#i need to feed him birdseed

[mwagneto]

"i was with Puccini before he died" *touches his lips* ???????? ok gayboy

[havanillas]

omggg the little peacock fellow trailing behind doctor!aventy is so cute!! 🥺🥺 is it like, a manifestation of his god-gifted luck? or even of gaiathra triclops herself? can it manifest itself physically? is aventurine aware of it not only as the abstract concept of divine luck, but as an *actual* magic bird who just follows him around? does he have to feed it birdseed-

so many questions!!!

i felt that this kakavasha won't have a need to dress as flamboyantly but i still wanted to keep the peacock theme so i added it as a separate entity

it's just a visual indication of gaiathra's gaze so no one can see it, but i'd like to imagine kakavasha can sometimes feel its presence, that he's being watched.

i think despite no longer living as a slave, he still doesn't see himself as a "free man" because he still feels like he's being forced to live a fate made by someone else because of his luck, hence his research to remove it.

perhaps ratio will offer to "buy" the little doctor's luck, if that's even possible.

Link to rest of the series

[megalony]

Little Bird

This is a new Evan Buckley imagine that is going to have a follow up or two if you all like it. I hope everyone will enjoy this one, feedback is always appreciated.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem@sj-thefanthefan@hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii  @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyjen @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @stefansalvatoresgf

Evan Buckley Masterlist

Part 2

Summary: Evan starts to find himself falling for his new neighbour and her little girl. And he will do anything he can to help them when they need him.

Enjoy.

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

"No- baby be careful, please?" A sigh rumbled past (Y/n)'s lips and she hung her head low while she followed after her daughter.

Why did she have to have so much energy? Why did she have to speed off when she knew (Y/n) couldn't keep up? She knew going fast wasn't good on (Y/n)'s heart and combined with her vertigo, (Y/n) had a mile per hour ratio that she couldn't go above.

(Y/n) sucked in a deep breath and lifted her head as she followed Birdie out the sliding door and onto the balcony.

Having a balcony was something Birdie was enraptured with. They moved in two weeks ago and the little girl was over the moon to have a balcony, since they couldn't have a back garden. The three year old had wanted to have a garden to put flowers in and to feed the birds, but now she had changed her mind and thought the balcony was much better.

It was spacious, they had a table and chairs out on the balcony, two hanging baskets, window-ledge baskets around the railing and two bird feeders. Every morning they would feed the birds and water the plants and then Birdie would beg to go to the park to feed the birds and run about to play with them.

"Mummy, water." Birdie held up her small aqua blue watering can and grinned when (Y/n) poured water from the kitchen jug into it for her.

To stop Birdie from leaning over the balcony, (Y/n) would water the hanging baskets and Birdie would water the window baskets. They were hung on the inside of the balcony rail rather than over the edge so Birdie didn't have to lean over and risk falling or having an accident.

She climbed up onto one of the garden chairs and knelt up, humming to herself as she watered the pansies that varied from pink to blushing purple.

(Y/n) pushed up on her tiptoes and watered the two hanging baskets on either side of the balcony. Her eyes kept moving over to watch Birdie on the chair in the left corner. She was starting to hum the song playing on the radio, but (Y/n) realised it wasn't their radio playing. Their new neighbour was playing his music rather loud, but it was one of Birdie's favourite songs.

"Pigeon! Look mummy," Reaching across the table, Birdie grabbed a handful of birdseed from the plastic tub (Y/n) had got ready.

"Don't climb on the table!"

(Y/n) hurried over and picked Birdie up before she wobbled or toppled the table over. The last thing she needed was her daughter crashing through the table or breaking her arm.

"Put the food in, and they'll come to you. See?" (Y/n) held Birdie high enough to put the seed in her hand into the rectangle feeder. She set her toddler back down on the floor and re-filled her watering can so she could finish their morning task.

A wave of dizziness washed over (Y/n) just as she finished filling both feeders and Birdie climbed onto the chair again to spy for the birds. She reached her hand out to steady herself on the door so she didn't fall. Vertigo only amplified (Y/n)'s heart problems. She suffered with fluctuating blood pressure that usually dropped too low. And her heart didn't pump blood around her body quickly enough because one of the valves in her heart was loose.

It meant (Y/n) suffered with a lot of headaches, dizzy spells which led to falls and bruises, and a lot of fainting spells.

Her hand bashed into the glass door and she leaned against it to keep herself upright while she tried to take deep breaths. She didn't see Birdie move until suddenly her daughter was in front of her, wrapping both arms around (Y/n)'s legs and looking up at her with those big green eyes.

"I help." She murmured quietly into (Y/n)'s legs and (Y/n) wasn't sure if she wanted to try and hold (Y/n) up so she didn't fall, or if she wanted to help feed the birds again.

Either way, Birdie leaned into (Y/n) who in turn had to lean further on the door.

A gasp broke past her lips when the door moved. (Y/n) fell backwards, landing on the floor with a thump as her shoulders bashed into the glass door and Birdie landed on her legs with a giggle.

(Y/n) took a deep breath and blinked furiously until it cleared the spots that danced in front of her eyes. She reached her hand down and rubbed up and down Birdie's back as she pushed to sit up. But when (Y/n) turned to the right and looked at the door, her shoulders slumped and she groaned.

"Oh no."

The door had shut. It had a safety lock; once it was shut the lock turned and it couldn't be opened without turning the key, which was on the inside.

They were locked out on their balcony.

"Mummy?"

"The door's locked… and my phone is inside." Reaching her hands out, (Y/n) shifted Birdie so she was sat on the floor, giving (Y/n) the room to slowly stand up and ward off the lightheaded feeling that swallowed her.

She had left her phone on the sofa next to her laptop. She should have put her shoe or a toy in the doorway to prevent them both from being locked out. But they had never had an apartment with a balcony before and (Y/n) didn't think they would get locked out here. She couldn't get inside, they were five stories high, and she didn't have her phone to call for help.

Would people down on the street hear if she called down? Would they listen, or would they think she was a silly rambler or a girl playing a prank?

Maybe she was going to have to try and break the glass door to get back inside. What could she hit it with?

The neighbour.

The new neighbour, he had his balcony door open. (Y/n) could hear his radio blasting out music, surely that meant he was home? Or was he in the habit of leaving his radio on and his balcony door open when he went out? No one would scale the side of the building to break into an apartment, it was foolish and they would be caught out. Surely he had to be home.

"I think we need to try and call out for the new neighbour."

(Y/n) leaned over the left side of the balcony and tried to see into the next door neighbour's balcony. There was a two foot gap between their balconies which wasn't a lot, but there was no way (Y/n) would risk climbing over, not without permission or the neighbour knowing. It would be her luck to scare him and then fall.

"Um… excuse me? Hello?" She pressed her hands down on the thick metal rail and tried to lean across.

A smile danced across her lips when she watched Birdie climb up onto the chair beside her and look over. The toddler shook her watering can over the edge until it sprayed a splattering stream of water across onto the other balcony to try and catch his attention.

(Y/n) had only met him once. He was the image of a tall, handsome stranger with a melting smile and a sweet, almost lovesick expression that made (Y/n)'s knees go weak.

She was sure his name was Evan, but she didn't want to call out to him just in case it wasn't him who was at home. (Y/n) had no idea if he lived on his own, if he was married or had a roommate. She didn't want to make more of a fool of herself than she was about to if someone heard her call for help.

"Excuse me?"

"Neighbour!" Birdie squealed and chucked a handful of birdseed across and watched it scatter across the other balcony floor and spray against the window. It made a clinking sound as it hit the glass window and repelled off out into the air.

Panic and confusion dwelled in the pit of Evan's stomach when he looked out towards the window.

He finished his twentieth sit-up and took a deep breath, feeling the sweat roll down the back of his neck. He tore the headphones from his ears and pushed up from the floor so he could go over to the balcony.

Evan always left the door open when he was doing a work-out. He had the radio on in the background and his headphones in so he could listen to a podcast and have music in the background. His mind needed to be dulled down with so many different noises to keep him calm and focused. And he forgot he'd left the radio on.

Sweat trickled down his forehead and made his black gym shirt stick to his back while his shorts flagged around his knees. He padded across to the balcony and looked around to see what had hit the window.

Birdseed.

Why the Hell did he have seeds on his balcony? The birds didn't tend to drop their food when they flew over. And someone couldn't have thrown it this high up. Did his upstairs neighbour drop some?

"Neighbour!" A high-pitch squeal caught Evan's attention and he headed out into the sunshine and glanced around.

When his eyes landed on a vibrant little girl, clutching a watering can to her chest, his lips curved up into a grin. And his eyes narrowed when he looked over at the other girl on the balcony. His new neighbour. (Y/n). The girl who apparently worked from home, although Evan wasn't sure what job she did to do that.

"Did uh… did you want me, for something?" He approached the edge of the balcony and leaned his elbows down as he stared across at the two of them.

"I'm sorry, but we've… we're locked out here, the door shut on us. Can you help us, please?"

The smile on Evan's face softened and he leaned to take a quick look over at the door. It was the same as his. He always kept a block of wood in front of the door when he was out here, he didn't want to risk getting stuck on the balcony, just like them.

"Is your front door open?" Evan ran his hand across his chin and jaw when (Y/n) shook her head. "I can get you both over the rail and into my flat, then we can find a way to get you back inside. How's that?"

"Thank you."

(Y/n) wasn't sure she had ever felt so relieved or happy to have a stranger's help.

"Okay." Evan clapped his hands together and pushed up, leaning his hips against the railing so he could plant his hands down on their balcony instead of his own. He locked his eyes on the little girl who couldn't have been more than four years old.

She had wide green eyes that looked like the sea that they could scarcely see in the background view from their windows. He watched her set down her watering can and push up, leaning as close as she could until their noses were almost touching.

"What's your name, beautiful?"

"Birdie." Her tongue poked between her teeth and she perched her chin on her hands, clearly flustered at the attention.

"That's a lovely name. Everybody calls me Buck." His eyes danced across to (Y/n) before he looked back at Birdie. "Can I pick you up?"

(Y/n) pressed her hand against Birdie's back and nodded so she knew it was okay. She wasn't the best around strangers because she would talk to anyone. Birdie thought everyone was safe and talking to strangers was normal, she was too trusting. But Evan seemed safe.

He smiled brightly as he carefully held Birdie's small waist and lifted her up off the chair she was standing on. Her hands clenched down around his forearms and she held tight as he pulled back and hoisted her quickly over the balcony so he didn't scare her.

"There you go." Evan set her down on her feet beside him, but he stayed crouched in front of her when she didn't let him go. "You stay there for me, beautiful, and I'll get your mum over. Okay?" He nudged her until she was near the door so she wasn't anywhere near the balcony rail. He didn't want to take any chances.

(Y/n) sucked in a deep breath and punctured her teeth down into her lower lip as she looked over the edge. It wasn't a big leap over, two feet separated the wide railings and going over the side like this wasn't dangerous when they had another six feet of railing spread out to the right.

But she didn't do well with heights in any sense of the word when her vertigo came into play.

"You're safe, you know. I'm a fireman, this is kind of my day to day stuff." Evan held his hands out and gripped (Y/n)'s hands tight when she gingerly reached out for him.

"I should probably let you know that I have vertigo, shouldn't I?"

"Oh, now you tell me."

The way Evan smiled and laughed made (Y/n)'s lips curve into a grin despite the panic she felt as she pushed up onto her knees on the railing. Her chest ignited with adrenaline and a shiver coursed down her spine when Evan let go of her hands so he could cup the back of her thighs.

Her hands immediately clamped down on his shoulders and she tilted her chin down until their noses were almost touching as Evan stared up at her.

"I'd rather you didn't stand up, if you're at risk of a wobble." He murmured quietly, unable to breathe properly when he stared up at her.

He pulled her closer and grinned when her chest merged with his and he turned to the left and pulled (Y/n) with him. He carefully swung her over the rail and turned to set her down next to him.

"Oh," (Y/n) tightened her hands on his shoulders and flopped her head forward onto Evan's chest when she felt the blood drain down to her toes. She felt his hands move to hold her hips and he mumbled "deep breaths," into her ear and (Y/n) swore she could feel him smiling against the shell of her ear.

"Okay?" His thumb brushed up and down (Y/n)'s hip and he leaned back to look down at her when she finally took a step back and held herself upright.

"Hm, I- I'm sorry-"

"No apologies, you're all good." After a few seconds of lingering, Evan finally found the courage to pull his hands away and place them on his own hips where it was safer.

He looked down at Birdie when she gingerly pulled on the hem of his shorts to gain his attention. "You a fireman?"

"I am."

Evan couldn't stop the way he smiled when she reached out for his hand. She didn't know him at all and yet she was smiling up at him like she had known him all her life. He kept his gaze on her as he motioned for her to head inside, feeling (Y/n) close behind him as they trailed back into his apartment.

"You drive the truck, with wee-woo noises on?" Her beady eyes took in his apartment like she was inspecting it for something and it made Evan chuckle. He wasn't sure what she thought she would find. Maybe she figured his apartment should be bright shades of red and white, like the trucks. Or she thought she would find a toy firetruck somewhere or his helmet and a fire pole to slide down.

"I can drive the truck sometimes, yeah. If your mum wants, I could show you around the station…" Evan crouched down until he was Birdie's level and he let her keep hold of his hand. "You can sit in the truck if you like, too."

Her wide smile told him he had just made a new friend.

***

Throwing the teatowel over his shoulder, Evan turned off the oven and reached in to take out the lasagne he'd made. It was starting to become a ritual that on his days off, Evan would make some of Bobby's recipes and see if he could get up to scratch with Bobby's level of cooking.

He was doing well so far, but everything he made was always missing something. Evan wasn't sure whether it was his level of perfection that was holding him back, but he was sure he missed things out on everything he made. No one else seemed to think so.

The lasagne he'd just made would probably be split so Eddie and Chris could have some. God knew Eddie wasn't the best chef in the world.

Evan hummed along to the music playing on the radio, but his lips pulled into a frown when a rapid knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.

He wasn't expecting anyone.

He knew Maddie and Chimney were both at work today and Hen didn't often come by his place unless they had set up to go out drinking. And Chris would be finishing school soon so it couldn't be Eddie stopping by either.

He took the teatowel from his shoulder and tossed it on the counter before he made his way through the kitchen, towards the front door.

"Fireman!"

A bright smile lit up Evan's features the moment he opened the door and looked down. It was Birdie. The three year old had her hair up in a ponytail at the back of her head and with her hair being thin, it sprayed out behind her like she had been electrocuted.

She was wearing a pale pink Minnie Mouse shirt that was covered in flour and what Evan guessed was a drink she had spilled.

"Hey little bird, are you okay?" Evan took a quick peek down the hall to the left before he looked back down at Birdie. Her apartment door was open. Maybe (Y/n) had let Birdie wander down here to ask Evan something.

He knew now that (Y/n) was a writer which allowed her to work from home so when Birdie wasn't at nursery, (Y/n) was always there to look after her.

It had been a frightening surprise last week when he'd just come home from a night shift. By chance, he went to open the balcony door and heard (Y/n) scream. Birdie had been trying to climb up onto the rail. She wanted to see Evan so badly she thought the best way was to climb over the railing and get into his apartment like they had done the first time.

Evan had politely told her if she ever wanted to see him, she should just knock on the front door. It was much safer and if he was home, he would always answer the door to her.

"Yeah," Birdie reached up to take Evan's hand in both of hers and started swinging it back and forth until he crouched down in front of her. "Can you help?"

"What do you need help with?" He couldn't refrain from smiling when Birdie focused on his hand and started to trace her finger across the lines in his palm. Despite how shy Birdie seemed, she had attached herself to Evan straight away. If they bumped into each other in the hall or outside, she would run across to him and grab him.

She squealed and clapped if she saw him out on the balcony at the same time as her and (Y/n). Something Evan admittedly was doing on purpose because he knew what time they went out to water the plants and feed the birds.

Evan wanted an excuse to see them both and he loved the way Birdie would smile when she saw him. He was starting to find that the more he bumped into (Y/n), the brighter his mood became. He liked (Y/n)'s smile. He liked the way she would brush her hair anxiously behind her ear whenever they talked. He liked her laugh and her humour and the random things she would come out with.

"You a fireman, so can you help mummy?"

"Why, what does mummy need help with? She's not on the balcony again, is she?"

"She fell over, and now she asleep." Birdie kept hold of Evan's hand as he pushed up onto his feet again and reached his free hand out to grab his keys.

If (Y/n) had fallen, Evan would take a guess that she had fainted rather than knocked herself out. When she told him about her weak heart valve, he asked Hen about the symptoms and what it meant. It didn't sit well with Evan that (Y/n) was alone next door with Birdie.

Not in a bad sense, but in a sense that she didn't have any family out here and she didn't know many people. Evan knew it would be safer for her if she had a safety net, a support network of people in case something like this happened or she was ill or needed help looking after Birdie or herself. It was why Evan told her if she ever needed anything, she should come round and talk to him.

"Okay, let's go help her."

He closed the front door behind him and let Birdie keep a tight grip on his hand. She led him down the hall as if he didn't know how to get to her apartment.

The pair of them wandered into the apartment and Evan took a moment to glance around.

Every time he had seen the girls, they had either been outside or they had come into Evan's apartment. He had never been in their home before.

There were a lot of fake plants dotted around in a variety of colours and the kitchen was a lovely mint blue colour that added a lot of light into the space. When Birdie guided him past the stairs and towards the living room at the back of the apartment, Evan stared in wonder.

There was a reading corner behind the stairs. Stickers littered the wall, book quotes, stickers of open books and story characters and a rainbow. There was a dark blue beanbag and a bookshelf and hanging from the ceiling were a variety of paper birds and hanging felt birds.

And then there was (Y/n).

There was a desk in the other corner of the room behind the sofa with a lot of notebooks, highlighters, pens and stickers littering the top of the desk along with a laptop.

Either (Y/n) had tried to stand up and went lightheaded or she felt funny before she moved. She was now laid on the floor a foot away from her desk chair with her hair half-covering her face and her body slumped on her left side. It was almost as if she had tried to get herself into the recovery position before she passed out.

"Why don't you sit there, little bird, while I help your mum." Evan picked Birdie up and gently sat her down on her beanbag so she could still see him but she wasn't in the way either.

Once she was settled, Evan turned round and knelt down behind (Y/n)'s back. He could feel Birdie's eyes on him but it wasn't unpleasant or anything new, he was used to being observed when he was at work.

He hooked his finger around a tendril of hair and brushed it behind (Y/n)'s ear and the pad of his finger delicately brushed over her cheek before he shook his head and snapped back into focus. His index and middle fingers pressed against (Y/n)'s neck just below her jaw and he looked down at his watch, counting the beats per minute.

Slow, but that was to be expected with (Y/n)'s heart condition. An elevated pulse would be more worrying.

He hovered his hand over the middle of (Y/n)'s chest, level with her sternum and pressed down just enough to feel how she was breathing. Shallow, but her breaths were starting to get a little deeper which was good.

"(Y/n)? Love, can you hear me?"

Evan curled his hand into a fist and started to rub his knuckles up and down her sternum to try and bring her back round. When he felt her head nudge back against his other arm, he found himself smiling down at her softly.

"Come here," He murmured quietly. He slipped his left arm beneath her shoulders and carefully lifted her up off her side. She stayed limp and floppy in his arms but he was sure he heard her try to mumble something. He held her waist and eased her back up against his chest, letting her head flop back onto his shoulder.

Sitting up would help her wake up, the last thing Evan wanted was for her to wake up lying down and then faint when she sat up and the blood drained from her head again.

"That's better, how do you feel?" Evan rubbed his hand up and down (Y/n)'s arm to keep her focused and concentrating on waking back up. While his other hand moved back to her neck so he could keep a check on her pulse.

"B-Birdie…" (Y/n) tried to open her eyes but they rolled to the back of her head when all the colours meshed together like a canvas that had been drenched in water. Her head was pounding. She could feel the blood rushing back to her temple and it hurt. It always hurt. It would take a few minutes for her system to settle and for her head to come down from the clouds.

"She's here, she's safe. She came round to get me when you fainted."

A shiver tore down Evan's spine when (Y/n) fumbled to reach her right hand up until she could slump her arm on his shoulder and cup the back of his neck. He watched her lips curve into a tepid smile and when her head lolled to the right, she tried again to look up at him and focus on him.

"She got our fireman." Her voice was weak and croaky, but Evan made out her words and it sent his heart crashing through his ribs and hammering blood through each vessel in his body.

He was their fireman. That was how both of them thought of him and that thought made him high on adrenaline.

"Yes she did." He couldn't speak very loud, Evan didn't trust his voice because he knew it would give away how he felt about her. "Um, you, you didn't hurt yourself when you fell, did you?" Evan tripped over his words and let his eyes dance up and down (Y/n)'s frame to check for any injuries.

She could have hurt herself in multiple places if she landed the wrong way or went down with a bang. Evan didn't know if (Y/n) had managed to lower herself down or if she went down like a ton of bricks.

"No,"

(Y/n) danced her eyes across to her daughter and tried to smile when Birdie got up and trotted over towards the kitchen. She would most likely find her beaker of juice or watch the birds out the window for a while. But God knows if Evan tried to leave without telling Birdie first, she would grab him before he stepped foot out the door.

"Let's get you up then, shall we?"

She took a deep breath when Evan's arms curled around her waist. Reaching down, she curled her hands tightly around his wrists and tried to hold her head up off his shoulder but moving her head made stars dance in front of her eyes.

Her knees trembled when Evan slowly stood up and pulled her along with him and she could feel her legs about to give way, but it didn't matter. Evan didn't let go of her. His arms stayed looped around her middle and when he propped his chin up on her shoulder, she almost fainted again.

They moved like they were conjoined and when Evan carefully eased (Y/n) down onto the sofa, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

It took him by surprise, but his lips curved into a soft smile and he gladly perched down next to her so their knees were touching and his hip was meshed against hers.

(Y/n) kept her eyes on their hands as she let go of Evan's wrist to slide her fingers down across his palm. She gingerly curled her fingers around his hand and gave a light squeeze, as if testing the waters between them.

"Thank you… I, I don't know what Birdie would do if it happened and we didn't know you."

She dreaded to think what Birdie would have done if this happened and they hadn't gotten to know Evan. (Y/n) liked to think that Birdie wouldn't panic and would sit and wait patiently and that (Y/n) would get up soon and be fine. But she didn't dare let her mind wander to what could have happened. Birdie could have wandered off in search of help, she could have found a neighbour who wasn't so nice or trustworthy.

At least with Evan being the man he was and being next door, it meant that if he was home, (Y/n) knew if Birdie went to him, she would be safe. She would be safe going to their fireman next door.

"Hey, I told you if you need me just come find me and Birdie knows she can come round and get me for anything you guys need." Evan was glad he had told Birdie to come over and get him if she needed him. He would come over every time they asked and Evan would rather Birdie take the risk to come find him than wait around on her own and risk her safety and (Y/n)'s health.

"Well, thank you for coming over, and I'm sorry we had to drag you over here like that." It was pure luck that Evan had been home and not on shift, but (Y/n) couldn't help feeling bad. He could have been having friends or family or a date over and she and Birdie could have gone and ruined everything for him.

"You don't need to thank me."

"I do, we've just messed up your day-" (Y/n) stopped abruptly when Evan let go of her hand.

Her chest tightened in anticipation when his hand reached out to cup the side of her face instead. His thumb swiped across the corner of her lip and she could feel his fingers tickling the back of her neck behind her ear which made shivers course up and down her back.

"I think you've just made my day better… and I know a way you can thank me, if you like." His day hadn't been ruined, far from it. Evan's day had just got ten times better to spend it with (Y/n) and Birdie, because there was no way he was going home yet and risking (Y/n) feeling unwell again. And something told him Birdie wasn't going to let him leave either.

Her hand shook when she cupped the back of his wrist and her lips rolled together as she waited for him to explain or more or do something to show what he meant.

As much as she was expecting it, (Y/n) still felt surprised when Evan kissed her. His warm lips on hers was still a shock to her system, even though she had been praying this is what he was insinuating.

She tilted her head forward until her nose bumped into Evan's but it wasn't enough. (Y/n) pushed her chest into his and leaned over until Evan curved his free arm around her waist and pinned his hand against her lower back between her hips. His upper body leaned back so (Y/n) was almost lying on top of him and when (Y/n) took the opportunity to sink her teeth into his bottom lip, she felt his chest vibrate with a growl. It was quiet but deep enough to made her core quake.

When they parted, panting for air, Evan swiped his thumb along her cheek and something swirled in his eyes when she pulled his lip between hers before releasing it with a pop.

Evan tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes slightly when (Y/n) began to laugh. He let his hand slide around to hold the back of her neck and he pressed his temple against hers, letting his eyes search through hers to see what was so funny all of a sudden.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just… I think I'm gonna have some competition for your attention, that's all."

As much as (Y/n) found herself captured by Evan, she knew her daughter was too, in a different manner though. Birdie had found a friend in Evan, someone to look up to and who she wanted to be around and (Y/n) knew if this was the start of something, her daughter would be vying for his attention too.

"I think I like the sound of that." Evan tightened his arm around (Y/n)'s waist so she was leaning further into his chest and he grinned when she curled her arms around his back before she stole his lips in another kiss.

(Y/n) felt his hand move from her neck and she was sure that when he held the back of her thigh, he was going to pull her onto his lap. But he didn't get chance. His fingertips dug into her flesh and his nose nudged hers when Birdie's voice rung through the air.

"Birds! We have birds… Buck come see." She dropped her beaker onto the small side table near the balcony door and turned to trot towards the living room.

With a lasting kiss against her wet lips, Evan gave her thigh a squeeze and slowly tore himself away from her so he could wander over to find where her toddler was. Evan clapped his hands when he found her and he reached down, scooping her up into his arms so he could settle her down on his hip.

"Birds," She repeated quietly, pointing over to the window but Evan scarcely looked out before he turned his attention back towards the girl on his hip.

"I think the prettiest bird is right here."

[gabessquishytum]

Dream feeds the birds in the park near his apartment (he bought special seed, he doesn't want to hurt his bird friends); it's his quiet time, time to relax and recharge.

Well it seems like some city intermural football (or rugby) leagues have decided to use his park as their pitch. For the next few weeks, Dream's calm will be broken by kicking noises.

Dream missed the first time Hob's team played, but he's caught all rest of his games. Dream noticed Hob right away - his team's kit were really teeny white shorts (at least when wrapped around Hob's thighs).

How do you talk to a man that hot and fit, when you work inside all day and most days look consumptive.

HMNNNG loving the vibes of this. Is it mean of me to tag @arialerendeair and say the words Rugby Hob 🤭 it's an au that we both happen to be very fond of. I won't tease you all too much but I hope one day it'll make it into fic form (it currently only exists as us going feral in a discord thread).

Anyway!!! I adore the image of Dream sitting there gaping at Hob’s magnificent thighs, week after week. The birds are lowkey confused as to why they're not getting his attention (they still get nice seeds, but Dream is so distracted he sometimes puts the seeds in his own mouth instead).

Of course Hob has noticed the cute guy in black who's got those sickly victorian vibes. Hob thinks he's adorable and sometimes he's so busy looking at Dream, he ends up tripping over his own feet! He just loves thinking about how easily he could pick that cute twink up and press him against a wall... or maybe just let him get off against the meat of Hob’s thick thigh...

Hob just needs to find the courage to talk to the guy! But at the end of each game, Dream skuttles off shyly, leaving only birdseed and daydreams behind. Hob is starting to lose hope...

Until he takes a blow to the head in the middle of one of his games and comes back to consciousness with his gorgeous consumptive crush kneeling over him like beautiful, emo angel <3333 as soon as he's over the concussion, Hob is getting his man.

[finitehearts]

Better Together - Nanami x gn reader

Things may not always go smoothly, but they always seem to be better when Nanami is with you. | Written as a secret santa gift for @bas-writes Dec 2023. It was such a joy to write this, I love writing Nanami, and love feeding your Nanamin needs <3 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 1.1k words | nanami x gender neutral reader | soft fluff | ao3 link

Nanami sighed. Today, it seemed an unnamed force was here to try to spoil the day. He should have just taken the day off entirely once he got the unfortunate news: his favorite bakery didn’t have the pastries he usually picked. Some mix up had caused them to be short of the crucial ingredients. At the suggestion of the baker, he had picked some substitutes, but the weight of the pastries in the bag felt odd in his grasp as he walked to the park to meet you.

He definitely should have seen it coming when there was a strange couple sitting at his usual bench, oblivious to the fact they had stolen his seat. It had practically been worn down to perfectly match your ass prints from when you two sat together there. Didn’t they know it was rude to steal someone else’s bench? Although it wasn’t really yours or his, it was public property.

But still, who else came to this part of the park so early in the morning? It was in a secluded area, but with few routes in and out. It was rare to be disturbed here, since it was away from the busy main areas, making it the perfect place for you two to go on a date. Though come to think of it, the seclusion was likely what drew the couple in as well.

There was a bench a few meters away if he wanted to stay in the same area, but it was perched at the wrong angle and he hated to sit on it, let alone have some company besides you and the birds, so he would have to find another bench elsewhere.

The next best choice of benches was far less superior, but it was still on the quiet end of the park, where the birds wouldn’t be spooked while you fed them. With a quick text sent to you explaining the unfortunate situation, he settled down and waited for you.

It wasn’t long until he spotted you wandering along the path, trying to decipher his directions on your phone and holding a carrier with drinks in your free hand. He stood and lifted a hand, calling out to you, “Y/N!”

You looked around, searching for the source of his voice until you made eye contact, and smiled as you came over to join him. However, you gave him a quizzical look as you sat down together and traded drinks and food.

“Kento, what did your text mean? ‘Our previous arrangement for our date has gone awry. Head northwest of our usual spot, I have found other tolerable arrangements in the meantime.’”

“First, the bakery didn’t have our buns. Then, someone was using our bench. So, I had to find another.”

“This bench is just as good,” You snorted softly and took a taste of the substitute pastry. “Mm, tastes good! Have you tried it yet?” He shook his head but pulled his out to try. Meanwhile, you pulled your bag of birdseed from your bag and started scattering it. Although the pigeons seemed surprised to find you both in a different spot than usual, it only took them a bit longer than usual to gather and start pecking at the food.

Nanami took a bite of the wrong pastry and—you were right, it was delicious, the baker had recommended him well—one pigeon in particular caught his eye. It was larger and fluffier than any of the others, and was ignoring the bird feed, instead eyeing the pastry in his hands. Nanami took a handful of seed and tossed it in front of him, before taking another bite. It pecked at the seed a little before staring back at him, tilting its little head. In his haste to find a new bench, he had forgotten his most important rule: eat before you feed the birds.

“This isn’t for you,” Nanami pointed out to him. “I just gave you perfectly good seed.”

The pigeon waddled forward, unimpressed by the offering or his words.

“This has no nutritional value for you.” He sipped his coffee and furrowed his brow a little. The shameless pigeon fluttered its wings and landed in his lap, eyes on its intended prize in his hands. You froze and stared, then started laughing as he held his food up and away from this little creature.

“You’re as shameless as Gojo.” Nanami shook his head and reached into the bag, offering some seed out in the palm of his hand and shoved the last of the pastry in his mouth.

The pigeon tilted its head back and forth several times, as if accusing him of the highest crimes of not sharing, then finally acquiesced, pecking at the offered seed. Nanami chuckled softly then tossed the last of the seed to the ground, and the pigeon fluttered after the appropriate food.

“Kento, you should have told me!” He raised an eyebrow at you. “I didn’t know you were a Disney princess.” You laughed and teased. He softly shook his head but couldn’t hide his small smile as he sipped on his coffee.

A small rustle caught his attention, and anything he might have had to say had to wait a moment. Nanami set down his coffee and rose with a soft groan, carefully creeping forward and snatching a piece of plastic from the same large pigeon’s beak. Trust a bird to be curious if something small and shiny was edible.

“This isn’t edible either,” he scolded, tucking the trash into his pocket and rose with another groan, sounding much older than he actually was. He straightened and brushed off his coat, tidying any wrinkles that felt wrong, until he realized he felt your eyes on him.

“Educating the pigeons, hm?”

“Pigeons are little dumbasses.” He maintained. “They don’t realize what they can and can’t eat, just peck at anything that seems to be an edible size.”

You smiled and rose to stand by him, watching the birds peck through the grass at your feet.

“You’re a cutie, you know.”

Nanami felt his cheeks heat up, grateful to hide behind his sunglasses and cursing his Danish genes. “Is that so?”

“It is.” You leaned in close and pecked the tip of his nose, causing his cheeks to redden even further.

He cleared his throat to try and collect himself and ducked around to grab the bag of seed. He took your hands and poured some seed into them, and some into his own. Together, you scattered the last of the seed, watching the birds flutter at your feet. It seemed that perhaps today was not ruined. Things were always good when he was with you.

[dualityvn]

may i please get some keith angst because i have fallen in love with this man and he has taken over my life 😂 maybe something with him feeling like the mc would like him better if he changed his personality, and the mc walks in on him having a bit of a breakdown and reassures him? i hope that’s not too much to ask, i really love your game and characters, they feel so real and complex and i love it!

Lies (GN!MC x Keith)

Took me a bit to figure out how I wanted to write this. Sorry for the wait.

× × ×

"Can you please stop doing that?" you say in a firm tone, overcome by frustration.

Keith rips his gaze from the ducks on the lake to look at you, startled and confused. "Stop doing... what?"

"You're picking your words and mannerisms again to please me. I told you to stop it." Your tone softens a bit, but the exasperation can still be heard clearly.

"I wasn't-"

"I'm not stupid, Keith. I can tell when you do it. You can't just lock away whatever part of yourself I haven't praised."

He falls silent. His hand tightens around the bag of birdseeds as returns his gaze to the water a few feet away from him.

You sigh. "Look, I know you want me to be happy with you. But I can't have a relationship with someone I don't even know at this point. I need you to stop lying and putting on masks. I'm your partner, you should be comfortable to be yourself around me. Have I really been so unaccepting?"

He looks scared all of a sudden and turns to you with wide eyes. "N-no! I... I'm sorry... I'll do better!"

You've heard that before. Keith must notice that you don't seem convinced, because the frightened look on his face doesn't leave. Neither of you knows what to say anymore, so you return to feeding the ducks in silence.

The walk back home is silent as well.

You want to say something to not leave the situation as it is, but you feel like you need to think it through first. There's few things you haven't already said to him that you'd thought would help.

Since it's been a long day and since it'll also help you collect your thoughts, you decide to take a shower.

You aren't sure how much time you spend in there. 30 minutes? Maybe an hour? When you walk out, you can't find Keith anywhere in the apartment. Eventually, you grab your phone to call him, but find a message from him instead.

"I'll be gone for a few hours. I probably won't answer the phone. But I'm okay and I'm not far. You can go to bed without me. Sorry."

You start to feel a bit guilty. Were you too harsh with him? Normally, he'll cling to you like glue unless you ask to be alone. At most, he'd let Tenebris take over. Is he really okay?

There's no way you can sleep before he comes back. You're beginning to worry now. But he didn't say where he'd gone, only that he wasn't far.

Some time passes. Two hours and he hasn't returned. The sun set a good while ago too. You can't seem to settle down either, pacing around the apartment, fidgeting whenever you try to sit in one place.

Where would he go at this time? The forest? You aren't sure if you want to go searching through it in the middle of the night. But what other place is close by that he'd go to at this hour?

Ah. Of course.

The door to the roof creaks a little as you close it behind you. It doesn't allert the figure standing by the edge. As you approach, you're relieved to find it is indeed him. He doesn't notice you until you reach his side, which startles him.

There are tears streaming down his face, his eyes are red and swollen. For how long has he been crying?

"Hey. I was worried," you say gently.

He wiped away the tears in a rush. "I'm sorry. I know you said you want me to be honest, but... I didn't want you to see me like this."

"It's okay. I understand..."

He shakes his head and grips his hair with both hands. "No, no, it's not. I keep disappointing you or making you feel bad. I keep messing up. And I could fix it if I'd just do what you tell me and be honest, but... but I'm so scared. I'm just a coward."

"Keith, really, it's alright. Maybe I've been too pushy. I-"

"No! No, no, don't say that." He tugs at his hair. More tears stream down his cheeks.

You stop speaking, not knowing what to say that won't hurt him further.

"It's all my fault. You deserve someone better. I want to be that someone. But that means I need to risk losing you. What if there's a part of me you can't stand? Or maybe I've just been showing you that part all this time and soon enough you'll get fed up and leave!"

"Keith, calm down. Breathe. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." You gently reach for his hands to pull them away from his hair.

He looks at you, shaking and sobbing. You move your hands to his arms, wanting to hug him, but he gets ahead of you, lunging into you instead. He presses against you and grips you tight, a type of embrance you'd normally expect from Tenebris.

"Please don't leave. I'm trying to be better, I swear."

"I'm not leaving, I promise."

You hold him. Minutes go by like that, with him crying and gripping you like his life depends on it. Until his sobbing stops and his grip loosens into a more gentle embrance. When he pulls away, he doesn't meet your gaze.

"Keith. Look at me," you say. And he does, so you continue. "It's okay if you can't do it yet. I understand. I won't go. I ask you to be honest because I love you and I imagine living to please me isn't easy. I just want you to be happy and to feel at ease. I want you to trust me."

"I... I am happy! But..." He sighs. "I'm sorry. I'll try..."

"Let's go back inside, okay? And... next time I overwhelm you, please tell me. I know it's hard for you, but I don't want to hurt you."

He nods and follows you.

[suiseisyojo]

a promise of bentos.

「morisawa chiaki x momoe ushio // ushiaki」 ↳ commission for @paracosmiia ! wc: 1596 a/n: thank you for commissioning me, miia! your ryusei red is on the way!

Ever since that day, Ushio always remembered the first time she prepared a bento for Chiaki—the way the skeins of sunlight gleamed on her petite frame and seemed to cheer her on as she tentatively pried open the gymnasium doors, peeking inside to discern the basketball club all hard at work.

Chiaki appeared so exalted as his gaze settled on her, brown irises twinkling in a way that she had never seen before as he rushed over to her in a heartbeat; as if he couldn’t bear the thought of not being by her side the moment their eyes met.

It was like a scene in a shoujo manga, the way his trembling fingers brushed against hers with such tender care—the pair of them breathless from the gesture from the other.

But, above all else, Ushio could still vividly hear Chiaki’s voice as he effusively declared his gratitude. “Th-This is for me? Oh my god!! Ushio, thank you! I’ll cherish it and keep it forever—oh wait, it’s food,” he boisterously laughed at his own gaffe, before his voice tapered off into a soft, almost abashed hue, “I’ll savour every bite. In exchange, will you make me another one someday?”

And now, a year later, Ushio found herself with another bento tucked into her bag; the box enveloped within a cloth parading colourful patterns to reflect Chiaki’s vivacious personality. Never mind the fact that she rifled through a plethora of designs until finding the perfect one⋯ and the extra money she had to spend to secure it.

Ushio held onto her bag cautiously, a protectiveness exuding from her movements as she sauntered outside of ES’ main building in search of the recipient of her affections. With a gentle regard sweeping across the pavement, Ushio spotted Chiaki easily.

It seemed kismet was showering her in benevolence today, and she didn’t squander another second as she ambled over to his crouched form. “Chiaki-san,” Ushio called out to him, cheeks already emanating warmth from the thought of what she was about to do—of gifting him the fruits of her toil. “Are you busy?”

Swarming at Chiaki’s feet were a multitude of birds, chirring joyously as they hopped around him, and he tilted his head up to look at her. “Ushio, hey!” he greeted her, letting her make out a plastic bag brimming with birdseed in his hand, “I fed one of these little guys earlier and now they’re all attached to me. I think they want to thank me!”

At Chiaki’s high spirits, a smile curved on Ushio’s lips. “Thank you? And get more food by the looks of it,” she quipped with mirth, incapable of suppressing the chortle from overflowing as his guise contorted in betrayal.

“You think so?! Ahaha, well, that’s okay too!☆” Chiaki rolled the joke off his shoulders, an effervescent laugh following his retort. He continuously spread out birdseed; which only seemed to make even more birds flock over to the promise of food. “Even if they’re only after food, I’m still helping them. And what more do you need than that?”

Ushio couldn’t stop her smile from stretching wider, his sentiments so true to him. “You’re right! Right now, you’re probably their biggest hero,” she mentioned, pointing out how they chirped in appreciation.

“Do you want to feed them, too?” Chiaki asked, holding out the plastic bag to her.

Eyes widening at the thought, Ushio didn’t hesitate to accept the bag from Chiaki; flattening down her skirt underneath her as she crouched down next to him. “I’d love to,” she whispered, the idea making her eager.

Slowly, Ushio pulled out a cluster of birdseed and began to scatter it onto the ground before them. “Just like that~” Chiaki grinned, peering over at Ushio as they huddled close together to approach the birds as favourably as possible.

The two of them were retained an iota of space between them, the propinquity making Chiaki’s head swirl with heat and awkwardness; yet, even so, he couldn’t pry his eyes off her—how her cheeks glowed with hotness and a sense of jubilation.

“They like you, Ushio!” Chiaki remonstrated as he gesticulated to how the birds twittered excitedly, jumping up and down off their little legs. They wanted more seed; more nourishment for their growing bodies. Yet she looked uncertain of herself at that moment, trying to hand the bag back as if she didn’t want to take away from Chiaki’s bird feeding experience. “Go on. I don’t mind if you empty the bag.”

Truthfully, Chiaki also simply wanted to luxuriate in this sight a little longer. Of Ushio smiling as the birds venerated her as if she was their hero. It made his heart flutter in his chest, sending a rush of exhilaration and warmth through the fissures of his veins.

“Thank you, Chiaki-san⋯” Ushio breathed out, her mind already forgetting what she came here to do in the first place. “They’re so cute, aren’t they? I’m going to feel really bad when we finish the seed.”

On a detonation of elation, Chiaki unintentionally got closer to Ushio—to the point there faces were only inches apart and the tips of their noses grazed each other’s. “We can always come back!” he reassured her, eyes sparkling.

Ushio’s countenance burst with white-hot embarrassment as she realised a single movement from either of them would make them kiss; and if you looked closely enough, you could practically see the copious wisps of steam emitting from the poor girl’s face. “Y-Yeah, we can⋯” she trailed off, lips parted and quivering, “b-but we’ll never kiss in front of them, okay?”

The way Ushio said that, so enticingly shy and yet still trying to deflect with wit, made Chiaki gasp—and he pulled back hurriedly, his own cheeks becoming florid. “I-I wasn’t?! You’re right, we shouldn’t?!” he spluttered, vocals double-crossing his rationality.

Ushio was teasing him, just slightly, and yet he reacted so strongly to her words. It was so cute; so, so cute. She loved that about him⋯ although she didn’t vocalise such thoughts to him.

“O-Oh, wait, that reminds me—didn’t you need me for something?” Chiaki abruptly asked, trying to divert the topic away from this flustering theme. “I’m sorry, I got sidetracked.”

Shaking her head, Ushio finally laid out the final bits of birdseed; and the two of them promptly stood up to their full heights. “I-I wanted to give you this⋯”

When Ushio had first given Chiaki a bento, her fingers were shaky and unsteady. Right now, her heart was still hammering just as much as that day⋯ assailed by feelings of discomfiture and trepidation that she wouldn’t be received well.

She was always an overthinker, after all.

But as she pulled out the bento from the confines of her bag, Ushio’s fingers were imbued with a new strength she cultivated alongside her time with Chiaki and the rest of RYUSEITAI—as their relationship blossomed more and more each day since then.

“A bento?” Chiaki drew in his breath as surprise overtook his features, yet it was clear how exultant he was over the idea.

Nodding her head, Ushio held it out to him. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I last made you one; and you’ve been working really hard lately, so I thought⋯”

Placing his hands over Ushio’s fondly as he clasped onto both her and the precious bento, Chiaki beamed. “I’m so happy! Ushio, your cooking is the best!” he praised her with heaps of sincerity redolent to that very first day. “Thank you!!”

“You’re welcome,” Ushio meekly murmured, the words ‘anything for you’ tingling on her glossy lips as she felt him tighten his grip over her.

There was a pause—Chiaki refusing to let go of her just yet as they stood together—and the birds were already flitting about and moving on with their lives as they pecked away the vestiges of Chiaki’s and Ushio’s solicitousness.

“You know,” Chiaki began, eyes glimmering with ruminations, “you’ve been working really hard, too. Can I⋯ make you a bento next time?”

“Do you even know how to cook, Chiaki-san?” Ushio curiously inquired, head tilting as her short hair cutely descended with her motion and making Chiaki even more nervous at how irresistible that was.

“I don’t,” Chiaki answered veraciously, squirming and averting his gaze as a feeling of self-consciousness overwhelmed his entity.

“I could always teach you—I think it’d be fun, and then we can eat whatever we make together,” Ushio smiled, patently growing excited over the idea just by speaking of it.

Vehemently nodding his head, Chiaki’s grin was unbridled with euphoria. “It’s a promise!” And just like that first time Ushio made him a bento, Chiaki had a pledge etched on his heart he’d do anything to keep.

[omake]

“Why is Taichou suddenly so obsessed with feeding the birds?” Midori groaned, lamenting his entire existence as he watched his leader scattering more and more seeds onto the ground with a pitifully overzealous visage.

“Apparently Ushio-san and him promised to feed them together but he wants to increase his affinity with them before they do in order to impress her!” Tetora elucidated, although for poor Midori it still didn’t make any sense. “He’s been doing this every day for the past week.”

Peeking furtively behind the pair as they all watched with a morbid, rapt attention, Shinobu piped up, “I think it’d be best to leave Morisawa-dono behind for now⋯”

The other two nodded their heads in solemn agreement, silently gyrating on their heels to abandon their Ryusei Red⋯⋯ so he can continue his quest to befriend the birds.

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

A Burning Secret

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Characters: Bowser Jr, Rosalina, Luma, Bowser Relationship: Bowser Jr & Rosalina, Bowser Jr & Luma, Bowser Jr & Bowser, Bowser & Rosalina Tags: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Almost half a year after the universe was reborn, Bowser Junior lets Rosalina in on a secret. Word Count: 1,995 words A/N: Inspired by this post!

[AO3 Link]

~~~

Rosalina’s afternoon was proving to be peaceful so far.

Shortly after lunch, she’d taken to walking in a nearby park with one of her Lumas as company, enjoying the time before she needed to get ready for the next scheduled kart race. She’d run into Mario and Peach, who’d evidently had a similar idea. Mario had even given her a spare bag of birdseed before they’d parted, which she was sitting on a bench near an empty playground and using now to feed an eclectic variety of local birds.

Or at least she had been doing that, until a green and yellow blur sped into the cluster of gathered birds with a yell, sending them all squawking and flapping their wings to flee, which likewise sent her Luma into a giggle fit. When Rosalina lowered her arms after the cacophony had ended, someone was standing in the middle of the space the birds just left, laughing triumphantly about their departure.

“Bowser Junior, was it?” Rosalina asked, and he turned to grin broadly at her.

“Yeah, that’s me!” He puffed up his chest, looking every inch his father’s son. “Prince Bowser Junior! Hey, you’re that Star Lady from space!”

“Princess Rosalina,” she corrected, but Bowser Junior was only half-listening, looking for more birds to scare.

His search, despite bearing little fruit after the ruckus he’d caused earlier, only extended a certain distance away from Rosalina’s bench. “Dad got lost,” he told Rosalina when she asked why that was, “and this is where I’m supposed to wait for him if either of us gets lost.”

“...I see.”

Bored with searching for birds, Bowser Junior cambered onto the bench next to Rosalina. Eventually, now that everything was still, some birds came back to eat the remaining birdseed on the ground. Rosalina tossed them some more to snack on.

Floating above them, their Luma companion mused about the birds they were feeding, and how tiny and insignificant their lives were. Like theirs, it supposed, small stitches in the vast fabric of the universe. Stitches that affected the fabric the most when cut. It giggled. “Ah, to have my string cut someday...” it mused, bobbing and twirling in the air. “To leave behind a void that will never be the same, even if it’s filled...”

“Cut...like dying?” Bowser Junior furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Of course! The string of fate, sliced clean by the blades of the unturnable~!”

“...You’re weird,” Bowser Junior said. The Luma giggled again.

Rosalina’s eyes slid from the regrowing crowd of birds to the child sitting next to her. She considered giving him her bag of birdseed, so he could have a go at feeding the birds and perhaps deem that a better way to interact with them than scaring them off, but he looked too deep in thought to be bothered. And sure, almost half this planet’s orbit ago he had been a whole lot of trouble as part of Bowser’s attempt to take over the universe, but that was more his father, not him. Which was why she felt the need to ask him if there was something wrong. “Sorry about my Luma,” she added, thinking something it said had upset him. “Its demeanor can be...off-putting to most.”

Said Luma pouted at her. Bowser Junior huffed a laugh. But he still looked rather troubled for someone so young, fiddling with his bandanna and staring off into the distance. Rosalina decided not to push him, being patient. And that patience paid off, as with a final look between her and her Luma, he asked, “Can I tell you a secret?” in a small voice.

The Luma floated toward him, curiously. Rosalina leaned in, subtly.

“I died once,” Bowser Junior quietly told them.

“You did?!” The Luma gasped, an outward echo of Rosalina’s own surprise that exchanged her muted horror for amazed delight.

“Shh!” Bowser Junior covered its mouth, looking around furtively. “Quiet! It’s a secret!”

Whatever the Luma wanted to say next was muffled under Bowser Junior’s hands. “When?!” it asked when Bowser Junior removed them, obediently dropping its voice to a hushed whisper.

“Uh...a couple months ago, I think?”

Ah, Rosalina thought. “That supernova...you were sucked in by its black hole.”

“Huh? Black hole...?” Bowser Junior looked confused, as if he had no idea of the event that almost had the entire universe destroyed, despite being near the epicenter of it. But his face quickly cleared, and he shook his head. Rosalina’s stomach sank. It was something else...?

“What was it like, what was it like?!” the Luma asked, vibrating in excitement.

“Um.” Bowser Junior backed away from the Luma’s enthusiasm, bumping into Rosalina. Looking down at him in concern, she was about to tell him he absolutely did not have to indulge the Luma’s curiosity in the slightest, but then he took a breath and began speaking, each word carefully considered.

“I fell,” he began, frowning. The Luma leaned forward in anticipation. “And the ship fell, too. And then...and then...” His voice trailed off.

“You don't have to discuss it,” Rosalina interrupted firmly, with a stern glance at her Luma. “Not if the memories are too much to bear for you.”

But to her surprise, her words had the opposite intended effect; Bowser Junior’s vulnerable expression was joined by a stubborn glint in his eye, and he barreled on.

“I fell and it got hot,” he said in a rush. “And bright,” he added. “And really hot. And then...” The resolve faded. He searched for what to say next. He swallowed, thickly. “I woke up,” he finished simply, head bowed and shoulders hunched.

Though his description was vague, the Luma practically had stars in its eyes hearing it. “...Did it hurt?” it breathed, enraptured.

“.........Yeah.”

“Woah...”

“I’m sorry,” Rosalina said, heart heavy.

“It's okay, I think...you didn't do anything,” Bowser Junior reassured her, as if that wasn't the entire problem with this situation. But she'd been too far away to even see most of what was going on in Bowser’s galaxy back then, let alone do anything to help. And there was no way Mario and Peach knew either, Rosalina realized abruptly, though they'd been closer to the action. They'd be beating themselves up about it endlessly if they did. But what about — ?

“Does your father know?”

“No!” Wide-eyed, Bowser Junior grabbed at her dress. “Don't tell him! Or he won't let me go fight Mario with him anymore...! He already barely lets me help, now...!”

...She should probably tell his father. But Bowser Junior had started tearing up some, so...

“Alright, I won't tell,” Rosalina promised. Bowser Junior sighed in relief. “But,” she continued, “only as long as you promise to tell your family about what happened soon.”

“Yes, you should tell them!” the Luma cheered, twirling around the pair. “The knowledge of what's after death! It deserves to be treasured and shared~!”

“...You’re weird,” Bowser Junior told the Luma, but there was the faintest of smiles on his face as he wiped at his cheeks. “Okay,” he said next, and Rosalina gave him a starbit to munch on for it. And then a couple more when he started pestering her for them, and then a few more after that.

Not long after, Bowser walked down the path towards them, face pinched in worry and clearly in search of his son. “Dad!” Bowser Junior exclaimed, hopping off the bench and running up to meet him.

“There you are!” Bowser knelt to ruffle his son’s hair. “Didn't I tell you to stay with me so you wouldn't get lost?”

“I wasn't lost,” Bowser Junior grumbled. “You’re the one that disappeared.”

Bowser chuckled indulgently. But then Bowser Junior’s exasperated expression became overshadowed by uncertainty, and Bowser’s grin dimmed to match. “What’s up, son?” Bowser asked, voice softening.

“Um,” Bowser Junior said, and then quieted. His eyes flicked to the ground, to his father, to the Luma who had floated into his periphery, to a different spot on the ground. He shook his head. “Nevermind.”

Bowser bent down further to better meet his son’s eyes. “You sure?”

Bowser Junior nodded.

“Oh.” Bowser straightened, putting a hand on Bowser Junior’s shoulder. “Okay. Uh, you know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know!” Bowser Junior chirped. He smiled at Bowser, small yet light. “Maybe later. I’m going to go play over there now.” he pointed at the nearby playground.

Though he still looked worried, Bowser met his son’s smile with his own, similarly warm. “Go for it,” he said. “Just don't wander off again, yeah?”

“You wandered off,” Bowser Junior insisted with a sigh. Nonetheless, he ran to the playground. The Luma followed him, sprinkling stardust as it floated about his head, stardust that caused Bowser Junior to sneeze. The Luma laughed, and when Bowser Junior began chasing it around in indignation for doing so it flew off to a hiding place underneath the slide with a wide grin. Bowser watched them go with a thoughtful look, but he seemed to accept his son’s new friend in the end.

But then he noticed his son’s new friend’s guardian, and he flinched at her cool stare. Rosalina kept it up even as he worked up the nerve to say something, perhaps because their charges were getting along mere yards away.

“So, uh.” He tried to meet her eyes. He didn't succeed. “He didn't bother you too much, did he...?”

“...He was fine,” Rosalina replied tersely. Bowser huffed at her answer.

“No, he was definitely a handful," he said. "He’s always a handful.”

Despite the complaint, he sounded fond. Rosalina understood that feeling intimately. So she decided to throw him a bone. “No more than any of my Lumas can be,” she offered, and Bowser laughed a little, relaxing slightly.

“Yeah, I guess you’d know about that.” He grinned at her like she was just a fellow parent, and not like he was the monster who had attacked her home, scared her children, and almost destroyed the universe months prior. There was really no reason he couldn't be both, Rosalina mused. But as a fellow parent, Rosalina should probably tell Bowser something about what his son had told her. She’d promised not to, though, so she didn’t. Instead, “After the universe was reborn,” she said, “how did your son fare?”

Bowser looked surprised at the question. “He, uh, fared fine. He’s lucky he didn't get hurt, from what I heard. Though” — Bowser frowned — “there’ve been nightmares. And some art. Of vents or somethin’, I dunno; he won't let me see any of it. Don't blame him, though; I shouldn't have lost track of him near the end of all that. ” Bowser’s face twisted into something guilty. “Gonna be keeping a better eye on him from now on, for sure,” he muttered, crossing his arms and looking off in the direction of the playground, where the Luma was cheering as Bowser Junior scaled the jungle gym. “We’ll get through this, and then I’m not losing him like that ever again.”

Rosalina hummed. She hadn't been sure about what Bowser’s answer would be, but the one she heard at least assured her that Bowser Junior was in good hands, and would continue to be so after he fulfilled his end of their promise.

“Dad!” Bowser Junior called from atop the jungle gym. When Bowser didn't move within milliseconds, he called for him again. And again. And —

“Alright, alright, I'm coming!” Bowser yelled back, amused. Without a second glance to Rosalina he ambled toward the playground with large steps. When Bowser Junior shouted at him to hurry up, Bowser smirked and all but stopped moving. He laughed at the resulting groaning about it, grin widening as said groaning turned into laughter of its own. As he walked further away, Rosalina tuned out the rest of his and his son’s exchange. With one eye kept on the playground, Rosalina sat back and resumed feeding her birds.

[the-consortium]

Excuse Me? Mr. Saqqura? I have a question. Do you feed Tnzettchian daemons your summon that are more bird like soul birdseed?

The light in Saqqara's part of the old Eldar palace seems even slower and lazier than in the other towers and halls. He has made himself at home in a spire a little way off, towering high above the arboretum. A thin, bone-bleached pinnacle, it sways gently in the non-wind of the old world like a blade of stone grass. Far on the horizon, one of the frequent dust storms clenches its fist and slowly strives up the edge of the sky. Over the ground-level landing bays, the heavy plasteel gates grind shut.

With sparing movements, the Word Bearer arranges a tea set. Pours some mint syrup into two small cups that would not be large even in human hands, but are no more than a thimble for an Astartes.

He pushes aside a couple of pages with notes that are obviously not written by him, but are concept drawings for an improved Narthecium that Arrian is working on with Tzimiskes.

The leaves he puts into the cups give off a spicy, slightly disconcerting smell. Whatever the plants are, this is no ordinary tea. He pours the mixture from a pot decorated with intricate silver ornaments that are very disturbing at second glance. Turns over a small hourglass and then sits down again cross-legged.

He makes a welcoming gesture with his hand and then pats a particularly large bottle that is standing on a little bench next to him.

"Splinters of Tzeentch live very well here with the Consortium. In, well, nature, if you want to put it that way … in the wild? … they feed on confusion, convoluted plots and madness, of course. But here on Urum, dozens of the galaxy's greatest medical geniuses have come together and are constantly busy trying to be better than their brothers and cousins. They team up, fall out, try to set traps for each other, write treatises so complex that most people go insane trying to read them. The Chief Apothecary is very insistent that his students regularly publish their work, even if it's next to impossible to get any medical journals in the Eye. He calls it an old Terran academic tradition. So I'm more concerned with making sure my slivers of Tzeentch don't get too fat than getting them food. So, to get back to the question - no, I don't need bird food. Feeding them is not a problem at all. There are other difficulties, though. I just had to stop Herik the other day from taking one of the more bird-like demons and doing gods knows what with it. Emperor's Children are weird sometimes and Herik's obsession with birds is disturbing."

The last of the sand has run through the hourglass and Saqqara reaches for the two small mugs. "Tea?"

[fandomn00blr]

sappy prompt for you - "a bowl of soup" and "heart eyes" for anders/fenris?

Auggghh...they are just the most sappiest, aren't they?! Thanks for this! I really enjoy any excuse to get these two arguing about food...because yes, that's what this is really about. Just the soup. That's all... ;)

(Oh, and FYI, this is set in my retro-modern-futurish y2k post-apocalyptic zombie Dark Sprawl AU, but all anyone really needs to know is that Link=Mage, Facility=Circle, and uhh, Justice is benevolent malware...yeah, that should clear everything up!)

"Awwww…” Anders fawns over the steaming bowl of soup Fenris has just placed in front of him on the island where he’s currently perched, looking absolutely ragged after another double shift at the clinic. “You cooked…for me?"

"It's soup. I just opened a can and put it in a bowl and microwaved it."

"That's three whole steps more than you're usually willing to take in order to feed yourself!" Anders exclaims. “I’m quite flattered.”

“Don’t be. You look like shit. It literally is the least I could do…”

Anders seems unfazed by this as he takes a big slurping spoonful of the soup. "Ow!” He spits it back into the bowl. “Fuck…too hot still…"

Fenris doesn’t even bother trying to stifle his chuckle. "Try blowing on it next time, maybe?"

"Thanks for the tip.” Anders smirks. “Not sure I fully trust it coming from someone who only eats seeds and berries and other random things gathered from the forest for every meal, though."

"I'll have you know that I can cook."

"Oh?"

"Yes…” Fenris eyes him suspiciously for a moment, then his face softens a little as he explains, “It used to be a hobby of mine. Back when I had half-way decent ingredients available to work with…"

"Back in Tevinter, you mean?"

Fenris nods. But doesn't say any more than that. Which Anders has learned through trial and much error to take as a sign that he's getting dangerously close to poking at something painful. He's trying to be better about not prying too much, though it's hard for him, and for Justice, not to demand to know more about what, or who, made him want to leave such a marvelous-sounding place where Links aren’t all just rounded up and institutionalized and there are apparently enough fresh ingredients available to inspire even Fenris to take up cooking. For fun!

"Well, you've just got to be a little more creative here in perpetually post-apocalyptic Kirkwall," he says, trying to veer around it without completely changing the subject of Fenris’ cooking skills.

"Creative?” Fenris snorts. “You mean like Merrill? Bio-engineering chickens and hacking fruit trees to grow and thrive where they've no business doing so?"

Anders grimaces. "I try not to think about all of that when she gifts me a basket of fresh produce or delicious jumbo eggs. But if you're so dead set against using her stuff, I'm sure there's plenty of ingredients to be scavenged from the pantries of these abandoned estates."

"Years past their expiration dates, I'm sure," Fenris scoffs.

"Oh, c’mon! Most of those dates were just made up to get people to keep buying more!”

"I don't know if that's entirely true…"

"Fine. Continue eating your boring birdseed, then, while I enjoy these supposedly 'expired' canned goods." Anders takes another, more cautious slurp of his soup and finds it to be less scalding, at least.

Fenris watches him swallow it down with a forced smile. "You're not exactly selling it."

"It's not…the worst soup I've ever tasted. The stuff at the Facility was always watered down and flavorless, like they thought we might somehow be able to channel our connectivity through salt or seasoning and escape via our taste buds. This at least tastes like…something…"

Fenris grabs a spoon from the silverware drawer and pulls the bowl of soup across the island to himself with a frustrated huff. He dips into the bowl and tastes it, frowning.

"Needs more acid…" he mutters as he turns and heads back into the pantry.

He returns with a bottle of some dark liquid with a fancy-looking label in Tevene and drizzles it over the top in an effortless spiral, then passes the bowl back to Anders.

"Try it now." He steps back, bracing himself against the sink, and Anders can't help but appreciate the expectant look in his eyes. He seems to have stumbled upon something here. A hidden passion maybe, and the fact that Fenris is willing to share it with him…well, best not get ahead of himself. It's just a bowl of soup, right?

"What is it?" Anders asks, trying to temper the unexpected flood of fondness he’s feeling with a bit of feigned skepticism and his usual sarcasm. “Arsenic? Cyanide? Deadly nightshade?”

"Balsamic vinegar…very well aged," Fenris snorts, exuding so much smugness at his own terrible culinary joke that Anders now fears he may have unwittingly unleashed a monster.

He mixes it into the soup and tries another spoonful.

"Better?" Fenris asks, looking downright impatient now for his opinion.

"It's good," Anders drawls. But he can’t seem to resist the opportunity to needle him a little. "I think you could balance it out with something creamy…got any powdered milk?"

Fenris makes a disgusted face. "Powdered milk?!" He throws his hands up in dismay. "Are you deranged?"

"Creative…not deranged." Anders laughs. Maybe he is deranged. Or perhaps it’s the exhaustion hitting him now, or the relief he feels here, in Fenris’ ridiculous mansion, of all the places he could’ve ended up tonight…but seeing Fenris, who is normally so measured and stoic about everything, react so dramatically to a bad recipe idea makes him finally just lose it.

“What is so funny, Link?” He hears Fenris catch himself saying it, and he hears the hesitation in the softness of it. He hears him try to sharpen it awkwardly just at the end, too, but it's too late. Anders already knows it’s become a sort of pet name to him.

"It’s just…” He won’t mention the slip up. Not yet. It’s a bit too new and precious to him still. But Fenris is watching him with such heavy expectation again, so surely the situation calls for some kind of teasing? “Fenris…” he breathes, trying to draw it out a little bit longer.

“What is it?”

“I guess...I just didn't realize..." Fenris leans a bit closer, his eyes growing even wider with anticipation. "I had no idea you were such a foodie!”

Anders grins cheekily. And he’s pretty sure Fenris knows exactly what he's doing judging by the annoyed face he makes. But spite is a heck of a motivator…

“If Merrill has any interest in raising goats and making cheese from their milk, I may be persuaded to change my stance on her methods,” he tells him.

Anders can't help looking at him now with all the affection he's been trying to keep in check. “I’ll…be sure to let her know."

😍<- Anders (ok, me), at the thought of having Fenris and Merrill collaborate on a rotating dinner party schedule...

[pohlepen]

"I had thought that we might feed the birds together." Morpheus is almost shy about it. His hand is very cold in hers. [ silly little picnic date... not that he. will eat anything. but you know. ]

       for a second, she is so touched by the simplicity of his words that she has to stifle the sudden swell of emotion at the base of her throat.  if she speaks now, thanks him for such a thoughtful day, her voice will crack.  words will waver.  and why the fuck would that happen?  how would that do anything but drive an awkward, unpleasant wedge between them?  how would she explain it to him that no one before has ever cradled her heart so gently, and that's why she's so HURT BY IT.  it's a good hurt.  a hungry hurt.  she wants him with such enormity that it skips the beats of her heart, steals the air from her lungs.  but sheepish animosity flashes quick behind the dip of vulnerability in her mind, it drives blades through her prayer palmed want.

              (    stupid girl.  stupid, careless woman.  these things are not meant for you and you know that    )  :   here they are in front of her, all the same.

       a handful of birdseed is tossed to the grass as a wanted distraction.  one pigeon has a painful limp, a funny little walk that tells of a fast car and fluttering wings and human carelessness.  she's fed it before, on the bench beside her, from her palm.  she'd named it once when she'd seen it on an early morning walk of shame, still drunk or high and fucked up from the hours before.  it’d cooed and offered her much needed company for a few minutes.    ❝   we should bring that one some fries,  ❞    somber, realistic, she squeezes morpheus’ fingers a little tighter.    ❝   then it can die fat and happy and…  ❞    does it matter?  does he care?  is she talking about stupid trivial human things too much?  why does being around him drive such insecurity within her?  a sick pigeon, in the scheme of things in the scheme of his things, is a splinter in an abyss.  he has more to worry about than she can understand, and it makes her feel small.    ❝   are you sure you're gonna be warm enough?  ❞     his hand is brought up to her mouth, sandwiched by her own, and she exhales a warm breath onto his frigid skin.  lips brushing softly against the tips of his fingers, it’s more an act of comfort for her than him.

@formshaper / dream and frankie go on a cute date ♡

[2n2n]

some favourite tsukasa illustrations by aida?

we need to omit the entire manga or I'll be here all night....

I like whenever Tsukasa is focused, concentrated, or curiously/quietly observing something... this illustration is one of my favorites

feeding warbling white-eyes/メジロ (a bird often depicted in springtime imagery in Japanese art)... eating birdseed....

I love this precursor to a header, where he's quietly focusing, cutting out fake sakura petals out of paper

I don't think this aspect of Tsukasa is something everyone thinks about.... he likes to do katanuki, he likes to build playing card towers, he likes to put together puzzles.. meticulous quiet tasks that take a long time captivate Tsukasa.

when Tsukasa is REALLY stimulated, sometimes, he gets quiet, like this illustration. very good illustration so funny...

or this illustration where Tsukasa is trying to wait for the mail like a good boy and not get distracted... or the radio show illustration where he's holding an Amane plushie

I like illustrations that show his more often empty little shy stare... hiding behind something, clutching something... Tsukasa tendencies. hug hug hug...

again, not a way people really... conceptualize Tsukasa. Feels very small, very otouto.

Illustrations I think about a lot bc they are sooo funny so funny

straw doll awaiting to be nailed by Amane, couldn't be more delightful, blankly correcting Mitsuba that he is a doll, fsr chasing him around, peak Tsukasa shenanigans moment

boy announcing I HAVE A PRESENT FOR THE GOOD BOY AMANE WHO KILLED ME! soooo funny so funny. Amane IS the very good boy who killed you! It's fuckin funny Tsukasa thinks of him as 'good boy' because Mokke santa IRREVOCABLY!! sees him as naughty bad boy.

a big resounding hurrah for peaceful corpse Tsukasa in Hell of Mirrors illustration

an honorable mention to. this image i think about a lot because it feels like. designed to aggressively make you think about blowjob. Aaaa the oral fixation otouto

[tahojiki]

Atau Rindo headcanons *ﾟ⁠+˖⁠♡

✧ author's note: it's my first time writing HCs and my first time writing after such a long time, apologies if it's a bit mehh.. (English isn't my mother tongue so apologies for any wrong wording and such,,,) however I hope you still enjoy reading this !! Also I'm in dire need of more Atau content,,,

✧ cw: fluff | (real real tiny) of suggestiveness | just short hcs of Atau himself + with s/o | just Atau being an overall sweetheart 🫶

☆ He would definitely be the type of person to just carry pet food with him each time he goes out just in case he runs into strays or any other lucky animal (I just know he'd have at least a couple stashed inside the pockets of his apron). And he definitely feeds and pamper the animals in the 7th Division's garden.

☆ He loves all sorts of animals; all of them tbh if not nearly all of them. And they love him too, he's an animal magnet. (Have you seen how he's just completely surrounded by all those animals in that one panel 😭 boy's having the time of his life). He especially has a special affinity with birds, they're always just hanging about on his shoulder, hand and hair almost all the time.

☆ Might even get a bit silly with it and just smother himself in birdseed just to get completed engulfed by them lmao

☆ He's an absolute nerd about animals I'm sure. Probably has an entire collection of encyclopaedias of em in his room. Can probably at least name god knows how many species of each animal. (kid me would be friends with him for sure).

☆ His phone wallpaper, lockscreen, phone case, phone charm are animal themed. He's a silly but unhinged fan of animals in a sane way ??

☆ He would definitely !!! buy matching animal themed items for his s/o !!! Matching whale plush? Matching frog mugs? Matching cat coasters? Even the littlest of things,,, if it's cute and comes in matching pairs? Oh.. he's easily sold. Actually scratch that you'd have to restrain him a little from buying so many animal themed stuff, he just can't help himself.

☆ The type to take his s/o out on dates to aquariums, animal themed cafés, petting zoos, etc. Maybe even paint bird feeders together for the birds in the 7th Division's garden !!

☆ He's a polite lil fella. An absolute sweetheart. Would be the type to call his s/o all sorts of words of endearment. Is the type to kiss the back of his s/o's palm. Heck, he'd kiss away at his s/o's every part. Forehead? Nose? Neck? Shoulders? Every part honestly. He just wants his beloved to feel loved and cherished in every part.

☆ He'd get a bit bold to softly bite or nip at your skin out of playfulness or out of affection. He loves your little jolts whenever he bites or nips at you a little too hard ;>

[gentlelime]

He is like a baby bird to me I need to feed him birdseed by hand and touch his wings

[lovelysecrettriumph]

About a year ago, I found a baby pigeon under a freeway overpass. It was in the gutter, unable to get over the curb to safety. The cars were passing close and fast, but I was able to pick it up and wrap it in my hoodie to keep it warm. I called Mom and she said to bring her the bird. So I rode two city buses for an hour and a half, counting wait time. I got some funny looks at my moving, shrilly squeaking hoodie in my arms. I just told everyone, including the suspicious driver, that it was a baby pigeon and I was taking it to a vet. No one argued. When I arrived at Mom's apartment, she had a nest ready and waiting. We started the baby pigeon on electrolytes, crushed bananas and birdseed. After telling her friend about the bird, her friend ordered a bag of baby pigeon formula on Amazon. This seemed to be just the thing that bird needed. Mom fed it every two hours, day and night. It grew fast. She took some persuading to name it, but we finally agreed on the name Kismet, because it was both the pigeon's and our good fortune that I found it. At this point, we were guessing it was a male. Also, his right foot was badly deformed. It's a standing theory that this is why he was pushed from the nest. Anyway, we got busy getting to know our newest little friend. Mom ordered some pigeon diapers from Amazon (yes, they exist) and got him used to wearing them outside of his cage. For a year, we got more and more bonded to him, and in return, he got more and more bonded to us. He would amaze us now and then with his curiosity and intelligence, but the biggest surprise was yet to come. One morning, Mom got up to feed Kismet and found an egg in the cage. Turns out Kismet is a girl! We did not change her name. Mainly because she already knew that as her name, but also, it is a gender neutral name. Anyway, she's still living her best life in my mother's apartment. I visit Mom and the bird quite frequently, and I have never loved a bird more than her.

[cagesings]

 @luckhissoul​  sent:  “  i  don’t  know  what’s  wrong  with  me.  “

 she  tosses  in  birdseed  between  the  bars  of  the  cage,  though  pauses  at  his  words.  johanna  told  him  that  she  needs  to  feed  her  birds  and  she  won’t  deprive  them  of  their  seed  even  if  he  was  here,  although  spoken  much  more  gently  than  that.  she  watches  as  her  larks  flock  to  where  she  poured  their  meal.  her  own  fingers  sticking  through  to  stroke  their  feathers.  she  should  turn  around  to  look  at  mr.  cauthon,  yet  she  can’t.  his  words  hit  some  sort  of  especially  soft  place  in  her  heart.  an  ache  that  burns  through  flesh.  she  doesn’t  know  what’s  wrong  with  herself  to  make  god  cast  her  away  so.  she  doesn’t  know  what  she  did  wrong  to  be  locked  inside  her  room.  

 ❝  i  don’t  think  there’s  anything  wrong  with  you,  ❞  johanna  says  at  last,  glancing  down,  but  not  back  at  him.  ❝  except  for  the  fact  that  you  demand  to  sneak  in  here  every  so  often.  that,  you  should  absolutely  not  be  doing.  but  it’s  not  wrong  of  you.  it’s  not  as  if  you’re  doing  something  terrible,  unless  you  get  caught.  the  judge  won’t  be  very  happy  with  you.  you  would  be  lucky  to  be  thrown  in  prison.  you  could  be  lucky  to  be  hanged.  ❞  johanna  doesn’t  know  what  her  own  personal  punishment  would  be  if  the  judge  found  out  she  willingly  let  a  member  of  his  staff  inside  her  room  when  she  isn’t  allowed  to  even  talk  to  him.  mr.  cauthon  doesn’t  need  to  know  about  that  side  of  the  problem.  ❝  i  suppose,  everyone  has  something  wrong  with  them,  but  you  sound  as  if  it’s  a  horrible  weight.  i  think  you’re  a  good  man.  ❞