. I think the phone’s out.”

Bucky didn’t want to know. But he kind of did. “How did it get to your lung? Or is a dragon belly connected to sneezing somehow?”

Alpine slowly walked back into the scene, stepping into the dragon snot with delicate disdain, and poked the phone with his nose. He meowed a few times.

“He wants us to look at it,” Steve translated. “He says something about messages. Or notes? I’m not entirely sure. I’m not fluent in cat yet.”

@dreaminglypeach

My boyfriend the dragon isn’t fluent in cat yet, Bucky thought. How is this my life?

“Well, go on, then,” Tony encouraged, wafting his hand at the phone as Alpine curled into Steve’s side again, seeking warmth despite the fact that it’d been far too goddamn sunny all day.

“I would,” Steve said, raising one clawed… paw? Hand? Strangely enough, Bucky had no idea what the anatomy of a dragon is. “But there’s this whole no opposable thumbs issue at the moment.”

Tony looked at Bucky. Bucky looked back at Tony. Neither of them moved to pick up the phone.

“He’s your boyfriend.”

“And?”

Tony scoffed. “And that means you get to be the one playing with the phone he ate, duh.”

“I hate you,” Bucky said. “I hate both of you. And whoever this Loki jackass is, I really fucking hate him.”

Steve made a bizarre snarly noise, maybe a draconine laugh, maybe a growl, then nudged the phone in Bucky’s direction with his nose. “You know the passcode,” he said, baring a whole load of pointy teeth at him.

Dutifully, Bucky picked the disgusting thing up, wiped the slime coating it on his jeans (well, those were being burnt now), and tapped out his own date of birth to unlock it.

“Ha!” Tony said when it unlocked, peering at the screen over Bucky’s shoulder. “Stark Tech. Can’t beat it. I’d like to see an iPhone keep working after spending time inside a dragon.”

“Do we know a Valkyrie?” Bucky asked, ignoring Tony’s bragging to look at the long string of messages Steve apparently received over the last three hours. “Because she sure seems to know you, and boy is she unhappy.”

“Never heard of her,” Steve answered. “What’s she say?”

“Rogers,” Tony read, “be careful, Thor’s brother is

@ladydarkphoenix-blog 

on the loose and looking to cause trouble. Not sure what exactly but he is looking for mischief. Well that can't be good."

"Obviously not seeing as I'm now a dragon," Steve snorted in annoyance, a small puff of smoke escaping his nose.

"So how do we fix this," Bucky inquired as he sent back a text explaining the situation as it was before setting the phone down to not have to deal with the slimy mess for a moment. As the three discussed options and people they thought might be able to help, Alpine let out an angry yowl as he seemingly started floating away from where he'd been napping.

Steve let out a low rumbling growl, "don't touch him Loki or I'll eat you myself…"

Loki appeared, holding a fighting Alpine by the scruff to protect himself from claws and teeth. "Now is that any way to speak to an honored guest?"

@fightingforcreativity

“An honored guest my ass,” mumbled Bucky, pointedly ignoring the snickering coming from Tony.

“My my, so rude the company you keep, Anthony.” Loki drawled, still holding Alpine and only slightly being turned towards the three heroes. “I was just hoping my gift was well received.”

Tony sputtered at that. The assassin turned towards the other brunet, a questioning eyebrow risen. Tony, though, ignored him and started to ramble at Loki, “Serious? I hate that name. Stop calling me that, Reindeer Games! Why are you here? And what’s going on with Steve as a dragon? I mean sure, dragons are pretty cool and he’s quite a beauty like this but c’mon, Lokes, usually your mischief is directed against Thor not Steve.”

Sure, Bucky could say something about Tony obviously eyeing his dragon boyfriend up- and what a mess that was- but he was more interested in what the heck really was going on. Maybe after they figured out Loki's motive, Bucky could think about why Steve preened under Tony’s compliments.

Also, Bucky wasn’t sure what was going on at all between Loki and Tony, but by the look of it Steve had an idea. How Bucky could interpret his boyfriend’s limited facial expressions at the moment, was another mystery to be shoved in the ‘to never investigate’ box.

Before Loki could answer, the dragon rounded on him. “I told you to let him go!”

Steve’s hiss was threatening and Bucky didn’t blame Loki for gently putting Alpine back done and backing up a bit after that. “Fine. The good captain was collateral damage in my attempt at wooing.”

Everyone froze at that. 

‘Wooing? What the…?!’, Bucky thought disbelievingly. 

The first person to recover was Steve though, and cautiously the formerly blond asked, “Wooing who?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Anthony of course!”

@ibelieveinturtles

There was stunned silence as everyone gaped at Loki, then Steve started huffing, little bursts of flame spouting from his nostrils.

"Are-are you laughing at me?" Loki demanded haughtily. 

Steve shook his head. "The look on Tony’s face!" he chortled. "It's like he doesn't know whether to be flattered, insulted, or just plain horrified."

They all looked at Tony, who made an immediate attempt to control his face.

"Flattered," he said hastily, "definitely flattered but, er, I'm not sure how Pepper's gonna react."

Loki drew himself up. "It was her suggestion," he said. 

"Pepper suggested you turn me into a dragon as a courting… gift?"

Loki nodded. "She assured me you have the ego to pull it off."

Steve began to huff again and this time, both Loki and Tony glared at him.

"What?" Steve asked.

"She's not wrong," Bucky interjected in an effort to save his boyfriend from all the attention. "Also, she may have mentioned to me last week that dragons are her favourite mythical animal," he finished.

"Indeed," Loki said, smirking. "She told me she always wanted to ride a dragon."

Bucky's laughter joined Steve's draconic huffing and Tony’s expression changed.

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course," Loki replied. "It is a most exhilarating activity."

Bucky stopped laughing as an idea slammed into his mind. He turned a speculative gaze in Steve's direction. Steve must have felt the weight of Bucky's gaze as the giant head turned to look at him.

"Something on your mind? Steve asked in a surprisingly quiet voice.

Bucky nodded. "That riding a dragon thing," he said.

Steve's eyes glittered. "You wanna try it out?"

"Yes."

They looked at Tony and Loki who were now standing much closer together and seemed to be deep in some sort of negotiations. 

"Climb on," Steve said. "Before Loki remembers to change me back."

Bucky scrambled up Steve's outstretched leg and settled himself in front of Steve's wings.

"Ready?" Steve rumbled, and without waiting for an answer, launched himself into the air.

Bucky whooped as they climbed. This had undoubtedly been the best BBQ ever.

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

Title: BBB Round Robin Fic Collaborators: Rebelmeg, Fightingforcreativity, Ladydarkphoenix, Psychiccatpanda, Dreaminglypeach, Ibelieveinturtles, Liquidlightz, Menatiera Squares filled:

Rebelmeg: Y2 - tech support

LiquidLightz (LLightz): B3 - spa day

Menatiera: U4 - hot water

Dreaminglypeach: B1 - sharing body heat

Ladydarkphoenix: U5 - "Don't touch him!"

Fightingforcreativity: B4 - Collateral Damage

Ibelieveinturtles: K2 - Whiplash

Ship: Stucky, hinted Stony or Stuckony, Pepperony, pre-FrostIron /FrostPepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: round robin fic, dragon Steve, animal transformation, Loki shenanigans, cats, multiple ships, hijinks and shenanigans Summary: To say that Bucky had been surprised when a FREAKING DRAGON showed up at the summer BBQ at his beach house would be an understatement. How should the ex assassin have anticipated a dragon, who seemed to have followed his cat to the BBQ? It didn't seem to be dangerous as of yet seeing as the two were happily sharing potato salad.

When Tony showed up late, he nudged Bucky, "Hey Buckaroo - I brought - WHOA! I didn't know you had a... cat."

Sure, it’s the cat that surprises you, Bucky thought, but Tony was still talking a mile a minute around the cookie in his mouth, “So, anyway, I brought that- fuck, is he your window cleaner, he’s gorgeous!”

"Window cleaning is just one of the many services I offer," the dragon said swinging it's head around to stare unblinking at Tony.

Bucky jolts back and stares at the dragon as he recognises the sound of that voice, then quickly pulls his phone out to text Steve... "where exactly are you right now?"

Steve doesn't answer his phone, obviously, but a telltale notification sound pings from somewhere inside the dragon's belly, audible through the slightly open mouth of the creature, and Bucky has to rub the base of his nose, muttering, "of fucking course you do this reveal to me after we've been sharing a bed for weeks." Word Count: 2300

[bronzeflower]

Present Mic Merch

Also on ao3

Chapter 1: Five

-----

1: Coffee Mug

Everyone knew that Aizawa had a Present Mic brand coffee mug.

It wasn't all that strange. Most of Class 2-A just assumed that Present Mic himself gave it to Aizawa as a gag gift, but Aizawa chose to use it because it was practical to or because it was the one he kept in the office. There was no reason to keep a coffee cup if you didn't use it.

The strangeness came from when it was dropped and shattered to many pieces on the ground. This in of itself wasn't all that strange, and the shards were soon picked up and thrown away while the leftover coffee was easily wiped up.

What was strange was when Aizawa walked in the next day with a different Present Mic brand coffee cup.

This one was a lot more noticeable. Aizawa's normal mug was white with a simple "Put Your Hands Up!" written on it in black, along with a drawing of a microphone. It was simple, practical, and didn't draw too much attention to itself.

This new mug was bright yellow with a chibi Present Mic on it next to bright and bubbly letters that spelled out "Banana Dreamer."

No one said anything about it. But they noticed. And they also noticed when Aizawa came in two days later with a brand new mug that was identical to his old on.

Nobody said anything. But they talked amongst themselves about it, wondering about it.

Perhaps the mug wasn't a gag gift at all.

2: Sunglasses

Class 2-A was taking a trip to the beach for training. It was supposed to be an event where they practiced using their skills and quirks in difficult terrain, but they also got breaks to just have fun in the sun.

This meant swimsuits and sunglasses and sandcastles and everything else people brought to the beach.

Midoriya was wearing his All Might brand swim trunks and was going over to see if Kouda and Tokoyami wanted any assistance with their sandcastle when he noticed something odd about Aizawa.

Now, Aizawa was basically the same as always, trying to take a nap under an umbrella, even if he was wearing a striped black and gray 1920s swimsuit. But there was something else Aizawa was wearing that caught Midoriya's attention.

Aizawa had Present Mic brand sunglasses. It was one of the subtler designs, but Midoriya was a true hero otaku, and he could recognize them from a mile away.

After Tokoyami confirmed that they would need some seaweed, Midoriya took to the ocean where Uraraka and Todoroki were.

"Guys, Aizawa-sensei is wearing Present Mic sunglasses," Midoriya kept his voice low as he rummaged the sea for broken off bits of seaweed.

"Seriously?" Uraraka gasped in surprise. "I didn't even notice. That's so weird!"

"I know right? It's totally unexpected! I mean, I get the mug and all, but sunglasses?"

"But he did replace the mug," Uraraka pointed out. "It would be hard to believe that Mic-sensei gave the same exact one as a gag gift. What do you think, Todoroki?"

Todoroki thought deeply.

"Maybe...Aizawa-sensei collects Present Mic merchandise."

"Wha? But I can't really imagine it at all," Midoriya said.

The three of them collectively imagined Aizawa having a room filled to the brim with Present Mic merch.

"No way, no way he does that!" Uraraka insisted. "He just seems like too much of a guy whose place is completely empty and devoid of anything except a bed."

Midoriya nodded furiously.

"Mic-sensei and Aizawa-sensei are good friends though, right?" Todoroki asked. "So Aizawa-sensei might be trying to support Present Mic by purchasing his merchandise."

"That's...actually kind of cute," Uraraka gushed.

"I feel like it's way more possible that that's the case. It's still difficult to think that Aizawa-sensei has a lot of merch, but I suppose it would make sense if the miscellaneous practical items he has are Present Mic brand."

"Do you think he has Present Mic brand pencils?" Todoroki questioned, which made Midoriya and Uraraka burst out laughing before Midoriya suddenly had a very serious face.

"Wait...he might...Present Mic brand pencils look the same as regular pencils except for the label by the No. 2 says Present Mic."

"...Do you think that's why he never lets anyone borrow pencils?"

They laughed at the concept, Midoriya got the seaweed for Kouda and Tokoyami's really awesome sandcastle, and they didn't think more of it.

3: Cats and Clothing

It was always terrible to run into your teacher in the grocery store. Kouda knew this more than most because he didn't particularly care for talking, and it was infinitely more awkward to engage in conversation with a teacher.

It was also terrible when they expected him to actually talk.

So when Kouda saw Aizawa in the grocery store looking at different brands of cat food, he was completely ready to turn the other direction and never come to that store ever again.

Except that Aizawa was looking ever so intensely at the cat food, and Kouda was ever the animal lover, so Kouda nervously tapped Aizawa on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh, Kouda," Aizawa greeted. "What do you need?"

"Ah, well," Kouda flustered before signing. 'Are you trying to figure out which cat food to buy?'

Kouda was expecting Aizawa to just kind of stare or inform him that he didn't understand sign language, but to his surprise, Aizawa turned towards him more fully to sign back at Kouda, which also revealed that Aizawa was wearing a "Put Your Hands Up Radio" t-shirt, the one where the words were surrounded by a pair of headphones.

'The brand I usually buy was discontinued,' Aizawa explained. 'And my cats are kind of picky.'

'How many cats do you have?' Kouda asked.

'Three.'

'I'd get one of the higher-end brands like this one,' Kouda stopped signing to point to the brand he often used to feed stray cats he found. 'Mind if I ask what the names of your cats are?'

'Jelly, Sofa, and Present Meow,' Aizawa answered.

'What do they look like,' Kouda said, but internally thought about how he didn't imagine Aizawa picking those kinds of names for his cats. It was just unexpectedly cute.

It was also a little strange that one of them was named after Present Mic, but Kouda wasn't going to point that out.

Aizawa brought out his phone and showed a few photos of the cats to Kouda.

Jelly was a white cat with large black spots who was very fluffy and was apparently very cuddly. Sofa was a light brownish color with a missing ear who was ready to play at all times. And Present Meow was a ginger cat who was missing his tail and was also very loud and whiny when he wasn't getting attention.

'They're very cute. It looks like you take good care of them,' Kouda signed, and Aizawa gave a proud smile.

'Thanks for the help. I'll see you at school.'

With that, Aizawa grabbed the cat food and walked away, which revealed the fact that the jeans he was wearing were also Present Mic brand due to the microphone stitched on the back pocket of the jeans.

Kouda told Tokoyami later, and while Tokoyami was skeptical of the outfit Aizawa was wearing, he understood Kouda wasn't one to lie.

4: Music Album

Jirou was overwhelmed.

Present Mic had recently released a new album, and it seemed that every single Present Mic fan in Japan had come to Beatz and Bopz, the music store Jirou's parents owned and where Jirou worked part-time.

It was probably due to the fact that Beatz and Bopz had received five hundred signed copies of Present Mic's latest album, and that meant they were prime hero memorabilia.

Jirou wouldn't admit it, but she purchased one for herself before she opened the store. Present Mic was her favorite hero. She knew she could have gotten one of the normal ones and then gotten her teacher to sign it, but it was just way too weird to ask.

Jirou expected the onslaught of people who were willing to pay extra for a signed copy. She expected the cosplayers, the rockers, the generally music inclined, and the general hero otakus.

She wasn't even all that surprised when Midoriya showed up, even if she was pretty sure he preferred All Might over Present Mic although she guessed he was a huge fan of all heroes.

What Jirou wasn't expecting was when Aizawa walked in to buy the CD.

Jirou had seen the line out there when she went to open the store. It went past the block. Aizawa absolutely had to have stood in line for several hours to get exclusive rights to one of the five hundred signed copies of the album "Living Louder."

Jirou didn't have time to comment. She was too busy trying to do crowd control, so she rung up Aizawa without complaint, who didn’t buy just one, but two, and he left as soon as he came, seemingly content with not saying anything about the reason he purchased the album, much less two of them.

"Aizawa showed up to Beatz and Bopz to buy the new Present Mic album," Jirou said to the Bakusquad after the fact.

"So?" Bakugou asked in his usual angry tone.

“So,” Jirou countered. “He bought the signed version. Two of them.”

“What!?” Kaminari exclaimed. “He did!? I tried to get one but didn’t get there early enough! He must have been standing out there for hours!”

“Yeah, and why would he buy two?” Kirishima questioned.

“Obviously he got one for someone else!” Ashido theorized. “It’d be weird otherwise, right?”

“Why didn’t he just buy two of the unsigned album and then get it signed by Present Mic?” Bakugou asked. “It’s stupid to pay the extra if you could get it for free.”

“Probably the same reason why I didn’t just ask Present Mic-sensei to sign one. It’s too weird,” Jirou explained. Ashido nodded in agreement.

“It’s weird to ask,” Sero repeated, agreeing.

“It’s only weird if you make it weird, dumbasses!” Bakugou shouted.

Shinsou walked into the room and looked over to the Bakusquad, his gaze fixated on Kaminari, who grinned when he noticed him.

“Hitoshi!” Kaminari hollered, practically yeeting himself off the couch and into Shinsou’s arms. Shinsou, of course, caught him and returned the kiss thrusted upon him by Kaminari.

“Hey,” Shinsou greeted, a little smile on his face.

“Stop being gross!” Bakugou yelled.

“You’re just jealous!” Kaminari teased before turning his attention back to Shinsou. “How’s it going, babe?”

“Well enough,” Shinsou lightly lowered Kaminari back to a standing position. “I got something for you.”

Shinsou’s hand was on the back of his neck, and he had a light flush on his cheeks.

“Oh?”

Shinsou reached into his pocket and pulled out a signed copy of the newest Present Mic album, “Living Louder.”

“Here,” Shinsou was basically looking anywhere but Kaminari. “My Dad’s a pretty big fan of Present Mic, so I asked him to get a second album for you if he managed to get there in time.”

Kaminari delicately took the CD from Shinsou, staring at it in awe.

“Really?” Kaminari glanced up from the CD to look at Shinsou. “You’re really okay with me having this?”

“Yeah, of course,” Shinsou dared to look back at Kaminari, who pretty much immediately pulled Shinsou back into a kiss.

“Get a room!” Bakugou yelled, which the rest of the squad adamantly agreed with for once.

“Y’all are so gross,” Sero commented. Kaminari laughed at that, but he and Shinsou did actually go get a room where they went to go be gross outside of the eyeshot of others.

5: Hero Convention

Uraraka’s birthday was coming up, so Asui was searching for a present for her. It was still a little ways away, but Asui wanted to give her a gift before the winter break since she probably wouldn’t be able to see Uraraka during her actual birthday.

This search for a gift landed her at a hero convention because Asui knew that Thirteen was Uraraka’s favorite hero, but she didn’t necessarily always have the money to get merchandise for them, so Asui figured some kind of Thirteen merchandise would be well received.

Asui was also a practical gift giver, so the Thirteen brand jackets seemed like a perfect choice, especially since Uraraka’s current jacket looked a little worse for wear.

She opted to walk around the convention after finding the gift and getting it wrapped.

While she did, she noticed Aizawa.

“Hello, Aizawa-sensei,” Asui greeted, being close enough to him that seeing and greeting him in public wasn’t all that strange.

“Ah, hello, Asui,” Aizawa responded, looking up from the Present Mic figures he was observing. “What brings you here?”

“Ochaco’s birthday is coming up,” Asui explained. “I’m getting her a Thirteen jacket, Kero.”

Aizawa nodded.

“Practical.”

It was a little difficult to not preen at the praise, or, at the very least, something very close to praise for Aizawa.

“What about you, Sensei?” Asui questioned. “What are you here for?”

“I’m only telling you because I don’t think it’ll undermine my authority too much if I tell you,” Aizawa stated, voice suddenly serious. “And I don’t think anyone will believe you if I do tell you.”

“So what are you here for?” Asui was listening very carefully to the next words Aizawa said, especially as he lowered his voice to a whisper.

“A new Present Mic figurine was released, and I heard that you could get it at this convention,” Aizawa confessed.

“Why do you want it?” Asui asked. Aizawa’s cheeks went a little pink as he answered.

“I’m his number one fan. What else, kid?”

“I won’t tell a soul,” Asui said, and Aizawa gave her one of his terrible and slightly terrifying grins.

“I know you won’t.”

And with that, they went their separate ways, and Asui kept her word.

[pinkevilbobdoesthings]

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Here’s ‘Of Comfort and Joy’.

__________

Tears welled up in Jester's eyes, but she willed them to stay there. All that crying would do was ruin her makeup. But, it was hard not to cry in the snowed-in airport on Christmas Eve. Jester was supposed to be on the airplane 5 hours ago, but the snow storm continued on and the snow grew higher and higher. 

Jester knew she was tempting fate by waiting so long to fly home, but she had a super important art show that she was part of and she couldn't leave until after the opening of it on Christmas Eve. So now she sat in the airport hugging her backpack trying her best not to cry.

A small sound interrupted her thoughts. Jester looked up to see two rows of seats away from her sat a cat. A handsome little cat wearing a little coat. She gasped. It was the cutest thing she'd seen all week. Without thinking, she put on her backpack and went straight to the cat. 

The cat sat like a little statue on the lap of a man reading. Coppery auburn hair hung over the man's face as he read obscuring his features. Closer up, Jester could tell that the cat was a bengal and even cuter than Jester could imagine in a little purple coat. "Can I pet them?" Jester asked.

"I'm sorry but," the man looked up and paused. "Ja, you can pet him."

Jester grinned as she scratched the cat behind his ears. "What’s his name?”

“Frumpkin,” the man said softly.

“Hi Frumpkin! I’m Jester.” She looked up grinning at Frumpkin’s owner. “And what’s your name?”

He stared at her with bright blue eyes and blushed a little. “Caleb. I’m Caleb Widogast.”

“It’s nice to meet you Caleb Widogast. Are you waiting for your flight too?” Jester asked.

Caleb nodded. “Ja.”

Jester looks out the window at all the snow whirling in the dark. “We probably shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. It’s just a little snow.” But, she knew that was a lie even as she said it.

“Ja,” Caleb agreed quietly. “It shouldn’t be too long.”

“I bet you and Furmpkin are excited to be going home,” Jester said.

Caleb shook his head. “Nein. We’re going to a … important meeting.”

Jester gasped. “And you have to travel on Christmas Eve for it?”

“I celebrated Christmas early this year,” Caleb said. “This was the only day I could leave for it.”

“That sucks. At least you still got to do Christmas. If this snow doesn’t stop, I’m going to miss it completely.” Jester had to fight the urge to pout at the snow. Frumpkin headbutted her hand purring hard. She giggled and scratched his chin.

Caleb watched carefully. “Well, I don’t think that’s likely. It can only snow for so long. I’m sure-”

The sound of the intercom interrupted him. “Attention passengers of Flight 7769, we regret to inform you that your flight has been cancelled until further notice.”

Caleb swore softly while Jester stared up at the intercom the tears she had been fighting streaming down her face. “Is that your flight too?”

“Y-yeah,” Jester said her voice cracking. “They can’t just cancel it. I have to go home and see my mom for Christmas. I can’t stay here.”

With a frown on his face, Caleb stared at her, nodded, and then stood. “Ja, let’s go to the information booth. Maybe there’s a different flight you can take. I’ll need you to hold Frumpkin.”

Sniffling, Jester nodded rubbing away her tears. “But my backpack.”

“I can carry it.” Caleb picked it up with a little bit of trouble and set it on top of his wheeled suitcase. “Let’s go.” He led the way with Jester having to walk quickly to keep up with him. There was a sharp determination to him that Jester couldn’t help but admire. Once they got in line, Caleb sagged a little, but he kept his eyes forward.

“Thanks, Caleb,” Jester said softly still sniffling.

Caleb looked over at her. “It’s no bother. Do you have a connecting flight?”

Jester shook her head. “No, I’m going straight home.”

“Just me then,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry. The airport deals with this sort of thing all the time and they’ll take care of everything before you know it.”

“I know,” Jester mumbled, but the urge to cry again squeezed her chest. She adjusted her grip on Frumpkin.

Caleb gave her a sad, soft smile. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“You are?” Jester asked.

“Ja, otherwise Frumpkin would be worried sick right now,” Claeb said. “You’re good at keeping him distracted.”

The small cat meowed in her arms. She grinned down at Frumpkin. “I’m glad you’re both here too.”

The line moved forward and they got a couple of steps closer to the front. “Do you have your ticket out?” Caleb asked.

“Oh, right.” Jester shifted Frumpkin to one arm and dug her ticket out of her purse. “Here!”

Caleb looked over at it. “Oh, your seat is next to mine.”

Jester smiled weakly at him. “Maybe we’ll be next to each other on our next flight.”

“Maybe. They’re probably arranging that flight already.”

“Yeah,” Jester said. It was getting hard to keep her hopes up though. She was getting close to being discouraged.

Next it was their turn. “Can I see your passes?” the red head behind the desk asked.

“Oh ja,” Caleb said handing her both his and Jester’s.

“Thank you,” the clerk said with a smile, but it quickly faded. “Oh this flight has been canceled.”

Jester’s heart fell. “When’s the next flight?”

“It won’t be until some of the snow melts, so tomorrow morning at the very earliest,” the clerk said.

Tears split down Jester’s face. “But, but I told my mom I’d be there tonight.”

Caleb took a step forward. “And I have a connecting flight.”

“Once you arrive at your destination, a new flight will be arranged for you.”

“So, we have to spend christmas eve waiting in the airport?” Jester was sobbing now. This was supposed to be a short layover, that was all.

Caleb scratched Frumpkin’s chin quickly. “Hold him steady.” He turned back to the clerk. “I know that this must be hard for you to handle on the holidays, but is there anything you can do for us?”

“I can give you a voucher for the closest hotel. They should still have openings,” the clerk said. She printed out a slip of paper and handed to Caleb. “It’s in walking distance, but with this weather, I think you might be better off taking the shuttle we’ve arranged for passengers.”

“Danke,” Caleb said gratefully. “And is there anyway we can get our luggage?”

The clerk frowned. “I’m sorry, in this case that’s not an option. Maybe in the morning?”

Caleb’s face turned dark for a moment, but then he nodded. “Ja, okay. We’ll try again in the morning.

Jester nodded and followed him as he left the information desk. Sloppy tears were still slipping down her face, but she focused on keeping Frumpkin safe. “Thank you. Sorry I’m acting so dumb.”

“Being alone on the holidays is a hard thing,” Caleb said.

“But you’re alone too,” Jester said hurrying to keep up with his long legs.

Caleb shook his head. “I’m not alone, I got Frumpkin. Besides, I have a lot of practice being alone.”

Jester looked up at him. “How come?”

“I … have had to work a lot on the holidays. Couldn’t go home to visit for the holidays,” Caleb said. 

“That sucks,” Jester said. “But at least you have Frumpkin now.”

Caleb nodded and stopped. Jester almost walked into him. “Jester, can you keep an eye on Frumpkin and my things for me? I need to use the water closet.”

“Water closet?” Then Jester realized what he meant and giggled. “Oh, you mean need to pee.”

His face reddened. “Ja, I do. Could you watch them for me?”

Jester nodded pleased that he trusted her that much already. “Sure!”

“Danke,” he said softly before hurrying off.

Jester sat down on a bench petting Frumpkin. “Thanks for keeping me company,” she whispered to her cat. “Mom’s going to be heart broken when she finds out I won’t be coming home tonight.” She was almost tempted to not text her mom the bad news, but Jester didn’t want her mom to stay up waiting for her. As quickly as possible, Jester typed up the message and sent it.

After what felt like forever, Caleb returned. “Sorry that took so long.”

“Were you all constipated, Caleb? You should think about eating more fiber,” Jester said.

Caleb’s face turned bright red. “It’s not like, I mean, oh, let’s go. I heard the shuttle will be leaving soon.”

The shuttle was easy to find outside the airport. Jester and Calleb were among the last passengers to climb aboard, but the bus was only half way full. Caleb sat down next to Jester. “Can I have Frumpkin back?” Caleb asked.

“Oh right,” Jester said passing Caleb Frumpkin. “Thanks for letting me hold him.”

“Danke, I need him for vehicles. And it wasn’t a problem. He likes being held by pretty ladies,” Caleb said.

Now it was Jester’s turn to blush. “Thanks. Frumpkin has very good taste.”

Caleb chuckled. “Ja, he does. Can you let me know when we get to the hotel?”

“Sure,” Jester said. “You going to try to catch a nap?”

“Kinda.” He screwed his eyes tightly as the bus began to move and breathed heavily through his nose.

Jester frowned watching him. “Caleb? Are you okay?”

“Ja,” he said incredibly stilted. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound okay,” Jester said. “Are you afraid of cars?”

Caleb clenched his teeth. “Most moving vehicles actually. Which includes cars.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jester said. “The lady at the desk said that the hotel was in walking distance. We could get off and walk there.”

“In your boots? You’d twist an ankle,” Caleb said. He patted Frumpkin. “I’ll manage. This is why I have Frumpkin.”

Jester stared at the cat who purred loudly. “He lets you ride in vehicles?”

Caleb nodded. He was nearly doubled over in his seat. “He’s my emotional support animal. He’s comforting.”

Jester gasped. “And I took him away from you at the airport! I’m so sorry.”

“Nein, it’s alright, you needed him more than I did. I mainly need him for cars and other moving vehicles,” Caleb said.

“Like airplanes?”

Caleb smiled bitterly. “Exactly.”

Jester looked out the shuttle windows. It had to move slowly because of the snow. “It probably won’t be much longer. Should I be quiet or do you need me to keep talking?”

“Talking is a welcomed distraction,” Caleb said. “Tell me about,” he paused. “What do you want to tell me about?”

Jester gave it some thought. “So, my mom is super pretty and famous and basically the best, so it’s always SUPER hard to find her a christmas present. That’s why I always make her something. I used to always paint her something every year, but that’s like too obvious even though I am super good at painting and she loves every single one of them.”

“Then what did you make her?” Caleb asked breathing heavily.

“Okay, you’re going to have to see this.” Jester pulled out her backpack and opened it up. “Oh wait, maybe I should wait to show this to you.”

Caleb shook his head. “No, I want to see it.”

Jester grinned and pulled out a plush little woman. It was supposed to look like her mom, but it was a little lumpy and asymmetrical. Her mom was going to love it though since it was the first stuffed animal Jester ever made. Her first foray into a new medium, her mom would say. “It’s my mom! She’s prettier than this though. You should see her. My mom is the prettiest person ever.”

“You must love her dearly,” Caleb said. He briefly looked up at the doll and then went back to keeping his eyes closed.

“Yeah, I do. She raised me all on her own and works super hard, so I know that it was hard sometimes, but she always had time for me and loved me a ton,” Jester said. “So I had to make her something special.”

Caleb pulled a small face. “It certainly is special. I think she’ll love it.”

Jester grinned again putting the plush back in her bag. “Oh, we’re pulling to a stop, no wait it’s just a stop sign.”

“Danke for the warning,” Caleb said. “What was the best gift you ever gave your mother?”

Jester tapped her chin. “Hmm, probably when I made her a necklace out of macaroni and clay.”

Caleb smiled slightly. “Was this when you were a little girl?”

“Nah, it was two years ago. I think I still have pictures of it on my phone.” Jester grabbed her phone out of her pocket and flicked through her pictures. “She still wears it.” She shoved the phone under his face. “See?”

“She is beautiful,” Caleb whispered briefly looking at her phone. “You’ve clearly inherited her good looks.”

Jester could feel her face turning red. “Thanks.” The shuttle finally slowed to a stop in front of the hotel. “Oh, Caleb, we’re here!”

Caleb looked up and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”

“Was I really such terrible company?” Jester teased.

“What? No. I’m just glad to stop moving.” He scratched Frumpkin under his chin. “I think Frumpkin is too.”

Jester smiled a little and stood up. “Well, everyone’s getting off.”

“Okay, I just need a moment.” Caleb closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths. The rest of the shuttle emptied as Caleb gathered himself. Frumpkin rumbled a low loud purr. “Danke, Frumpkin,” Caleb said softly. He opened his eyes and stared at Jester. “You waited for me?”

“Yeah, I mean why wouldn’t I? Oh, unless you wanted to be alone. Sorry.”

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, it’s fine. I just thought that you’d go ahead without me.”

Jester frowned. “I thought we were getting through this together.”

“Right together.” He stood up. “Let’s go then.”

It was a long line in the lobby of the hotel, they were at the very end of it, and it was getting late. “Do you want to hold Frumpkin?” Caleb asked.

Jester shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine.” She yawned loudly. “Sorry, just tired.”

“Ja, me too.” Frumpkin was already asleep in his arms.

They stood together in line in a tired stupor with Jester continually nodding off and then jerking up. Finally it was their turn. Caleb handed the clerk the voucher. “Alright, last one we got is a two bedder. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

“What? No, we’re not together,” Caleb said hurriedly. “We’ve only met an hour ago. We need two seperate rooms.”

The clerk blanched. “Oh, this is the only room we got left. Do you think you can share?”

Caleb glanced at Jester. “I don’t mind sharing,” she said with a shrug.

“Oh, we’ll take it then since we don’t have a choice.”

“Thanks,” the clerk said looking greatly relieved. They handed Caleb the key.  “You’re on the second room. Non-smoking. Last room of the right.”

Caleb took the key. “Danke.”

Jester grabbed her backpack and Caleb’s suitcase carrying them up the stairs. Caleb read out loud softly the number of each room until they reached theirs. He opened the door. It was nowhere near as fancy as the Lavish Chateau, where Jester’s mother lived, but there were two beds and Jester was grateful to flop down on the closest one.

“The airline will be calling us in the morning when the flight’s rescheduled,” Caleb said. “Do you have a prefered wake up time?”

Jester shook her head. “You’re not supposed to set an alarm on Christmas, Caleb.”

“Ja?” he asked as he took off his shoes.

“Yeah. You’re supposed to sleep in super late, open one present, and then eat pancakes,” Jester said.

Caleb smiled as Frumpkin explored the room sniffing the chairs and curtains. “Ah. That’s good to know.” He pulled out a pair of stiff, striped pajamas.

Jester kicked off her shoes. She didn’t have any clothes in her backpack, so she was going to have to just sleep in the clothes she had on. “Do you have any Christmas traditions?”

“Not really.” He stood up and then paused. “Well, actually, when I was little, my parents would hide my present and I would have to find by doing little things around the house. To please the christmas cats.”

“Christmas cats?” Jester asked.

Caleb nodded. “I loved cats, so I thought that they helped Santa with delivering the presents.”

Jester giggled. “That’s adorable.”

His cheeks burned red. “Danke. I was a bit of an odd child, I must confess, but my parents never complained.”

“Are you going to see them today? I mean after your important meeting?” Jester asked.

Caleb shook his head. “That’s not really an option for me. I’ll just have to send them my best wishes.”

“I’ll need to call my mom when I wake up,” Jester said. “Oh, when I do, do you want to say hi to her?”

“Sure?” Caleb sounded a bit confused.

Jester drooped a little. “It’s just that you helped me a lot and I thought she’d like to thank you.”

Caleb stood up a bit straighter. “I’d love to talk to her then, but you don’t need to thank me, not really. You helped me too.”

“Then I guess we’ll thank each other then.”

“Ja. I’m going to change in the water closet,” Caleb said. “Can you keep an eye on Frumpkin?”

Jester nodded. “Aye aye!”

Caleb smiled and then left to change.

Jester curled up under her covers. She was tired, but she wasn’t excited to be sleeping in a strange room when she should be back home with her mom. It was nice to have someone with her even if she’d just met Caleb a couple of hours earlier. “Frumpkin? Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

The cat merowed loudly and hopped onto Caleb’s bed.

“Oh, you’re no fun Frumpkin,” Jester groused. “I’ll just have to sleep over here all by myself.” She sulked in her bed, but her thoughts were interrupted by a voice from the bathroom. It was Caleb, but he was speaking in a language that Jester didn’t quite recognize. He spoke quickly and sounded more than a little bit frustrated. Finally he said something that sounded final and opened the door. “What was that?” Jester asked.

“You could hear me?” Caleb asked awkwardly. He looked cute in his pajamas in a nerdy sort of way. His hair was no longer in a half ponytail and hung down to his shoulders.

Jester nodded. “I couldn’t understand any of it though. What language was that?”

Caleb pulled back the blankets on his bed. “Zemnian. I may be late for the first of my meetings, and that’s not something I would look forward too.”

“What meeting is so important that you’d fly on Christmas Eve and Christmas for it? Especially since you don’t do well on vehicles?” Jester asked.

“Planes aren’t as bad as cars,” Caleb said. “And it’s complicated. But if this goes well, I think I’ll be able to do something good.”

Jester grinned. “That’s really cool Caleb.”

He looked away. “We should go to bed. We’ll need our sleep.”

“Right,” Jester said snuggling into her bed as Caleb turned off the lights. “Goodnight Caleb.”

A pause. “Goodnight Jester.”

***

There was a strange sound that woke up Jester and it took her a moment to remember that she was in a hotel room. In the next bed over was the sound of struggling and panicked Zemnian. Jester turned on the flashlight on her cellphone and crept over to Caleb’s bed.

“Caleb?” she called softly. He was tossing and turning in his bed mumbling. “Caleb, I think you’re having a nightmare. “ Jester put her hand softly on his shoulder.

Caleb flailed, swatting her away. “Nein!” he shouted before cowering protecting his head.

Jester took a step back startled. “Caleb, it’s just me, Jester. I won’t hurt you.”

The only answer she got was panicked Zemnian.

“Caleb,” she said gently. “It’s just Jester. Can I get closer to you?”

His eyes were wide open and filled with a fear Jester had never seen so strongly before. Slowly he nodded.

“Thank you, Caleb.” Jester sat on the edge of his bed and gave him a quiet smile. “Was it a nightmare?”

“Ja,” Caleb said thickly. He was shaking and struggling to breathe steadily. Frumpkin delicately stepped onto his lap and settled down purring.

Jester nodded. “Must’ve been a bad one. When I have nightmares, I talk to my mom about them and then I fear better. Do you want to talk to me about yours?”

Caleb sat there in silence for an incredibly long moment. “My meeting’s actually a court date. I’m a witness for my old teacher’s trial. Well, he was more a mentor to me.”

“And you want to make sure he walks free,” Jester said.

“Nein!” he shouted forcefully, but there was still a shake to his voice. Caleb huddled up around Frumpkin. “He’s done terrible things and I need to help make sure that he’s somewhere where he can’t hurt people.” He sniffled and sunk down low. “My parents are dead because of him and I was the weapon.” A strangled sob made its way out of his chest.

Without thinking, Jester wrapped Caleb in a hug. “Oh, Caleb.”

“There was something wrong with my car, but I didn’t think anything of it. I was driving my parents home and the brakes wouldn’t work. The brakes were cut and I killed my parents.” Caleb shuddered in Jester’s grasp.

“No, you didn’t. It doesn’t work like that Caleb,” Jester said rubbing his back. “You had no way of knowing. You couldn’t have.”

Caleb cried wordlessly. “I should’ve checked. I always checked. Why didn’t I check?”

Jester adjusted so she was more securely on his bed and he could lean on her. “I don’t know. But I think we’ve all made mistakes that make us feel stupid. I have.”

“What did you do?” Caleb asked.

Jester’s face went red. “It’s going to sound stupid.”

He looked at her his eyes rimmed with red. “I’ve been crying on a complete stranger like a child. It’s hard to feel stupider than this.”

“I’m not a complete stranger,” Jester huffed. “Fine, okay, I’ll tell you, but you’re not allowed to laugh.”

“Why would I?”

She nodded and gathered her nerve. “Right, so, I was kinda homeschooled when I was little and didn’t leave home much. And then I left home all at once and I met this super handsome guy who was nice and stuff to me.” Jester paused to let Caleb groan or tease her about where her story was going. “He was super cool and I thought ‘wow, this must be my first true love’, but he didn’t see me that way. So I kept flirting with him and try to get with him, but he wasn’t interested. But I thought that meant I need to do something really big to catch his eye.” For this part Jester had to look away from Caleb. “So, I filled his car with balloons and covered it with oreos. Then I took toothpaste and wrote on his car ‘Will you go out with me?’. Should’ve been a surefire way to get a boyfriend.”

“I’d say yes to that,” Caleb said softly.

Jester smiled, shaking her head. He was just saying that to be nice. “Anyways, I was with Fjord when he saw his car and he just turned to me and said ‘I thought you knew I only wanted to be friends’. It took him like two weeks to clean everything off his car. All I did was embarrass him. I was so stupid to think he liked me.”

“Why? You’re a very likable person and I think anyone with sense would realize how lucky they are to be liked by someone like you,” Caleb said.

“You’re just saying that,” Jester said.

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, you are clearly a wonderful woman. You’re creative with a good sense of humor and you’re very kind.” Frumpkin mewed from his lap. “Oh and you like cats and they like you, so obviously anyone who rejects your interest is a fool.”

Jester laughed. “Thanks, Caleb.”

“I should be the one thanking you Jester,” Caleb said. “You’re more patient than I deserve.” He was still reclined in her arms. 

“I should probably let you go back to sleep,” Jester said loosening her grip.

He grabbed her sleeve. “Don’t. I mean,” his voice became unbelievably small, “stay?”

Jester grinned. “Sure.”

***

“CALEB YOUR PHONE IS RINGING!!!” A shrill voice screamed. Jester startled upwards and nearly fell over. Caleb was still clinging to her side and mumbled what Jester assumed was Zemnian swear words as he fumbled about the bedside table grabbing his phone.

“Halo?” he said not even opening his eyes. Caleb nodded his head and looked incredibly relieved. “Thank you. We’ll pick them up as soon as we get to the airport.” He hung up the phone. “Our flight will be in 4 hours and 24 minutes. They’ll have the tickets waiting for us.”

Jester bounced on the bed. “Finally! I mean I enjoyed spending time with you Caleb, but I’m glad to be going home.”

Caleb sleepily nodded his head and finally opened his eyes. His face turned bright red as he seemed to realize the position they were in and quickly moved away from Jester. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine,” Jester said, “you just needed extra comfort last night. I’m glad that I was here for you.”

“Danke,” Caleb mumbled face still red. He ducked his head down and then snapped it up. “Oh, I just remembered.” Caleb scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over his own two feet, and reached into the pocket of his coat which was hanging on the chair. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

Jester obeyed him with a bit of confusion. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said. Something small and soft was placed in her hand. “You can open them now.”

She opened her eyes and gasped. In her hand sat a small plush cat. Its fur was blue and sparkly. Jester looked up at Caleb not sure what to say.

“Merry Christmas. You sounded so sad yesterday when you said you were going to miss Christmas, I wanted to give you a little something to make it still feel like the holiday,” Caleb said awkwardly staring at the ground. 

Jester kept staring at the cat. “Caleb,” she whispered softly.

Caleb scratched his arms. “I probably shouldn’t have. I’m sorry if I made things awkward.”

“No! I love it!” Jester said.

“You do? It’s nothing special. Just what I could find for a few bucks while you thought I was in the bathroom,” Caleb said. “But I wanted to give you something.”

Jester grinned. “It’s perfect! He’s a Christmas Cat like when you were little. I love him. But I didn’t get you anything.”

Caleb shook his head. “You don’t have to. Just meeting you was enough for me.”

“You smooth talker. You must say that to all the ladies,” Jester teased.

“Nein, I mean it. I’m glad that I got to meet you, even if it’s just for today,” Caleb said.

Jester smiled at him. “Yeah, me too. But at least we’ll be on the plane together.”

“Ja, and then it’s goodbye,” Caleb said.

Jester pouted. “Yeah. But I can give you myself phone number. This is basically why texting exists and we can talk all the time.”

Caleb smiled softly. “Ja, I’d like that.”

“And who knows maybe we’ll be on the same plane when we go home,” Jester said.

Caleb frowned. “I don’t know when I’m going back. The trial may last a long while.”

The sentence stabbed like a pang in her chest. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye and never see Caleb again even if she still had a few more hours with him and Frumpkin. “Oh. That sucks.”

“Ja, it does,” Caleb said. “But I’ll text you.”

“And I’ll text you all the time and take plenty of pictures of Nicodranas and Zadash.” Jester grinned at him, but her heart wasn’t in it.

Caleb stared at her. “Zadash?”

“Yeah! That’s my new home. I know I said I’m going home since you know my mom’s is my home home, but I now live in Zadash,” Jester said.

“I live in Zadash too.”

Jester gasped. “For real?”

Caleb nodded with a hint of smile. “Ja, I do.”

“Ohmigosh! I’ll take you out for celebratory donuts after your trial is done!” Jester bounced up and down on her feet. “I know ALL the best donut places in Zadash. Well, and Nicodranas, but you won’t be in Nicodranas long, so you’ll just have to settle for Zadash donuts for now.”

Caleb laughed. “I look forward to it.”

“But we have to go to the airport first so we can get on our plane together,” Jester said. “Then I’ll go home and you’ll go get justice and then we can go to our Zadash homes and get donuts!”

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, we can’t go to the airport yet.”

Jester stared at him nervously. “Why not?”

“Cause, we haven’t had pancakes yet and you said it’s not Christmas without pancakes.” He smiled at her with a hint of mischief.

Jester gasped. “You’re right! We have to go get them right now!” She grabbed his hand.

“In my pajamas?”

“I mean I’m technically in my pajamas too,” Jester said. “It’s more fun this way.”

Caleb stared for a moment and nodded. “Ja, I could do with a little fun. It is Christmas after all.”

[spacegaywritings]

Warming Paws and melting Walls (4/8) “Little Talks”

General

Summary: Lunch break rolls around. Remy and Emile make a deal.

Tags: food, eating, employer/employee, pining, remy, emile, kitty Virgil, quick mention of bereavement, sick days, systematic issues, ew world, fish, feeding the beast, mutual crushes, genderqueer characters, migraines, headaches, pain mention, exhaustion.

My KoFi  - Support me ♥ or Commission me

ao3: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 // all.

tumblr:  1 / 2 / 3 / 4 (you are here!) / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8.

 Story under the cut - Word count: almost 3k

Remy sighed and pushed his keyboard away, effectively managing to continue to press until the keyboard was unable to go any further since it hit the screen’s humble frame. Eventually, he just worked to drive himself away from the big desk he was working at. The swivel chair let him roll all over the floor, the tiled ground smooth and willing to let him pass without obstacle. Virgil commented his shenanigans with a little movement of their ear. It was just a quick flinch. Remy was not sure but he suspected it meant he was listening or registering noise at least.

 It was cute.

But.

This bastard cat was sleeping.

 The man sighed again.

 “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, Queen, I swear-”

 Well, no matter how threatening the fancy man tried to be, it did not reach the napping cat. The little void was all comfortable in his lap. There was not a single motion at his dramatic actions, not even a simple reaction. There was nothing but a bundle of black, so black that they camouflaged themself into the blackness of Remy’s pants. All that distinguished one from another was the slow movement of rising and falling.

 Virgil was breathing alright. That was good.

Could cats have breathing problems? The vet said the cat was okay. Still, he made a mental note to look out for any signs.  

Knowing they were okay for now - with a pass by the vet - Remy felt like he could breathe much better himself. He had not noticed it but he released a soft sigh of relief. His eyes lowered to just watch the little blob of colourless something rest on his thighs.

 “I have lunch time, V, would you kindly get up and be awake and do cat things? You were awake all morning with me!”

 Despite his complaints, Remy’s words were barely audible. The receptionist was more or less hissing to himself and it sounded like a small snake cursing the world somewhere from the little hidden corner on the other side of the room.

Far, far away.

His threats were as empty as his condescension. Nothing but attitude.

 The kitten remained still and as much dopamine as there was being released within Remy, he could not help but wish to move...then again, the kitty cat was absolutely warm and the little weight on him was somewhat comforting in a refreshing manner.

 He had already finished most of his work despite having been late this morning and even needing to deal with a certain storm of emails and phone calls. Not to forget the actual real life human people that encountered him face to face.

Ugh - the worst kind of people.

 Oh fuck, he wanted more coffee. He wanted all the coffee he could ask for and then just nap for a few minutes and then get work done and go home and read some dumb romance novel.

Don’t judge.

He needed to get his prince charming from somewhere. It was not like Remy was dating anyone particularly... existing in the first place. And he just really craved some fucking love shit every now and then. You know, the soft trash with people holding hands and giving each other pet names and one bringing flowers for the others and that one thinking of a certain habit the one has so they are considering it in their regular activities.

 Remy’s facial expression faded from soft into something akin to receiving news of a bad weather day when you planned on doing any outdoor-activities with friends.

 It just ... it was missing.

 “Ah! You are done?”

 Remy flinched, his little dream world immediately breaking down as the voice cut through the silence of his new office. His fantasy bubble blobbed violently on impact of Emile’s intrusive words hitting him. He looked up. A person was standing there, apologising and knocking. Knocking after already standing in the doorway and having addressed him.

 It was not a knight in shining armour to save a bored damsel in distress nor was it prince charming, ready to sweep the sleepy man off his feet. 

It was just his boss, Emile.

 ...But it was his boss, Emile.

 Remy smiled and let himself fall back into his chair. He had not noticed how he had sat up with the sudden noise interrupting his thoughts. And his arms were slung around a sleepy yet awake little Virgil. As always, his grip was rather loose around the kitten. In a case of need, he would be tehre to hold and hug them, though.

 “Aw, I am sorry. I should have knocked before. Did I wake them up?”

 Remy blinked and nodded. Virgil was not awake but he nodded anyway, just doing it for literally no reason. Emile saw the sleeping kitten but did not comment.They squinted for a moment, worry shading their features.

 Was that just him or did it smell of food already?

Oh fuck, he had forgotten about the food. Bitch, this cat would literally make him forget and miss about everything and all. First his post-work nap, then his rave, his whole weekend, now his work and lunch break were affected, too.

 “You got food? Come in, come in.”

 This little void was easily eating away his whole life without any hesitation. He readily let him.. In his defence, they looked so cute when yawning. The charcoal demon was stretched out on Remy’s lap and pushed their tail against his chest, turning to Emile and meowing at the boss.

 Did they seriously greet them? Literally, Remy could not- this cat!

 Or maybe they meowed at the smell, it did kind of smell nice after all and the kitten had slept through his entire time here after he had gotten to work. Not even Virgil liked mornings or staying up. At least they could get back to napping, Remy jealously noticed.

 “Virgil just woke up, what a coincidence”, Remy spoke, words jokingly snippy as he carefully picked up the kitten and stroked through their fur.

“Good morning little sleepy head.”

 The kitten replied with a big orchestra of purrs and an eager bonk as they crashed their head against Remy’s. Little ferocious kitten attacking him.

 “Emile, I promise they want to kill me!”

 They laughed and held up a bag of food, slowly swinging it from one side to another.

 “Maybe we can bribe them with some lunch? It’s on me, meet you in the lunch room.”

 Remy carefully squeezed the kitten as his higher-up turned around to show their graceful behind, clothed in layers of pastels and beige. They looked the softest in the most boring yet also least boring way. It was weirdly hot, in a kinda cute and endearing way. Also, pastel colours just looked soft and somehow, they made it look professional but in a trustworthy and warm kind of way.

 It made Remy feel fuzzy and he hated loving it so much. Damn them for being so wickedly attractive.

 He swallowed his secret pining away and decided to get his kitten ready to follow Emile and get some food. Once he had his phone pocketed and his grip on Virgil secured, he was ready to walk after them. When they were close enough, he snuck over to the other side to handle whatever the heck Em wanted to talk about.

 Knowing them, it was probably something nice and soft or extra work that would get paid for super well because Emile was about the most considerate employer he had ever met. Also, because Remy was working as an untrained accountant while receiving full pay for handling literally all this business. Emile only made the official calls. Remy did not mind it because he knew, they somewhat advocated for this stance that employees were actual human beings. This meant they had needs and therefore were to be valued and appreciated and given space and freedom, so they could be creative and work effectively with as little restrictions as possible.

 Hence, Remy was allowed to hang up whatever kind of pictures and decorate his office in any kind of way. Well, nudity and such was not allowed, considering sometimes minors would enter the clinic as well, but other than that, Remy had challenged the therapist a lot.

They never let him down.

 Also, they handled his amount of sick days without issues and allowed him to hand in more sick days than he legally had to accept. They easily brushed it off as half-work day or employer-covered vacation. You know, like the stuff you got when sick days counted but in that case, you did not have any and still got pay and zero threats. Or like, bereavement leave and all.

 Emile and Remy got together and the former put out the meals and slid them into their respective places as Remy got some plates and cutlery. The lunch room was a small kitchen. It had the most essential things. Virgil was standing on Remy’s seat and lurked around. Their tail was showing despite the table stealing the view on them. Emile could see them and they saw the tail slowly swishing from one side to the other.

 Hovering, waiting. Patiently. Like a predator.

 Remy returned and put the plates down.

 “Kitty, what the fuck are you doing”

 Virgil meowed, eyes wide. Their tail stood upright with a little curl forming itself into its tip. This little void was living the life of luxury and decadence to just eat and be carried, then sleep and get woken up only to get some more food.

Remy was thriving on this attitude. What a luxury hoe. Such a Queen.

 “Remy, I think your cat will eat with us”

 His boss chuckled quietly and seated themself while Remy just sighed, rolling his eyes. By now, his head was hurting already. Not much but it was starting to hurt - moving hurt. It felt heavy and made him sleepy and exhausted.

Concentration was.. slightly off. Especially his sustained attention.

 He carefully picked up his void and put them into his lap.

 “Meow!”

 “Yes, Virgil, yes. You will eat with us, just calm down.”

 The kitten wiggled in his lap and put their paws on the edge of the table, looking at the hot sweating food containers.

 “Virgil, behave. Come on, honey”, Remy warned.

 Even his voice seemed heavy and tired. He missed his nap. In spite of this, he was being an attentive “temporary pet-keeper”. His hand moved to gently nudge the paws away from the table. Then, he picked them up to let the kitten dance dance dance a bit.

 “I am a good kitty and I will wait”, Remy mimicked softly and moved the paws from one side to the other as Virgil patiently stood on their hind paws and stared at the world in confusion.

 Emile giggled at the display while Virgil did not know what the heck was going on. Did their temporary owner go insane? They pulled out another chair on which they prepared a smaller bowl with a bit of fish in it. No seasoning or spice or anything. They had gotten it from a nearby store they had visited on the way to pick up the food order. After all, they had not been sure about whether or not Remy actually had brought some food for the kitten but apparently, this arrangement worked and Virgil’s interest was sparked.

 They watched the bowl move from Emile’s hands over to the seat and once the bowl was settled, the kitten launched themself over to the chair and ducked their tiny raven head into the big bowl. Their whole head disappeared in it and only these dark ears peeked out from within.

Silent chewing noise could be heard.

 “Remy! Remy! They eat the food I brought! Look at this kitten!”

 The receptionist couldn’t deny himself the joy of a small smile as he looked over at the small bundle of darkness hunched over the food bowl and purring in delight. In addition to this, Emile was giggling, beaming in delight and genuinely touched.

Remy looked up at them. For a moment, their eyes locked but they both looked away, averting their gazes to look at Virgil instead.

 It was rather silent for a moment, safe for the rhythmic vibrations coming from Virgil. Apparently they enjoyed their food.

 “Hey, hey - careful now!”, he warned with a grin on his face.

 He nudged his sunglasses off his head and let them slip down and onto his nose to cover his half-lidded eyes. They gleamed at Emile for a moment.

 “If you keep that up, maybe you will be their new favourite human.”

 Emile held their chest for a moment and settled opposite of Remy. Their cheeks seemed slightly reddened but they concealed it by tending to the food. They put some of the steamed vegetables onto their plate and added some fried rice. To top it all of, he had a bit of natural yoghurt from the fridge.

 They returned the playful shine in Remy’s eyes by smirking at him.

 “You say that as if this was a bad thing, Remy “

 Remy snorted.

 “You say this as if you were planning to take this poor little cat away from my horrid claws, Emile.”

 Remy had finally arranged his food on his plate, steam curling upwards from his curry and rice. Even the food containers were still sweating and smoking in heat. They looked as if these containers acted like some sort of sauna. He fed himself a first spoonful of fried rice - the tiny brown one that looked like some holy glazed rice and so small it barely qualified as anything at all - and leaned into his seat.

 Oh, this was just delightful.

Savoury flavour bloomed in his mouth, exploding in contrasts to the soft and squishy rice with the slightly harder vegetables. The different tastes stimulated his tongue just right.

If someone said foodgasms were a lie, they were missing out on this delight. It was the most subjective of all paradises.

  “The thing I wanted to talk to you about-”, Emile started, taking a bit of time to drink something in between.

 Talking all day made their throat as dry as a sand dessert.

 “You can keep my office and let your cat come to work with you but I need to ask a little favour of you. I am sure you will want to agree! “

 Remy shifted in his seat. He blinked for a moment but gave a small nod to indicate he was not just listening to probably on board for whatever Emile was planning to have him do. The therapist let their lips curl into a genuine smile.

 “We need to give our new offices a makeover! I bet you would feel more comfortable in a novel set of four walls, huh?”

 The receptionist’s cheeks darkened by a whole shade and his chest jumped for a minuscule moment. Just a little harder. He was sure it was visible and even the kitten raised their head to look at the two, staring into Emile before letting their gaze rest on their temporary owner.

However, they quickly lost interest and returned to chewing on their food.

 “Well, that sounds amazing but I.. Virgil isn’t mine.”

 Emile blinked and the kitten meowed, nudging back the bowl and retreating to Remy’s lap. He willingly picked up the void and brushed through their fur as always. The bowl was licked clean and absolutely blank. Apparently, the cat was more than just a bit into it.

 It was silent once more. Even the cat did not purr despite the soft head scritches they got. Remy pursed their lips, a shadow hitting their face.

Their whole beauty was obstructed.

 “See, their owners still might answer. I put up some signs and made a few posts on forums about missing pets. When I went to nearby shelters and called vets, I gave them a picture of Virgil and left my contact details around. They are not tattooed but they are too tame to be a wild cat.”

 Remy shrugged, voice deflated as he continued. The narrowed their eyes at him. The idea of an unaffected Remy seemed unrealistic. The man was cuddling the cat and wanted to call in sick - while knowing about how scarce his sick days were.

 “What if someone moved and accidentally left Virgil abandoned? Or they ran away during the chaos of moving?”

He sighed.

“You know, if nobody responds within a week, I think I will take you up on it. Until then I will just steal your office, honey.”

 His low voice swung up at the end of his sentence and he even let a small smile grow on his lips. Anyway, it was time to pay attention to his food. It was so much better than to look at Emile’s doubtful face.

 “You know what”, Emile countered, “I have the feeling Virgil will stay with you. Nobody responded in days and they are attached to you. It would be cruel to separate you know.”

 They helped themself to a bit more vegetables.

 “Just you wait, Remy.”

 The receptionist smirked back at them.

 “Whatever, honey~”

[unstablelover]

Meow, Tabby, Treats, Siamese, Paw, Calico, Purr, Whiskers, Claws, Bobtail, Collar, Persian, Toy Mouse, Russian Blue, Tail, Ragdoll, Pounce, Maine Coone, Kneading, Hissing, and Selkirk Rex. Glad to Hear from you and See you are Doing Well :). Tell your Darling Hello for me when you See Him in a Week. -⚠️

meow: who is your favorite artist at the moment?

i’m assuming this means visual artist! if that’s the case then it’s definitely an-island-of-bunnies !! i’ve been following their work for years now

tabby: do you have any weird/hidden/obscure talents?

well, i can touch my tongue to my nose? i can also typically read a person’s entire personality and internal struggles within a few minutes of talking to them if it isn’t small talk (don’t trust people who just talk about your day, get to the weird shit in the first hour like damn what fictional character do you project onto in order to cope with your childhood trauma)

treats: favorite snack? favorite drink? favorite snack-drink combo?

my favorite snack fries and chicken nuggets, i know it’s simple, but it doesn’t register as real food to me so i can eat it even when my ED acts up;; my favorite drink is orange-vanilla coke and my favorite combo is a sweet one, it’s oreos and starbucks vanilla frappes!!

siamese: any tattoos/piercings? (if so: which? if not: which would you get?)

i don’t have any yet but i want four in each ear (1 on the bottom of the ear, 3 on top), a septum piercing, a brow bar and a bridge piercing! tattoos i want are the pause/play/fast forward/rewind buttons across my wrist and a pc power off button on the back of my neck! i also want tattoos on my hips and ankles but i don’t know what yet

paw: what movie could you watch 1000 times and not get bored of?

promare!!! it’s so good, definitely one of my favorites of all time and i associate it with my dear sweet jojo 💕

calico: what’s your favorite app on your phone?

probably tiktok or antistress! tiktok is great because i love seeing so many talented people and antistress helps me calm down and stim and relax

purr: what was your best halloween costume?

rose lalonde from homestuck!!! (fun fact about my identity, i went to the area 51 raid cosplaying her)

whiskers: what is your current background/lockscreen?

bobtail: what is the best fruit? what is the worst fruit?

best fruit: cherries!! 10/10, nice and sweet, crunchy when ripe! very nice in the bottom of a sprite!

worst fruit: tomatoes, 1/10, only good on burgers, cannot put into a fruit salad

collar: do you have a nickname? (what is it?) do you give other people nicknames? (what are they?)

nicknames for me: d, angel, bunny, angel boy, derbear, freshwater and milk

nicknames for other people: honey, sweetie, sweetpea, honeybunny, angelface, peach, honey bee, sweetness, softie, babe, babes, babie and like a million more i use petnames for everyone it’s how i show love

toy mouse: what are your hobbies? what do you do for fun?

i cosplay, cook, camp, explore and interior decorating!! you wouldn’t believe that last one based on my room, but once i can finally move out i’ll show y’all!!

russian blue: what would you describe your aesthetic/style as?

ideally? soft pastel/cottagecore/harujuku

currently due to lack of funds: your grandpa’s closet

tail: order these from best to worst: energy drinks, slushies, smoothies, juice, tea, milkshakes, hot cocoa, coffee, water, soda

soda, hot cocoa, milkshakes, tea, juice, water, slushies, smoothies, energy drinks!

i have really bad anxiety so when i drink energy drinks i start shaking and crying because my system can’t handle it, also slushies and smoothies have a texture that i can only handle sometimes

pounce: what is your weirdest fear?

my nipples falling off

maine coone: do you have any strange/odd/obscure interests? (what are they?)

well cosplay is obviously one of them! i also like dumpster diving!

kneading: what comforts you or calms you down?

watching my favorite anime, long naps, comfort foods/treats, stimming, baths, words of affermation, comfort or support, isolating myself is something i do to cope but i don’t know if it’s good for me? i think i like it but i don’t really know

selkirk rex: what are 3 things you associate yourself with?

soft blankets, the color mint and being outside

the ones i didn’t answer i just posted!! and i’ll absolutely tell my darling moirail that you say hi!!!