#jack isn't ready to be open just yet but they're getting there

[rotbtd-edits]

ROTBTD [17 / X] Budding feelings [From Part 4]

At Rapunzel’s advice, Hiccup tries to talk to the gloomy Jack who finds it difficult to open up to others. Nevertheless Hiccup manages to cheer him up and the pair keeps growing closer.

[xoheewon]

first time

heeseung x virgin f!reader genre: smut, fluff warnings: cursing, unprotected sex, cunnilingus, fellatio, fingering wc: 2.2k

Being a virgin in college has never been an issue for you. You don't feel embarrassed or ashamed, but you do feel left out.

All your friends constantly talk about their hookups and how amazing sex is.

At first, you figured it couldn't be that great, but as time continued you couldn't help but feel like you were missing out on something good.

“Don't feel left out Y/N, sex isn't always great,” Giselle says, putting her hand on your shoulder.

You and the girls were in your room, studying together.

“But you guys always talk about how great it is!”

“Well, it can be, with a person who knows what they're doing. We've all had our dud hookups with a guy who didn't know jack,” Karina adds. 

Winter butt's in, nodding her head, “I once had sex with this guy who was so quick to cum, I hadn't even taken my panties off yet. Then when he actually got his dick in me, he finished and didn't even get me off, I had to fake it.”

“Well how do you know if a guy knows what to do?” You ask, looking at Ningning who clears her throat. 

“You can't really tell just by looking at them, it usually comes down to how they act in the bedroom. If they worry about your pleasure as much as your own, I'd say they're pretty alright,” she says.

The girls all nod, agreeing. Karina pats your knee, “When the time comes and you feel like you're ready, the right person will be there.”

After they left, you thought about their words and they're right. When it's the right time and the right person, you'll be ready. You decide to shower and put pajamas on as it gets later.

Afterwards, you can hear the doorknob of the front door opening, your roommate must be home.

Heeseung is a nice guy. He's a year older, a senior who had been looking for a roommate to replace his old one. You, at the time, had been looking to move out of your parents house. 

You had a mutual friend, Sunghoon, who introduced you and within a week you had moved in. 

It's been a year now and living with Heeseung has been great. 

He's sweet, clean and respectful.

Unfortunately, he's also very hot.

You can't lie and say you haven't had a wet dream or two about him. 

Waking up with arousal pooling in your underwear is not the most comfortable feeling.

He comes in as you're sitting on the couch, greeting you cheerfully, “Hey Y/N!”

“Hi! It's late, what have you been up to?”

“I was just with the hottest girl, I was in heaven.”

“Oh, good for you,” you say, your smile faltering. 

“What about you, what did you do?”

You wave your hand, “The girls just came over to study.”

He nods, “I'm gonna go shower, you wanna watch a movie? Order dinner?”

You nod, watching as he retreats to the bathroom.

You sigh as the door closes.

Heeseung has probably had sex with a number of girls. He wouldn't want someone like you who's never done anything sexual.

15 minutes pass and you've been scrolling on the phone when the bathroom door opens again.

Heeseung comes out but he's not clothed.

His towel hangs around his hips, dangerously low.

You can't help the heat rising to your cheeks.

“What do you want for dinner? I'll order on my phone now,” you say, looking back down at your phone quickly.

His footsteps approach you as he hums, “You wanna get chinese?”

You see his feet in front of you as you look up.

He's right in front of you, water dripping on his body. His lean but toned chest glistens in the light of the living room.

“Or,” his hand comes up to cup your chin, “I could give you something else for dinner.”

“What are you implying?” You ask, stopping yourself from nuzzling into his hand.

“Come on, you know what I'm talking about. I've heard your pretty little whimpers and moans in your sleep when you're dreaming about me, waking up with your underwear soaked.”

You gulp, “I'm sorry.”

“What are you sorry for,” he says, “If anything I should be honored to have a pretty girl dream about me.”

You look down but he raises your chin back up. “Heeseung, you don't want anything to do with me. The farthest I've ever gone with a guy was making out. I can’t offer you anything.”

He smiles, “That's even better, means I get to show you what real pleasure feels like. Do you want that?”

Maybe this is your right person and right time.

You nod, “Can I..?” You trail off, gesturing to his towel.

He undoes the towel and his cock springs up.

His tip is red and you can't help how your mouth begins to salivate. 

“You wanna suck my cock, pretty girl?”

You nod your head and he chuckles.

He takes his hand and places it in front of your mouth, “Spit.”

You gather all the spit in your mouth before depositing it in his hand.

He begins to lather his cock, and you feel yourself begin to salivate even more.

“Hold it with your hand like this,” he says, guiding your hand to hold him.

He's warm in your hand and he guides you up and down his cock. 

“Now, start with the tip.”

You lay your tongue flat against the tip, licking around it albeit apprehensively.

Now, you may have never done this before but you've done your fair share of research.

You dip your tongue into his slit before swirling it around, collecting his pre-cum.

Heeseung groans from above you, bringing a hang up to wrap it in your hair.

You pull away for a moment before placing a delicate kiss on the tip which makes him chuckle.

“Start putting some of the length in your mouth, don't rush.”

You do as he says, using your tongue to lick the underside of his cock.

Once you become comfortable, you take more of him into your mouth, placing your hand where you can't take him.

“Now start bobbing your head and hollow your cheeks, that's all there is to it, pretty girl.”

You start sucking him off eagerly, whining as you feel yourself getting wetter by the second.

Heeseung moans from above you, “That's it, you're a natural.”

You go at him until your jaw begins to hurt and by then, Heeseung is tightening his grip on your hair. 

“I'm gonna cum, where do you want it?”

You pull off his cock with a pop, lolling your tongue out and continuing to jerk him off.

He smiles, “You're driving me crazy, pretty girl.”

Then, he's coming in your mouth, it's almost too much.

You swallow, not minding the taste. If anything you're proud that you made him cum.

He takes over jerking his cock to get himself hard again. 

“Can I do something?” He asks, and you nod.

“Lay back on the couch,” he says, “Gonna make you feel good.”

You do as you're told, getting comfortable. 

Heeseung gets on the couch facing you, trailing his fingers up your legs.

His hands reach your pajama top, “Can I take this off?” 

You nod, throwing your arms above your head as he begins to slide it off.

Your bare tits present themselves to him and his hands immediately come up to grope them.

His head dips, mouth coming to suck on your left nipple. 

You moan in pleasure, your hands coming to run themselves through his hair.

He twirls your other nipple between his fingers before switching.

“Such perfect tits, can't believe you've been hiding these from me.”

His mouth drops lower, kissing his way down your stomach before his lips reach the waistband of your shorts.

He looks up at you for permission and you give it to him.

Heeseung pulls your shorts and panties down, gazing at your dripping cunt.

“Such a pretty pussy, I never thought I'd get to see it.”

You blush, hands coming up to cover your face.

“Don't hide from me, I wanna see your beautiful face,” he says, pulling them away.

He lowers his face parallel to your cunt, blowing hot air on it, making you shiver.

“Heeseung-” You gasp as his tongue makes contact with your folds. 

He starts eating you out like a starved man.

His tongue finds you clit, massaging the nub, sucking on it.

Your back arches, your hands finding his hair once again.

“Oh my god, Heeseung!”

Finding your hole, he tenses his tongue, fucking it inside.

You've never felt pleasure like this.

Sure, you've masturbated, but this is a whole new world.

Heeseung switching between tongue fucking you and sucking your clit.

He brings a long, slender finger to your hole, letting your arousal coat it before slipping it inside. After a few minutes, he adds another finger, using them to open you up along with his tongue.

You can feel warmth pooling in your stomach, you know you're close.

“I'm gonna cum, Seungie,” you whine, bucking your hips up against his face.

“Cum for me,” he says, sighing as your release coats his tongue, face and fingers.

The lewd slurping sounds make your face hot as he inhales everything you give him.

As he pulls away, the lower part of his face is wet with your release and he doesn't hesitate to collect it on his fingers, sucking them into his mouth.

“You taste amazing, I could stay in that pussy for hours.”

“I've never felt anything like that before,” you say, breathing heavily.

“Do you wanna stop here? We don't have to continue if you're not ready,” he says, caressing your face.

You shake your head, “Want your cock, Seungie.”

He groans at your words, “Fuck, you're driving me crazy.”

You giggle, wrapping your legs around his waist to pull him closer.

He takes his cock into his hand, rubbing it up and down your folds, making you whine as his tip continuously hits your puffy clit.

He saturates himself with your juices, before positioning himself at your entrance.

You nod at him and he slowly begins to enter you.

Inch by inch you feel the stretch, wincing slightly.

Once he bottoms out, he gives you time to adjust.

You take in the full feeling in your belly, like he's all the way inside your stomach.

You buck your hips, “Move, please.”

He starts off slow, pulling all the way out before pushing back in. He rolls his hips in a way that makes it feel like there's even more cock to take.

After he sees you're comfortable, he picks up the pace to a relentless thrust.

His balls hit your ass, the lewd slapping sound making you even more wet.

“Fuck, you're taking me so well pretty.”

You whine, nodding, “Love your cock, Seungie.”

His pace turns animalistic, fucking you into the couch as you moan louder and louder.

“Fuck, Heeseung!”

He lifts one of your legs, bringing it over his shoulder to change the angle and you arch as he hits a new spot inside you.

“Oh my god!” You scream, jaw dropping as he groans above you.

“Fuck, I love this pussy. Never want another one after this,” he says, kissing your thigh beside his head.

“I'm gonna cum again, Seungie please.” You don't even know what you're begging for. 

“Me too baby, fuck where do you want me to cum?”

“Inside,” you plead, “Want it in me.”

Heeseung curses up a storm as you clench around him, milking his cock as he finally cums, with you following right after.

His warm cum fills you up, making your cunt and belly feel full. 

He releases your leg, putting it down as he slowly pulls out.

Heeseung watches his cum drip out of you, before leaning down to kiss you.

You taste yourself on him as he slides his tongue inside your mouth.

The kiss is sweet, slow.

As he pulls away, he leaves kisses all over your face, making you giggle.

“Heeseung, that was amazing. Thank you.”

He smiles, “I was honored to be your first, pretty girl, and hopefully your last?” 

“Do you like me, Lee Heeseung?” You taunt him with a wide smile on your face.

“Maybe I do. Would you be mine if I asked you?”

You nod, “I'd love nothing more.”

After resting for a few minutes, Heeseung gets off the couch, putting his arm under your things while the other finds your shoulders, lifting you up bridal style.

He brings you to the bathroom, getting a warm rag to clean you both up.

“You wanna cuddle? My room or yours?” He asks, holding your face in his hands, using his thumbs to caress your cheeks.

“Yours,” you reply, “I like your room.”

He lifts you again, bringing you to his room, putting one of his shirts on you and bringing you to his bed.

Your head rests on his chest as his arms come to wrap around you. 

“I'd like to take you out on a date tomorrow, I meant what I said about making you mine,” Heeseung whispers into your ear.

“I'd like that,” you respond, lifting your head to give him a kiss on the lips.

note: this is my second time writing smut, my apologies if it's ass 😭 don't hesitate to give constructive criticism! also pls ignore any typos/grammar mistakes and the formatting im too lazy to fix it.

[jaewritesfic]

Everlasting Trio DP x DC Nobody Knows AU Part 7

Part 6

The door Sam knocks on is in a much nicer building than she expected.

She and Tucker are visiting Danny for dinner - and boy did they both nearly burst with excitement when he shyly extended the invitation - and frankly Sam had expected an apartment building in the Narrows or Park Row.

Danny was a teenage runaway less than a decade ago, for God's sake. Forgive her and Tucker for assuming he'd still be getting his feet under him and scraping by.

This? This is not that.

Sam has half a mind to think Danny is sugaring. He certainly wouldn't have any trouble - the Danny that disappeared from Amity was cute, but small and awkward in that teenage way. The grown up Danny they've been reconnecting with? He's tall, lean and positively gorgeous.

She wouldn't have a problem with that, per say. But the Danny they knew was also too nice for his own good and starved for positive attention. If someone was taking advantage of that Sam would kill them. 

Separation did not quell her instinct to wrap Danny up and protect him from the world, it would seem.

There's a slight commotion after the knock before Danny himself is yanking the door open with a grin that's happy and nervous at the same time.

“Guys! Hey! Come in!”

He ushers them inside with all the energy of an overgrown puppy, something that hasn't changed one bit since they were kids.

Sam shivers a little as they enter, assuming there's an AC unit blowing over the entryway at first. She smiles at Danny's back as he babbles at them.

“I kind of lost track of time, so food isn't actually ready yet, but then I thought - hey! Who cares! We can cook together and it'll be fun! I got all vegan stuff too so we can make a meaty pizza for Tuck and a different one for you, Sam-”

The apartment they walk into is a spacious open floor plan, furniture in blacks and grays. She shivers again. Seriously-

“Your AC on the fritz or something?” Tucker asks, rubbing his arms a little. “It's like fifty degrees in here, man.”

Danny freezes for a second on his way to the kitchen space before turning around and beelining for a wall - the thermostat.

“Shit, sorry! Sit, sit! I knew I was forgetting something,” he grumbles as he flaps a hand towards the black bar stools at the kitchen island and fiddles with the thermostat. “I like the cold, I always have it too low for most people in here. Sorry about that, it'll get better soon.”

Sam and Tucker exchange bewildered looks as they sit at the kitchen island. There's liking it cool, and there's fucking freezing.

“Guess I don't have to ask your favorite season,” Tucker jokes, and Danny offers him an apologetic grin as he lopes back over.

“Yeah, probably a safe guess,” he chuckles on his way to the fridge. “You guys want drinks? I have a homemade sangria if you want. Beer, wine, you name it.”

Tucker opts for a beer. Sam asks for the homemade sangria, curious. Danny pours two glasses and takes an ice cube tray out to pop a couple of ice cubes in.

When the glass is set in front of her - “they're the stemless kind you can't knock over. Cool, right? Look at ‘em wobble, they're just little guys.” - she raises an eyebrow.

The ice cubes are in the shape of little ghosts. Tucker snorts when he sees them, taking the bottle opener Danny offers for his beer.

“Ghosts? Really?”

Danny blinks like he'd forgotten he had a novelty ice cube tray, then grins and shrugs.

“I mean. What else is being from Amity good for if not inside jokes?”

He turns away before she can respond with any form of bewilderment - Danny had been known for disappearing during ghost fights, after all. He was terrified of them. She hadn't expected him to want any reminders of ghosts or his ghost hunter parents.

Sorry - Jack and Maddie.

With two resounding thunks, Danny slaps store bought dough onto his nice dark counters. He at least remembered to leave them out to rise. 

“Alright! While I roll this out, it's time to pick your toppings lady and gent - go wild, go ham. Let me show you my selection.”

He opens the fridge again, pulling out meats and veggies and cheeses abound. Sam notes vegan cheese alternatives in the mix with a warm fondness in her chest. She's stricter about being vegetarian than vegan, but the fact that Danny went that extra little mile? 

Yeah. Yeah, this is still her boy. She missed having two of them. She and Tuck were never meant to be without a Danny, and she can see on Tucker's face that he feels the same way.

Smiling and standing to start looking through the options, Sam sips her sangria. 

It’s delicious, and the little ghost ice cubes smile back up at her like they're as glad as she is to be here.

Masterpost

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

the lack of cater content is kinda funny and scary at the same time😭

thoughts abt him? heck do u even think abt this ginger??

I do like Cater and it is a shame he isn't more popular! I blame it on how he's written and underutilized. Seriously, sometimes he's just there or overused for sillies. He's a very complex character who never gets to shine, especially with that sorta depression.

And theres all sortsa lil tidbits there. Like he's Older than Vil (imagine him Jack and Vil playing together once as kids). He's one of the ones that's more openly implied to be Bi in JPN.

He wasn't in the book as much, but when he was there, he felt more real than the game and was memorable. Closer to the JPN version. Seriously, he says some silly shit. But there is a scene where Yuuya and the Dumbass Trio all have a sleepover and Cater, despite the jokes, says he wishes he could go. (How much of a joke is it? He want to feel like he means something. He wants a friend.)

He is a people pleaser to the extreme! Imagine that potential.

****

You and Cater are at the skatepark, sitting on a ledge as the sun goes down, catching your breaths. He smiling genuinely and laughing a bit before leaning back and relaxing, a more casual expression on him now. One thats Cater.

You're the only one who truly knows. Only one he can open up to. I mean he was nearing a breaking point, he needed someone to talk to and you were just so persistent.

Tomorrow, he will have to do it all over again, and he feels so exhausted. He takes a breath in and sigh, frowning just a bit.

"You don't have to keep acting for others, you know?"

Cater just gives a smile, and you already know what it means. It was a feeble attempt really, these things take time. He appreciates it, he really does, but he's not ready for that yet. All he knows is Cay-Cay and to change that is cray-cray! So can you please just hold his heart a little longer before you leave him too?

Of course you can Ramshackle Prefect! It's your job to help others! You can keep up the balancing act for another friend, especially one as close as him. You can hold everyone's heart but your own, being pulled each way and swaying so you don't tip over and break them.

You also put on an act. One that no one, not even Jamil, or Azul, or Leona has seen through. One that not even your closest friends, not even Grim, has seen through. It's practically who you are at this point and it's maddening, so of course you get it.

How hypocritical of them. They're sorry Cater.

***

Anyways yeah please give this card more meaningful screentime and Trey too. He isn't some little softie he is a secret menace.

[thewritingofspencerrose]

Nico Hischier x Social Media Intern OC

"Hey, can you give my friend over there a big smile?" Jack prompts his buddie, the little boy nodding but simply continuing to smile at Jack.

The perfect photo.

"Thank you boys!" I thank, the little boy blushing brightly as I wave a little at him.

"Can I see the photo?" My buddie asks, a little girl named Audrey who has spent our time together rambling on about how she wants be just like me when she's older. Or, in other terms, stealing my heart that was already weak.

"Yeah, of course," I agree, moving the camera to be in her view where she sits crisscrossed beside me. "Here's Jack who just walked through," the explanation comes with the photo, "And before him was his brother Luke," I continue, scrolling through.

"Oh! Here's another one!" She points out, tapping my leg and pointing to where Nico walks in, holding the hand of another little girl who smiling so bright. He's already waving at Audrey and I, the largest smile on his face as he prompts his buddie to smile at me.

His smile is so bright as he looks at the little girls at our sides, the one at his side rambling on about her hockey game the other day and he's just nodding along, loving every minute of it.

They're walking slow, allowing me the chance to hand my space pocket camera to Audrey to get a few photos as well. You can see how happy is in this moment, and he looks so attractive when he's being all happy protective grizzly bear.

He'll be such a great dad.

And you can blame it on the fact that it's been a long week, that Audrey had warmed my heart up for this moment, or that I'm unfortunately ovulating.

But God I want to make him a dad. Two years in, how have we never had the kids talk.

Nico doesn't know why these thoughts have never flooded his mind before. With no other girl he's dated has he even been tempted by the idea of kids. But with Belle, all he can think as he walks in, half listening to the kids he's with talking about hockey, is how hot it is to see her doing what she loves, camera in hand, with a little girl practically curled into her side babbling about being just like her, God all he wants to do is take her home and make her a mom.

But that can't happen, he has a game to play, she has pictures to take, and they haven't even discussed having kids yet.

___

"It was so good to meet you Audrey, thank you so much for hanging out with me during the game!" I thank, returning the tight hug she's giving me as her parents and older brother stand feet away, smiling down at us.

"Thank you so much for taking her around with you, we've brought her a couple of times before to watch as birthday gifts to Eric," Audrey's mom explains, gesturing to the brother, "But she saw you running around the first game with your camera and that's all she's talked about since."

I want to cry.

Hugging her a little tighter, I pull away, smiling down. "If you ever need a reference, you know where to find me," I assure, standing up and patting the dust off my legs.

"Thank you!" She thanks, smiling brightly and running off, her parents waving with silent thanks as they walk away.

His arms wrap around my waist before I even realize that he's finished changing up, large hands resting over my stomach like he knows where my thoughts have been all night.

"Are you ready to go home, Schatz?" He low voice meets me ear, his lips meeting the point just beneath it.

"More than," unraveling his hands isn't easy, their warmth and strength wanting to remain exactly where they are, but he lets me take his left into my right, his bag resting on his shoulder. A bag he's continuously shifting, and anxious tick of his when his mind is full after a loss, but the boys won. "Neeks, whats wrong?"

His gorgeous eyes look down to me, sparkling with something I don't think I've ever seen before. Nico doesn't answer though, just smiles and pulls open the door of his car, allowing me to hoist myself into the passenger side as he rounds the car, putting his gear in the back seat on his way.

"I've just been thinking about something," He finally answers my question, kicking the car into gear.

"Are you going to key me into what that is?" Neeks is a chronic over thinker, and the last thing he needs is that kicking into gear and allowing him to be off his game.

But he's silent again, one hand moving to its usual place on my thigh and his eyes on the road. It's like this for almost our entire drive, his eyes only drifting to me every once in a while and mine doing the same.

Until the last stoplight turns red just as we approach. I can feel his eyes move to the side of my face before I slowly glance over, that same sparkle lighting up the car as his face glows red in the light.

"You're so handsome," I can't help but mumble, running my hand across his cheek, his head leaning in to my touch.

"I think we should have a baby."

He what?

"I did not mean to say it like that," His wide eyes that were once rested stare.

"Neeks, what are you talking about?"

He' s the one who removes my hand from his cheek, bringing it between his own and kissing my knuckles.

"You should have seen yourself tonight with that little girl, she loved you. Then I looked down to my buddie and heard her talking about hockey all I could think is that I wanted us to have that. A little you or a little me," Is his explanation. "I am aware we haven't talked about this -"

"Neeks all I've been thinking about tonight is that you would be an amazing father," I interrupt, and the shining in his eyes grows.

"It's not nice to joke with the man who said he wanted to put a baby in you, Schatz," those few words and his eyes are darkening.

"I'm serious Nico, you'd be an amazing father," And its as the lust lightens from his eyes that the light turns green, a honk from behind us making us both jump.

"We'll be discussing this more at home," He requests, my hand squeezing his in response.

"You'd be so hot as a girl dad," I decide to chime after a moment of silence, his hand squeezing mine again only to be followed by a low groan.

"Schatz."

as promised, the Nico fic! i hope you all enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it and always be sure to send in requests if you ever have ideas!

[k-nayee]

Growing Pains

wc: 4.7k a/n: just know this was written YEARS ago when I was dealing with insecurity issues and such💀 I promise my writing ain't as dramatic as this

⚠𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆⚠: Eating Disorder topics such as Anorexia will be mentioned/insinuated. To those that may find this triggering, please skip to the next chapter or read with caution

Dreamer M.List

ˏ��ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ

′𝐈 have to do this′

′I NEED to be perfect...'

Staring at the food spread across the table, I muster a smile as a plate is handed to me. Yet once I'm alone, it ends up in the trash, unseen.

'...and I'll do whatever it takes for it to happen.′

I ignore the low growls and take a sip from a water bottle, finding comfort in the temporary fullness it does to my empty stomach.

"All right guys! We gotta do some warm-ups to get our muscles ready: Arm circles, leg stretches, high knees to complete before we dive into the regular twelve count of squats and jumping jacks with five laps to wrap it all up!" The instructor's upbeat and encouraging voice cuts through the air. "And then we can start with today's dance!"

Groans of protest bubble around me, but they do the tasks anyway in order to avoid getting scolded.

I breeze through the majority of activities with ease. It wasn't until when those all-too-familiar black spots forming at the edge of my vision did I become wary.

Luckily, I managed to get rid of them or at least slow the process by slowing down my pace.

"Hey, you okay?" The worry in his tone interrupts my focus.

Offering another smile, I dismiss my body's weaking state. "I'm f-fine."

Not a moment later my legs suddenly gives out.

A pair of hands catches me in time and look into my exhausted eyes.

"Hey, I think you need to lay down. You don't look too good. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

Their worry tugs at my heart; the reflection of my gaunt face in their eyes feels like a dunk of cold water.

′Maybe this isn't right...I...I should stop.′

I almost confess—about starving myself for weeks. Hoping to get small and beautiful enough, to get what everyone told me I'm the opposite of. Th-

"Come on now! I know we joke you act like a Panda, but I didn't think you'd get tired that fast! Maybe it's time you stop eating like them before you start to really look like one!" Someone calls out, laughs echoing around.

The vulnerable expression I once had hardens into a cold, emotionless mask.

′No. I can't give up now...not when they all still see me as fat. I can't continue to embarrass them anymore.′

"Hey ignore them, they're just playing. But seriously though, you should lay down and eat something. It looks like you've been starving yourself or something...have you?"

The handsome male's concern is met with my cold glare.

"Leave me alone. You never cared then, so don't now!" I break from his hold with a sneer and start back running.

The black spots returns with a vengeance, but they only push me to go even faster. A twisted motivation if you will.

After an agonizing ten minutes, I complete the laps with nods and pats of approval for being one of the first.

My body screams for rest so I sluggishly make my way towards the seats.

Each step is heavier than the last, the world blurring into a bright haze as the sounds around fade into the distance.

′Just a bit further...′

But my body can't go anymore.

With one final step, I collapse onto the floor.

The sickening sound of my head hitting the ground causes everyone to go silent in shock as a shockwave of pain zipped through my skull.

I feel a wet warmth slowly seep against my head causing my hair to go damp.

A panicked voice cuts through the haze. "O-oh my god! Somebody help! T-there's blood!"

"Call the ambulance!"

Hands cradle my face as a light flashes into my eyes. I don't feel my pupils reacting properly.

"Hey hey, look at me. Are you alright? Just focus on me."

I open my mouth, but no words come out.

"Don't talk, conserve your energy. Help is coming," a soothing voice promises, but my consciousness is slipping away.

With the last of my strength, I want to scream, admit that I was wrong. That I should've said something.

But only a whisper escapes.

"H-h..."

My eyes roll back as darkness surrounds my vision.

I gladly accept and let it take me into its welcoming grasp with two words that I wanted to say before I'm all the way gone...

Help me.

════════════════*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═════════════════

It was a regular day at the band's dorm.

Jungkook was currently teaching Jin how to play a racing game after the elder had continuously begged him to.

"Press the left button."

"Left?"

"No, just flip the controller and it'll run on its own—of course the left button!"

Jin shoots him a glare. "Well damn! Actin' like it's easy for me to adjust to these types of controls like you do, oh so great Golden Maknae. Maybe tone done the arrogance a little yeah?"

Jungkook could only scoff in response with an eye roll. "Honestly, after being taught the instructions for thirty minutes straight, you'd think you'd at least know how to make the car move. But then again, if it doesn't involve food, you're pretty much stupid."

Jin's eyes widened, a mix of shock and indignation flashing across his face. "You little shi—"

"Guys we have to go now!" Their playful squabble is abruptly cut short by a frantic, wide-eyed breathless Taehyung with a grave Namjoon silently in tow.

"Now what is it-oh, my god! What happened?!"

The vocal duo's facade of annoyance immediately drops upon taking in the usually tanned male's pale visage.

Taehyung opens his mouth to say something, but his emotions get the best of him rendering him speechless and teary eyed.

Namjoon quickly wraps an arm around the idol in silent support while Jin exchanges a worried and confused glance with Jungkook.

"What happened, Namjoon? Is everything okay?" Jin asks the leader in concern, leaving the forgotten game behind in favor of embracing a trembling Taehyung.

Namjoon releases a shaky breath, the tension in the room palpable. The sound of the front door slammed echoes into the heavy silence.

"What was that?" Jungkook questions as he grabs his jacket and hat after turning off the TV, ready to spring into action

"That was Yoongi."

Tired of the useless clues and wanting to get straight to the point, Jin presses. "Okay...and why did he leave in such a hurry?"

"It's Jimin...he's in the hospital."

|

|

"We have to hurry up!" Yoongi's voice is thick with urgency, his leg bouncing uncontrollably as dread twists his stomach the closer they get to the given location.

"Calm down Yoongi, everything's going to be alright" Jin sends the tense male a small smile while trying to keep his own distress from showing.

The rapper isn't easily soothed. "That's easy for you to say! You wasn't the fucking one to hear Hoseok's voice over the phone—panicked, scared..."

"Okay, but—"

His words are cut off as they pull up to the hospital. Yoongi doesn't even wait for the car to fully stop before he bolts out the door.

Jin lets out a sigh of resignation before slowly unbuckling his seatbelt. "Come on, let's go."

"Where is he?!" The moment he's near the reception desk, any and all thought of concealing his identity from public's eye is forgotten.

The nurse, unflustered by his panic, maintains her composure. "Sir, you need to calm down and take a seat. We're—"

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down! I am not in the mood to listen to whatever useless bullshit you wanna say unless it has something to do with Jimin," Yoongi interrupts with a sharp glare, his tone bordering on hostile.

The nurse says nothing at first, only staring at him with a blank expression before a low and slow sigh escapes her.

"First of all, I work damn near eighteen hours a day getting piss, vomit, and maybe even shit on me. And I'm also forced to have a smile on my face when assholes like you come up and order me around as if I work for them. I am my own person, and I should not-no, WILL not let some pale ass skinny idol come and boss me around. So sit your ass down in the chair!" She snaps causing Yoongi's eyes to widen in shock before quickly doing what she says.

The woman shift her gaze towards the frozen onlookers who witnessed the whole scene with wide eyes.

An arched brow was all it took for them to follow along and scramble to the seats to avoid her wrath.

Satisfied with their obedience, her stern expression melts into a warm, beautiful smile that seems to make the band's hearts as she step closer.

"Now that we're all on the same page...hello! I will be at your service today. Kingly fill out this form for any future visits." she said,  voice a blend of authority and welcome.

A moment of silence pass before Jin breaks out of his daze and accept the clipboard from her.

"Um, w-we were told by one of our bandmates -Jung Hoseok- there has been an altercation with another bandmate -Park Jimin," he says nudging his head towards a silent Yoongi. "That's why we rushed, hence his behavior and actions."

"Well, I was going to tell you that the room you're looking for is number 256. Your friend Mr. Jung Hoseok already notified us you all were on the way. But I couldn't explain that due to a rude interruption," she states, giving a pointed look to Yoongi, who suddenly found the dirt at the bottom of his shoe the most interesting thing ever.

Namjoon stepped in, smoothing over the tension. "And for that, I give you his sincerest apologies. I can assure you he's normally more considerate, right Yoongi?"

Chastened, the guilty male bashfully nods and offers a quiet apology just as the nurse's phone started to ring, demanding her attention.

"Hello? Oh, Oppa!~" Her smile doubles in brightness, the group watching her becoming so captivated with the woman's sudden butterfly-like personality that no one noticed a male creeping into the building.

"Have you eaten today?" Whatever that is said on the other line causes her to pause with a gasp of shock. "No?! You need to take better careful of yourself and health. I can't have you walking around with an empty stomach...What?"

Her scolding morphs into confusion. "You can't dine with me if you're busy with rehearsals...You're not? T-then where are you?...Turn around?"

With hesitant moves, she follow his request only for her eyes to brim with tears at what—or who—awaited her.

Curious for the reason of her sudden emotion, the group's attention diverts to a handsome male causing their eyes to widen.

"Holy shit!" Taehyung's mouth drops at the sight of the very familiar face before him, "Her Oppa is—"

"Impossible...i-it can't be. You're supposed to be all the way across the world doing your tour right now," she softly says before quickly running into the open arms of Byun Baekhyun. [Hehe, Get it? Because EXO did a cover of 'Open arms'?...No?...Okay Imma stop]

"The fuck? Baekhyun is her boyfriend?! Where? When? Why? Shit better yet, how?" Jungkook bitterly questions as he watches the heartwarming scene happening before him.

"Now now, let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe he's a brother or family member. She did call him 'Oppa' after all," Jin weakly says knowing that his theory was a stretch.

Even so, the small part of him that hoped for it to be tr—nevermind...they're kissing.

"You were saying Jin?" Taehyung mumbles with a sad pout, voicing out the same the others felt regardless of just meeting the woman that same day.

"Quite a beautiful looking couple, am I right?" Jin releases a startled yelp at the unexpected voice as it cuts through the dejected air. 

Turning from the two lovebirds, they're met with a man in a white lab coat casually checking the charts on his clipboard.  "And a little word of advice: he's quiet possessive of her, so I wouldn't try anything if I were you..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Oh, where are my manners! My name is Dr. Choi, I'm the assigned doctor of your bandmate Park Jimin." Dr. Choi introduces himself with a sweet smile, continuing to review the charts at hand.

"Wait. So...so that's her...boyfriend?" Jungkook gasps in disbelief, barely latching on to anything but the word 'couple' in the doctor's previous statement.

"Fiancé actually. I believe you're all acquainted with him and his group? Um...it's EXO...yeah that's the name. Baekhyun here has been working with his idol group while she decided to go to a college that's close to the hospital. Despite how hectic both of their schedules are, they remained together. Just recently got engaged after deciding to get married once she graduates and gets her degree. Anyway back to your friend, Mr. Park...He's been asking for you. So if you would please follow me." Finishing those final words, Dr. Choi pivots and briskly strut down the hallway.

Alerted, Yoongi quickly rise from his seat and follow with the others in tow.

|

|

"Jimin!" A chorus of voices shouts as they burst through the door, startling the oldest maknae from his TV watching.

"Oh~ Hi guys~" Jimin sings out in happiness as he continues to consume the chocolate pudding in front of him.

The room goes silent for a moment as the newly entered group analyzed him with confused gazes.

"Um...w-what's this?" Jungkook exclaims, tense body expecting to see the older male laying in bed with a life support machine hooked up to his broken body.

But instead? He only sees a foot brace adorning the lead dancer's right ankle.

"What? Oh, you mean the cast right? I know it's cool, they decorated it with glow-in-the-dark stickers and markers." Jimin boasts, making Taehyung's eyes widen in awe and quickly approach for a closer look.

Jungkook follows the other maknae in curiosity while Jin and Namjoon go to a corner to check their social medias, leaving a dazed Yoongi alone in the middle of the room.

"...You're okay," Yoongi breaths out in amazement; but as he continues to chant those two words, his face once soft of worry turns into a statue of anger. "Not only did I run out of bed in sickening worry, but I also got my ass handed to me by a nurse just to find out that you're fucking okay?!"

Jimin pouts, a hint of guilt in his tone. "I mean...the fall wasn't just okay. They even said that it's one of the most severe ankle sprains they've had this entire day."

Yoongi scoffs at the response as he begins to pace along the tiled floor in hopes of calming down.

"I can't believe this! Hoseok was literally bawling his eyes out on the phone, saying you were hurt really badly and that there was blood everywhere."

It was now Jimin's turn to frown in confusion.

"Blood? There wasn't any blood. If anything the only red thing there was the fruit punch he wasted on me when he saw me fall. Which, by the way, ended up in my hair and became sticky."

Yoongi's face goes blank. "I'm...I'm gonna kill him."

"Kill who?" Hoseok's light and unsuspecting voice fills the room, everyone silent as they turn to the cheerful man holding bags of food in hand.

"Run bitch, ruuuuun!" Taehyung screams, half-joking and half-serious once seeing Jin and Namjoon stand next to Yoongi.

Hoseok looks confused as he place the food down on a table nearby.

"Huh? But I just got...back..." his words trail off, atmosphere thickening upon catching the stern looks of his bandmates.

"Oh h-hey, Jin...Yoongi...Namjoon," Hoseok quietly greets the three after letting out an audible gulp.

Jin's rebuke is swift. "Don't hey us! Why the hell were you crying and blubbering into the phone like that?! Actually made us fear for Jimin's life and think that something had actually happened to him."

Hoseok holds up his hands in defense with wide eyes. "B-but he really was in serious danger! He could've broken his ankle or leg."

"Yeah, but the way you said it made it seemed like he broke his neck. Especially when saying there was blood everywhere, when in reality it was only the red juice you dropped." Jungkook interjects with raised eyebrows.

"I was in panic and they both look very similar in the practice room's lighting okay?!" Hoseok snaps, the fear he once had quickly replaced with irritation.

Jungkook mockingly shrugs, feigning defeat. "Hey, I'm just stating facts here. But at least you're not a complete crybaby and drama queen who makes everything seem worse than what they are...oh wait."

Hoseok could only stare at the maknae before suddenly lunging towards him, only to end up being constrained by Yoongi and Jin.

"Man this bastard's been on a roll today...first me, now Hoseok. Someone needs to teach him as a lesson." Jin bitterly mumbles as he continues to keep the seething Sunshine from beating Jungkook.

"I'll do it! Just let me go, I promise it won't be that damaging. Maybe a little bruise here or there but that's nothing makeup can't fix." Hoseok pleads upon hearing Jin causing Jungkook's eyes to slightly widen at the threat.

"D-don't let him go!" The once smug male nearly cries, having already experienced how painful the third eldest of the group's hits are.

Jin looks at the shivering maknae with a smirk. "I don't know, it might be good to put you back in your place...should we let him go Yoongi?"

Yoongi shrugs, acting along with Jin as he too found Jungkook's behavior wrong. "Sure, it'll do him some good."

The two began to ominously loosen their grip on the vengeful dancer while Jungkook, on the other hand, starts to panic more.

"ENOUGH!" Namjoon's voice slices through the chaos, making everyone stop. "Jungkook, you know that's not how we treat one another, especially those older. You need to apologize."

"I-I'm sorry Jin...I'm sorry Hoseok. I know I've been raised not to act such a way towards you two. Must've gotten too comfortable." Jungkook softly voices out with his deepest sincerities.

"It's okay, I forgive you. Just don't do it anymore, I find it very hurtful when you do things like that." Jin states as a now calmed Hoseok nods his head in agreement.

Namjoon nods his head over the now mended problem. "Now that one of the situations is solved...Hoseok" the sound of his name being called out caused the male's body to stiffen.

"Y-yes Namjoon?" He cautiously questions already knowing a scolding is about to happen.

"Please wait until they inform you of the situation before you go and call what happened next time. We can't keep doing things like this okay?" Namjoon gently says, desperately wanting to go back home and rest at the moment.

A sigh of relief leaves the older of the two, happy that nothing worse came as he nods his head.

"Good now—"

Namjoon pauses mid-sentence at the sudden knock of the door, opening it to reveal Dr. Choi and the pretty nurse from earlier.

"Apologies for the intrusion. It's time for Mr. Park's vitals check. Please, feel free to wait over there," she suggests, soft yet authoritative as she dons her gloves.

Not wanting a repeat of before, the group obeys and relocate to the chairs, gazes remain fixed on the nurse and her captivating presence.

Noticing their intense entrancement, Hoseok lets out a snort.

"Gonna take a guess you all got the honor of meeting Miss Nurse there. Maybe ease up on the gazing, yeah? She's not an exhibit," he teasingly chides, sparking a wave of sheepish glances among the others.

"I-I can't help it! It's...she's just so..." Taehyung trails off, gaze lingering as he release a dreamy sigh.

"I know, I was a stuttering mess when I got here," Hoseok confesses, cheeks tinted with a rare flush as he remembers the way she giggled when he was making a fool of himself.

"Yup," Jungkook speaks up, tone heavy with envy, "Too bad she's got a boyfriend—fiancé, actually."

Hoseok chokes on his spit in surprise. "She's engaged?!"

Question answered by solemn head nods, his once bashful demeanor morphs into one of downhearted.

"Man...that's a total bummer. I was really hoping she was single. Well, maybe we can be friends if her fiancé isn't the jealous type." Hoseok muses out loud a small smile that quickly turns into a frown once he saw the others' faces.

"Really?! You've got to be kidding me! Dammit...can't meet anyone nice without being already spoken for or getting tangled up in dating rumors."

The disappointed dancer huffs, shifting his gaze causing a smile to appear. "At least Jimin's having a good time." Following where he was gesturing to, they all collectively look towards the said male.

"Look at him! Using his injury as a boost just to get closer...this is so unfair." Jungkook kisses his teeth, forced to watch idol cutely flirt—even going as far as holding her hand due to being afraid of needles, which the woman giggled at in fondness.

"Hey, remember when ____ begged us to ask the company to make a fake doctor's note about her leg being broken so she won't have to participate in that dance fitness class?" Jin lightly mumbles out trying to bring up the others sour moods.

And thankfully it did.

"Yeah, I remember! She was so pissed when the university she attended made it a mandatory course. Literally threatened us that she'll break her leg on purpose when we refused to do it."

"Ha! She wouldn't dare. We all know how much she's afraid of getting hurt."

"It's funny how she decided to stay in the class all of a sudden huh?"

"And going out more for jogs? Yeah, I've been noticing that too. She needs to start taking a few breaks."

"Maybe she wanted to get thicc like me?" Taehyung casually says as he flutters his eyelashes causing the others to scoff.

After ten quick minutes of the group talking about random things while their injured bandmate try woo taken woman with his sly attempts, the checkup was finally over.

"Alright, so far vitals seem to be in check. I'll prescribe some painkillers for the sprain. Though because of the severity of the twist itself,  he'll have to stay for the next two days in case it's something more other than a sp—"

Distant shouts and an emergency ambulance siren cut off the doctor as his pager goes off, mirrored by the nurse's tablet in hand.

A silent exchange passed between them, a prelude to the storm brewing beyond their immediate sight.

Swiftly taking a look at the noisy devices, the two exchange a look of wary realizing they were ringing for the same patient.

"Apologies, but we're needed urgently. The painkillers will have to wait," Dr. Choi's voice, once steady, now carried an undercurrent of haste as he disappeared through the door.

"I'll be back, perhaps in a few hours." Voice usually soothing, now carries a weight as she discards the medical gloves with a practiced motion before opening the door.

"Wait! What's happening?" Hoseok reaches out, concern etching his features.

The hesitation is clear in her eyes, the professional boundary wrestling with human need to share. "It's...not my place to say. Especially with surgery waiting. I'm sorry."

Before she could leave the room, Jin steps forward. "Please. We promise to keep it to ourselves, we won't tell a soul. Just...who is it?" He softly pleads.

The others murmur in agreement, just wanting to help console the family that's probably standing in the waiting room thinking the worst.

A heavy sigh escapes her, surrendering to their insistence.

"I...it's a student from Seoul's University of Performing Arts. We were told a severe head injury: traumatic blow to the head from falling against concrete during an outdoor dance warmups...there's significant blood loss. Now I'm sorry, but that's all I can say right now." Words, hurried and clipped, she disappears into the crowd of moving medical residents.

"No, wait!" Taehyung calls out as he and Namjoon try to pursue her, desperate for answers.

Looking around the hallway for the runaway nurse only to end up empty-handed in their search, Namjoon gestures back to the room with a rueful sigh. "C'mon...let's go back." 

Slowly walking back in defeat heavy in their hearts, a flash of a familiar hoodie causes Taehyung to freeze.

"No, is that...?" His voice trails of in uncertainty as his eyes narrow just to be sure.

His breath hitches in surprise, eyes widening in shock and disbelief before striding over to the huddled person, drawing puzzled looks from Namjoon.

"Taehyung? Tae-what are you doing?!" The band leader calls out as he steps from the room's doorway, gaining the other members' attention and causing them to follow.

Jungkook reaches the vocalist and pulls him back, staring at him weirdly. But the idol doesn't care, he continues to stare at the back that faces them in a trance like state.

"Tae, what are you doing? Are you insane??" Jungkook hisses, sending a wary glance over to the person hunched up in the corner crying in worry of disturbing them.

"No, t-that hoodie looks familiar see?" Taehyung faintly whispers, not wanting to believe that what his mind is making up is true.

Jungkook takes a closer look at the piece of clothing before letting out a breath.

"Look, there's plenty of hoodies that are similar to yours! You're just stressed...you can take a nap when we get back to Jimin's room okay?" The maknae assures in hopes of coaxing the older to move.

And he does. Though hesitant with every step, his eyes never leave the figure's back.

"Come on Tae, we'll eat some Panda Express. It'll help you feel better once you have a full stomach." Jin coos, gently directing the tensed idol towards the direction of the room.

But as if a tug pulled at him, Taehyung takes a step back. He looks at the faces of the others as his final decision is made.

Namjoon's eyebrows furrow in confusion at the male's expression. "What? Taeh-wait!"

Namjoon's confusion turns to alarm at younger's apologetic look, knowing he's about to do. "Taehyung! W—"

Swiftly dodging the hand attempting to grab him, he quickly jogs back where he last saw the hoodie as the rest trails after.

The chorus of voices telling him to stop were ignored.

Walking up to the person, he turns the crying person around with a tug of their hood, revealing a head of very familiar hair.

"Tae—" Yoongi's harsh voice of irritation cuts off upon seeing a tear-streaked face he immediately recognized.

"Adora!" Taehyung breaths out in relief, vaguely recalling how it was the same hoodie he gave for her to borrow but was never returned.

"What's wrong?" Jungkook softly questions the girl as her legs gave out, tears starting to well.

With quick reflexes, Taehyung grabs a hold of her, slowly bringing the troubled woman over to the cushioned chairs against the wall.

"I-I...t-they" Adora's words are in jumbled stutters, body racked with sobs making it impossible to clearly speak.

"Adora? What are you doing here?" Namjoon cautiously probes when her cries finally calms down a little.

"[N-nickname]," she croaks out as the tears resurfaced once more.

Confused dread fills up in the minds of the men around her at the mention of you as she continues to cry out her pain.

Yoongi stills with a sinking heart, fragments of past conversations piecing together into a grim realization.

"...it's a student from Seoul's University of Performing Arts. We were told a severe head injury: traumatic blow to the head from falling against concrete during an outdoor dance warmups..."

"...funny how she decided to stay in the class all of a sudden huh?"

"...going out more for jogs? Yeah, I've been noticing that too....needs to start taking a few breaks."

With frantic movements, Yoongi desperately clasp Adora's trembling shoulders.

Eyes brimming with the onset of tears, his heart feeling as if squeezed by an iron grip of dread.

"Where is she? What happened to her?"

He's answered by sobs, louder and more pained than before.

"What the fuck happened to ____ Adora!" Yoongi's voice escalates, raw with anguish as he slowly shake to the floor with cries of his own.

While everyone else looks at the rapper alarmed, Taehyung's own tears spilling over as he draws Adora into a supportive embrace.

"She's...in critical condition. They..." Her words are fragile with despair, the weight of it nearly snapping the hearts of those who heard it

"...they say she might not wake up."

[sweaterkittensahoy]

throwing your lover over your shoulder, carrying them over to bed

your lover pinning your arms above your head, telling you to stay quiet

accidentally bumping noses

Pairing: Crubbles 🤓

Harry is seated with Douglass and Blakely and Brady and Hambone as they watch Ken and the other ground crew fire off the flare guns for impromptu fireworks as they toast–yet again–the end of the war in Europe. Harry smiles when he looks at Ken and sees Rosie coming up next to him, placing a hand on his back and whispering something to Ken that makes him beam. 

"Holy shit, is Rosie finally going for it?" Everett says. 

Harry grins and sips his drink. "He said he was gonna the moment he was sure he wasn't going back up."

"Surprised he's not going to the Pacific," Brady says. He tucks a cough against his arm, and Hambone rubs his back. "I'm all right," he says. 

Harry watches the way Hambone leans closer, the shifting light from the flares emphasizing the scar on his cheek. He and Brady have only been back a couple of weeks, and Harry's glad to see them look and sound a little better every day. They're still underweight, but Brady's cough is nearly done, and Hambone's face is filling out. 

"He considered it," Harry says to Brady. "But I think Jack told him he'd shoot him in the foot himself if that's what it took to make him go home." 

Brady grins, and Hambone chuckles. Bubbles walks up from wherever he's been and give Harry a sharp look. 

"What?" Harry asks. 

Bubbles steps between Hambone and Dougie and holds out his hand. "Come on," he says.

Harry stands, a little wobbly on his feet from his drinks. "Where you been?" he asks. 

"I'll show you," Bubbles says with a huge grin. "I've got a surprise."

"What is it?" Harry asks because now the booze is going straight to his head. 

"It's a surprise, Croz," Brady says. "Like ending up in France."

"Hey, we didn't land there," Harry replies, which makes everyone laugh.

Bubbles pulls at his hand. "Come on," he says. "Don't wait up, fellas," he calls over his shoulder. 

"That's not the surprise!" Dougie shouts after them. 

Harry doesn't ask Bubbles where they're going. He's just happy to walk next to him, hand-in-hand. He likes the feel of the scar on Bubbles's palm against his own, the way it's unmistakable physical proof that Bubbles made it back. He wonders if that's how Brady feels about Hambone's scar. He knows they were separated for awhile after the crash because Hambone had had to go into the hospital.

"You're thinking," Bubbles says, leaning in and kissing Harry's cheek. "We're celebrating. You can't be thinking."

"Guess you'll have to distract me," Harry replies, expecting Bubbles to kiss him. 

Bubbles gives him a gleeful look, then leans down. He picks Harry up in a fireman's carry and laughs when Harry flails in shock. 

"Joey!" Harry yells. He laughs as Bubbles starts to double-time it and gets two handfuls of Bubbles's shirt so he isn't shaken quite so aggressively. 

Harry can't really see where they're going, but it doesn't take them much longer to get there. Bubbles pushes a door open with his hip and walks inside, then dips down to let Harry gets his feet under him. 

"Thinking now?" Bubbles asks, pink-cheeked from exertion and softly glowing in the light of an Army Lantern with its blackout shade half-closed. 

Harry shakes his head as he looks around. They're in a little shed he doesn't recognize from the inside, but there's boxes of rations against the back wall, so it's something the kitchen uses for storage. There's a straw tick mattress on the floor, the sweet smell of freshly cut grass coming from it. There's three blankets and a stack of Army-issue pillows. On top of the lantern, there's a cup filled with flowers, and next to it are two army cups and a big jug of water. 

"Joey," Harry breathes out. "How long have you been working on this?" 

"On and off," Joey replies, coming up behind Harry and pushing him lightly. "I wanted to have something ready to celebrate the end of the war."

Harry turns and stares at him, certain Joey can see the tears in his eyes. "I didn't–"

"Hush up," Joey says quietly. "I'm doing this for you because I wanted to surprise you. You can surprise me back some other time, okay?"

Harry immediately gets three ideas. He gives Joey a nod, and Joey kisses him. 

"Come on," Joey says, giving Harry a tiny shove. "Let's enjoy ourselves."

Harry nods and immediately walks to the bed and sits down. He looks up at Joey, reaching out to touch his calves as Joey strips out of his tie and blouse and undershirt. Harry reaches up and tugs at Joey's belt until Joey slowly sinks down to the floor on his knees. 

Harry kisses Joey and opens his belt. He huffs when Joey pushes his hands off his belt and tries to put them back. 

"Nope," Joey says and grabs Harry's hands in his own. He gives them a squeeze, then leans in, pushing against Harry so Harry will lie back on the mattress, then drags their joined hands up until they're over Harry's head. 

"Stay put, please," Joey says. "I'll get us both naked and take care of you." 

"I want to take care of you," Harry replies, shifting to try and break Joey's hold. Joey barely moves, but Harry manages to bump their faces together, and they both laugh. 

"You always take care of me," Joey says. "From the first day I met you to the day I came back to just here right now." 

Harry's breath catches in his chest. The first day they met, they were both trying for pilot. Harry had been recovering from the worst airsickness of his life so far, and Joey had come stumbling from the test room looking ready to collapse. Harry had handed him his club soda and two saltines. 

"Payne," Bubbles had said, nibbling a saltine.

"Crosby," Harry had replied. 

The first day Joey had walked back into Harry's life, it'd been nine days after Munster. He'd literally walked back to base. They'd gone down over the Channel, Joey had told Harry as Harry had carefully fed him hot soup because his left arm was broken and his right arm had a deep cut from his palm to just under his elbow that still needed to stay bandaged. His last memory was the coldness of the water as he scrambled from the fort. He'd woken up four days later in a tiny doctor's office on the English side, he'd said as Joey tucked his blanket more firmly around him. And three days before he'd showed up, he'd looked at a map and started walking. 

And now, here, hidden in this literal love nest Joey's built for them, for him, Harry squints and looks at the way Joey's gaze takes in his face. "What am I doing right now to take care of you?" he asks. 

Joey lays down so they're chest to chest. "You're here," he says. "That's all." 

Harry lets his hands go slack and takes a deep breath to feel Joey shift against him. He thinks of how lucky all of them are to be here today. Joey walking back to Harry. Dougie and Ev holding each other up for the whole war. Hambone and Brady surviving the Stalag. Rosie and Ken making it through a horrible wait. "We're here," he says and touches Joey's cheek. "We made it." 

"We made it," Joey agrees and kisses him.

[akemilyre]

This my first ever fanfiction . Please if you don't want spoilers don't read until after the Zou arc. Kara is my One Piece Oc. I can touch up on her later.

A lot has happened since Dressrosa . A late night on the tang leaves Kara and Law a moment alone. Neither knowing what to say after certain events that have happened .They let the moment take way . Leaving Law to make a certain request as Captain.

 It was another late night on the Tang. Which had been submerged for about 2 days now. Daily chores were done and Kara had just finished her work for the day. Putting the paperwork away that was scattered on her desk she looked over at the patient beds. Which were currently occupied in the med bay by the Straw hats that were traveling with the heart pirate crew to Wano. There were seven extra people on the ship now, to make things easier for sleeping arrangements the med level of the ship was turned into a makeshift sleeping quarters . The two Samurai in the private med rooms and the Straw had men In what was the post op room / exam room. Robin, much to Ikaku's delight, got to share a room with her. She had never said it out loud, but Kara knew that she missed her when she switched rooms to share with the captain. Stating that he was tired of her having to go back to her room in the morning and might as well just stay. 

Speaking of which, it was almost midnight. She really should go and check on him, to make sure he isn't overworking himself. They had only left Zou a day ago and Law wanted to do a check up on the entire crew along with they're venturing companions. Especially after finding out they had a run in with Jack and poisonous gas made by Caesar. She didn't blame him, they both witnessed what “Land of the dead '' did back on Punk Hazard. Never doubting the skill of the Straw Hats adorable doctor. Treatment was still needed for the crew, wounds were still healing after battle not only from Zou, but from Dressrosa, and her own after helping Nami and the others evade Big Moms ship. Of course he would want to make sure his crew was okay after all of that . But that meant copious amounts of paperwork for her and their captain. As she left the post op she noticed that the door to the Op room was open.

With an exhale she walked over thinking Zoro got lost again on his way to the bathroom. Going in fully ready to reprimand and scold him for getting lost in what she considers a simple ship layout she noticed someone sleeping on the operating table. The lights were off so she couldn't fully tell who it was. Walking over she noticed a very recognizable white hat resting on top of the sleeping figure. Kara smiled and turned on the light, and walked over gently lifting the hat off of her sleeping Captains face.

His closed eyes stirred as they met the light, opening one eye to see who had disturbed his sleep. Greeted by the kind smile of his pink headed nurse. 

“You know the only ones who sleep on these beds are those in critical condition, and are about to be dissected“ she stated with a soft giggle. “Dissected? That's an interesting way to put what actually goes on in this room” he said as he sat up and stretched. He rubbed the back of his head then reached for his hat which Kara was still holding. “Regardless, you picked a weird place to take a nap. You do know you have a sofa in your office or, better yet, a bed on level four. What are you doing in here anyways?“ She looked around at the sterile room only used for dire situations. He placed his hat back on his head and pointed over to the medical storage that held the more perishable supplies.There was a clipboard on the counter next to it .Come to think of it, they had been gone for about a month and a half now, a lot of the supplies were probably bad by now. They froze the plasma and blood which prolonged its shelf life, but it wasn’t as simple with other supplies. On top of that the crew hadn’t been on the ship for about two weeks now. The realization that she left with Law to help and neither one of them had any intention of coming back alive. 

“So how much of it went bad?’ She asked. 

“All of the saline which makes sense, it's only good for twenty eight days. We’ll have to get more soon. What about you? How's your work going?” 

Kara thought back to the patient reports she was putting together prior, from all of the checkups they had done. Doing some mental math on how much was left to do. “It's coming along, I’m about halfway through. It's taking a bit longer than normal since we have extra people on the ship”. Then a thought occurred to her. “Although there is one person we neglected to give a proper checkup” she stated as she walked over to the cabinet that held extra examination supplies. 

He raised his brow in confusion as he went through the mental catalog of crew members to see who he missed. “Really who?”. She turned back to him putting on latex rubber gloves and pointed at him. “You , my dear captain”

He groaned “Really. Come on Kara, I’m fine”. She gave him a look staring straight at his bandaged arm that was severed and mended in Dressrosa, then stared back at him. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She just continued to walk over with the blood pressure monitor in hand which she grabbed from the cabinet. They say doctors make the worst patients. Law fits that description to a tee. She continued to stare at him until he eventually relented, pushing said arm out so she could wrap the band around his upper arm. Letting out a heavy sigh “Fine”.

She smiled “ Thank you, now stay still so I can get a proper reading, relax and keep both feet flat on the floor”. She began to pump and meticulously watch the needle on the gauge as it moved, recording the results that followed. He watched her focus state as she went through the steps of the procedure, trying his hardest to be on his best behavior. She had a far better bedside manner than his own but if he gave her any sort of a hard time she’d be sure to make this experience a living hell. Going off of past personal experiences. He always seemed to notice how gentle she was during these procedures. Always trying to make sure that no step in the process was uncomfortable or unnerving for whoever was the patient. She steadily made her way through the exam, checking the back of his throat with a tongue depressor, also checking the ears with the otoscope. She pulled out the pupil gauge and shined into his eyes. He looked past the light straight into hers which burned with focused intensity. 

He loved her eyes and how they reflected her kindness. Even now when she was locked in concentration, there was still a shine in her eyes that represented the gentleness and compassion she had shown him countless times.  He got so lost in thought staring at them he almost missed what she said. “Hmm?”

“I said your eyes are fine, they dilated to a beautiful 3mm, perfectly healthy” she responded, turning off the gauge and placing it back down onto the tray next to them. “Although I didn’t think anything was wrong with them in the first place.” She was adjusting the stethoscope onto her ears and moved behind him so she could listen to the mitral valve better. 

She gave him the signal to take a deep breath, then started to listen intently. Listening in making sure there wasn’t any irregularity to show signs of things like murmurs, damage to the valves or chambers. Just listening to the heart beat, his heart. She got lost in the cadence, it was so full of life and warmth. The sound was hypnotizing like white noise used to lull her to sleep each night. It was a sound that she thoroughly enjoyed.Until she realized that she had been listening for longer than needed. She snapped out of her trance.She quickly recorded her results and moved back around to the front of Law. 

“ How do I look?” Law asked, letting out a sight with a smirk.She took off her stethoscope and draped it around her neck. “ Well there seems to be no damage to your heart or lungs , blood pressure is regular , everything seems to be fine which is good considering what all happened in Dressrosa.” She let out a sigh of relief with a soft smile. Robin told her what all happened after “The Sunny” left. A lot happened in the span of one day. 

“Although I’m more concerned about your arm , I’m curious If there is any difference in its motor functions. Can we test it?” He raised it to get a better look at it. After the fight he was bandaged up and he had been taking care of it since. Although the means of reattachment wasn’t ideal he hadn’t noticed a difference in how it used to be. He had no reason to question it. In fact there wasn’t really a need for the entire checkup. But he was letting her anyway not for his sake but for hers. He knew he was fine . She needed to confirm for herself that he was okay.. He then remembered the embrace she gave him when they reunited , the tears in her eyes. She must have been so worried and out of her mind. Since then she had rarely let him out of her sight. Almost like if she looked away for more than five seconds he would disappear forever. 

He let her continue. He pushed his arms equally against the force of her arms pulling on his forearms. He knew the procedure so he didn't need instruction.

Kara was focused on trying to discern whether there was a difference in pressure in the muscles. As the test continued his hand ended up in hers as she assessed the muscle memory in each of his tattooed fingers. Nothing , nothing at all was wrong. He was as healthy as he always was. She felt foolish. Of course nothing was wrong ,he very rarely got sick and he was a doctor , so he knew how to take care of himself. Kara sat there holding his hand staring at the word “Death” spread across his fingers. The word that she knew he was so willing to embrace in Dressrosa. He almost did , without her. She got sent with Nami’s team when the plan went south. She almost lost him. 

Just that thought alone. She knew that when they left. She embraced the thought of possibly dying herself ,but when it came down to it. She was left to live , without him. How could she, the thought of a world without him. Tears started to flow from her eyes and they started to stain their hands.The mere thought left her devastated and heartbroken. His grip tightened at the sight. Using his other arm he pulled her towards him so she was now crying into his chest. Making sure to hold on tightly to her as if to let her know he wasn’t going anywhere. 

They stayed like that for a bit. He wasn't the best with emotions , so he didn't know exactly how to handle this except to just let her get it out. She was always there when he needed her. With a smile in hand. He just wanted that smile to live on , when another he knew didn’t. He never stopped to think about how that decision would affect her. 

Kara dried the tears from her eyes trying hard to compose herself. “I’m sorry , I don’t know what came over me”.

He just let out a deep breath , “ We both know that's a lie, and it’s fine” 

They sat there in silence neither one of them were exact experts when it came to a relationship like this. It comes from how the both of them were brought up. But if Ikkaku were here she would probably push for them to talk about it more , you know, hash out the feelings. But they knew each other too well. 

“I was willing to die with you” 

“I know”

“You left me to live without you”

“Yeah”

“You can be so cruel” he could hear the smile in her voice. “But I would ,not just for you, but for anyone on the crew. You're all so precious to me, you most of all.” He pulled her in tighter. 

“Thinking like that is dangerous” She giggled a little at the irony.

“You're one to talk. But I’m a medic, I’d do anything to keep you alive .” 

He knew he couldn’t stop her even if he tried, once she had her mind set on something. But he knew didn’t want anyone doing that for him again. He got lucky when he found someone that valued his life more than he did. Then coming across multiple people who he was able to share a kinship with and trusted him . Then finding her ,a mixture of both and more. He pushed her bangs back and rested his lips on her forehead. 

“Fine , but as your captain I have one order for you”

He raised her head by the chin so that she could look directly into his golden orbs . 

“ Do anything in your power to keep us alive , but under no circumstance are you allowed to die for anyone, especially me. I can’t lose you too.”

At that moment she understood why , and smiled . Not knowing what to say at such a request.She wasn’t upset anymore.That was it no more thinking about the end. Now all that was left to do was , live. That was the new goal. Stay alive for each other. The thought brought her so much joy that all she could manage to say was … 

“Yes , Captain” 

[omniblades-and-stars]

WIP WEDNESDAY or some shit I dunno I'm not your real dad.

Bare feet thumped mutely on the decking behind them, moving at a sprint.

"Shepard!"

The Commander swung around, gun raised and finger carefully poised over the trigger. There was nothing.

"Did you guys hear that?" she asked Zaeed and Jack, searching back and forth across the space in the tight, modular laboratory set up in the corpse of a Reaper.

"Nothing but our boots, Shepard," the bounty hunter assured, but still carefully checked back in the direction they had been walking even as he said so. There wasn't enough space in front or behind for anything to get moving as fast as she'd heard.

"Didn't hear shit," Jack muttered with a shrug. "Can we get a move on? This place creeps me the fuck out."

"Yeah, let's keep moving," Jane replied and narrowed her eyes, checking behind them before taking point again and moving forward into the airlock that led into the greater, open area of the Reaper ship.

The ground shifted beneath their feet, nearly throwing them off balance and onto the floor. There was the unmistakable noise of a mass effect core cycling power. Jane would know it anywhere, and she had not imagined it.

"Normandy to shore party!" Joker hailed them over the comm.

"What's going on, Joker?" Jane asked through gritted teeth, regretting every choice she had ever made that led her here, to this moment. Standing inside of a dead Reaper that was clearly not dead enough.

"The Reaper's put up a kinetic barrier. I don't think we can get through from this side."

"Stuck on a fucking Reaper ship, Shepard?" Jack asked with barely contained disbelief.

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to three before resolving, "We'll turn it off from in here, this thing has to have an off switch somewhere. Right?" Please let it have an off switch.

"Don't leave."

Shepard twisted, searching for the source of the voice in her ear.

"At the moment of activation, I detected a heat spike in what is likely the wreck's mass effect core. Sending the coordinates now," EDI answered. "Be advised, this core is also maintaining the Reaper's altitude."

"Excellent. Just what I was hoping for. We hit the power button, we fall inside of a planet," Jane responded, exasperated and worried.

Joker cut in, "And that means everyone dies. Yeah, I got it."

Shepard motioned for Zaeed and Jack to ready up as she hit the button for the airlock door. "Joker, if you get us out of here, I'll throw you a party, the kind with strippers and lots of liquor." Perhaps if she joked, the scrape of fingernails at the back of her neck and the whispers in her ear wouldn't feel so real.

"You're the best, Commander."

"Shepard."

She led the trio into the belly of the beast. The angles inside the Reaper were wrong. There was so much space between the catwalk and the vaulted ceiling, and yet the slope of the walls gave her the impression that they were closing in on them. Long, enormous cables ran along almost every surface, and bright, white light shone out from the cavernous depths. Everything was tinged with a wrongness that set her teeth on edge. They walked in the mausoleum of a cruel and uncaring god, disturbing its rest.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? Do you understand?"

Her head snapped to the side, "What did you say?"

"You're so tired. Don't leave."

"Shit, Shepard, no one's said anything. You doing okay?" Jack asked, her eyebrows raised high, not bothering to hide her concern.

Jane clenched her teeth tight enough that her jaw ached. They shouldn't be here. It was wrong. Shadows moved in the periphery of her vision and -

This time, the slap of bare feet on thin, grated metal was undeniable, real. Shepard spun on her heel and blew the screaming husk into a mess of shredded "skin" and that strange, unnatural fluid that was definitely not blood. "They're coming over the sides!" she shouted, pointing at human shapes, climbing in distinctly inhuman ways up and over safety rails.

"Aren't you tired of the fight, Shepard? Is submission not preferable to death?"

[daveysjackie]

What if there's a reason for Medda's maternal behaviour to Jack?

What if years ago, when she was simply another one of the Bowery Beauties, long ago, she was swept off her feet by one of the patrons? He would be at almost every show and it didnt take long for a young Medda to be ready to give up everything to be with him.

What if she discovers she's pregnant? She is overjoyed at that but when she tells her lover, he makes an excuse, leaves and is never seen again.

What if Medda was determined to raise her child, social stigmas be damned? She has savings left by her last family member who passed away a few years back and she uses it to buy the mortgage to Irving Hall. One of her fellow Beauties gives her an old crib her family no longer uses. The others make baby clothes in their spare time.

What if Medda goes into labour far too early and when her baby is born, she already knows they're not destined to be together long? Yet she cherishes the week she miraculously gets with her baby boy, committing everything about him to memory and having a little portrait of him made.

What if Medda, a week after giving birth, is burying her baby boy? She has a mortgage she can just barely afford, clothes and crib that will never be used, has to pay for the sudden funeral. Yet all she can bare to think about is that this isn't fair and her Jack should be in her warm arms and not in a cold coffin.

What if Medda suffers with extreme depression for weeks? She can barely even leave her room, let alone ensure that Irving Hall continues to put on performances. The Beauties help where they can but it's getting difficult.

What if Medda is eventually encouraged to just take a quick walk, just to give her a change in surroundings and as she's on the walk, she meets a man by the name of Francis Sullivan? They bump into each other and he insists on buying her a pastry from the bakery to make up for it. And he was going to the bakery anyway because he wants to surprise his wife. So they walk and talk. She learns that he and his wife have recently moved to New York. That eventually they want to settle out west. And she divulges, vaguely, the pain that has plagued her and he tells her that tonight, over dinner, he and his wife would pray for her son and for her. She invites him and his wife to one day visit Irving Hall before they go their seperate ways. They never meet again but she never forgets his kindness.

What if one day, years later, there's a frantic knocking at the back door of the hall? When she opens the door, there stands a skinny little boy of 7, fiddling with the cross necklace he wore and she nearly cries because he looks just like her Jack that she buried so long ago. He hands her a note, from Francis Sullivan Sr, that explains that his wife died a year ago and that he will be sent to prison for something he has done. It begs her to take care of his boy because he has no one else left.

What if Medda takes him in? She doesn't have much space in her room so at first, she gets him to sleep on the small couch, an old prop no longer in use in the Hall. And in the middle of the night, she hears little footsteps cross the room. Little Francis climbs into her bed without a word and falls asleep right there, in her arms.

What if Medda can't take it? He looks so much like her Jack and her heart hurts and in a way she feels she's betraying her baby. So after a week, she tells Francis of the Duane Street Lodging House: how there will be loads of boys there he can make friends with, he can hawk papers with them to make money. And yet, even as she drops him off outside the lodging house, the note from her friend niggles in her mind and she tells him to come visit next weekend.

What if that's how their bond forms? He visits almost every weekend, sometimes bringing a friend, most of the time by himself. Until he disappears. At first, Medda thinks perhaps it slipped his mind or he just didn't feel like it. Weeks turn into months and Medda is half convinced that the innocent little boy has died, all because she couldn't put her heart aside to care for him.

What if he returns suddenly, looking very haunted? He tells her of his time in The Refuge and how terrible it was and how the warden Snyder said he would be listening out for any news about Francis to lock him up again. And he tells her his intention to change his name so he'd be more difficult to follow.

What if Medda is the one who suggests Jack and his eyes just light up and it fits him so perfectly that she can't help but wonder if he is, in some way, her baby boy? He takes the name Kelly from an article in that day's paper and thus Jack Kelly is born.

What if Medda watches him grow into the young, brave, dreamer, leader he becomes? He ends up in the Refuge again but escapes with the indirect help of the Governor, a story she loves to hear him talk about because he has a natural gift for tales.

What if after the strike, after almost losing her second Jack, she tells him about his namesake? And he and Medda visit the baby's grave together. And while she still grieves for that baby she lost far too soon, she realises that, through Jack Kelly, she was given another chance to be a mother.

What if.

[greymalkinxiii]

Shells (edited)

(This is a short story I wrote years ago for a competition that never made it. It was heavily influenced by Greg Bear. I've recently gone back and edited it. Comments, feedback, and constructive criticism are welcome.)

Shells

C. Peterson

     “Excuse me? Are you paying attention? What was the last thing I said?”

     I stifled a groan, "You were saying that fleshies, I mean our Homosapien ancestors, are now a critically endangered species and that in spite of our best intentions to save them, their numbers continue to decline due to a loss of natural habitat, disease and lack of fresh food sources. It is estimated that there are less than 3,000 left on Earth." I felt like I was reading from a download. 

    "Very good, but please refrain from calling our ancestors 'fleshies,'" replied Ser Olswick with a nod of approval. "Now our time is almost up. Does anyone have any questions before I give your assignment? Anyone? No? Okay, make sure you download chapters 20-24, we will be going over them tomorrow. Class dismissed.”

   As soon as she said it her image faded, as did many of my fellow classmates. I lingered for a few minutes before removing the jack from the back of my neck. There was a zinging electrical noise inside my head and let me tell you, if you're not ready for it, it’s hell on the nerves. I needed an upgrade to wireless. 

   I stood up and stretched deep, feeling my artificial tendons and plastic joints relieve the tension that sitting for two hours straight can cause. I wondered if fleshies had this problem as well. The clock on the wall read 13:30, lunch time for my sector (if you considered densely packed proteins, lubricants and vitamins into a nearly tasteless paste to be food.) Time to hustle. Personally, I liked to sit close to the window to get a good view of Earth. 

   Leaving the safety of my room, I started down the hall to the elevators when I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind.

   "Hey Els." 

   "Vonne, " I said, turning around to face him, "what have I told you about doing that?"

   He smiled in an attempt to be charming. He had piercing violet eyes, neon blue hair and flawless bio-skin. He had chosen his layout well and if it wasn't for the wild colors, he could pass for a fleshie. "You told me not to."

"You could fry someone's circuits like that." I said it meaner than what I had intended. "So, did you need something?" I started walking, Vonne followed beside me.

   "No, not really. I did however want to tell you something..."

   I raised a brow, "Oh? What is it?

   "Next week, they're doing a research mission to Earth and they're taking applications after lunch today and tomorrow."

   I pressed the button for the elevator, "And what makes you think I'm interested?"

   "Isn't that your major? Earth study or something?"

   "Something like that." The doors opened with a hiss of air and we stepped inside. I hadn't quite picked a major that I liked yet. 

   "I'm applying for it, maybe you should too."

   I turned to him. "I thought your study was ancient Earth languages."

   "It is," he replied. "Come on, you're always complaining about how you're cooped up in your room all day, studying and uploading. Besides, you get paid in credits for it and it'll count towards your major. You want that upgrade to wireless, right?" He had a point and he knew it. 

   "I'll consider it, alright?" I said, turning to face him. 

   The doors whooshed open, "I know you will." He smirked and walked off, leaving me to stare after him in aggravation.

   Lunch wasn't promising, another day of tasteless nutrition sucked up through a straw. I wondered if it was purposely tasteless or if our receptors were designed to be dull. Meanwhile, an argument was raging at my table. 

   "They know they're a dying species, so why won't they just integrate already?" asked the green haired girl beside me. She had been in my class for almost a year, sat beside me everyday at lunch and I still didn't know her name.

   "Because they're traditionalists." Vonne chimed, sitting in front of me. 

   "Traditionalism has nothing to do with survival. Don't they understand that? They can keep their beliefs and still live longer, better, disease-free lives." I could tell she was getting passionate.

   "It has nothing to do with living longer or better. They see us as being inhuman and they don't want that. We're not natural." Vonne picked at his food with his straw. 

   "We're still human though. We have human thoughts, human emotions. We eat food, we sleep."

   "Not quite," Vonne put down his straw, "we're not flesh and blood and bone. We may come from them but we’re not quite human." He paused and looked at me. "We don't have beating hearts. Everything that we are made from is synthetic. We can even choose the way we look, from humanoid to a sphere. We can change our hair color, eye color, skin color at will with the right programs. We don't grow up... We never grow old..." He held my gaze, "What's your input?"

   I hated being put on the spot, Vonne knew that. The green haired girl eyeballed me like she was waiting for me to side with her. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts. "The core belief in traditionalism is that the body is sacred. Living breathing bodies, which we're not... Do you know the most basic differences between us and them?" I stared at her. "Each fleshie has 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. Those chromosomes tell them what they'll look like, what sex they are, how intelligent they'll be or their personality. Then those little fleshie babies live in a fleshie female's body for nine months before she pushes it out through a little tiny hole. Then that little fleshie baby grows up, eating and shitting and learning until he or she is old enough to replicate. The cycle starts all over. You know how we're made?"

   She frowned and then nodded, but remained silent. I continued, "Our 'parents' take half of their personalities and combine them, upload them into a program that sorts all of it out and then they leave us in there, bodiless minds floating around in programs that teach us the basics. How to speak, the importance of this slop." I pointed to my empty glass. "Teaches us basic manners. All the things that fleshies learn from their parents, machines and programs teach us. And after we've stewed long enough, 'matured' so to speak, we get to choose our design and then a machine downloads our being into it. Do you really think this life is any better than a traditionalist down there?' 

   "Sure, they're susceptible to disease, they die, and they're physically weaker than us but they're the ones that are truly human. Do you really believe that we're alive? We're machines created by them with their minds downloaded because some of them were afraid of death, but we're not human. We're just pretending to be what they are." I paused for a moment, contemplating the ramifications of my own argument, “why would they want to integrate when they’re the real deal?”

   I could feel their eyes burning into me, somewhere between amusement and awe. I focused my eyes to the Earth hovering below us, just outside the window.I decided that I would sign up for that mission after all. 

   I couldn't put myself into stasis. I was too wound up to sleep. It had never bothered me before, but now it was all I could think about. Fleshies. Humans. Homo Sapiens... Mechas. Machines. The thoughts rolled around in my head making it feel hollow. I climbed out of my pod and stepped into my tiny bathroom. The automatic lights sprang to life. The small room was too white and hurt my eyes. It didn't look real. I needed to add some color. 

   I caught my reflection in the modest mirror that sat awkwardly above my sink. I looked strange. I didn't remember choosing brown hair and green eyes but then again, I never really paid much attention to my looks. I walked over to the mirror, studying myself. I poked at the near translucent bio-skin which covered my feminine body. It squished, indented and went back to its original form. I studied my eyes, noting the details of little specks of gold against the green. I pulled at the strands of hair that fell over my face. There was red and blonde mixed in. It wasn't real hair though, too smooth. Little strands of plastic.

   "You're not alive." I whispered, staring at myself. "You're not human."

Wasn’t I though? Alive, at least a little?

   It was this admission that made me question that statement. I felt, I ate, I produced biological waste, I had thoughts and memories of my own. I feared death. I feared extinction. I feared… I was afraid, deep down of so many things. But did I have what fleshies referred to as a soul? Traditionalists didn't believe that machines could possess souls. That was why they wouldn't integrate. They would rather die than lose their souls, the thing that made them human. Even with those differences, and with our history that intermingled with their own, didn’t that make us the same?

  "Okay... That's enough of that." I told myself. "Els, it's too late to be debating things in your own head. Right? Right." 

It wasn't until the next week that we found out the results of our applications. 

   "Alright, before we go," Ser Olswick began, "Ser Els, Ser Vonne and Ser Amat, you are to report to deck 6, room number 1604 after lunch today. Also, your assignments are due next week. Please upload them before 0900 Wednesday. And please make sure you download chapters 34-39. Class dismissed."

   I unjacked myself a little too quickly in my excitement. Big mistake. The sensors in my spine and neck ached from the power surge. I had to wait until it subsided before I could stand up and when I did, it was heaven to feel that stretch. Or at least my version of it. 

   Vonne was waiting for me outside my door with a grin on his seamless face. "We're in."

   I pushed past him, "Pfft, you don't know that." 

   "I've got my sources," he replied as he turned and followed closely behind. 

   "No, you've got your power of educated reasoning." I picked up my pace.

   "Hey, come on. Slow down." I could hear his pantsuit rustling as he caught up.  I slowed my stride and let him walk beside me. "So, what? It's an educated guess but what else could they be calling us for?"

   I shrugged in an attempt to be apathetic but deep down, I was excited. If it came to pass, it would be the first time that I had ever left the safety of the ship. "Maybe our statuses have changed or we're being promoted because of our high marks," I offered. We stopped in front of the elevator and Vonne pushed the button. 

   He sighed, something I've never heard him do, "Do you always have to be so logical?" 

   I thought about it as we stepped inside the elevator. I turned to him and offered a weak smile, if only he knew what I thought about. "No, not always. Just when the situation calls for it." 

   He returned my smile, shook his head and pressed the button for the fourth deck. "You know Els, this is exactly why we're friends."

   Our hands brushed against each other, which caused my sensors to tingle. I pretended not to notice. "I know." 

   It never ceased to amaze me how at almost every lunch break, the green haired girl started some kind of argument against fleshies. 

   "All I'm saying is we have a zero percent crime rate. There's no rape, no war, no murder. We have no real central government."

   Vonne shook his head, "It's like you're describing a beehive."

   She tilted her head at him, "A what?"

   He looked at her as if she was stupid, but that look only lasted for a second, "Never mind." 

   I finished my paste and slid my cup out of the way, my eyes drifting towards the window. It was dark on the part of the Earth facing us. If it weren't for the sun's rays poking out from behind, it would've been difficult to see. "We're all the same," I mumbled.

   "What?" I heard the green haired girl say. 

   I didn't have to look at Vonne to know that he was raising an eyebrow at me. "We're all the same," I repeated.

   "What are you talking about?" she asked. 

   That feeling was creeping over me again, the one from the other night. I didn't know what it was or where it was coming from. It scared me but I couldn't make it go away. Vonne tapped my leg with his foot from underneath the table. I snapped back to reality. I met his eyes and for a moment, I felt better.

   "Fleshies would argue that we have no free will, that's what I mean. They would say that what we have is Communism because we're all the same," I replied to her. I tapped Vonne's foot with mine.

   "Of course we have free will," she countered back.

   Vonne eyed me and then turned his attention to the green haired girl. "We do, Amat, but to a point. All the evil thoughts and things that humans do have been removed from us. We know what those things are yet, we can't do them. It would literally hurt us to consider doing them. It would damage our circuits permanently to actually go through with it, right? Our free will is limited. Humans have true free will. All you have to do is look at their history."

   "So, then, who is the superior species? Us or them?" Amat was looking to me for answers. 

   "It's all subjective," I replied. "Just depends on which side of the fence you're on."

   We were headed for the elevators when Vonne pulled me aside and into a deserted hallway. I stared at him, confused, "Hey, what are you doing?"

   He put his hands on my shoulders, "I'm concerned."

   I backed away from him. I couldn't explain it but I felt nervous, "About what?"

   He stepped closer. "You're acting... off."

   I felt the wall against my back, "Off? What are you talking about?"

   Vonne moved until he was half a step away, he leaned forward and pressed his hands against the wall above both of my shoulders. His eyes were . It were daggers, sharp and unwavering almost as if he were trying to read my thoughts. If I'd had a human heart, it would have been racing. "I've known you since the womb program and I've never seen you so... so...," he paused, searching for the word, "I don't know how to say it." 

   "Compute it," I said in a hushed tone as I averted my gaze. 

   "... Sad." From my peripheral vision, I could see he was offering a weak smile as an apology for his bluntness. 

   I shook my head, "No... I'm not."

   For a moment, he leaned in closer and rested his forehead against mine, "Of course not." Vonne pushed off from the wall. 

   "Vonne, hey-"

   "Don't want to be late, right?" With that he walked off and turned the corner. 

   I balled up my fists and felt them slam against the metal wall behind me. I started after him with every intention of a confrontation but he was already stepping into the elevator. "Wait! Vonne!" I called out, "hold the doors!" I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and slithered my way inside as the doors started to close. Vonne stared at me in surprise. "You're right, okay?' I felt myself blurt out as our eyes met. "I'm sad and angry and I- I don't know why. Happy now?"

   He grinned, "Maybe, feel better?" I nodded. Admitting it felt good for some strange reason. He reached down, grabbed my hand with his and squeezed. "Good."

   He released my hand and I hid my smile.

   Upon entering room 1604-6, we were greeted by an odd pair. One, who identified himself as Ser Tulius, was tall and humanoid. His skin was a dark grey; his eyes were a reflective metallic blue. He had neither hair nor ears, his limbs and fingers were unusually long. The other one, who introduced herself as Ser Eres, was a baby pink sphere. Large eyes and lips were projected in front; robotic arms hung down at her sides with ultra slim fingers. 

   "Welcome," Ser Eres said with a smile, her hands together, "you two must be Ser Vonne and Ser Els. Sit wherever you wish."

   We sat by the green haired girl in the back. "Where were you two?" she whispered.

   "Never mind that," Vonne replied, "how many are here?"

   "Including us? Eight students in all. You haven't missed anything."

   I surveyed the room. There were five other students: two were spheres like Ser Eres who spoke to each other in pictographs; three were androgynous with no discernable gender, though they were humanoid like us. 

   Ser Tulius began, "Now that we're all here and settled, I'd like to welcome all of you. Over 100 students applied from various sectors last week however, eight were chosen because of your extraordinary marks in your sector and overall, the ship itself. Each of you will bring something unique to this mission, whether it be knowledge or particular skills from your area of study." He seemed to pause for effect, "The terms of the Earth mission were purposely vague so now, I shall hand it over to Ser Eres to provide the details."

   He gestured to Ser Eres as she glided forward, "Thank you, Ser Tulius. This is a peacekeeping mission to the planet Earth. While on the surface, in the area we've designated, you will be interacting with humans on a personal level. You will gain insight into the way they live on a daily basis. This project is designed to foster hospitable relations for the future as we have quite a bit to learn from each other.'

   "This mission will last one week and counts as credits for your classes. If this mission is successful the region, in which we are visiting, will allow eight students of their choosing aboard the ship to see how we live and function. Now, there are some basic guidelines to go over, Ser Tulius?"

   As she glided backwards, Ser Tulius stepped forward, "One of the many things to consider, while on the surface, is your conduct. Everything you do, may and will be scrutinized. It will also be a reflection of your fellow classmates and of the ship itself. You will be representing all of our people during your stay. Therefore, you must be respectful and polite.'

   "Secondly, please remember that humans are not primitive ape-like beings. They are reasonable and highly intelligent. Refrain from using offensive terms such as 'fleshies' or 'meat sacks'." Vonne playfully elbowed my arm at that part. "We would appreciate it if you did not pick arguments with the locals.'

   "Also, those who need to upgrade are required to do so. This will give you an immediate link-up to the ship if you ever lose your way, are stuck in a bind or need to contact the ship for any reason whatsoever. This upgrade is free and will be provided on deck 5, room 1501. Questions?"

   One of the Andros raised a hand, "When are we due to leave?"

   Ser Eres answered, "Wednesday at 0800. We are to meet on deck zero at docking bay 9 by 0730." She clasped her hands together, "Anyone else? No? We shall see you on Wednesday. You are adjourned."

   "There is no way that is going to fit in there." Vonne told Amat as she tried to stuff an overfilled bag into the compartment above her seat. 

   "I... Will... Make... It... Fit!" She shoved as hard as she could until she could close the door. She had to be quick before it flopped out. 

   "We're only going to be gone for a week, what could you possibly need while we're there?" Vonne asked as he glanced up at the bulging door above her head.

   "Well, you know, clothes, brushes, e-scrolls, my tablet-"

   "Your entire room," I chimed in. Vonne smirked at my remark.

   "Ugh! I just want to be prepared, that's all." she said as she took her seat. 

   Vonne and I sat down in the seats behind her, he even let me have the window seat. The pod shifted as the bay doors opened. There was the sound of the engines in the back, a low humming that wasn't all that unpleasant and then they went quiet. 

   He leaned towards me, "Look," he whispered. I turned my head and the light from the sun greeted me as it came over the moon's horizon. "You can see eternity from here." And you know what? We could. 

   Something stirred in me, something that I had never felt before. A long breath escaped as I stared out of the window. The Earth was coming into view and it felt... It felt as if I was coming home. It was such a strange feeling, since I had never been. I found Vonne's hand and squeezed it hard. I was so happy he was here and I wasn't quite sure why.   

   "Eternity is beautiful," I heard myself say. 

    He squeezed my hand back. "Sometimes..." he whispered in my ear, "you forget who you are or who you were when eternity is staring at you."

   I turned my head and met his gaze. At first I thought that he was just joking but the look on his face was genuine, almost remorseful. "Vonne?"

   He looked away, "There's something I have to tell you, Els."

   I touched his forearm, "Hey, are you okay?"

   "Yeah..."

   "What is it?"

   "I can't tell you here..."

   "Oh," I returned my gaze towards the window again.

   At that moment, the green haired girl's luggage compartment burst open. We both watched as her bag fell on top of her head, "Ah! Ouch!"

   We tried as hard as we could to stifle our laughter but at least the awkwardness between us had been broken.

   "Vonne! Els! Help me!" cried a muffled Amat. Vonne stood up and pulled the bag off of her.

   "See, I told you it wasn't going to work," he grinned.

   "Yeah, yeah," she smiled back and pulled it into the seat beside her, "it was worth a try."

   Earth was even more beautiful than the pictures I had seen, or through the window during our lunch break. We were stationed at New Wilmington, in what was once known as North Carolina. Old Wilmington had been long since claimed by the ocean, though you could still see the PPD tower jutting out of the water in the distance.

   Compared to the sterile environment of the ship, Earth was made up of a myriad of colors and textures, smells and sounds that assaulted and assuaged the senses. There was so much space here that it seemed to have a negative effect on some of us. There were many who preferred the confines of their rooms during down time.

   I loved it. The feel of a cool breeze against my bio-skin or the sound of the ocean lapping against the shore. The vast expanse of sky and land and grass all around me. I loved watching the birds and clouds so high up that I'd have to put a hand over my eyes because of the sun's glare. It was amazing to see the night sky with all the little specks of light against a black backdrop. It looked so different from here, even the sun and the moon seemed strange and far away. 

   During my own downtime, I explored. I would have preferred to hang out with Vonne but he was busy learning the region's dialect and syntax structures or maybe he was avoiding me. Perhaps a little bit of both. So, I walked and mingled with the local population. They were nice enough to show me the beach and to talk about Old Wilmington, as well as the plague that almost decimated their colony. They asked me questions about what I was made out of and if I had feelings. I asked them about their beliefs. They asked me about the ship. 

   The only thing that disturbed me was the cemetery. It was sad, no matter how well they had lived their lives or how much they could accomplish, the only thing they were guaranteed was death. Maybe that was why they created us and uploaded their minds into these plastic bodies with little to no memories. It wasn't just about survival, it was out of the fear of death and a fresh start. I finally understood, at least a little. When all the fleshies have disappeared, we will be all that's left. 

   It was the last night of our mission. I felt restless and conflicted. I knew I couldn't stay but, at the same time, I didn't want to leave. After this, the ship would seem so small and crowded. My room would feel like a box. I decided to take one last walk before we left in the morning. 

   I went down to the beach and sat. It felt like I was on the edge of the universe. The black of the sky and ocean blended together as one. The white foam hitting the beach and greeting my toes was time itself, reminding me that nothing is really forever. I picked up what the locals called a seashell. I wasn't sure of the color, all I could tell was that it was a spiral that was as long as my index. 

   There was a soft tap on my shoulder. I jumped, startled. Turning my head, I saw Vonne come around and sit down beside me. "You scared me!"

   "Sorry about that." He peered over and looked down at the shell in my hand. "What's that?"

   I handed it to him. "They call it a seashell. Pretty, isn't it?"

   He nodded as he inspected it. "Very. Some kind of animal carcass?" He gave it back.

   "Not quite... They said it's like the exoskeleton of a sea slug. It dies and tiny animals eat the soft part, then the ocean picks it up, brings it on shore." I wrapped my fingers around it. 

   He stared out into the void, "You know, it's beautiful down here. I wish we didn't have to go back." 

   I smiled to myself, "I know the feeling... I thought you were avoiding me, you know."

   "I promise you, I wasn't. I just needed some time to think." Vonne paused, I could feel his eyes on me. "Do you remember... on the ship... when I said I had to talk to you?"

   "Yeah... I remember," I rubbed my fingers over the shell's smooth body. 

   " I found some things out... before we came to Earth."

   "Oh?"

   " I hacked the mainframe of the womb program. We're not who we... who we think we are, Els."

   I turned to him, "What do you mean?"

   He stared into me, "Do you know why we're stationed on Deck 3?"

   "No..."

   "That's where they send us, Els... Original human minds, not constructs or partnered minds."

   "What?"

   "This... Is where we came from. There was a plague here, 20 years ago... They came to help... We didn't want to die so we asked them to upload our minds. And then, our minds floated around in the womb program and it... It filters out things, like memories. It kind of makes us feel incomplete. That's, that's why you feel weird, Els. You don't feel alive. That's why you're angry and sad and confused all the time."

   "That can't be true."

   "It is. That's why we don't want to leave... That's why it feels like home and why you're out here, right now. Why we wanted to come here."

   I stared at him, "Did we forget who we are or were because we're staring into eternity? Is that what it means?" He nodded, his arms wrapping around me. I crumpled into him, "Why did we... forget?"

   "I don't know," he whispered. He kissed the top of my head and then rested his chin on it, "Maybe it hurts too much to remember."

   "What made you want to find out?

   "I did it... for you. I don't want you to feel sad anymore. No matter what you say or what you believe, you're alive."

   "Don't ever leave me, okay?"

   "I won't."

   I sighed and pulled away. He leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine, like I had seen so many fleshies do during our stay. It was strange but not unpleasant. We could've stayed there until the end of time.

   For the first time, as the sun was coming up over the horizon, I felt alive. I never thought the end of the universe would be so colorful.

[bonesandthebees]

we've seen Petty Bitch Wilbur now get ready for Anxious And Guilt-Ridden Wilbur lmao we love to see it

whew at least not all of the deathlings hates the pythia now. he's even making some new friends! rocketduo are such bros in every universe and i love them so much for it

but they're just two people, and i am not looking forward to the next time wilbur runs into tubbo's group, or any other deathlings we haven't met yet

(why do i have a bad feeling someone else might try something against the pythia later down the line- /rh)

wait actually how many deathlings are there right now? so far we've met 10 people, plus charlie and quackity but they're most likely not deathlings and just work with them or smth. who else is there? is that a question i'm allowed to ask /genq

LMAO L JACK WAS NEARLY KILLED BY THE GIRL FROM THE RING

also holy fuck does wilbur keep going back to that the-pythia-isn't-supposed-to-be-seen-as-human thing. i'm not sure the deathlings have a therapist but by god does he need one so badly /lh

he's finally making some friends!! after the murder attempt who would've guessed!!

rocketduo my beloveds i have so much fun writing them

yeahhhh not everyone in the temple agrees with rocketduos perspective tho as we heard with tubbo so :)

uhhh unless I change my mind in the future (I try to leave certain details vague while writing so I can keep options open for further future plot points) the only deathlings there are the people we've met. they're a small group!

wilbur keeps going back to that because it's what he's been told for the past decade!! it's good ol brainwashing. he realizes how it sounds, but he's justified it so hard to himself over the years to cope with it that he just accepts it as a fact but knows that others won't see it the same way. he really needs a therapist.

[kyanitedragon]

I'm rereading Tokyo Ghoul in the chronological order of the series' timeline, and also taking notes as I go along, and I'm realizing so many things...

Some things just went over my head whenever I read the series before.

Like how, I always thought the series was about how Kaneki got turned into a ghoul and got gradually wrapped up more and more in the ghoul world - Ryoko's death to the threat of Tsukiyama to Yamori's torture and then culminating in the Anteiku Raid.

But if you look past Kaneki's pov and him being an unreliable narrator, and you look at the story and rest of the cast...

It's really the opposite going on.

It's Rize (and by proxy, Kaneki) who made Tokyo suddenly dangerous. Nishiki even says as much!

[ID: From Chapter 35, Nishiki says "It's because of Rize's death... Lots of weird things have been going on little by little in the surrounding areas... since the time of her death. Ghouls who don't make any sense appeared... And a dove died in the 20th Ward... The movements of the doves are weighing on my mind and yet I can't even hunt properly... Goddammit..." and Kaneki thinks to himself "Even since Rize-san died..." End ID]

Everything chaotic that happens in Tokyo Ghoul isn't just the regular ol' rough life of ghouls, but its specifically shit hitting the fan because of Rize and her death, and Kaneki becoming a ghoul and becoming involved in the ghoul world.

Even the CCG mentions this as well!

[ID: Chapter 47, Yasutomo and Murata, two minor ghoul investigators, talk about the current state of the 20th Ward and say "...However, the 20th Ward has become a dangerous place now. There's the 'binge-eater', the 'gourmet', and also 'rabbit'. It's shocking to have all these big unsettled cases. Especially since we've been struggling with just one case relating to the "binge eater", without any news for several months. There's also the '11th Ward incident' too. Seems like something bad is starting to happen." End ID]

I know a lot of people joke about Kaneki being dumb for not even realizing that ghouls exist pre-chapter 1. But I think we all tend to misremember ghouls being a lot more active than they really are in-series. I mean, the CCG acts like the 20th ward is dangerous and hard work, and fuss over three ghoul cases. Three! And only one of those cases have regular killings! Rize has been dead for months at this point, and Touka only ever killed 2 investigators in a short period as Rabbit.

(I also completely forgot that Aogiri Tree was only just now making their existance known to humans. They're such a big and iconic part of the series, I guess I always just skimmed over these parts that so clearly state this.)

And then I've also realized other minor things about the series, too.

In Volume 11, Uta says that Yoshimura opened up Anteiku 10 years ago. That's not really that long ago. Like, Kaneki would have been 8 and Touka around 7 when that happened. Arata would have only just died when Yoshimura came to the 20th ward and changed Irimi and Koma's lives for the better.

So much of Tokyo Ghoul lore I always unconciously wrote off as being old history. But really, everything mentioned in the series is pretty recent events?

And you know the ending of Tokyo Ghoul: Jack? When Fura realizes that Minami was a ghoul, who killed and injured his best friends? That she was a ghoul who killed out of jealousy of humans having the nerve to take their easy lives for granted and become delinquents while she struggled to survive? And Fura is forced to kill her but is clearly shaken up by the experience?

I always took this as Fura's moment, and TG:Jack being a prequel that hints at the CCG not being as black and white as it seems, to get ready for :re. That even older investigators like Fura can see some humanity and pity in ghouls.

But now, what sticks out to me is the conversation that Fura and Arima have afterwards:

[ID: From Tokyo Ghoul: Jack, Fura asks "Those ghouls... do they all envy humans like Minami did?" and Arima answers "I don't know, I've never struck up conversation with a ghoul before." End ID]

This is Arima at 16. And what does Arima do at 19?

He talks to Eto...

[ID: Chapter 86 of :re, showing a young Arima standing in front of an injured Eto. Eto says to him, "...A reason? Because I want to take this fucked up piece of shit world, fuck it up even more, and then give it a factory reset." Arima smirks and says "I see." End ID]

...and together they create the One Eyed King and form Aogiri Tree.

I know Arima's motives go all the way back to him being a Washuu and a half-human. But I wonder if Fura talking to Minami inspired Arima to talk to Eto in the first place, and opened up an oportunity for Arima to reach out to a ghoul for help in destroying the system.

[theramseyloft]

4/5/22 update

We received $399.34 from Patreon early this morning.

And spent $37.90 at Foy's on more AvioNidazole, and postage.

I'm not out yet, but it only comes in 100gram jars, dosage is 4tsp. a gallon, and my metal loft drinker is 2 gallons.

So I'm going through it MIGHTY fast!

I pulled out Snowdrop's floor to feed him.

Filled the dish...

And when I turned around to return it, the little poot had squeazled out through the opening and was getting ready to launch.

Just kinda turned him around and slid the floor back in.

Titan's samples are firm, brown, round, and normal.

Only two more days of medicating after today, so hopefully everyone will feel well enough to go back out to the loft (Ice boys aside.)

Expecting another Chewy order.

I think I'll try mixing the Versele Laga blend with Royal Wing Classic Mix and see if that increased variety makes for less wasted.

Cheeto and Cotta's blood work didn't show any symptoms of nutritional deficiency, and they eat the same as the breeding flock, so I am not overly concerned with their diet beyond their enjoyment of it.

Bruce's samples have been stellar.

He drank 3/4 of his medicated water.

Two more days after this one.

Order arrived.

Fed-x found the packages they supposedly delivered to the garage I don't have, and brought those too!

Praise fuckin' be!

Diamond's samples are perfect.

Nobu's are an ideal shape and consistency. The color (mostly grey) suggests he's craving fat and focused primarily on the safflower seeds and millet.

(The white shells of the safflower seeds turn grey during digestion and a bird strongly favoring them will make that the dominant color of the samples.)

Jack's finally aren't green! They're medium olive brown!

The texture and shape are good.

Ness had a distressing range of samples since yesterday, most of which were bright emerald green.

But the one he excreted a few seconds ago on the clean paper was medium brown and of ideal shape and texture.

Ibis' appetite is a little concerningly low, but only for what's in her dish.

She gleefully eats what ever she can reach while I'm changing her floor, so I don't actually know if it's a lack of appetite.

Samples in the flock look fantastic! Nothing smells wrong or is any concerning color.

Everything that isn't round has clearly been trampled.

No one looks uncomfortable.

Down to the last dregs of Royal Wing Classic mix, so tomorrow will be the perfect time to start the blend.

There was a tornado watch for a while, but it got downgraded to a severe thunderstorm warning.

It browned out a little, but we didn't lose power.

It stormed loudly and rain sheeted down for several hours, but no damage was done.

The birds are not allowed on the porch right now, so no exposure risk.

Loft help arrived with perfect timing for me to tag out to make a run to TSC for a new 50lb feed container and a 50lb bag of Royal Wing Classic mix.

The one we usually go to didn't have either thing, so I had to book it to another about 45 minutes away.

Thankfully they had both the Royal Wing and a 50lb vittles vault like the one I have at home.

[masterwords]

Derek and Hotch have a major disagreement. Jack overhears his father saying that Derek’s going to break his heart. 2 days later Derek gets a letter, inside is a hand drawn heart, cut into several pieces. The letter just says: Can you please fix daddy’s heart? Love, Jack.

(~800 words // Inspired by but not exact because reading comprehension is lacking on my part...sorry // Hotchgan fluff)

**

It isn't a big fight, or even something to really fight about. It's just that they've worked two cases back to back with less than thrilling results, the brass is coming down on Aaron hard and Derek is asking him for too much. They're both running on fumes and tonight should have been the first real night off in weeks, a quiet night in – dinner and some board games with Jack, and then some adult time afterward except now adult time looked like laundry and an argument. It already felt too much like another failed marriage for Aaron's taste.

“I'm not asking you to wear a damn ring, Aaron,” Derek says, seated at the foot of Aaron's bed with his legs folded beneath him. Across the room Aaron is folding laundry, large hands shoved inside of Jack's tiny clothes, pulling at inside out sleeves while he considers the offer he's been given. It's huge, he's been milling it over all week in spite of being on a case. It's driven him to distraction more than once. “Aaron?”

“I'm just...not ready to get my heart broken again...” he says softly. Derek frowns, he knows Aaron didn't mean it as cold as it sounded, but it still hurt.

“That's what you think I'm planning to do?” He was scoffing, couldn't believe it really. “C'mon, you know me better than that.”

Aaron lowers his voice as he begins putting hangers inside button up shirts, working diligently with his hands to keep his mind in one place. “The last time...” he whispers, and he's trying to keep it down because the walls are so thin and Jack hasn't been in bed long, he shouldn't hear them argue and he definitely doesn't need to hear him bring up Haley. “I couldn't survive it again...”

It clicks then what he means – he's not talking about the divorce. “Aaron...” Derek says, standing, slipping his arms around the other man's waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. He digs it in, really gets in there and holds him tight. “I've survived goin' toe to toe with some big ol' baddies – believe me, if there's a sucker out there who wants you or Jack so bad they try to go through me, they're gonna be worm food and you know it.”

It's not enough to make Aaron concede yet, but he's almost there.

He's willing to entertain the idea of living together.

In the morning, Derek wakes to find an envelope on the nightstand beside him. It's addressed to him in big scrawling letters, thick crayon wax clumped in places where Jack's hand got a little too excited or he wrote over a crumb or a dip in the table. Derek sits up, rubs the sleep from his eyes, and opens the envelope to find small chunks of paper colored bright red (and a little blue because Jack loves the way it turns slightly purple where it gets extra thick) with a note that simply reads “PLEES FIKS DADDYS HART” and he notices his hand tremble, understanding momentarily how big it is that he's asking to be a part of this family. As much as asking Aaron to move in with him was about having him close, he hadn't really considered the magnitude of inserting himself into a family that would depend on him. Right now they were a small unit, and they had Derek and they had Jessica orbiting around them, there when needed but not part of the unit itself. Moving in would change all of that. He would be on the path from Derek to Dad.

He still wanted it. In fact, he might want it more now. Slipping out of the bed, he sneaks down the hall and to Aaron's office to begin working on mending the heart – but instead of simply taping it together, he cuts out two new hearts and pastes the mended heart atop the other two, scribbles a ribbon over the whole thing and admires his work. An art major he is not, but he's pretty sure that where he labeled one choppy heart with a J and the other with a D would convey his message pretty clearly – together they could fix daddy's broken heart.

He puts it on Jack's chair before he sits down for breakfast, and watches as he opens it with glee. Jack beams and Derek smiles when Aaron goes over to look at it, to listen to Jack explain how he'd heard part of their conversation last night and he didn't want Derek to break his daddy's heart.

“Hey, Jack,” he says, nudging the bowl of orange slices toward the boy. “How would you like to say goodbye to this tiny old apartment and go move in with Derek and Clooney at their big house?”

“I would never,” Derek says softly, pouring syrup onto his pancakes.

Aaron smiles, and considers that there is really never a good time to take a leap of faith, you just had to close your eyes and go for it. Hope you don't hit the pavement.

[nephilimarecool]

YJNatural

This is my first fic on tumbler even though I have many on Wattpad as Friendly-Flame so if I make a mistake feel free to tell me or comment in general but please don't hound me about it. Your welcome to request fics as soon as I'm able to figure out how lol. I will do most things but I refuse to do smut, I also reserve the right to turn down a request if I'm uncomfortable and will explain why I refused. At the moment I'm only really writing SPN and YJ but once I'm more used to it I'll do DC, Marvel & SPN. This is the first of a series of fan fics featuring the Winchesters in YJ.

Chapter 1: I Hate Witches

"They're an extremely old family of witches, all the way back to the Salem Witch trials." Sam was reading the collected info off his laptop; we are hunting a family of very old and powerful witches the Mayfairs.

Next to speak was Dean, Castiel listening silently from across the table, Jack by his side. "So we take the guns, fill them with witch killing bullets and go in fast and hard. Charlie and Jack will stay outside and watch the doors. -" I'm pissed, I've gone through nearly as much as he has, Dean has no right to keep me out of this hunt.

"NO." It comes out louder than I intended but I am so mad. Dean tries to reason with me but I only see red.

"Not gonna happen kid. We need you to look after Jack, he's still new to this." I glare at Dean resulting in the older Winchester flinching slightly. I smile to myself.

"Jack’s a Nephilim, he's more equipped for this than we are!" I snap not thinking but simply reacting to the situation. "You need EVERYONE in there Dean, I may be 16 but I can handle myself." I make sure to get my point across and watch as Dean sighs.

"She is right." I'm surprised to see Cas speaking. "Jack does lack experience but as a Nephilim he could easily overpower a witch Jack can not be harmed and her plan does make logical sense, we need her" I love Cas, he's still so much like a soldier, always making the calls others won't yet projecting this calm aura. As much as we bicker these guys are my family.

"Lets go now while it's dark." I suggest, it's only 4am and in the winter months like now the sun doesn't rise till 8. "We have the element of surprise. Plus we all know the plan, no need to go over it again." I sigh slightly at the end.

"Let's hit the road!" Squirrel exclaimed smacking his palm on the table. I have taken to Crowley's nickname for Dean, I miss him, sure he was a demon but he always made me laugh.

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"Everyone ready?" Asked Moose as we get the weapons from the trunk. Most of us just nod but I decide to be me.

"Crystal pistol." I say laughing at the resting bitch face Sam gives me. I see Dean smiling lightly, I always do get on better with the older Winchester.

The house is empty. I glance at Dean, this isn't good. "It's too quiet." I whisper worried. We had stayed together not splitting up because of the nature of this hunt.

"I sense power from..." Jack pauses for a second. "There." He points to what looks like a cleaning closet. Dean pushes the door open Sam at his side make sure we were behind them. On the wall was a symbol I thought it was nothing till I saw the witch pressing her hand to it in the purple light that followed illuminating the room.

“Cum sanguine et igne dimitto vos. Sanguinis daemone claudo te. Relinque hoc mundo. Relinque hoc mundo. Relinque hoc mundo.”

It was spell. This is bad, all I can see is the violet light before I fall face first into... grass? "Cas? Jack? Moose? Squirrel?" I call standing up unsteadily. That's when I realize I'm 2D. "Great." I mutter sarcastically, we are stuck in a TV show.

I hear a chorus of 'Here' or 'I'm okay' and sigh, turned out we are all mostly un-hurt. I help Dean and Sam too their feet as Cas and Jack were already standing.

"Who are you?" I turn at the gravelly voice to see batman from Young Justice. This was just great. Seeing my family reach for their weapons I shake my head. No. Slowly they drop their hands but not their guard.

"Batman." I stated.

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