#if she was a rat she would have rabies

[cosmicpoutine]

changing art styles to fit the current obsession. my precious little angry rat robot girl

[robin374]

alastor x daughter reader angst If you do, you will be very happy. The reader does not know that he is his father and when he finds out, Alastora will be very angry. PLSSSS

ehem thanks <3

𝔊𝔢𝔱 𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔢

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯 : Alastor x Reader, platonic

𝔑𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔰: Hola. I got too carried away sorry if it's too long. BRUH I JUST FINISHED AND I PASSED THE WORD LIMIT, let me just do a part 2 LMAO

Back when you were alive, you were an orphan. You couldn't remeber who your parents were, but you were angry. You were angry at everything and everyone, if they didn't love you when you were born why didn't they kill you? Was it necessary to abandon you? You didn't want to meet them and start over again as a happy family like your friends at the orphanage dreamed. You wanted to meet them so you could make sure you never talked to them again. Then, when you died, you wandered around Hell. You didn't exactly have a house, you just strolled around the city, maybe even killing someone to let your rage out. For someone who had deer resemblace you were quite agressive, to be honest.

You had died young, in your 17th birth to be exact. You bumped into a group of drunk men, they were drunk enough to pick a fight against whoever crossed paths with them, and you happened to be there. You just didn't survive. You may had born crying knowing nothing about life, but you died with that youth rage and you blamed it on your unknown parents.

One day, you were sitting on the floor reading a book you stole time ago when someone stopped in front of you. You didn't lift your head, you just flicked your gaze to the black dressing shoes and red pants that the person was wearing. "What do you want." You didn't ask, you demanded. "I...I have been informed that you were alone and homeless. So, I've decided to give you a room at my hotel, The Hazbin Hotel!" It was a girl's voice, the Princess of Hell's voice. You recognized her from seeing her singing around the streets not long ago. "Why would I want to go there?" You asked closing the book and putting it inside your bag. "It's just a hotel with a porn star and a pathetic victorian snake. I would prefer to sleep next to a rat with rabies than that, so, thank you but no, thank you." You started to walk away from her, you didn't even want to see her face. You knew you just had been mean to Lucifer's daughter, but she didn't even seem like it. You scratched a spot near your antlers, since you became a demon you didn't manage to get used to them. Then, a shadow appeared out of nowhere and it transformed into a tall man, who smiled at you.

"Now, that's not the best way to talk to someone, sweetheart." He said, his voice was accompanied with a stereophonic effect, it sounded like the radio you used to have in your room when you were alive. "Do I know you?" You said as you straightened your back to look more challenging. He just laughed, which clearly offended you a bit. "You should."

How did he manage to smile for so long? You couldn't remeber the last time your lips drew a genuine smile on your face. You were always with a frown on your face, angry, furious. "You seem to be quite the rebel, aren't you?" He said and before he ruffled your hair you flinched away. "Don't touch me." You hissed. "Ooh the fawn is angry," he laughed causing you to frown even more. "Where is your mother? Did a hunter shoot her?" He smiled even more -if that was even possible- you clenched your teeth and your ears curved downwards, you were trying so hard to not to hit him right then and there, who did he think he was? "Okay, let's calm down. How about you come to my hotel, stay one night and then you decide if you want to stay or not?" The princess smiled, her smile was kinder. You scoffed, "if that means that you won't bother me anymore, alright." They started walking down the street with you, it was the first time you walked with someone by your side. You expected it to be a silent walk but you were wrong, the blonde girl talked you about how she planned to redeem a lot of demons when she got the proof that they were able to do it.

While you were walking up the hill that led to the hotel, your gaze fell on the radio tower coming out of one side. You didn't pay attention to the strange Zeppelin or the huge letters that spelled 'Hazbin Hotel' you just looked at the radio tower. You heard a radio static near you, you didn't pay attention to it though, thinking that it was the coming for the tower. Once you were inside, you were greeted with more people that you thought. Of course, the porn star Angel Dust was there and wasted no time in flirting with you not even knowing you gender. "Oh you're the quiet type? Let me see what that mouth does, pretty please." He pouted and you raised your brow. If that was what he wanted, he would get it. "Get the fuck away from me." You said, shoving him away. Then, you heard a deep chuckle and you turned to your side, you noticed a black cat with wings laughing at the white spider. He had a bottle in his hand. Charlie, made you greet everyone there, but her brows frowned in confused way the moment she didn't find someone called Nifty.

You were about to walk towards the bar when you hit something with your foot. You heard a high pitched voice laughing and telling you to hit her again. You stepped back from the small woman with a scared face and your ears curved downwards. "Hi! I'm Nifty, I clean." She quickly climbed up your body and stopped at your face, her big eye looking intensely at you, you swore she could read your mind. "You are very young to be dead, what happened to you? Oh! What's your name?" She shook you, she was surprinsingly strong considering her small body. "Tell me everything." She growled. "My name's Y/N." You said, and ignored again the radio static, had it been sounding this whole time?

After greeting everyone, you told Charlie that you wanted to rest and she showed you your room. You closed the door and let your body fall in the bed. Even though you didn't want to admit it, you had the feeling that this couldn't be as bad as you thought. It had an old-fashioned aura that made you feel at home, somehow. You hadn't felt like this for a long time, you were always running away from demons that wanted to kill you, harass you, make a deal with you... You were at peace here.

PART 2 HERE

I AM SO SORRY

[exotic-dinostuff]

CD!AU [remastered]

I think Uzi should be a bat like, flying fox, giant gold-crown, just like a REALLY BIG bat and khan could be a rat- I mean a rat

I'm tempted to make him a termite/beaver because he builds stuff y'know or a bear. His original form was a bear and nori was also a bat so they look quite similar in some way

Take the AS like rabies, absolute rabies XD

I have no plans yet BUT. The AS is a virus from the machinery that where stuck on to the animal subjects who would also have to have a virus in them already for the AS to take over them, like a parasite, as the humans try to make Intelligent life forms from these animals cybernetically allowing a lot of them to speak, like Alice, nori and yeva, Khan, a lot of other worker critter drones, cyn however is like considered defect despite showing signs of be extremely intelligent, she doesn't speak with her mouth, she just talks though a voice box wired to her head. Giving her that signature monotoned voice we love, shes also considered very fragile because she's also a small animal, until Tessa found her

Cyn built up with all that anger and the AS virus inside, mutated into some monster and ran around the Elliot's manor killing everyone,

She's also somewhat related to N, both being in the Mustelidae family

Nori and yeva both also have the virus in them, then passed on to their children, Nori's virus being more crazy and yeva's being mostly controlled really well, that trait of subduing the virus gave Doll an actual chance in controlling it more easily than Uzi ever will, because nori, like nori went wild with it. Getting both of them in trouble and getting thrown into lockers

Alice doesn't have the AS virus but she's there with them also, one time she stood a little too close to nori and she bashed her head into a nearby wall, she's fine but a little crazier after

[icarusredwings]

Trash kitties

Thinking about Kid Wade needing a rabies vaccine because he finally caught that "Trash kitty" that keeps dumping their trash cans out back but it bit the shit out of him.

"...Kitty? Ow.."

"Ow? Why ow bu- HOLY SHIT What did you do!?"

"... trash kittys is mean.."

"You were playing with the stray mama cat again? I told you that she-"

"Nooo. Not a kittycat. A trash kitty. They steal trash."

"A raccoon? Wher- whe- How the hell did you get ahold of a racoon!?? This is new york!! The racoons are bigger then most dogs!! No offense mary-"

The dog scoffs and walks off with her rat like tail up.

-----

So now- here they are- Sitting in the car infront of the doctors and Wade is dead silent, Clinging to Fluffy the Wolverine like his life depends on it, colorful bandaids all over him and his arm wrapped in gauze. What ever Wade do to this poor raccoon? It wasn't going without a fight. Logan only guesses that he was trying to bring the raccoon home but failed.

He takes a deep breath "Now, Wade? You need to behave in here. No hurting anyone, okay? They just wanna help."

He just turns to him with this big, terrified, teary eyes. "Is it gonna hurts!?"

"A tiny bit."

"A tiny bit..? How tiny?"

"Do you know when Puppy puts her nails on you? On accident? Cause puppys can't put their claws inside like kitty?" He says, calm and holding his hand.

Wade whimpers, sniffles and nods, and is absolutely afraid of the shot that was about to happen. "Yes.."

"Well? It hurts a tiny bit like that. And you have to be good. Got it? Give me your baby knife."

He looks at him, suspicious, scared and shocked. Kitty has never taken his baby knife from him before but hesitantly, slowly he hands it over, letting it over over Logans firm open hand, pulling it back to his chest defensively.

"Your gonna give it back?"

"Ill give it back. I pinky promise. But sometimes when you're scared you make bad choices with your baby knife."

"... is kitty gonna hurt let them me...?"

Logans heart shattered, because unfortunately the awnser was yes. But he had too. For Wade's own saftey.

"No, no! Well-... uugh.. yes? Just a little bit. And I'll be right there. Kitty has to get a shot, too. You know that? A-and if you're good, I'll give you ice cream!" He adds quickly, having seen the way wades eyes were flickering towards the door.

He would bolt if too scared. Especially without his knife. And he wouldn't be found until HE wanted to be found. It was one of Logan's biggest fears. To loose him because he runs off.

"Okay?"

"...okay"

-----

Coming out of the clinic, Wade is skipping, holding a small cherry sucker, Fluffy, And had a new hello kitty bandaid. "That didn't hurt a lot. Just a tiny like kitty says. GASSSP Kitty!! I did good!? I have ice creams now?"

Good.

Groaning, Logan too had a bandaid on his arm, exhausted from all the damage Wade just did. He was so strong. Holding him down that long the best he could was the only thing he could really do, especially with Wade screaming and begging him to let go. Emotionally, and Physically, he was done.

The word made Logan want to laugh in his face. Yeah, sure, if you called 2 broken noses, someone getting an unplanned rabies shot today, another kicked in the stomach and the doctor bit on the arm- then SURE. He was good.

"Look, whatever happens.. Just.. give him the damn booster. Got it? Oh, and gaurd your nose-"

"What?" Said the nurse, only for her nose to be ultimately broken by the end of today, and Logan had to plead with them not to call the police. Thankfully, she was sympathic and didn't, but the conversation stressed Logan out enough for the next 3 days.

"..sure kid.. you did good." He lies, needing a nap and maybe a benadryl. "Hey and no more trash kittys.. okay?"

This was the reality of taking care of Wade Wilson. Trash kitties. Baby knives. And Ice cream.

[honeybeebytheseaa]

Cheese

A fun short story and piece for @encantober-official . I have two more prompts I plan to do, but due to my busy schedule I’m not sure if I’ll get them out on time. For now, enjoy these small pieces!

——

Bruno knew he’d get in trouble for having the rats inside of Casita. Technically, he was an adult now and could make his own decisions. But even at twenty, Bruno struggled to openly speak out against his mother.

Upon noticing their furry bodies along the windows, Bruno’s mama swooped in with her broom and demanded they leave her home. Which was frustrating, because if she didn’t want them inside Casita, mama could just ask them to leave. They are very intelligent creatures, despite what most of his family thinks.

Eventually, try as his mama might: they’d find a way inside Casita. Which was certainly the fault of Bruno. He may have scaled a few walls in the middle of the night (with Casita’s aid, of course) to shift the gutters in just the right direction so the rats could sneak into his room.

Although it might sound odd, Bruno was quite flattered that a few select rats often sought out his comfort. Granted, it was likely because he was the only person in the encanto who welcomed them inside his home with open arms, but it was nice to have some company during his particularly bad nights.

Bruno first met the rats when he was around sixteen. It was three or four in the morning. He was in the kitchen, shuffling through that night's leftovers. He reached out for a thinly sliced piece of mozzarella when he noticed a little ball of gray fur had already taken it.

Bruno wouldn’t lie: he screamed.

He then proceeded to fling the rat across the room. Which he did not mean to do! He meant to fling the cheese and the rat happened to latch onto it.

His reaction was somewhat justified. To his knowledge, they carried rabies and other fun diseases.

But when he realized the creature looked more frightened of him than he did… he felt really bad.

So, he did something that would quickly devolve into a bad habit.

He gently picked it up, set it by the window, and tried to usher it outside. It didn’t leave right away, so Bruno offered it the piece of mozzarella it had been chewing.

He took it from his fingers and quickly scurried into the night. It had worked.

Oh, he means for that one night. For that one night, it had worked. The rat brought back friends the next day.

And of course he fed them, he didn’t want to be a bad host.

Over time, the visits became more frequent. Sometimes they were subtle about it, only coming at night or into Bruno’s room specifically. Sometimes, they didn’t think it through and would visit in broad daylight where Pepa would let out a loud, shrill scream and their mama would come barreling through with her broom.

But as time went on, they’d often visit him during the colder months, seeking shelter from pelting rain storms or the extremely short-lived snowstorms always caused by Pepa. A few of them would show up randomly. As if they just wanted to say hello. Due to these frequent visits, Bruno found himself keeping a lot of cheese in his room. The rats loved cheese. Especially the cheese Julieta would make.

Bruno wished he could invite them into the kitchen for a more diverse palette of snacks, though Julieta would certainly lose her mind. So for now, they had to settle for the selection in Bruno’s room.

Bruno had to be careful about how much he brought inside, as Julieta kept track of her ingredients like a hawk. If she ever noticed something missing, she almost always tracked it back to him. Somehow. With her scary sibling powers or whatever.

Occasionally, Bruno convinces her to slip him a few treats under the excuse of being a ‘growing boy.’ Every time he nearly gets called out on his bluff. Julieta knows he eats like a bird.

Though she won’t turn her little brother down. Bruno knows that.

It all works out. He can bring something nice for his furry friends, and Julieta doesn’t have to waste as much food.

And to be fair, it wasn’t Julieta he had to worry about.

Finding them around Casita was bad enough, but if his mama found he had them in his room of all places she’d likely ground him til’ he was thirty.

And she’d also be able to track the rat infestation back to him. Which would then further his grounding til he is forty.

So for now, they’d stay in his room and only his room. With all the cheese they could ask for.

———

[avoxrising]

The Feral One • Ch 26

Finnick x Y/N

Series Masterlist Link

A second chapter today as promised

Content Warnings - injury, surgery, mention of psych eval

An hour feels like forever as you watch the one you love slowly fade away. You’re passed out again by the time Peeta returns with a medic.

“I could only find one,” he pants, trying to catch his breath. “There were a lot of injuries due to the bombs.”

The medic kneels down to take a look at you. Your blood was still black, worrying the entire group.

“Please,” Finnick pleads. “You have to help her.”

“There aren’t enough of us right now to handle this,” the medic shakes their head. “Half of our unit died to the bombs this morning.”

“Can you radio for someone? Anyone?” Finnick asks.

The medic was able to call for an armored vehicle to come pick you up. They didn’t have any medical supplies but they could drive you to the hospital.

Finnick holds your limp hand the whole way, refusing to let you leave him.

It’s been 12 hours with no news. The doctors immediately rushed you into surgery when you arrived, not even letting Finnick come with you.

Finnick sat alone in the waiting room of the hospital. Peeta had been taken in for a psych eval and Katniss was in the ICU. Boggs was dead, the Leegs were dead, Prim was dead… (Gale was unfortunately not dead)

A gloomy aura hung over the capital that day. The rebels had won but at a high cost. Finnick didn’t know what he would do with himself if you didn’t make it.

“Finnick,” someone states as they nudge his shoulder. The blond looks up to see Johanna in front of him.

“Jo…” he replies. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard what happened…,” she starts. “I needed to be here. They flew me out from thirteen.”

“Thank you,” Finnick hums as his friend sits beside him.

The two of them sit in silence for hours, Finnick periodically dozing off in his chair.

Johanna nudges him awake when the doctor comes out.

“She made it through surgery,” the doctor states, causing the victors to let out a sigh of relief. “She’s in a medically induced coma for the time being. She’ll need to have another operation in a week to remove the mass in her brain.”

“What mass?” Finnick asks.

“The timer…” Johanna mutters.

“We don’t know exactly what it is,” the doctor explains. “We do, however, believe that it’s the cause of her sudden illness. The doctors are in contact with Mr. Latier to devise a safe plan of removal.”

“Can we see her?” Finnick asks.

“I’m afraid she’s in a quarantine until her immune system rebuilds strength,” the doctor responds. “We need to check you for injuries but after I can set up some chairs outside her room for you.”

Physically, Finnick was fine. The doctors gave him some fluids and treated some cuts but released him soon after.

He wanted to help you in any way he could. The hospital was running short on blood so he donated some. Unfortunately it couldn’t go to you but Johanna’s blood was able to.

The doctors did a full body scan on Johanna and determined she was clear of any capital additions, meaning she could donate blood and tissue to you. She spent every moment with Finnick, only leaving to grab him some food.

Mags and Annie called daily from 13 but weren’t able to come to the capital yet. District 13 was working on assigning the victors places to stay in the capital until Snow’s execution but they weren’t ready. There was still a lot of cleanup to do.

Beetee flew in two days before your scheduled surgery. He showed Finnick and Johanna the brain scans and explained in technical terms how they were going to extract it without triggering any reactions.

“My hacking abilities allowed me to gain access to the experiment database of the capital’s military lab,” he explains. “A similar experiment was done on some rats around 60 years ago. Luckily we do not believe removing it will cause any further damage to her system.”

“What was it designed to do?” Johanna asks.

“I believe the experiment was designed to trigger a rabies-like reaction in the subject; resulting in their death. However, I hypothesize that the process did not complete itself in her due to the amount of blood she lost. The reaction is transported via the bloodstream so it ceased when there wasn’t enough blood left to continue it,” he explains. “She’s lucky she got here when she did. The doctors told me they’ve never seen someone that low on blood survive for that long. I’m optimistic that once we gain access to the medical equipment in the military hospital she will heal fairly quickly.”

“Thank you,” Finnick responds.

“We’re victors,” Beetee states. “We look out for each other.”

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[a-killer-obsession]

Safe [Killer x OC Nina]

Commissioned by @dissvicious

CW: third person pov, canon x oc, mentions of drug use, mentions of sex work, drug withdrawal, attempt of noncon, oral sex, handjob, fingering, p in v sex

WC: 8.2k

Masterlist || Comissions Info

When Heat and Wire heard noises coming from the pantry, they expected to find some sort of wild animal, a racoon or rats or maybe even a stray dog. Well, there was an animal, a black cat missing limbs and most of its tail, but the cat wasn't really the cause of the issue. The real problem was the pink haired woman scavenging through the Kid Pirate's food stores, though she looked so feral she may as well classify as a wild animal anyway. Dirty, her clothes torn, her hair messy and overgrown where her style clearly dictated shaving, and pupils blown out from drugs. It was a look they both recognized well from their home island, making the two men exchange a saddened, sympathetic look as the woman looked at them with wide, frightened eyes - yet she continued to tear at her stolen turkey leg, like she was scared she wouldn't get to eat again. It made them wonder how long she'd gone without food, that the presence of two relatively massive pirates didn't deter her.

Her cat stumbling noisily behind her as it tried to shake a jar from its head broke the stand off between the three of them, and Wire was quick to snatch her up. She fought him, of course, trying to beat him off with her weak arms and her turkey leg, to which Wire merely sighed and adjusted his hold on her, tearing the turkey away from her and tossing it aside, much to her dismay. He held her out by the scruff of her shirt as she wildly swung all her limbs at him and growled like a caged cat, unable to reach him with her much shorter arms and legs. She was so small compared to Wire, he'd thought she was a child at first glance, if not for all the tattoos. Heat gingerly scooped up her cat, who was far more friendly than the woman and merely gave a chirp at the sudden abduction, following Wire out of the room to take the two invaders to the boss.

Kid sat in his throne like chair at the head of the dining table, gorging on meat as his first mate stood to his side. He looked up in confusion as he heard the shrill angry screams and familiar calls of “BOSS!” approaching from the hall. Wire dragged the woman in, putting her in a chokehold as she turned her anger on Kid the second she was close enough. ‘Is this love at first sight?’ Kid thought to himself as he watched the feral woman try to fight a man at least three times her size, unarmed but fearless at her captor. He liked a woman with a bit of fire to her, it was more of a challenge. This one was small too, he couldn't help but picture how easy it would be to manhandle her however he liked. He shook his head at the intrusive thought as his pants threatened to get tight. The woman clawed at Wire's arm, leaving deep gashes in his tan skin, but he paid it no mind.

“Found some rats in the pantry,” Wire told Kid in his deep monotone voice.

“I'LL SHOW YOU A FUCKING RAT,” the woman screamed, “GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OF ME YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A BDSM SCARECROW.”

“How the fuck did she get in the pantry?” Killer scowled under his mask, unphased by the slew of insults she continued to throw at them. “Heat, find out who was on watch, have them punished.”

“What do I do with the cat?” Heat asked, shifting awkwardly.

“Drown it or some shit, who cares,” Kid waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the woman screaming in his face. The wave of his hand brought it close enough to her mouth, and she took her opportunity to bite him as hard as she could, sinking her dirty teeth into his flesh. He recoiled his hand quickly, inspecting the deep, bleeding bite. “FUCKING BITCH!” he growled, “you better not have fucking rabies.”

“LEAVE MY CAT ALONE YOU FUCKING PIG FACED CUNT,” she spat at him, “HURT HIM AND I'LL BITE YOUR FUCKING DICK OFF NEXT, AND BURN YOUR STUPID SHITTY CASTLE AND YOUR STUPID UGLY ASS BOAT TO THE GROUND.”

Kid held his hand against the cool metal of his prosthetic to soothe the bite as the woman huffed from excursion in his face, her teeth bared at him like a wild animal. His dick twitched involuntarily at the threats, damn this woman. He leaned back in his chair, looking her up and down, inspecting her. Yeah, she was fuckable, even if she was filthy right now. Best not kill her cat if he wants her down to clown though.

There was something else about her too though, a desperation and a sadness in her eyes that reminded him of a woman he used to know. It made him feel sorry for her, perhaps even a little protective, or maybe just nostalgic. He sighed to himself, he couldn't just have his fun and be done with her, the guilt afterwards would eat away at him if he let a second woman die.

“Lock the cat in one of the spare rooms,” he decided flippantly, “give it a bowl of water or whatever. Food I guess, I don't know, what ever the fuck cats need. Then bring the lookout to me, find out how she got here. There's gotta be a boat or some shit.”

“On it boss,” Heat replied, leaving the room with the cat still in hand. The woman watched him leave, confused. Why the change of heart? She stopped fighting against the man holding her, eyes flicking back to the redhead who was clearly in charge here. He looked… sad? He looked her in the eye, holding her gaze for a moment, like he was trying to see what her true character was, whether she was worth keeping. There wasn't much the woman could do to convey her worth, she didn't feel she had any.

“Calmed down?” Kid asked gruffly. She looked away and stared at the floor, feeling exposed, the fight completely gone from her. Something about his amber eyes had torn the fight away. Maybe it was because she knew she had no chance of surviving these four men, but maybe if she behaved they would at least be gentle. She could only make assumptions about what four grown pirate men would want with her, let alone the rest of the crew she had yet to see. “Good,” Kid continued, taking her silence as an answer. Wire took it as his signal to let her go, but stayed close, in case she angered again. “What's your name pipsqueak?”

The woman stayed silent, staring at the floor. Why did they care what her name was? What did it matter when she was probably just a toy for them anyway, something to be used and discarded without care. “Speak,” Wire insisted behind her, giving her a short shove and causing her to stumble closer to the captain. She turned and hissed at him, before turning back to Kid with a little more fire in her.

“Nina,” she spat.

“Nina,” Kid repeated, like he was testing how it felt on his tongue, “you wanna join my crew?”

“Huh?” Nina huffed, completely thrown off. She hadn't at all expected that. Killer and Wire exchanged a look, it wasn't like Kid to just offer people a place on his crew, let alone so quickly. Then again, they'd both have to be blind to not see the similarities between this stubborn woman and Victoria. Neither was willing to risk Kid's wrath by pointing it out though, so they both held their tongues.

“What, you got a better plan?” Kid laughed, “seems to me that you're all alone and half dead, but you've got some fire in ya, and lucky for you I have a soft spot for basket cases. So you wanna join or what? Or we can just handle you the way we normally handle rats.”

“I… I guess?” Nina replied hesitantly after giving it some thought. It wasn't like she had a lot of choice here. Worst case, at least she'd be alive, she could always run off at the next island. These men were clearly pirates, she'd seen their ship and their jollyroger, they wouldn't stay settled on this island for long. In the meantime maybe she'd at least have a secure source of food and shelter.

“Good choice,” Kid barked, “Kil, get ‘er cleaned up and set. Welcome to the Kid Pirates, pipsqueak.”

Nina stayed in the shower longer than she probably should have, but the hot water felt good against her irritated skin after so long at sea without access to proper bathing. She let the water wash over her as she stood deep in thought, trying to understand what the fuck had happened. The first mate had brought her to this bathroom, a communal space but he'd promised her privacy as he stood guard outside - whether for her protection or the protection of the crew she wasn't quite sure. It wasn't like she had any weapons on her, Killer had made sure of that before leaving her on her own to shower. She'd told him where to find her boat, and he promised her things would be brought ashore for her. She didn't understand why they were bothering, this all felt like some elaborate trick to get her comfortable before they kill her, maybe to make her death more cruel, or to make her more pliable to their demands.

Killer knocking on the door startled her from her reverie, making her jolt. “Hurry it up, I've got shit to do, new girl,” Killer called from the other side of the door. She quickly shut off the water and dried herself, redressing in the clean clothes Killer had grabbed for her. The last thing she wanted to do was anger anyone and make them change their mind about keeping her alive. The clothes weren't a lot, just a blue men's shirt that was far too large for her, some briefs - also too large but she made do by tying a knot on at the waistband - and a set of fluffy socks. It was certainly better than the torn, dirty clothes she'd been wearing though, which she tossed in a waste bin, there was no point trying to save them.

“You decent?” Killer called again. Nina checked her appearance in the mirror quickly, making sure everything was covered. She scowled at her sunken eyes with their heavy bags, her overgrown hair that was stuck to her scalp from the water, the numerous cuts and scrapes and bruises that littered her body, more visible now that the grime that hid most of them away was gone. Some of them seemed infected, and she winced as she prodded at one particularly inflamed looking cut. With a sigh she called out to Killer that he could come in, and he did so immediately. Moving to a nearby cabinet he pulled out a first aid box, gesturing for her to sit on one of the dressing benches that ran down the center of the bathroom.

He knelt in front of her, the height difference between them meaning they would have been eye to eye if not for the mask, as he sat the first aid kit on the bench and opened it, pulling out several things. “Can I touch you?” He asked, “just to tend to your injuries.”

Nina blinked in confusion, she couldn't even remember the last time someone asked her for consent, let alone cared for her physical wellbeing. “Y-yeah,” she replied in a small voice.

Killer was quiet as he tended to her wounds, carefully cleaning and disinfecting each one before laying a sterlile dressing over them. He applied a soothing ointment over her bruises, and added paper stitches to a few particularly nasty cuts. She sat frozen the whole time, but couldn't help but feel that his light touches against her skin felt nice. It'd been a long time since anyone had been gentle with her. Slowly she let herself relax, closing her eyes and just focusing on the soft touch of his warm fingertips against her skin. She stifled a sigh as his fingers smoothed out the dressing on her nose, momentarily running over the tops of her cheeks before his hands moved on to the next injury. By the time he was done she was covered in small dressings, a few larger palm sized ones here and there.

After discarding the small pile of trash he'd accumulated in the process, he gestured for her to follow him. They met Wire again, who carried a bag with him. Nina recognized it as hers, as the tall man handed it to Killer. “This her stuff?” the first mate asked.

“Yeah, boat was right where she said it would be,” Wire replied, eyes shifting to Nina for a moment as he inspected how many dressings Killer had needed to give her. She was in a worse shape than Wire had initially thought. “Heat put the cat in the room next to Quince. Kid's dealing with the henchie that was on watch.”

“Okay,” Killer replied. Wire nodded and turned to leave, and Killer turned back to Nina. He held the bag out for her to take, and she looked at him befuddled. The chainsaw sticking out of the bag was obvious, and the way the bag was packed looked like nobody had even looked inside. Were they stupid, or were they really giving her a weapon? “You want your shit or not?” Killer asked, jostling the bag a little, and Nina quickly grabbed it back. She slung the bag over her shoulder, and quickly scurried to follow him again, as he'd already begun walking once more.

He opened the door to a spacious room, where her cat, Zap, quickly hobbled over to greet her, rubbing against her leg. She picked him up and gave him a small affectionate squeeze, before looking properly at the room. It was… nice. Really nice, actually. She'd sort of expected an old crusty mattress on the floor and a lock on the outside of her door, but this seemed like an ordinary, nice, bedroom. There was a large bed made up with clean bedding, a big round mirror, dressers and shelves for her things, a big round light hanging from the ceiling that someone had turned on already for Zap - Heat, assumedly. There were even a few bowls on the floor near the dresser - one filled with fresh water, the other dirty with the remnants of whatever meat Zap had been given while Nina was showering.

Looking at the room, Nina suddenly realised that maybe this wasn't a trick. These pirates were being nothing but kind to her and Zap. She'd never even stayed in a room this nice before, not a single piece of furniture looked dirty or broken or worn. It was a safe, welcoming space, and it was all for her. She could fight back, she had her weapon now, but they didn't expect her to, because there was no need. She was safe here, with this crew. Maybe it was fate that her small rickety boat had brought her to this island.

She turned to Killer with a wide smile, the first smile she'd had in months, maybe even years. “Thank you,” she said softly. His heart fluttered a little and he blushed under his mask at her pretty grin, the corners of her eyes creased from it, making the little heart tattoo under her eye dance with the shift of skin.

“Yeah, no problem,” he replied, trying to hide the fluster in his voice. “Uh, get settled in, I'll come grab you close to dinner to show you the dining hall in a few hours.”

He turned and left quickly, leaving the door open, showing her she was not a prisoner here. The second he was gone she put Zap down on the floor, leaned her bag against the dresser, and flopped onto the bed with a giggle. It was soft, and she buried her face in the blankets, which smelled freshly laundered and pleasant. She inhaled the scent, letting out a relieved exhale as she rolled onto her back and relaxed against the blankets. Zap made his best attempt at a jump but fell short, so Nina had to pick him up to put him on the bed, at which point he trilled happily and curled up next to her to sleep. Petting his head gently, she idly stared at the ceiling, noticeably mold and rot free, and let out a contented sigh. For the first time in a long while, Nina felt safe, and like things were finally looking up for her.

Weeks passed, and Nina seemed like she was settling in well. As well as she could anyway, given everything she'd been through. It was clear to the commanders that she'd been lost, feeling like her life had no use, just wandering endlessly trying to find a reason to keep going. Kid and Killer sympathized, they'd felt the same way after Victoria died. They did what they could to give Nina purpose, assigning her as the new ship doctor after learning about her previous work with Dr. Hogback. She wasn't used to working with the living, but she was doing her best to adapt. It gave her a reason to get up every day, knowing these pirates had use for her, especially when they took back to the sea and the rate of injuries increased with the uptick in battles.

Several months passed, seemingly calmly, but Heat was growing suspicious of the new addition. When Nina had turned up on the island it was clear she was under the influence of something strong. Heat had expected more resistance from her as she sobered, but the telltale symptoms of clearing drugs from the veins had never come. Heat was well educated when it came to the hard stuff, he'd been there, he knew the damage it could do. Kid had a strict policy about drugs on the ship because of what they'd all seen from their home island, weed was the hardest thing the crew was allowed. Heat had made it clear to Nina that he grew plenty of cannabis to go around, all she had to do was ask, but she never did. And yet, she still showed the signs of being high - the blown pupils, the jitteriness, the short fuse. Though that last one may have just been her, it was hard to tell.

He had sympathy for her as well though, he didn't want Kid just straight kicking her off the ship when he knew she had nowhere to go, so instead he took his concerns to Killer. The first mate understood the fragility of the situation, and Heat's reservations about bringing it to Kid, so he decided to take care of it himself. Back on the island there were plenty of places one might go to do drugs in secret, especially when she had her own room, but here on the ship, sharing a room with three other crewmates, there were limited places one could hide.

He started covertly watching her, using his haki to follow her movements through the ship. The drugs and her trauma made her paranoid, making the surveillance harder, but Killer was silent on his feet and knew this ship far better than she did. He knew where every creaky floorboard was, every blind spot where he could avoid her gaze, and used them to his advantage. It didn't take long to catch her out, following her to the deck above the stern castle, where crew rarely went. It was after dark, but the full moon gave enough light to navigate by.

He emerged from the ladder leading to the deck as she was tightening a tourniquet around her arm, a syringe held in her mouth ready to inject. She stared at him like a deer in headlights, too slow to react as he rushed at her, grabbing everything he could and throwing it as far away as his muscles would allow. There was a fight for the syringe, her nails clawing at him as she shrieked, but inevitably that was thrown too. She ran to the railing and let out a deafening scream as she watched her drugs disappear under the surface of the water, lost to the ocean, the moonlight glittering against the metal of the syringe needle before it was gone for good. In her anger and drug-craving haze she tried to jump after it, but tight arms around her waist pulled her away from the edge of the deck.

“LET GO OF ME!” she screamed, flailing her legs and scratching his arms as he stepped backwards away from the long fall at the back of the ship that plunged straight to freezing open seas. “YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE!”

“I know exactly what I've done,” Killer growled back, “you know the rules, Kid would have kicked you off for that shit. You want to go back to scavenging for your next meal?”

“You don't understand!” She cried. Her fighting stopped, but she still gripped his arms hard. “I need them, I need them!”

“You don't,” he replied firmly, shifting his hold on her to be more of a hug, letting her feet rest back against the deck. She slumped in his arms, only kept up by him as tears streamed down her face. She didn't know how to be sober anymore, that reality was too hard to even think about. “You don't need that shit, it's poison, I've seen people destroyed by it. It would have killed you.”

“So?” Nina spat indignantly, “who the fuck cares.”

“Don't say that,” Killer sighed, squeezing her a little tighter and pressing his mask against her shoulder. She shivered a little at the brisk night air, but his warm front against her back was a comfort against the cold. “I know you've not been here long, but you have friends. We care about you, we're here for you. You found us for a reason, you belong here with us.”

“I don't- I can't-” she started, feeling helpless.

“I'll help you,” Killer replied, “I'll help you get clean, okay?”

“Okay,” Nina replied in a small voice, not having much choice. Killer held her for a while longer, letting her get out her tears, before walking her back to her room.

“She can't stay with us like this,” Quincy huffed, “she's up all night, tossing and turning, screaming in her sleep! We want her to get clean, we do, but she needs to do it somewhere else! We need sleep!”

Killer slumped down in his chair and let his head loll back, his mask making a ‘clunk’ against the back of the chair as he let out a heavy sigh. He had a feeling this would happen with making Nina go cold turkey, but there was no good solution. He'd considered converting a storage room for her while she sobered, but recent raids had all the rooms full with treasure and weapons, there was no space to even hang a hammock. Quincy was right though, it wasn't fair for the three girls who shared a room with Nina to have to deal with the effects of her sobering up, especially when the worst was still to come.

“I'll sort it,” Killer grunted. There was really only one solution he could see here, and he hated it, but it wouldn't be forever. He stood and marched past Quincy, making his way to where he knew Nina would be. He found her exactly as expected, and he knelt next to her bed, pulling back the blankets that she'd pulled over her head.

“Fuck off,” Nina growled, not even turning to look at him. She was shivering like she was freezing, her skin clammy with sweat.

“Pack your shit,” Killer tried his best to reply in a gentle manner, “you're moving room.”

Nina took some convincing to get out of bed, while in the meantime Killer gathered her things. Zap squeaked as Killer picked him up, Nina's duffle in his other hand; the cat hardly left her side, especially while she'd been essentially bedridden. Nina unwillingly followed him bare foot in her pajamas across the deck and up the stairs, pausing as she realised she was being led into the stern castle where the commanders all resided. “I'm… staying here?” She asked hesitantly, raising her hand to block the sunlight that was hurting her eyes.

“You're taking my room, while you get sober,” Killer explained, giving her a small push on her lower back to get her moving again, “I'll stay with Kid in the meantime.”

“You don't have to do that,” she said in a small voice as he opened the door to his room and dumped her stuff on the floor, placing Zap on the bed. He didn't like knowing there was going to be cat chair all over his usually spotless room, but there wasn't much that could be done without upsetting Nina by seperating her from the only thing that seemed to give her comfort right now.

“I do, actually,” Killer sighed, “the girls can't sleep with your current condition and it's only going to get worse. It's not forever, just until you're clean. Just… don't fuck my room up, okay? I'll be across the hall if you need anything, I cleared the top drawers for your stuff, bathroom is through that door.”

Nina was already climbing under his blankets as he explained everything, more than exhausted from the short walk and wanting to go back to sleep, where her head didn't feel like it was going to split open. Killer took the time to fill a bowl with water for Zap, Quincy had been essentially caring for the cat while Nina was sick anyway, so he guessed that was his job now. He made a mental note to go grab the litter box and food bowl, before sighing to himself and leaving Nina to brood.

Killer quickly understood why the girls had needed their space from Nina. The crew quarters were far from the stern castle, so he couldn't hear her before, but now that she was across the hall her screaming was loud and clear. “Shut her up,” Kid growled as he rolled over, covering his head with a pillow. Against his will, Killer climbed out of bed and slipped on his mask, sleepily making his way across the hall, barefooted in his blue gingham pajama pants. Wire opened his door down the hall and gave Killer a look as though to ask if he needed help, but Killer waved him off before reaching for the handle to what was usually his bedroom door.

Inside the room, chaos had ensued. He noted Zap hiding under the dresser as Nina threw things around, narrowly missing Killer with a lamp. She let out a blood curdling scream at him, and he wondered if she was even seeing him, or something monstrous in his place. It was a likely scenario that she was fighting some invisible demon, hallucinations brought on by her withdrawal. He grabbed her before he could hurt him or herself, pinning her arms to her front as he held her from behind. “Shh, I got you,” Killer soothed, “it's Kil, there's only the two of us here, you're safe on the Victoria Punk, nobody is going to hurt you.”

Nina was panting hard, drenched with sweat and shaking, but she at least stopped screaming, and stopped fighting him. “There you go, you're okay,” he said softly, loosening his hold a little, “I've got you. Just breathe.”

“Killer,” she whimpered, like she was remembering herself, “I'm so scared. And it hurts, so much.”

“I know, I know,” Killer shushed, pulling her to the bed and into his lap as he sat. He rocked her gently as she continued to make small sad whimpers. “We're gonna get through this.”

“Will you stay with me?” She mumbled against his chest. She was struggling to discern what was real and what wasn't, and she felt like she couldn't defend herself against that. She needed someone with her, who could help her see that the awful things she were seeing were all in her head. Killer considered it for a moment. He would be uncomfortable, unable to take his mask off to sleep, but right now it was clear Nina needed a friend, or she might not make it through this.

“I'll stay,” Killer replied. Nina breathed a shaky sigh of relief and nestled into him, letting him hold her like a scared child as she tried to ground herself. Eventually he convinced her to lay back down to sleep, but he never let go of her, letting her use him like an anchor as the hallucinations threatened to steal her sanity away and her body ached from exhaustion.

Killer woke with a startle, feeling his pants being tugged at, putting him into fight or flight. He threw the covers off to find Nina weakly and desperately trying to get his pants further down, her small hand wrapped around Killer's semi-erect cock. He quickly grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away, but she rushed back towards him. He jumped off the bed as he pulled his pants back up, and she scrambled after him like a woman possessed, kneeling at his feet and tugging at his pants again while he gripped them hard to keep them up.

“NINA, WHAT THE FUCK?” he growled, trying to get away from her as she crawled after him, a crazed look in her eyes.

“Please, I need one more hit, just one more,” Nina pleaded, “let me trade for it, please, please. I'll suck your dick, I'll make you feel so good, please I just want one more hit then I'll get sober, I promise. Please I can make it worth it for you, I'm really good, please!”

“Not fucking happening,” Killer snapped, “Nina stop, I'm not giving you more drugs.”

“Please, please,” she pleaded. She collapsed at his feet, tears falling to the floor as she clawed at his pants. “I can't do this, what's the point? Why am I even trying?”

Killer fell to his feet in front of her, taking her face in his hands. “Nina, look at me,” he growled, “look at me.”

“How can I fucking look at you?!” She cried, “I can't even see your face! I don't even know what fucking colour your eyes are!”

Killer sighed and gathered all his mental fortitude. He should have seen that coming, it was only fair. “You want a trade? I'll make you a trade,” he replied in a low voice. Nina perked up, hopeful that he was caving. She was desperate for another rush, she felt miserable and alone and everything hurt, just one more hit and everything would feel okay, she just knew it. He saw the hope in her eyes and hated to snuff it out, but it was a necessary evil. “I'm not getting you more meth,” Killer sighed, “I can get you weed, but nothing more. But I'll make you a deal. You get sober, and I'll show you my face.”

Nina blinked at him, disappointed and confused. “The thing is, only Kid, Heat and Wire ever see my face,” Killer sighed, “I get that you don't feel like you can trust me, when I'm not even letting you see all of me. But I don't like my face, I don't like my smile. I don't let anyone see it, except the people I trust the most. Showing my face is the hardest thing I can do, but I know right now you're going through something really fucking hard too. So I'll make you a deal. You be brave, and I'll be brave too. I know right now it hurts, and everything is terrifying and you feel like the whole world is against you, but it's not. I'm right here, you don't have to do this alone.”

“Kil..” Nina sobbed, falling forward and letting him wrap his arms around her.

Things had to get worse before they got better, and get worse they did. Nina was reduced to a screaming, writhing mess, consumed by hallucinations and crying out for someone to either kill her, or let her have one more hit. She started refusing meals, until she became too weak to refuse and gave in, letting Killer hold her while he carefully spoon fed her. He became her full time carer, helping her to the bathroom and bathing her when it couldn't be avoided any longer. She practically lived in his shirts now, oversized on her but his familiar scent gave her comfort whenever he had to leave her to attend to his first mate duties. She never left the room, never left the bed without his assistance, she just tossed and turned and screamed all day, except when he was holding her. With him there, things were easier. He grounded her, made it easier to tell what was real and what wasn't. After several nights of running to her room at well past midnight, he'd given in to her pleas to stay with her, despite how uncomfortable he was sleeping with his mask on. She curled around his body every night like a koala clinging to a tree, whimpering in her sleep, but at least having him there was a balm for the screaming.

Killer got used to waking up with her limbs tangled with his, so when he woke up to find her not there, panic set in immediately. “Nina?” He called in fear, worried that she'd done something stupid, “Nina, you in the bathroom?”

When no reply came he jumped out of bed, flinging open the bathroom door to find the room empty. Scared for her safety, he ran out of the bedroom, opening his haki to search for her. He felt her on the opposite side of the ship, in the deck held between the jaws of the skull that decorated the front of the ship. He ran full speed to her, jumping to skip the sets of stairs that led to the stern castle, his heart racing faster than he thought it could. Only once before had his heart beat so hard, when Kid had laid lifeless on the battlefield after losing his arm, Killer not knowing if he was alive or dead.

He came to a sudden stop as he finally reached her, calling for her between heavy breaths. She turned, startled, brows raised in surprise. “Kil?” She asked, “everything okay?”

“You, you weren't in bed,” he huffed between breaths, “I thought- I thought something was wrong.”

Nina lowered the mug she was holding in both hands, using the heat from the drink inside to warm her hands against the cold morning breeze. It was early, the sun barely risen over the horizon, the sky tinted with greens and deep blues. A blanket was wrapped loosely around her shoulders, hanging over her stolen shirt that hung loosely from her frame, property of Killer, and old sweatpants from when he was thinner, though she still had to tie them as tight as they could go. “I was watching the sunrise,” Nina explained, confused as to why he was so flustered, his chest heaving still, “sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”

“You're… feeling okay?” Killer asked, eyeing the drink in her hands, wondering if there was some trick to this. She noticed the subtle tilt of his mask and followed his line of sight.

“It's just tea,” Nina explained, “I don't think I made it right though, there's so many bits in it. My head was feeling clear, so I thought I'd get some fresh air before everyone woke up. Still have a headache a little, but I think I'm okay.”

“Bits?” Killer mumbled. He didn't think they had loose leaf tea on the ship. Unless…”Nina, did you open the tea bag?”

“Yes?” She replied, furrowing her brows. Killer snorted, grabbing the railing for support as he accidentally let out a genuine, unsupressed laugh. “What? Are you laughing at me? I didn't even know you laughed.”

“I don't,” Killer wheezed, “but that's, fuck, you said you were bad at cooking but who the fuck can't manage tea?”

Nina lightened up at Killer's laughter and let herself giggle, pouring the tea out over the railing next to where Killer was trying to rein himself in. With one last deep inhale he contained himself, standing straight and looking at her next to him. She was smiling back up at him, and he realised suddenly that there was no mockery in her expression. She'd heard his real laugh, and hadn't given any inclination that she disliked it. He turned to her, standing tall, before reaching back to the latch on his mask and releasing it. She made a soft gasp as he pulled it off his head, his bangs falling into place over his icy blue eyes, his lips stained with the remnants of purple lipstick, his cheekbones sharp and defined. She barely had time to take him in before he pulled her by her nape and cover her lips with his.

She made a confused whine, before closing her eyes and pressing back against him, letting the blanket on her shoulders fall to the deck as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and wove her hand through his long hair. He only kissed her for a moment before realising how crazy this was and pulling away. “Fuck, sorry,” he said bashfully as he stepped back. Nina's arms followed him, falling to rest against his chest. He looked out at the ocean, feeling self conscious and embarrassed for letting himself be so undisciplined.

“Don't be,” she replied softly, running a hand up his neck to cup his face. He hesitated to look at her, until her thumb ran over his lips. “So pretty,” she whispered, mostly to herself. He looked at her then, saw how her eyes glittered with genuine awe and affection, and he felt his heart swell. A breeze ran through the ship and she shivered, distracted for a moment from absorbing every facet of his face.

“You're cold,” he stated, rubbing her bare arm with his free hand to try and give her some warmth. She murmured in agreement but never looked away from him. “Come on,” he said as he put his mask back on, “let's go back to bed and get you warmed up.”

She let him take her hand and lead her, the two of them moving silently save for their footsteps, an unexpected electricity running through them where their fingers threaded together. Both of their hearts were racing at the unspoken promise of what waited for them back in the bedroom. Nina was nervous though, she'd never slept with a man in a intimate way, she'd only ever done it for money when things were desperate. None of those experiences had been pleasant for her, and she didn't know if she even wanted this. She wanted him though, that much she knew for certain, so maybe it would be different this time.

The door shut behind her and latched, and she felt herself starting to panic. Killer approached her from behind, letting his mask fall to the floor, but paused as he heard her quickening breath. “You okay?” He asked softly, “we don't have to do anything, you know. We can just lay under the blankets, get warm, talk if you want to.”

“Sorry, I'm fine,” Nina lied.

“You're not,” Killer sighed, seeing right through her facade, “It's okay, I know my laugh, my smile, they're not pleasant. You don't have to force yourself.”

Nina's breath hitched and she spun to face him, taking his face in her hands, her own discomfort forgotten for his. “It's not you, Kil, I promise, okay?” She soothed, running her thumbs over his cheeks. She took a deep breath and tried to be brave, not wanting Killer to be hurt by her own insecurities, “It's just. I've only ever slept with men for money.”

“Oh,” Killer replied quietly. He covered her hands with her own, closing his eyes for a moment as he pressed harder against her soft palms, “We don't have to do anything. We can take our time. It'd be different though, I'd be gentle with you. I want to be gentle with you.”

“I want that too,” Nina replied timidly, “I want you, Kil.”

“You have me,” he replied before pressing his lips to hers again, “all of me, if that's what you want.”

Nina kissed him hard, giving him her answer, and he replied in equal fervour. He walked her backwards to the bed as their hands tangled in each other's hair. He groaned as she gave his hair a tug, and she took the opportunity to plunge her tongue into his mouth. Kissing him felt good, and she found herself pressing hard against his body, whining as his erection pressed against her stomach. She let herself fall backwards, pulling him with her, their mouths still connected.

Nina tugged on his shirt, and they broke the kiss so she could pull it over his head, quickly followed by him removing her shirt. She giggled in anticipation before his lips captured hers again, the giggle turning to a moan as he kissed along her jaw and down her neck, taking handfuls of her small breasts and rolling her nipples between his thumbs and pointer fingers as his mouth made a trail down her front to them. Her whole body felt sensitive as he took a tit in his mouth, laving it with his tongue and flicking the pert bud with the tip. Her back arched off the bed as he kissed further down, his knees falling to rest on the floor as his lips worshipped her belly.

He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, seeking wordless permission as his fingers tugged at the waistband to her borrowed pants. Nina bit her lip and nodded. She'd never even had a man go down on her and was eager to feel his mouth on her cunt. She raised her ass for him and he removed her pants and underwear, returning his mouth to her tummy and continuing his journey downwards. He nosed at her pink pubes as she spread her legs for him, and he pulled her thighs to rest on his shoulders, kissing each inner thigh before pressing his nose to her core and inhaling her scent. He groaned before finally bringing his tongue out to meet her, making her let out a long deep moan as he ran the wet muscle between her folds.

It wasn't often Killer got to eat pussy, in fact he couldn't remember the last time he'd done it with a woman watching him. Her eyes were squarely focused on him as he began to eat her out, his eyes locked with hers as he rolled his tongue over her clit with practiced precision. She gave in and let herself fall back against the bed, weaving a hand through his hair and letting herself relax as he worked, melting into the mattress at the feeling of his mouth on her pussy. She'd never let herself feel her pleasure with a man, it'd always been so strictly transactional, no man had ever even considered her pleasure, but Killer was drunk on it. He made satisfied groans as he ate her out, squeezing her thighs to hold her in place as she bucked and moaned, the vibrations of his pleased sounds adding to her pleasure. He released one thigh to bring one hand up under his chin, running the tip of his index finger around her entrance before sinking it into her pussy.

“Oh fuck~” Nina groaned, legs shaking as she came suddenly at the intrusion, “Kil~”

Killer grinned and kissed her pussy tenderly before climbing up her body. She shuffled backwards to make space and he straddled over her, watching her face intently as he sunk two fingers inside her. She whined and gripped the arm that was keeping him supported hovering above her. Her other hand ran over his chest, enjoying the tight muscles and curves, before it ran further down and under the waistband of his pants. He grunted as she wrapped her hand around his cock and began to pump him, matching the pace he was using on her. He added a third finger to her and the two of them made sloppy, desperate kisses as they jerked each other off.

“Kil,” Nina panted, “want you, please.”

Killer groaned and was quick to comply. As much as he hated to admit it, his dreams had been haunted by Nina ever since she'd woken him up that morning. With the added unexpected emotions on top, he was desperate to sink inside her, but he didn't want to pressure her. Hearing her beg for him had him ready to cum right there and then. “You sure?” He queried.

“I'm sure,” she confirmed huskily. He stripped his pants quickly and settled himself between her legs, taking himself in his hand. “Wait,” she pressed a hand to his chest, “can I… can I do it?”

Killer understood that she was nervous for a good reason, this position no doubt reminded her of some unsavory memories. He grabbed her hips and rolled both of them so she was on top, straddling him. She made a surprised gasp as they rolled, sitting up to sit over his cock as they stilled. She gave an experimental roll, grinding her cunt against his shaft, making them both whine at the friction. She reached between her legs and stroked him a few times before lining him up with her entrance. He was big, and she worried he wouldn't even fit, so she sank down slowly. Her body was more than willing though, more aroused than she'd ever been with a man and well prepared by him, so she was able to take all of him, whimpering as her thighs met his pelvis. She stayed still there for a moment, eyes closed in concentration as she took in how full she was and how good it felt.

Killer was meanwhile using all his willpower to not immediately thrust up into her, overwhelmed by how hot and wet she was sitting atop him, his cock entirely disappeared inside her. He gripped her thighs and groaned impatiently, desperate for her to move before his resolve could snap. Finally she opened her eyes again, suddenly feeling powerful as she looked down at the strong man underneath her. She rolled her hips with purpose, mouth falling open and moans spilling from her lips as she rode him, experimenting with a few different motions and hip angles before she found the one that felt the best for her.

“There you go,” Killer praised as his fingertips sunk into her thighs, “just like that, princess.”

Her moans synchronized with his grunts as she rolled her hips, Killer immensely turned on as he watched the way Nina took back her power and used him for her pleasure. Her hands ran over his chest, playing with his nipples and groping his pecks, before she leaned down and kissed him hard. “Kil,” she groaned, her energy fading, “fuck me, please.”

Killer planted his feet and thrust up into her, making her scream and bury her face against his shoulder. He gripped her ass and held her steady above him as he fucked up into her, her pussy making wet squelches as she whined against his neck, hot breath making his skin damp. She tangled her hands through his hair and pulled hard for support as her body was jostled, moaning directly in his ear, making it hard for Killer to not immediately cum. “Kil,” she huffed, “feels good, so close~”

“Cum for me, princess,” Killer groaned, “fuck, cum on my cock, please, I need it.”

“Ah, ah, cumming~” Nina cried, her cunt clamping down around Killer. He whined as he kept pumping her, trying to work her entirely through it, before pulling out and jerking himself off over his own stomach.

“Fuck,” he grunted as Nina collapsed against him, the two of them a panting mess as cum and sweat transferred between their bodies, Nina still twitching occasionally in her afterglow. She kissed his cheek tenderly as she came back to earth before he turned his face to meet her, the two of them sharing a intimate, gentle kiss, his hand running through her overgrown hair that was usually shaved short.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she nuzzled in to the crook of his neck, “for taking care of me, for being there. For trusting me with with your face.”

“Thank you for trusting me as well,” Killer kissed the side of her head, holding her tight to him, “the hard part is over, you're gonna be okay now.”

“Yeah, I think I am,” she agreed sleepily.

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[flowersandskeletons526]

"Mascot" - Warriors Concept Album fanfic

This was based off a prompt @asthedeathoflight gave me and I ran with it. Warriors get a dog AU. Enjoy!

----------

“A dog?” Ajax asked incredulously. “You got a dog?”

Of all the scenes she could have come home to, it had to be this: Rembrandt pacing the living room of their little two bedroom apartment while Fox sat on the couch, a piece of scrap rope in hand, playing tug of war with a fucking dog. Well, puppy, now that Ajax was really looking at it. Ajax didn’t know much if anything about dogs, but the thing was pretty small. Definitely some kind of mutt. A street dog. 

Rembrandt and Fox had brought a fucking street dog into their apartment. The creature had one ear that stuck straight up while the other flopped down and had a piece taken out of it. It was deathly skinny, had patches of fur missing, and the thing reeked of that awful wet dog smell. It had quite a bit of energy for how emaciated it looked. Even so, Ajax would have preferred a large sewer rat. Where the fuck had they even found it? 

Ajax got her answer: a dumpster. 

“Someone threw her away!” Rembrandt said. She’d pulled Ajax off to the side, not wanting Fox to overhear. “We heard her crying under a bunch of trash.”

“But why would you bring it into our apartment?” Ajax hissed. “The thing is probably crawling with bugs!”

“No, she’s not. We gave her a bath and she didn’t have any fleas or anything on her. I checked.” 

“What if it has rabies?”

“She doesn’t have rabies.”

“How do you know?”

“Because she would’ve bitten us already if she did! And stop calling her ‘it!’”

“No way you’re getting upset with me for misgendering a dog.”

“She’s a puppy.”

“Rembrandt!”

“Look at her! She’s just a baby! Ajax, really, we didn’t mean to actually bring her all the way home. We got her out of the dumpster and she was so sweet and happy and she just kept following Fox everywhere so I let Fox bring her inside.” 

“Fox tried to befriend a raccoon by feeding it a bacon egg and cheese, so sorry if I don’t trust her to bring animals into the house!”

Rembrandt lowered her voice, pulling Ajax down to whisper to her. “Look, we’ll bring her to the humane society in a few days and give her up or something. Just let Fox have her for a little bit. Look at her. She’s so happy.”

Fox did look happy, holding the dog in her lap and rubbing its belly. The little rat looked like the most content creature in the world as it wriggled and stared up at Fox with big… well, puppy dog eyes. Ajax gritted her teeth and crossed her arms. Rembrandt touched her cheek, one hand cupping her face and the other resting on her chest, and Ajax looked down to see Rembrandt giving her the same goddamn fucking expression. Rembrandt raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, flashing a little smirk.

“Please?” she purred. “Do this one favor for me?”

Ajax’s face went bright red. She cleared her throat and turned aside, only for Rembrandt to put a finger under her chin and turn her head back to face her, a move that only made her resolve crumble that much faster. 

“You’re evil,” Ajax grumbled, just a little breathless.

“You love it. So?”

“Only for a few days. We’re not keeping it. And you owe me.”

“Ajax, not in front of Fox,” Rembrandt teased with a shit-eating grin.

“Not what I meant!” 

Fox called out to them, blissfully oblivious to the entire conversation. “Can we name her Wonder?”

“Like the Wonder Wheel?” Rembrandt laughed.

“Yeah!”

“We’re not naming it!” Ajax protested, but it fell on deaf ears. Rembrandt gave her a pointed look. She groaned. “Fine. But you keep that thing out of our room and off our bed.”

“Yes!” Fox cheered, and the puppy barked like it was cheering along with her. Which, to be fair, was pretty cute. Not that Ajax thought the little gremlin was cute. No way. They weren’t keeping it. 

Rembrandt gave her quick kiss on the cheek and wrapped her arms around her neck. “You’re the best.” 

“You’re lucky I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”

When Ajax woke up the next morning, Rembrandt was already out of bed. She wasn’t necessarily an early riser, just earlier than Ajax. Ajax got up and turned on her walkman before going through her morning workout routine: regular push-ups before one-armed push-ups, crunches hanging off the side of the bed, jumping jacks, and leg raises. That was her warmup, anyway, before she did anything with added weight. She needed to add more leg exercises to the routine, if only to get Swan to stop picking on her for it. 

Rubbing her eyes and tying her braids back from her face, she went and brushed her teeth before heading into the living room. Fox was stretched out on the couch, reading a comic book held over her head. Rembrandt sat in the tattered armchair across from her and worked on a sketch of Fox’s portrait. 

“Morning, Ajax,” Fox called. Rembrandt waved, not looking up from her drawing. Ajax waved back to them and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

Something barked by her feet. 

Ajax screamed and jumped a full three feet in the air. She ended up on the counter, growling down at the little rat wagging its tail and looking up at her with its paws on the cabinet door. 

“Dammit, motherfucker!” she hollered. “Fox! Get your dog!”

But Fox and Rembrandt were too busy laughing their asses off to help her. Fox got up, barely able to walk from how hard she was cackling, and grabbed the puppy. It licked the side of her face as she cradled it like a baby. 

“Aw, c’mon, Ajax, she’s not gonna hurt you,” the young Warrior said.

“Fox, don’t let it lick you. That’s disgusting.”

“She’s not disgusting! She’s just a little baby!” Fox lifted the dog closer to Ajax. “Look at her little face. She loves you!”

“Get that rat away from me!” 

“You’re gonna hurt her feelings!”

“Okay, okay, let her down,” Rembrandt said, tugging Fox and the dog away from Ajax. As Fox went to sit on the couch with her creature, Rembrandt offered a hand to help Ajax down from the counter. Ajax took the hand, not that she needed it, and jumped down. “Babe, be real with me. You’re not afraid of dogs, are you?”

“No, I’m not afraid of them,” Ajax said petulantly. “I just don’t want a street dog barking at me first thing in the morning.” 

“I told you she was friendly.”

“Cool. It can be friendly away from me.”

“Well, I’m going to go buy her food today, so would you like to come with me or do you want to stay here with Wonder and Fox?”

“I told you we’re not naming it!”

“Pet store, it is.”

Which is how Ajax had gotten dragged into a small pet shop, staring at the fish tanks while Rembrandt talked to an employee about what food to get for the rat. Ajax would’ve been fine with a fish. Take a bowl, put rocks and water in it, drop in a fish, and you’re done! Or at least Ajax assumed that’s how you took care of a fish. Why couldn’t Fox have just done that if she wanted a pet? 

Rembrandt came back to get her, holding an expensive looking bag of dog food, two small bowls, and a box with a picture of a gray collar on the front. Ajax immediately said, “You’re not putting a collar on it. If you put a collar on it, Fox is gonna want to keep it.”

“It’s a flea collar,” Rembrandt said, rolling her eyes.

“I thought you said it didn’t have fleas.”

“She doesn’t! This is to prevent them, since you’re so scared of that.”

“I just don’t want to have to bug bomb the apartment.”

“We won’t have to.” Rembrandt glanced at the tank Ajax had been staring at for the past fifteen minutes. “These guys are pretty.”

“I guess. Pretty expensive.”

“Do you want one?”

“If you let me trade a fish for the rat, then sure, I’ll get one.”

“Stop calling her a rat.”

“It looks like a mangy subway rat.”

“You’re gonna hurt Fox’s feelings if she hears you say that.”

That put a stop to it pretty quick. At least in front of Fox. Ajax carried the bag of dog supplies home, not because she wanted to, but because she never let Rembrandt carry anything other than her own backpack. She was chivalrous like that. When they arrived back at home, Fox was playing tug of war with the ra- with the dog again, and sitting on the couch were Cochise and Cowgirl. 

Cowgirl grinned at Ajax as she set the bag of dog supplies on the kitchen table. “Never pegged you as the type for having pets,” she teased. 

“I’m not,” Ajax snapped. “It’s Fox’s, and we’re not even-” 

Rembrandt smacked her arm as she passed. “Not in front of Fox,” she whispered. 

Ajax clamped her mouth shut. She wasn’t mean enough to crush Fox’s dream like that. Besides, the thing would be gone in a few days. 

But then gang life happened as it always did, and they got too busy to handle anything but work, and a few days turned into a week. Fox got more and more attached with each passing day. They got the dog a collar. Then one week of housing the thing turned into two. Ajax came around to calling her Wonder instead of “thing” or “rat” or “dumpster creature.” Two weeks of getting used to her turned into three. Fox brought Wonder on a mission that went wrong, but none of the Warriors got hurt due in part to Wonder biting a guy’s leg and scaring off the rest. Swan started calling her their “mascot” after that, a designation that Ajax despised.

Three weeks turned into a month. Rembrandt and Fox were called in by Cleon to handle a mission, leaving Ajax home alone with the dog. She laid on the couch with a beer and a movie playing on the TV. Wonder came trotting up to her with a real rope toy in her mouth, not the piece of cord Fox used to give her. 

Ajax glanced down at Wonder. “What do you want?” she asked, as if she expected an answer. 

The dog put her paws up on the edge of the couch and dropped the toy onto the cushion next to Ajax. Ajax had tried to set a rule of the dog not being on the furniture, but Fox let her up so often anyway that it didn’t really matter. Rembrandt at least kept her off their bed, even if she found it hilarious. 

“Fox is getting home later. Go chill in her room.” Fuck, was she actually talking to a dog? Wonder nudged the toy with her nose. Ajax picked it up. “Smart little fucker, huh? Go over there,” she said, and tossed the toy across the room. But Fox had trained her well, and she brought it back and dropped it next to Ajax again. Ajax threw it to the opposite side of the room this time, and the same thing happened. “I’m not playing with you. Go away.”

Another throw. Another fetch. Oh, god. She was playing. Wonder came back and dropped the toy on the floor this time, opting instead to jump up on the couch and lay down next to Ajax. Ajax tried to nudge her off, not having the heart to fully push her, but Wonder didn’t move. Instead, she shifted closer and rested her chin on Ajax’s stomach. She looked up with those big, sad eyes and barked quietly. 

Ajax heaved a resigned sigh. Wonder copied her, and Ajax narrowed her eyes. “Quit that. You’re not cute,” she grumbled. Wonder barked again in the same quiet, pleading way. Okay, nope, no, Ajax was not doing that, she was not assigning human emotions to an animal. Instead, she made a face and patted the dog on the head. Wonder closed her eyes. Ajax gave her a gentle scratch behind the ears. “Maybe you’re a little cute.” 

The next day, the dog stopped following at Fox’s heels and started following Ajax instead. Ajax let her, throwing only a few grouchy looks at the animal as she went. Sitting on the couch later that night, petting Wonder as she curled up next to her, Rembrandt came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her neck.

“I knew you’d come around eventually,” she whispered as she kissed Ajax’s cheek. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ajax mumbled. “I could get used to her.” 

She heard Fox cheer in the kitchen and failed to hide her smile. Rembrandt squeezed her shoulders. “You’re such a softy.” 

Ajax would have gotten up to protest, but she didn’t want to move Wonder. 

----

Ajax stood on the stoop of Cochise and Cowgirl’s apartment building, hands in her pockets, eyes downcast. The door opened, and Cochise came out with Wonder’s leash in one hand and a bag with her food and toys in the other. Ajax took them silently and looked down at Wonder.

She was no longer the emaciated, mangy creature Fox had saved from the dumpster so long ago. The missing patches of hair had grown back and she was a little plump from all the treats the Warriors gave her despite Ajax claiming it wasn’t healthy for her. She would never admit back then how much research she put into taking care of a dog, but she was glad for it now. Wonder sat dutifully by Ajax’s feet and looked up at her with wide, sad eyes. 

Of course, she would never know what happened. She would never understand. As much as they all treated her like a baby, she was still a dog. All she understood was that her favorite person wasn’t around anymore and hadn’t been around for a long time. Ajax wondered if she understood that her favorite person wasn’t coming back.

“Thanks for looking after her while I was gone,” Ajax said.

“Of course,” said Cochise. “How’s Rembrandt holding up?”

“Getting better, I think, if what Cleon told me is anything to go off of. Still won’t talk much. I’m hoping having Wonder around will help.”

“Yeah. I’m sure it will.” Cochise hesitated. “How are you-”

Ajax shook her head. “No. Not right now. Please. I… I can’t.”

“Okay. You know I’m here for you if or when you want to.”

“I know. Thanks, Co.”

“Anytime.” 

Cochise pulled her into a long, tight hug and gave Wonder a pat on the head before going back into the building. Ajax took a deep breath, scrubbing the tears from her eyes. She scratched behind Wonder’s ears and managed a sad smile as the dog wagged her tail. 

“Alright, girl. Let’s go home.”

[call-sign-shark]

Heaven in Your Eyes || Sneak Peek

MASTERLIST || Last Chapter

"Well you know, my mother was a very patient woman. She's never raised her voice except once. I was just a kid back then and saw a magnificent creature in my nonna's garden. It was an albino ferret made of the purest white I had ever seen. " Luca paused and took a sip from his whiskey, his lips curling in a carnivorous grin behind the edge of his glass, "That little thing didn't run away when I approached so I thought it was domesticated. I came nearer, and nearer until I could touch it, which I did... And do you know what the ferret did?" The elegant mafioso put the glass back on the wooden counter so brutally that it would have made you jump if you weren't already on alert. "It bit me. That fucking vermin sunk its sharp teeth into my skin and gave me one nasty bite, so nasty I still have the scar carved deep in my flesh. Nonna rushed me to the hospital, fearing rabies. 'Should have known it though, that fucking sausage rat had a twisted something in its red eyes." The atmosphere suddenly thickened as Luca's charming voice turned into a chilling whisper, "The same vile and twisted something as you, Amore."

✞Taglist: @adaydreamaway08 @theshelbyclan @jomarch-wannabe @esposadomd @zablife @woofgocows @anathemasworld @anastasia000 @kate654 @kxnnxy @babayaga67 @meowtastick@kxnnxy @shelbyssins @sarai-ibn-la-ahad @bluevenus19 @raincoffeeandfandoms @kishie8 @alexandra-001 @dearshelby @alexizodd @helen06dreamer @kmc1989 @emotionalcadaver @peakyswritings @peakyltd

[inkstainedheartbeats]

His parents aren’t coming back. Which is probably a good thing, Steve think looking out the window of a somehow still intact Family Video. They gave him his trust from his grandparents, gave him the college fund he never used but thinks he might once Vecna is put in the ground once and for all, and fled the state. Might have even fled the country. The house is his. It his. He can do whatever he wants! Steve turns, looks at the person unfortunate enough to work with him today, which isn’t Robin, she’s back in school and taking notes for Eddie. Keith looks at him with wide as he starts to vibrate.

“I can have pets now!”

“Cool?” Keith manages to reply after a long pause. Steve doesn’t blame him. They aren’t exactly friendly, him and Keith. But Steve gave him some well meaning tips that landed Keith with a girlfriend so they have a truce.

“There’s no one to complain about the smell or the hair or having to buy food for them. It’s just me. I can have a pet. What should I get first?”

The last bit is more thinking out load than actually talking.

“I like fish. If you want I can probably get you a starter tank? Rennie has rats.”

Steve blinks.

“Rats?”

Keith nods, launching into a ramble that Robin would be proud of. Clearly parroting what his girlfriend had told him about the animals she has chosen as her favorite. Only stopping when a customer comes in. It’s the most animated and… frankly normal, Steve has ever seen him.

“And fish?”

That gets him going until Steve has to leave. Keith’s still there when he gets back, already clocked out and ready to continue where he left of. Robin gives him a wide eyed look as she rushes to clock in.

“So what’s this about?”

“Harrington is considering getting a pet.”

After Keith gets done talking Robin starts talking about her preferred pet. To the surprise of no one who has had to listen to her rabies talk it’s not cats or dogs but rabbits.

Steve leaves that day with Keith promising to bring him a twenty gallon tank to start with and some tetras along with some reading, Steve had shot Robin a desperate look at that, from Rene.

[quietwingsinthesky]

(@transmasc-rose) Hmm... 11Simm, Simm is around for his Baking Period instead of going back to the war, and this affects our Doctor.

alsjfjglsjfk okay im assuming by baking period you mean immediately post-regeneration and what im saying is that this got wildly out of hand, here’s 1000 words of eleven & simm & amelia pond

Amelia Pond remembers, a few months ago, when it rained so hard that the streets outside of school flooded. It hadn’t been so bad, even though no one had come to pick her up so Mels had promised Rory when his dad came, “Don’t worry, I’ll walk her home.” By then, his dad’s car was already making huge waves as it drove away. Neither of them had an umbrella or raincoats, so they’d sprinted between trees and bus stops as it continued to pour down. The streets became rivers, and when they caught their breath on Amelia’s front porch, they’d turned back to look at the unrecognizable world of their neighborhood almost underwater. Mels’ cold, wet hand in hers, Amelia had watched two rats swimming across the street, scrabbling over each other with tiny splashes and biting their tails to stay together until they got to the other side.

Anyway, that’s why she thinks Mels would understand her letting the men from the blue box into her house once she saw that they were soaking wet and why Rory would probably tell her she shouldn’t try to pick up rats because they might have rabies.

“If he’s the Doctor,” says Amelia to the man who stole all of the Doctor’s leftovers, (or was it stealing when no one wanted them?) “then who are you?” She’s been thinking of him as the rude Doctor, seeing as they both came from the same box, but that might be unfair. To the Doctor. She can’t just go assuming two men from the same box share a name.

“The Master,” he tells her, shortly. Amelia squints up at him.

Amelia doesn’t care much about politics because her aunt doesn’t care much about politics. Still, there are all these newspapers that someone must have bought that sit in the lounge and they both forget to clean up.

“Why do you look like the Prime Minister?” At that, the Master grins. His teeth are too sharp.

“Because I ate him.” Amelia wrinkles her nose at him. He’s going to have to try harder. Mels is much better at scaring her than he is.

“Stop that,” the Doctor tells him. “She’s-” He looks over Amelia curiously and guesses. “…Five?”

“I’m eight,” Amelia corrects and stands a little taller.

“She’s eight, and there’s a nasty crack in her wall that’s scaring her enough. You don’t need to make it worse.” The Master huffs and crosses his arms, but he does glance down at her again. She doesn’t think he’s decided to be nice, exactly, but maybe that he’s decided even if he isn’t lying and he does eat people, that Amelia wouldn’t be very tasty. He extends a hand to pat her on the head, and Amelia bites at it. She doesn’t manage to get him, but he snaps his hand back. He grins at her.

“She should be scared. I’m surprised she’s even still here.” Amelia frowns at him the same time the Doctor does.

“What do you mean?”

“Explain that, Master,” the Doctor’s voice flips from fun to serious very easily. She likes that about him. Most adults never use their serious voices around Amelia, only the fun ones, even when they have bad news to deliver.

“You’re counting the doors, Doctor. I’m counting the bedrooms.”

“So?”

“Amelia, you said you only live with your aunt?” the Master asks, pointedly. Amelia scowls at him, even though a part of her is delighted that they were paying attention to what she said.

“Yes.”

“So, why,” he emphasizes, “are there too many beds in this house?” The Doctor stops examining the crack and turns to him. Amelia watches a wave of something awful wash over his face. It makes her squirm, and despite herself, grab onto the Master’s hoodie.

“Oh, Amelia,” the Doctor says, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” She doesn’t like it, any of it, not the crack and not the feeling in the pit of her stomach that something’s gone terribly wrong. She doesn’t know what it is, but she knows- She knows- She can’t remember why she’s crying. The Master’s hoodie is grimy enough already, so she sticks her nose in it to wipe her face clean. He smells like a wet dog.

“First things first,” the Doctor says, “whatever was in the crack is now out of the crack.”

“I know. I can smell it.”

“So, we take care of that. Amelia,” he addresses her again. Amelia pulls her face out of the Master’s hoodie to look at the Doctor. “Do you mind if I pick you up?” Amelia is too big to be picked up anymore, at least by her aunt. Still, she nods. “Good. I’m going to put you in the safest place I know.” The Doctor picks Amelia up easily, like she would pick up one of her stuffed animals, and then deposits her, without hesitating, into the Master’s arms as he protests.

“I don’t want her. Take her back.” Amy wriggles, but despite that, he doesn’t drop her.

“I wasn’t lying. Whatever prisoner zero is—I’m working on it—you’re far more dangerous.” At that, the Master hums, pleased with himself. Amelia thinks the Doctor might be even more mad than she’d assumed. “Which also makes you safe.”

The thing is, Amelia thinks, the Doctor isn’t wrong. She looks at the crack, and she looks out her bedroom door down the hall they say contains a monster, and nothing scares her.

“It’s a little early for us to adopt,” the Master mutters.

“Sorry, can’t hear you. Too busy hunting an intergalactic fugitive. You’d know all about that. Amelia, did you know he’s wanted dead or alive in over two hundred galaxies? In multiple time periods.” Amelia looks at the Master for confirmation.

“Two hundred and fifty-three,” he says.

“What’d you do?”

“Everything.” He carries Amelia out, following the Doctor, and only gets interrupted telling her a story she’s not sure she believes about taking over an entire planet when the monster shows itself.

[spitinsideme]

Well, what animals are you totally NOT afraid of then? Like the ones that you'd always be fine with being around

cats !! i have a cat, shes great ! id pet a stray cat if they looked calm enpufh and in a mood to be touched .. alll other animals thouth ? not really !! i have a huge fear of getting bit by an animal and then getting rabies and BOOM dying !! and all mammals carrt rabies !! i went to sicily once and went out fot a walk at night and i saw a bat (far fron me in the sky) and i ran back home so fast that i almost tripped three times, i would notbe able to live in lijr any place in like amrrica or asia because if i saw a lizard or a weird fucking insrct ??? id leave immedialy i woukdnt get any sleep !! i see videos where therws just like bears around in the forest and people go on thosr fuking forests ?? and its common to go there ?? with fucking bears ??? i cant do that .. thats not me ... i wpukdnt even go NEAR a country where bears are a possibility ... im a pussy .. if i see a tiny mouse i get scared that they will bite me and i will die .. i cannot do it .. i have a fear of insects i cant even be in th3 samr ROOM wi5h a fly, mosquito, ladybird, moth or ANY flyong insect because i am too scared and my hesrt is beating si fast im 10 seconds away from gettimg a hesrt attack !!!! i have never seen a roach but from what ive seen online if i did see a roach id call the hospital immedeiately because i will have so much stress in thar one moment that im probbaly going into shock and my hestt will stop due to the high bpood pressure inside me .. we have those fucking crane flies here i am SO TERRIFIED OF THEM !! AND I MEAN IT !!! ONE TIME I SAW ONE NEXT TO ME AND I 9ANICLED SO HARD I FELL ONTO THE FLOOR ROLLED OVER AND BADHED MY HEAD INTO A WALL BY ACCIDENT AND THEN GOT UP, SLIPPED, BAMGED MY HEAD INTO THE OTHER WALL, AND JUST CRAWLED FRANTICALLY ALONG THE FLOOR TRYING TO OPEN THE LOCKED DOOR AS FAST AS POSSIBLE !!! I AAS SO FUCKING SCARED !!!

i realise i talked mostly about insects but i am afraud of all animals equally to me a rat abd a bear have the capabiloties to kill me even in different ways and a chicken fucking chaded me down once into a bathroom when i was like 10 and that was actually quite terrifiyong they fucking chased me across the playground into the classroom and into the fucking bahtoom i literally climbed on top of a sink because i wss scared and the fucker wouldnt leavr me alonr .. i have alwyad been a cowrd i was born with fear in my body

[all-pacas]

DIAGNOSTIC OLYMPICS, SEASON 1, EPISODES 15-END

part one, part two

Hi! I was curious about who on House (besides House) gets the most diagnoses right. Other folks have already run a tally (it's Chase), but I was curious how other factors would influence the tally — whose ideas get run with, who manages treatment, who screws up… So I thought I'd keep score.

1 point for getting the answer. This is almost always going to be House.

.5 points for Valuable Contribution — stuff that isn't the final answer, but either is thought to be the final answer or is valuable to the solving of the case. Stuff like "noticing something on the MRI" doesn't count; things like "figuring out how to treat" does.

-.5 to -1 for Mistakes — stuff that delays or prevents diagnoses, injuring or killing patients, etc.

HEAVY DIAGNOSES: Cushing’s

+1 House: Figures out it’s Cushing’s. Another episode more about Vogler than medicine.

+0 Chase: Is super gross and awful about the patient all episode, complains non-stop, and is in his Peak Rat Era, but he still works his ass off and doesn’t let it show when in the room with the patient. Probably because he's more worried about getting fired, but. Compare to Foreman in the Rabies episode, who dismissed and refused to look at the patient. It's not a high bar.

ROLE MODEL DIAGNOSES: Epstein-Barr

+1 House: everyone is super busy with drama, but House figures out the case in his spare time. COINCIDENCE STRIKES AGAIN: Chase, for the third time, accidentally says the right diagnosis immediately, only to be shot down because it made no sense at the time. This time he points out he got it right, but House is also right that when he said it it was dumb.

BABIES AND BATHWATER DIAGNOSES: Lung cancer

+1 Team: The patient is diagnosed very quickly; the conflict of the episode is much more about keeping both her and her baby alive. Which, uh. -5 Vogler: Crossing from interfering jerk into “actively killing people,” his stunt with the C-section killed the patient. He could have pulled her from the trial without stopping the delivery. Hope the husband sues!

KIDS DIAGNOSES: Pregnancy

+1 House: Realizes the patient is pregnant, and from there it all falls into place. +.5 Chase: Despite House doing his best to punish him all episode, he comes up with a way to scan the patient without a CT. This is also the second time he’s figured out how to do something with “old fashioned” tech — first x-raying the ham worms in the pilot, and now using an ultrasound to scan a brain. Did he go to med school in the 1950s?

LOVE HURTS DIAGNOSES: Infection under jaw

+1 House: Figures it out fairly quickly once he realizes the tic-tacs are a clue. -.5 Chase: Hiding his knowledge of the patient being into S&M was very much a good move when it comes to workplace bullying, but could have led to delays in treatment/diagnosis. Luckily, not five minutes later, the truth is revealed anyway. -5 COOL POINTS: Chase attempting to dom the patient was terrifying. Why do we give him shit for kissing the 9 year old when this is so much more cringe? +1 Annette: Cares about Harvey, does everything she can to help him, doesn't give up trying to help and support him. Nice to see her portrayed as a caring person and not just Sexy Dom Lady.

THREE STORIES DIAGNOSES: N/A. But also, -5 to House's backstory doctors.

HONEYMOON DIAGNOSES: Intermittent porphyria

+1 House: As is usual for season finales, it is not so much about the medicine. Mark Warner is sick, no one has any idea or good guesses, and the fellows mostly exist in the background for House’s development with Stacy.

FINAL S1 TALLY:

HOUSE: 16.5 TEAM: 4 FOREMAN: 1 CHASE: 2.5 CAMERON: 2.5

Foreman's low score surprised me, but he tends to swing from "being really brilliant" to "being very unprofessional." He does well, but also gets demerits for his mistakes. He gets the most focus and character development, and that's only going to continue next season; I'm pretty sure he's going to pull ahead of the pack at some point.

Cameron essentially tying for second surprised me, because I remember her pulling a lot of dramatic stunts (spoilers, she doesn't start S2 strong), but she actually doesn't make a lot of mistakes that pull her score down. Sort of a "slow and steady" approach. She also, so far, is the only one to come up with a diagnoses (Wilson's Disease) on her own (even if House was only a second behind her).

Chase managed to guess the right diagnoses three times. He doesn't get credit, because they were guesses and he didn't seriously try to prove or fight for them, but it is interesting accidental foreshadowing. I do think Foreman was originally intended to be "House's successor," but there really is a decent case to be made, even in S1, that Chase has a shot.

Not much to say about House; his score is always going to be the highest, particularly in episodes more focused on character drama than "solving the mystery."

[rumbelleshowdown]

-

Author: LikeASparkInTheDark

Group: C

Prompts: Sunset. She doesn't "like" you! Size matters.

-

Second Hand Assumptions

“Father, where’s Tilly?” 

Moe French turned, looking at his daughter blankly, “She was just here, I almost tripped over her loading the truck.”

Belle bit her lower lip continuing to look through the store. She had left briefly to pick up the keys to the library from the mayor.

She didn’t bring Tilly along because she wasn’t sure how dog friendly her new town was, she left her with her father hoping Tilly’s separation anxiety wouldn’t spike.

“I can’t find her anywhere, where is she?” Belle’s voice was panicked. She was in a new town, and no one knew her or Tilly except her father. 

Moe’s mouth was in a grim line, “I don’t know Belle, she might have just snuck out.”

“Were there any customers while I was gone?” She asked, trying to think of an explanation for her missing Australian Terrier.

“No customers, but that bloody Mr. Gold was here to remind me I was late on rent,” Moe paused thoughtfully, “maybe he saw her as an opportunity for collateral.”

Belle’s eyes widened, “He wouldn’t hurt her would he?”

“That man is capable of anything.” Her father’s voice was ominous.

“I need to find her,” Belle grabbed Tilly’s leash before running out of the shop, her heels clicking on the tile.

He felt slightly guilty but that dog held Belle back from so many things, she’d refuse to go out because “Tilly needs me”, it couldn’t be left alone for more than an hour. Belle would be better off without it, at least that’s what he told himself when he’d taken its collar and nudged it out the door.

“Higher dad!” Henry shouted.

“Be careful!” Arran shouted at his son and grandson, from the park bench he sat at. They had been playing at the park, but his bad leg started to throb and he needed to sit down. 

“Wait!” Henry shouted.

Henry squinted looking with each upward swing before he started dragging his feet in the dirt.

Arran followed his eyeline, for a moment he thought it was a fat squirrel running through the grass. 

“I’ll catch it!” Henry jumped from the swing and ran towards the animal.

“No Henry, it could have rabies!” Neal shouted, chasing after him.

Arran quickly rose from the bench limping to where Henry was crouching down. 

Arran wrinkled his nose, “What kind of rat is this?” He asked as he looked at the tiny creature, it wasn’t his idea of a dog.

“It’s not a rat grandpa, it’s a dog, I wonder why it's alone.” Henry looked around the park to see if there was anyone around.

“A dog? That's not a proper dog, size matters with dogs, this is a rodent of some kind. Now a sheep dog that's a real dog.” 

He turned to his son, raising a finger, “Do you remember Colonel?”

Neal grinned at the memory, “Yeah, I used to ride on his back like a horse.”

“It’s not wearing a collar.” Henry announced.

“Well what should we do? It’s too late for the vet to be open to scan for a chip.” Arran frowned.

It had pointed ears and long tan and black fur with a scruffy face. It’s tongue was hanging out and it was panting in his grandson’s arms.

“We’ll look around the park to see if anyone is looking for a dog.” Neal suggested.

“Here Grandpa.” 

Arran balked in protest, but Henry was already shoving the dog into his hands.

“What am I supposed to do with it?” 

“Hold her close grandpa she’s scared!” Henry advised before they ran off.

He leaned onto his good leg and raised the dog to eye level.

“Listen here you little rat, There will be no urinating on my suit, no leaving nasty little bugs on me, and no-”

“Let go of that dog!”

Arran's head snapped from the dog's face to the face of a beautiful stranger.

“I said unhand that dog this instant!” 

“Excuse me?” He held the dog closer to make sure the stranger wasn’t some dog napper, though she wasn’t wearing a spotted fur coat.

He was struck at her beauty, the sunset setting off the auburn in her hair that fluttered in the wind, big blue eyes glaring at him, her lips a lovely shade of red, pursed in annoyance. Before  he realized that she had said something else in her memorable accent.

“I’m sorry wha-, your dog?” 

“Yes MY dog, or did you not know that when you stole her from my father’s shop?”

Arran’s head tilted slightly to the side, “What?” He scoffed, amused at her accusation.

“My father told me all about you Mr. Gold, how you walk around this town like you own it. I didn’t think you’d use a dog for collateral.” 

She crossed her arms over her chest, relieved at finding Tilly, but angry at finding her with Mr. Gold. She wanted to snatch her from his grasp but she didn’t want the man to retaliate and toss her into the pond.

Mr. Gold seemed amused at her words.

“I didn’t steal your dog, do you think she’d like me this much if I had?” He jerked his head to gesture to Tilly, who was unfortunately cuddling into the crook of his arm.

It was Belle’s turn to scoff, “She doesn’t “like” you!” 

Arran’s amusement grew as the woman stomped her foot with that argument, making her skirt flutter. 

Fortunately Neal and Henry returned from their sweep of the park.

“Hi Belle!” Henry greeted the woman with a wave.

The woman, Belle, smiled warmly, and Arran felt his heart stutter in his chest. He was glad that smile was not aimed at him, or else he might act in foolishly.

“Um, hi, who are you?” Neal asked, raising an eyebrow.

“This is Belle, she’s the new librarian. I saw her on our field trip to city hall today with grandma.” Henry answered.

“This woman is accusing me of stealing her dog.” Arran said at the same time.

“Steal your dog? My grandpa would never steal someone’s dog.” Henry's brow furrowed at the thought.

“Your grandpa?” 

“Yeah, my dad. He may be many things, but he isn’t a dog thief.” The other man, Henry’s father grinned at her.

Belle was trying to catch the trail of thought that had gone through her mind, flustered she turned her gaze back to Mr. Gold, “May I have Rumplestiltskin back please?”

At its name the dog began wiggling in Arran’s grasp until he held her out to Belle.

“Rumplestiltskin?” He couldn’t bite back that smirk that he knew was dancing on his lips.

“That’s a weird name for a girl.” Henry piped up.

Belle took Tilly in her arms, holding her tightly against her sweater, giving her a squeeze, “That’s what the shelter named her, I call her Tilly for short.”

Mr. Gold seemed amused as he watched her slip Tilly’s leash on.

 “Henry I better get you home to your mom” Neal nodded a farewell to Belle and gave his father a parting hug.

Belle held Tilly close to her as Mr. Gold hugged his son tightly, and then gave Henry a large hug too. Surely a dognapper wouldn't be such a family man.

“Love you grandpa!” Henry shouted over his shoulder as he and Neal walked away.

Mr. Gold’s smile was rather lovely, Belle mused to herself, before she realized his attention was now solely on her.

“I’m sorry for accusing you of stealing Tilly.” She murmured softly, feeling ashamed that she had judged Mr. Gold just on rumors from her father alone.

“I’m sorry your father felt the need to bestow that assumption onto you.” He shrugged.

After fidgeting with Tilly’s leash Belle broke the silence between them, “Your wife must be ready for you to come home, I understand if you’ve got to leave.”

“My wife?” he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips.

“Yeah, isn’t Mary Margaret your wife? Henry said it was his grandma that he was with earlier.”

Mr. Gold was trying very hard not to laugh outright in Belle’s face, “Miss French, I assure you, Mary Margaret is his grandma on his maternal side.”

Belle felt the blood drain from her face as he laughed.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go find a bridge to jump from.” Belle muttered.

“How about, instead,” Arran started, taking a tentative step towards her, petting the top of Tilly’s head.

“There's a restaurant just out of town called Marco's,  how about we take Tilly for dinner on the patio? That’ll give you a chance to form your own opinion about me instead of having a secondhand one.”

Belle tried to repress the smile that was bursting to break across her face, “I’d like that.” 

Arran Gold smiled and he held out the crook of his arm to Belle. She let the smile take over her face and she slipped her arm through his, with Tilly cradled in her other arm, they left the park together.

-

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: Elected Dogcatcher

We joke about it now, but when there was no rabies vaccine - and for a significantly long time after, when vaccinating pets and livestock was not as common - dogcatcher used to be a job that required not just gloves and a net, but steady nerves, common sense, a willingness to take some physical risks and a drive to make sure those risks did not put the rest of the community in danger. You might not need a dogcatcher every day, but when you did, you needed them. People wanted to be sure their dogcatcher was up to the job. So in some places, they were indeed elected.

It’s not something that comes up in fantastic worlds much, but it occurred to me, in such a setting, who would you want to be a dogcatcher? Though it probably wouldn’t be dogs specifically, but troublesome animals in general. In a hard SF world, you might look for someone with the right scanning tech, capture drones, and know-how to use them. In a softer SF world with psionics, you might go for the guy with animal empathy. (Although that can backfire if you’re using the animals badly - see Andre Norton’s Catseye.) And in a fantasy world?

Yep. Either a ranger or a druid.

The world-bit I’ve worked out so far for the Druid vs. Zombies idea starts with Sionnach monitoring an area specifically meant to catch animals and monsters Not Acting Right and keep them away from the town. Essentially, she is a dogcatcher. She probably also deals with animal removal, pest control, snake deterrence, and figuring out just how That One Goat keeps getting loose.

I’m not sure yet if she was elected or hired to the position, or just ended up doing it and started getting paid for it. (Because seriously, even leaving aside possibly risking your life with rabies - if you have to talk to the same people multiple times about needing to close the pantry doors if they don’t want rats moving in, you deserve to get paid.)

What’s interesting is, like firemen and paramedics, being dogcatcher is a way of looking after your community without having to deal with too many people in it all the time. You can still care for and care about people, without getting so much of a bad shake if your social skills aren’t up to par.

Although in that case, you’d better hope it’s a paid job, because you’re probably not getting elected to it....

[marc--chilton]

i saw your house-would-be-not-happy-to-have-a-tail-that-uncontrollably-wags-around-wilson post and i feel the need to share with you what animals i think the PPTH losers would be if they were furries. i'm not a furry but in this case i have Thoughts about their animal counterparts.

House: if he's a dog, he's a beat-up-looking shelter-dog, a rottweiler or a doberman or an american bully or a pit bull (bullies are like if pit bulls were bred to be built even more like tanks). but i think he'd be a cat (either a nonspecific longish-haired tabby with some matting issues or a maine coon also with matting issues) or a coyote.

Wilson: golden retriever. easy.

Chase: dingo. also easy.

Cameron: long-furred dachshund.

Masters: chihuahua. small but opinionated.

Foreman: he's like House, but if House was better cared for (not a coyote though). so instead of being a scarred and hunched rottweiler/doberman/pit bull/american bully, he's the type of those breeds who would win a dog show. he's polished.

Taub: a little yippy terrier-mix mutt

Thirteen: a gorbeiakoa basque shepherd dog

Cuddy: an american water spaniel

please share more of your furrymd headcanons! :) and also pleasssseee tell me if you agree with my analysis.

-🎸

i've had similar discussions before about house md animals in the past but never thought of them as furries but as actual feral critters so my opinions vary depending on Vibe

bc like i will always and forever advocate for less popular species being explored so in this case, less dogs/cats

house - goat or sheep, evokes imagery of wolf in sheep's clothing or lucifer; mockery of religious imagery he is both compared to and challenging (see: house vs god, the entire 'god doesn't limp' scene)

wilson - bear. like a teddy bear, obviously. makes you think he's more a stuffed toy than the actual animal. but he most certainly still is an animal.

cuddy - horse. beautiful hair, gorgeous beast so sleek and dark she shines rosy, a perfect white diamond on her nose, and horseshoes to stomp you to death with

chase - honestly a dingo's pretty alright for him but just to be different, a bilby!! they're charismatic and beloved by australians. in new jersey though most people are like "what's a bilby??"

foreman - rat, they have bad reputations that foreman still has to endure even as a doctor.

cameron - rabbit, usually associated with life though cameron is more accustomed to death (her widowing)

taub - burrowing owl. just look at how taublike. or a bat.

thirteen - tbh she's soooo a wolf she's like the grown up version of your first wolfsona, that's just her Vibe, but again to be different..... opossum. kind of scary at first but turns out she's really cool. did you know opossums' body temperatures are too low for them to actually carry rabies. they can still get it, it's just super rare

kutner - ferret!! excitable, fun, so so sillay, does best in a group