#if I squeezed him he’d squeak like a squeaky toy <3 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

imagine-your-love-story · 3 years ago

Note

Hey you. I had to borrow this hack job of a messenger droid, but I needed to message you. Needed to remind you I was thinking of you. I can’t say I’m surprised this bounty is taking me away from you for longer than I originally planned. I knew he’d be a challenge when I got the puck. Still, every second I’m not on his trail, you know my thoughts are on you, don’t you? I can’t wait to turn this ship back to you soon. And I promise I’ll make it worth the wait.

(WHOEVER SENT THIS, I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!!!!)

Blowing a kiss to the stars for my man, Din!! 🥰🥰🥰

('cause i'm feelin' kinda shy idk I put a little reply message below the cut)

Message 1:

When you get back, I'm hugging you for twelve hours straight. Non-negotiable. Just so you know :)

Message 2:

I found a toy frog for Grogu to play with during bath time. It squeaks when he squeezes it and he hasn't stopped since. The only regret I have is that I did not purchase a silent toy frog. (Don't laugh! Let's see how long your sanity lasts the next time you take the kid on a road trip and the squeaking never stops.)

I'm telling you this because I wish you could see how happy he is right now, splashing away in the tub. You always loved giving him baths.

...I'm also telling you this on the off chance that you happen to find a squeaky toy frog during your travels.

We don't need two squeaky toy frogs in this house, Din.

Don't even think about it.

P.S. We don't need THREE OR MORE squeaky toy frogs in this house either!

Message 3:

I didn't want to say anything, didn't want to make you feel worse about being away. But I know you. You'd want to hear it. All of it.

I miss you at night the most. It's lonelier. Quieter. Too much time to think. It makes me remember all the little moments throughout the day where I turned to tell you something and you weren't there. I never sleep on your side of the bed, in case you come home early so there's always a space just for you, waiting.

Sometimes, I worry that you won't come home at all. Not because something might happen to you - although I do worry about that too (all the time, every day). But because you're out there, sailing galaxies, and I wonder if you'll find someone better.

You'd tell me I'm being ridiculous. You'd tell me there's no reason to think that way.

I guess...with you being gone, I realized how lucky I am that you chose me. Because I remember what it was like before you. I thought I wasn't loveable. I thought I couldn't be that special person to someone because I was too much - too bossy, too quiet, too loud, too sensitive - or not enough - not confident enough, not bold enough, not outgoing enough.

Your absence has made me realize how much you fill up the spaces of my life. Every little thing I do, I think of you.

I can't wait for you to come home ♥

#penny's ships #gifts for penny #asks #anonymous

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fluffandlove · 7 years ago

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Demonic Solutions

Author’s note: Not a prompt but ahhhh, this fic’s been in my drafts for sooo long and I finally finished it! Another Kuroshitsuji fic because it’s been ages and I’ve missed writing these two Merry Christmas, everyone!! Even though this is not a very Christmas-y fic it’s still fluffy 8) as fluffy as it can get between Ciel and Sebastian that is lmao

Summary: Poor Ciel is suffering from the hiccups and can’t seem to get rid of them, so Sebastian comes up with a stupid solution: tickling.

Word count: 1,5k

Hic!

If Ciel knew more swearwords he’d most definitely use them, but then again, there weren’t enough swearwords to voice his frustration at this point. He’d had the hiccups for a good fifteen minutes now or so, and was about to lose-his-mind. On top of that, it was almost 12 o’clock, which meant that Sebastian could walk in any minute with his lunch because he and his demon ass were always on time.

Usually, Ciel appreciated his lunch (read: dessert), but he really didn’t want Sebastian to see him like this. He’d probably burst into laughter at the mere sight and make fun of him by saying something as stupid as, “My, my, humans have the most interesting problems.”

A hint of red appeared on his cheeks at the thought of being found out so he slapped his hands over his mouth and nose, holding his breath for the umpteenth time. Though, with his nonexistent stamina and already weakened state, he could barely last ten seconds without losing that battle and slouching in his chair. He’d already gulped down three glasses of water and done a few other things he could think of, but that hadn’t helped either.

Hic! Sigh. Hic!

“Damn i— hic!”

Ciel had jumped up so high that his knee bumped against the desk and he cursed even more, groaning dramatically afterwards, laying his head on the surface, using his arms as a pillow.

It was a lost case. He was going to fucking die of hiccups.

“Young master?”

Excellent timing.

He had three options:

1. Yell at Sebastian to go back to the kitchen.

2. Die.

3. Flush his pride down the toilet and let him in.

Option one wasn’t really an option as Sebastian always saw right through him and would become very suspicious.

Option two was very tempting but alas, Sebastian always sensed it when he was on the brink of death.

And then there was option three.

“It’s time for lunch, young master. You can take a break from work,” Sebastian called out because Ciel was in a heavy debate with himself while he kept his hand over his mouth to muffle the squeaky hiccups that kept escaping. His cheeks were red and hurt due to him clenching his jaw like no tomorrow in a desperate attempt to keep his lips pressed together.

Option 4: Climb out the window and—

… And risk falling down 40 feet, yeah, no.

Besides, it was cold outside.

“Young mas—”

“Yes, Sebastian, I heard you the damn first time!” Ciel barked back, hiccupped and covered his mouth again.

Sebastian was quiet for a good three seconds before he opened the door a tiny bit so he could peek in. “Are you quite alright, sir?”

Ciel glared at him menacingly as if the act of coming in would result in nothing but a slow and painful death. Any other person would’ve gone pale and left him alone, well, any sane person because those eyes were filled with nothing but hatred.

Of course, Sebastian didn’t even flinch and merely looked at him with a hint of concern. “Did something happen?”

Ciel hiccupped in response and shut his eyes, wishing he would just die on the spot. “Damn it.”

“Did you just… squeak?” It was one of those few times where Sebastian was very confused and blinked at him owlishly, pushing the door until he could bring in the small cart and stopping once he’d reached the desk. “Did you swallow one of those new toys we launched the other day?”

“No, you — hic!— idiot,” Ciel huffed and looked at him from the corner of his eyes. “They’re called— hic!— hiccups. Happens to everyone.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard of those,” Sebastian murmured in response and smiled sweetly as if he was very impressed with himself as usual. “Finny’s had them before. There are some ways to get rid of them. Have you tried drinking a glass of water?”

Twitch. “Of course I have, you dumbass.”

“Holding your breath?”

“Yes.”

“Coughing?”

“Yes.”

“Stretching?”

“Yes.”

It was like a tennis match: back and forth, back and forth, until Sebastian finally caught him off guard. “Tickling?”

“What,” Ciel deadpanned, hiccupped and rolled his eyes. “Never mind, it’s hopeless. Let’s just forg— hic!—et about it.”

A blink and then a smirk. “So, you haven’t, I presume? Maybe we should give it a try.”

Apparently Sebastian needed a very clear “No” but Ciel could only hiccup as his butler walked towards him, hands already reaching for his torso. His hiccups started getting more frequent, making him unable to speak coherently and so, unable to give Sebastian an order. He seriously tried to make a run for it, he really did, but his wrist was caught in a tight grip after he had jumped off the chair and was pulled back.

A gloved hand lightly wiggled its fingers against his ribs and Ciel’s froze on the spot, a half-laugh, half-shriek coming out of his mouth. He shut his eyes and bit his lip, not wanting to make any more embarrassing noises and hoping that if he didn’t give in, Sebastian would fuck off.

Ever since that one time Sebastian found out he was ticklish, he just couldn’t stop taking advantage of it for some stupid reason. Sometimes, luckily not often, Sebastian would take his sweet time dressing him, giving the back of his knees a quick scribble, or just accidentally touching his underarms so Ciel would jump away with a noise that was definitely not a squeak. He’d found out pretty soon after they started living together and it was basically another reason for Ciel to hate his ass of a demon butler even more than he already did.

Especially since he had started to find all of his weakest spots.

Like he was doing right now.

Ciel’s knees were becoming very useless, unable to hold his weight as he was slowly sinking to the ground, hugging his torso in an attempt to block Sebastian’s annoying fingers. A mixture of laughter, adorned with high-pitched squeaks, was all he could produce at the moment, stealing his pride.

“St—hic! Sebastian!”

“Still hiccupping, I see,” Sebastian mused, a smirk very evident in his voice. “I’ll have to take drastic measures then.”

That asshole wasn’t bluffing as he let his fingers crawl up to his neck and tickling so very lightly that Ciel literally screamed like a banshee and curled up. He could feel that his lips were stretched into an unusual grin, his cheeks red and endless giggles bubbling in his throat. Kicking his legs with the hopes of hitting Sebastian in the face, Ciel threw his head back and laughed like he didn’t have a single care in the world.

Obviously experienced, Sebastian knew he shouldn’t stay in one spot for too long so he decided to go for his underarms, which resulted in Ciel clamping his arms down and kicking extra aggressively.

“Ihateyousomuch,” was all he could bring out before he laughed even harder, realizing he could’ve used that breath to call out an order.

He was such an idiot. Rolling around on the floor like a dog and making the most inhuman noises every time Sebastian hit a particularly sensitive spot. He couldn’t even crawl away because his muscles had grown weak and, of course, Sebastian made sure to keep him in place with one hand while the other tormented the hell out of him.

“Let me g— Gah!”

“Let you what, young master?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Maybe he should’ve jumped out the window because falling 40 feet and ending up being buried under a pile of snow was better than being tickled to death.

Squeeze. Ciel gasped and covered his face, too embarrassed to face the world because Sebastian had found his sides and was now squeezing like crazy. “Sebastian! I’m not a damn to-toooy! Ah!”

“Trust me, I’m aware of that.”

Couldn’t he take that shitty retort and shove it up his ass instead of keeping him pinned against the floor? Nope, because Ciel literally shrieked as those nifty fingers found his abdomen and softly scratched at the fabric that was dangerously close to riding up, which it eventually did, giving Sebastian better access, and that was the last straw for the smaller of the two to completely lose his mind.

Instead of trying to push him off, Ciel tried to grab his wrists and roll away at the same time, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. Sebastian’s hands would simply follow him while avoiding his grabby hands, as if he could predict every movement.

His laughs were getting wheezy now and apparently that was a sign for Sebastian to stop, so he pulled his hands back and Ciel slumped against the floor, panting like he’d run a million miles.

“Uuugh,” he mumbled and tried to hide the redness on his cheeks. “You’re such a pain.”

“Pardon me, but may I point out that your hiccups seem to be gone?”

Ciel stayed silent for a few more seconds, testing it out and damn everything, they were gone. That bastard had actually been helpful.

“Well, now we know how to get rid of them!” Ciel looked over his shoulder at a beaming Sebastian who looked way too excited about this and now that he could finally coordinate, he kicked him in the shin.

“Asshole.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

#kuroshitsuji #tickling #tickle fic #sebaciel #[If you squint]#sebastian michaelis #ciel phantomhive #my fic #to those who have also read the last 10 chapters of the manga: yes I know LMAO #also I'm trash #I know #100

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ask-joeydrewstudios · 7 years ago

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Henry's Unfortunate Ink-antation Part 3

[submitted by: @the-elusive-blue-skittle]

About twenty minutes later, after Henry has been put back down to nap, two certain toons peek through the doorway to check on their sickly buddy.

“What am I gonna do, Boris? This was all my fault..” “You were just tryin’ to have fun, Bendy. It’s not your fault. If it’s ANYONE’S fault, it’d be Sammy.” “Joey said he’d ‘talk’ to Sammy. I don’t think he’s gonna listen, though..” “Joey has his ways, pal’o’mine. Don’t worry.” Bendy peeks at the sleeping Henry. “Maybe we should come back when he’s awake. He looks pretty peaceful right now.”

Bendy blinks a couple times as a mischievous grin creeps its way onto his face. “I’ve got an idea for one more gag.”

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

Joey knocks on Sammy’s door. The shorter man answers it, removing the cigarette from between his teeth and scowling. “What is it, Joey?” “Oh, not much, Sammy. I’d just like to have a word with you.”

Sammy does NOT like that tone of voice coming from Joey. That could never mean anything good.

Joey leans in close to Sammy’s face, taking the cigarette out of his co-worker’s mouth and snubbing it out on the wall.

“I heard you almost cost Henry his life today.” “W-Well… Him and the others came along and trashed the entire music department!” “That’s no reason to stand around and make fun of a predicament Henry had no control over, Lawrence.”

Sammy backs against the wall of his office, glancing left and right in fear.

“You’d best listen to what I have to say,” Joey starts. “If you keep this up, I’ll show you personally what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. Am I making myself clear?” Sammy gulps. “Y-Yes, sir. Crystal clear….” “Now. Go apologize. Now.” “Y-Yes, sir…”

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

Wally is visibly upset at having to clean up scattered puddles of… Henry. He sticks out his tongue as he polishes the now sparkling-clean floor. He’d been informed by Joey of Henry’s predicament and was warned about excessive toon shenanigans beforehand. Wally just hopes it isn’t contagious, or else he’d be outta there. The young man wipes his brow and leans on his mop, whistling at a job well done.

Across the room, the phone on the wall rings. Being the only one there to answer it, Wally struts over to ask, “Yellow?”

… And is immediately met with loud yelling.

“HENRY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HOME THREE HOURS AGO! ARE YOU KEEPING HIM OVERTIME AGAIN?!”

“Uh, m-ma’am…”

“DO YOU JUST NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES OR- Oh. This isn’t Joey Drew, is it?” “ ‘Fraid not, miss. Dianne, was it?” “Yes. Do you know where Henry is?” “Uh, well… There’s been a bit of a… Situation.” “SITUATION? WHAT SITUATION?!”

“Joey says I’m not allowed to-”

CLUNK. She hung up. Uh-oh.

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

Soon enough, there’s pounding on the front door of the studio. “I’m busy. Can you go answer it, Wally?” “W-Well, Joey, I-” “Can you go answer it, Wally?” Gulp. “Yeah..”

As soon as the janitor opens the door, he’s immediately met with Henry’s angry wife. Wally shrinks back a little as Dianne pushes her way inside, stopping at Joey’s office.

“Mister Joey Drew?” Joey turns around to face Dianne, standing up out of his chair with a small smile. “Well, salutations, Dianne. What can I do for you?”

“Where’s Henry?”

“Ah, uh… It’s a bit hard to explain, really.”

Dianne taps her foot, placing her hands on her hips as she stares intensely at the old man. In the background, one of the toons peeks from around the corner. They’re mostly covered up in a red blanket, and the shadow from the cloth is obscuring the majority of their face. Dianne tilts her head at the unidentified cartoon. They seem to panic and duck back behind the wall.

The woman pushes past Joey and walks toward the hallway to investigate. She turns the corner just as the little toon removes the blanket, not knowing she’s close behind.

“… Henry?!”

Uh-oh. The toon, having been revealed to be just who Dianne is speaking of, makes an attempt to run away, but scutters in place for a second or two before he’s scooped up by the under arms and held out at arm’s length.

“U-Uhh,” Henry stammers, beginning to get a little runny. “H-Hello, honeybun…”

Dianne looks… Terribly confused.

“What happened to you, Hen?” “Well, uh… Ink. Ink happened.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Dianne asks with a stern sort of tone, setting Henry back down on the floor and kneeling to his level. ‘Gee, he sure got tiny…’

Henry rubs the back of his head with a gloved hand, glancing off to the side. He still feels a little woozy from losing so much ink. He stumbles dizzily, holding his head in a hand. “Ooh, golly… I’m dizzy…”

Dianne can’t help but smile at the word ‘golly’ coming out of her husband’s mouth. She sits on the floor and drags her toony husband down, too. “Don’t stand up if it makes you dizzy, hun.”

“Okay…”

Sitting down on the floor across from Dianne, Henry can’t help but feel embarrassed at the way his wife is forced to look DOWN at him. She begins to inspect him closer, pinching his cheeks, brushing his hair, tugging at his clothes, and the like.

“Did you get… Heavier?”

The question causes Henry to get ‘red’ in the face.

“Why would you ask a question like that?!”

“Well, did you?” “No!”

… She pokes his tummy, prompting a squeak from the toon, like a squeaky toy. He gets even ‘redder’ as he protects the area with his noodly arms. Dianne giggles at the sound he produced.

“Okay, I have to admit… That was pretty cute.”

‘Such a cute little expressive voice…’

God, Henry loves her smile. He loves every little thing about her, from the way she does her hair to the way she walks, or the way she giggles at things that aren’t even that funny. Although, being a toon and having made someone laugh, he has to admit… It feels pretty good. A tingly feeling in his chest whenever he has the pleasure to bring someone a giggle, chuckle, or snort.

“Helloooo? Is Henry in there?”

Dianne’s voice snaps Henry out of his joyful trance. He coughs and tugs on his shirt collar, looking away with a nervous smile.

“Y-Yes, pumpkin?”

“Can you still eat regular food like that?” Now that’s a question Henry doesn’t have the answer to. He meekly shrugs, crossing his legs with some difficulty due to their elasticity.

Dianne tilts her head curiously. “So, what’s that like? You sure are… Tiny, now.”

The toon grumbles under his breath, crossing his arms with a pout. “Well… It feels… Funny. Literally. Anything that happens has the potential to end up being funny, and I end up looking for the best possible way to make that happen. And I… I really, REALLY want to run around and cause trouble, REALLY badly, but I know I shouldn’t…”

Henry sighs. “And… I feel really energetic, like my heart’s going a million miles a minute.”

That’s right. The whole time he’s been here with Dianne, not one part of him has stopped moving, going from jiggling his legs to drumming his fingers to even just idly teetering in place.

“I need to get the energy out, but after last time I tried anything and, well… MELTED… I’m kind of scared..”

“Waitwaitwait. You WHAT?”

“Uh… M-Melted?”

Dianne suddenly gives her tiny husband a hefty squeeze, enough for Henry to produce another dog toy-like squeak.

“Don’t you dare scare me like that! Be more careful, okay, pookie?”

“Okay, sweetums…”

Dianne gives her little husband a kiss on the cheek. Henry’s eyes go all lovey-dovey as… Little hearts pop out of his head. He gives a lovesick sigh, clasping his hands in front of his chest. The woman curiously pokes one of the toon hearts floating around her husband’s head, causing it to pop with a small amount of glitter raining down, disappearing just before it hits the floor. Another inky heart takes the popped one’s place.

And the woman thinks it’s absolutely precious.

She scoops Henry up in her lap and kisses all over his face, the spots graced with kisses becoming lipstick stains on the toon’s face. He reacts by going fully limp in her arms as his heart quite literally beats out of his chest, showing through his shirt. How goofy. She smirks playfully as she gives one final, long kiss on his lips.

Or lack thereof.

“Mmmmmmmwah!”

Henry giggles in a dazed manner, with a big, happy grin plastered upon his face. “Well, golly gosh, missus…” He rubs his cheek with a gloved hand. “I feel much better, now…”

“Good,” Dianne replies, giving Henry’s tummy a small tickle, enjoying the lighthearted giggling that ensues.

What is that feeling? Henry’s certainly felt it before, but it’s been so long and so numb that he could hardly tell the difference. The toon tries to get his human wife to stop drumming her fingers on his belly, but he can’t muster up the strength to verbalize his request, only letting out snorts and giggles. The only thing he can do is gently push her hands away with his own.

Dianne takes one of Henry’s hands and studies it carefully. “… So, is having four fingers the same as having five?”

“Gee, I dunno. You tell me,” Henry replies, smirking as he rubs the last of the lipstick stains off his face.

“Well, does it feel funny?” “Mhm. Picking things up is… Hard. I keep dropping stuff by accident.” “Can you take the gloves off?” “Well, the gloves are so that when animating a character, you can always tell where the hands are so they don’t get lost in the body. I could take them off, but I think I’d have to have some sort of gag set up, first. Otherwise…”

Henry tries to pull the glove off, ending in him just pulling at his own fingers uselessly. “Nothing happens.”

“… Weird.” Dianne puts a finger to her chin. “You’re awful fidgety, Hen. Are you bored or something?” Henry meekly nods, not wanting to admit that he’s bored out of his little toony mind. He’s NEVER bored. He always manages to find things to do, but now that there’s not much he can do without screwing it up in some comical fashion, he’s forced to just sit and watch other people do their own jobs. He sighs, plopping his head in a hand.

“Well,” Dianne starts. “I think it’d be fun to watch you run and play with the other toons if it makes you happy!”

It’s embarrassing how being active keeps being brought up as ‘playing’, even though everybody who says it is technically right. Henry looks up at his beloved with wide, excited eyes, the more toony side of his personality coming out of its shell.

“Really? You.. You mean it?” “Absolutely!”

Henry gets excited and hops up to his feet, bouncing in place with a huge smile. “Well, what am I waiting for? Watch and learn, toots!”

Dianne snickers. He’s never called her ‘toots’ before. If this isn’t just the most adorable thing… Though, she’d still prefer the normal, human Henry anytime.

The toon gives his human wife a biiiig kiss before zipping off to find his friends to cause some trouble.

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vivaciouswordsmith · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 3 is up!

This might be the last chapter of Four-Legged Fiend for a couple of days. I’m going back to school tomorrow, and school proper starts next week, so updates will depend on how much down time I have. Anyhoo, you can read it here or beneath the cut. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: The Man from Jersey

Time went by, as it usually did, in uneven lumps.

There were days that had no end in sight, and there were weeks that flew past without either of them noticing. Geoff spent most of his downtime still trying to recruit crew members, though he mostly focused on the demolitions ‘expert’ in New Jersey. Jack was largely uninvolved in that sort of thing and spent his time taking care of their little group. Geoff took care of the business side of things, and Jack made sure they had food, water and shelter. It was how they’d gotten along for years now.

In a matter of weeks, Ryan had outgrown most of the clothes Jack had gotten for them, so all of those ended up in a box at the Goodwill. Jack and Geoff both agreed that although it was rather cute to see him wearing clothes, they should probably wait until he was fully grown to buy more. His fur grew thicker and fluffier as he grew larger and larger, and his muzzle pushed out in a sharp point. The skull markings were even more prominent now, and several people told Jack it made Ryan look eerie. His eyes stayed the same baby blue color, standing out starkly in contrast with his black fur.

They’d poured over breed blogs and websites and Wikipedia pages, but neither Geoff nor Jack knew just what the hell Ryan was, especially now that he was older. The vet hadn’t been sure either, and had wanted them to do a DNA ancestry test, but at the time they could barely afford it. Even though Geoff had warmed to Ryan at that point, he still refused to dip into his precious crew money for the pup.

Then, six months later, a knock sounded at the door. Ryan leaped up from his bed and ran over to the door. His bushy tail wagged furiously behind him while he scratched at the knob. Even though he hadn’t quite entered the ‘teenage’ phase yet, the pup had grown immensely in the half year they’d had him. He was almost a foot and a half tall at the shoulder already. Geoff proudly bragged that he was going to be huge, like, maybe even wolf-sized.

Another knock rapped at the door, and Ryan let out a single bark. That alone was enough to bring Jack running out of the kitchen. Ryan was an unusually quiet dog. It took a lot to make him bark.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” said Jack. Ryan slipped off the door and looked up at Jack. His lips stretched into a doggy grin, and he cocked his head. “C’mon, Ryan, get away from the door.” He nudged the dog aside with his legs, only to have Ryan return and scratch at the door seconds later. Jack sighed and reached for a nearby basket. A well-worn brown and gray cow toy rested on top, and he waved it at Ryan. The dog’s ears stood up straight and his eyes widened. A squeeze of the cow’s squeaker had him eagerly bouncing in place, paws tapping on the tile floor. “Yeah? You want Edgar, buddy?” Jack tossed him as far from the door as possible. Ryan took off after it, clearing the ottoman and knocking a stack of papers off the coffee table in the process.

Another knock sounded, much louder this time, and forceful enough to make the door’s hinges rattle. Jack flipped the safety off on his pistol and pulled the door open.

A young man stood on the other side of the door, fist raised and eyes wide with surprise. “Finally. Jesus.” He let his fist fall and shifted awkwardly in place. “Uh…are you Geoff?”

“No. Geoff’s out right now.” A squeak from behind him made both Jack and the young stranger jump. Jack glanced down and saw Ryan standing directly behind him, Edgar the cow clutched tightly between his teeth. He squeaked the toy again and looked expectantly up at Jack. “Not now, Ryan. Later.” He turned back to the stranger, who slowly stowed his pistol back in his brown jacket. “Are you one of the new recruits?”

“Yeah. I’m Michael.” He held out his hand. “Michael Jones. I’m the demolitions guy.”

The pronunciation of ‘guy’ made Jack’s eyebrow raise. “Wait, you’re the guy from New Jersey? I thought you didn’t want to come down to Los Santos.”

Michael shrugged. “Geoff made an offer I couldn’t refuse, and I thought, what the hell, I could use a change of scenery.”

Jack nodded slowly. “Okay. Guess you’d better come in.” He slid the chain back and nudged Ryan aside with his foot. “Hold on – Ryan, move!” The pup very helpfully did not move at all, and instead sat down at Jack’s feet and squeaked Edgar again. “Okay, fine, you win.” He carefully pried the toy out of Ryan’s mouth and tossed it. The young dog turned tail and bounded over the armchair, giving Jack enough time to let Michael into the apartment.

The young criminal tossed a bulging duffle bag into the corner of the room and flopped down into the chair. He let out a long breath and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“If you’re not Geoff, then who the fuck are you?”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “You’re just now asking this?”

“I’ve been on a fucking plane for twenty hours. Fucking sue me.”

“I’m Jack Pattillo, Geoff’s partner. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you about me.”

Michael shrugged. “He said he had a partner, just never said his name.” He shifted slightly in the chair and glanced around the living room. “So…if Geoff’s out…and you’re Jack…who the fuck is Ryan?”

At that moment, the six-month old pup vaulted over the ottoman and landed squarely on Michael’s lap. The New Jersey criminal wheezed loudly and curled up on himself. He dropped the worn cow toy onto his chest and bathed the demo man’s freckled cheeks with his tongue. Jack ran forward, grabbed Ryan’s collar and pulled him back down onto the floor.

“This is Ryan.” The pup’s ears twitched. He jerked free from Jack, ran over to his toy basket, and upended it. “We’re still working on training him.”

“It’s…all right.” Michael sat up and gingerly smoothed out his jacket and jeans. “I mean, I’m not hurt.”

Ryan ran back over to him and dropped a plastic fish and a torn-up rope toy on top of his squeaky cow, which was still in Michael’s lap. He sat down at Michael’s feet and watched him intently.

“Ryan, Jones is here for business, not to play with you. C’mon, I think you need a time-out.” He pulled open the patio door and whistled. Ryan whined and laid his head on Michael’s knees. “Ryan! Come here!”

“Nah, leave him. I don’t mind. And it’s Michael, not fucking Jones.” Michael rubbed Ryan’s ears and grinned when the pup’s tail wagged and his head lolled. “Wow, he is friendly. What breed is he?”

“We don’t know yet. The vet wants to send his blood in for ancestry testing, but, uh, we can’t really afford it at the moment. Not with all the other shit we’ve had to do.” Jack returned to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. “You want a beer?”

“Yeah, sure.” Michael gently pulled the dog’s chin up and gazed at his skull markings. “He looks kinda like a wolf. You think he might be part wolf? Cause that would be fucking badass.”

“Geoff certainly wants him to be a wolf. He thinks that would give the crew an edge.”

“Plus it would be fucking cool.” Ryan chose that moment to jump into Michael’s lap and start licking his face again. “Holy fuck, man!”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be a great asset.” Still, Jack couldn’t help smiling at the sight. He did so love that pup. He handed Michael his beer, which was made more difficult than normal with the addition of a curious pup sniffing his hand. Michael gratefully accepted the bottle and chugged down half in two great swigs.

The door creaked open, and Geoff walked briskly into the hallway. He stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he saw Michael sitting in the armchair. Ryan jumped up and ran over to him, tongue lolling and tail wagging.

“Michael?! I was just at the fucking airport looking for you!”

“My plane got in forty-five minutes early.”

“And you didn’t think to, oh I don’t know, fucking call me and tell me?”

“My fucking phone died during the trip. What’s with the fucking third degree, anyway? You’re not my father.”

Ryan pawed at Geoff’s slacks, and the criminal finally acknowledged him with a few scratches behind the ears. His scowl flickered for a few moments, and then he couldn’t help but beam down at the happy pup. He moved to sit by Jack, and Ryan wandered back over to Michael and laid his head on his knee.

“Guess I should just be glad you got here in one piece, even if you made me wait at the airport for-fucking-ever.” Geoff dusted off his cuff and gazed intently at the curly-haired youth occupying his chair. “Anyway. Down to business. We’ve thought long and hard about it – ”

Michael and Jack both snickered. Ryan’s ears twitched, and he tilted his head.

“ – Shut up, dickheads. Anyway, Jack and I thought about it, and, well, we’re willing to offer you a place to stay while you try our little crew on for size. We, uh, have jack shit to offer at the moment, but-”

“Are you kidding? I blew everything I had just getting here. I don’t care if I have to sleep on the fucking floor, I’d much rather have a roof over my head.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to sleep on the floor here,” said Jack.

Geoff waved a hand dismissively. “You’ll get your own room, don’t worry.”

Jack looked at him. “We have an extra room?”

Geoff elbowed him in the side. “Yes, we absolutely have an extra room.” Michael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “But, uh, with your help, and if any of the other assholes I’ve talked to actually show their faces, we should run this town this time next year.” Ryan yipped and pushed his nose into Michael’s hand. “And, fuck, Ryan likes you, so I’m optimistic.”

“I thought Ryan liked everyone.”

“Oh believe me, there are people he absolutely does not like,” said Geoff. “If the vet had a dollar for every time Ryan’s bitten him, he’d be a fucking millionaire.”

“So, uh, why do you guys have him, anyway? Is he an attack dog? Does he know how to break down doors or some shit?”

“That’s still a work in progress,” said Jack. “He’s…a little contrary.”

“He knows one trick.” Geoff sat up straight and slapped his legs. “Ryan! Hey, Ryan!” The pup’s ears perked up, and his tail wagged madly. “Go to the fridge and get me a beer!” Ryan bounded through the living room and into the kitchen.

“Can he really fetch beer? This dog’s fucking amazing!”

Ryan reentered the room. A silver can was clutched between his teeth, which he promptly dropped in Geoff’s lap. “See? He’s such a good boy.” He popped the tab, and a wave of brown froth burst from the top and drenched his slacks. “Fucking fuck! These were brand new.”

“That doesn’t look like beer,” said Michael.

Geoff blinked and inspected the can. “Goddammit, it’s a Diet Coke.”

Ryan sat at Geoff’s feet and beamed at him.

“Like I said, it’s a work in progress. He is still a puppy,” said Jack. “Plus he doesn’t know how to read.”

“Well, A for effort, I guess.” Geoff patted Ryan’s head and stood. “Sorry about, well, everything. I swear to God, once the other assholes answer my fucking phone calls, we’ll be on top of the world.”

“Just give me shit to blow up and I’ll be a happy little boy.”

Geoff grinned. “I think we’ll get along just fine, Michael Jones.”

#trying to keep these simple #we'll see how that goes #i like to complicate things #look! a plot!#More of the crew will come in #plus another time skip #And all that adorable wolfie goodness :3 #wolf!ryan au #wolf ryan au #achievement hunter #fanfiction #a03

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