#just something odd and shiny that you found in the water

[sksninja]

Your magic item is a mirror. For some reason, the person holding this mirror can never see themselves. The family member who brought it into the family claims it was pulled out of a lake on a fishing trip.

... you know, actually... I might just have something like this in my tackle box...

[twilight-orchid]

Shower Suprise

Jason Todd x gn pregnant reader

Notes: So, I’m currently fighting a war against baby fever and baby daddy jason makes me feral so I decided to write a self indulgent fic. I’m working on a couple sequel fics so let me know if you enjoyed this and I’ll post the others too. I’m not a great writer and have never written for Jason before, so sorry if it’s shit lmaooo

Part 2

Word count: 1730

Contains cursing, unplanned pregnancy, mention of abortion, talk of adoption

Jason had gotten home a little after 4 am. He’d been patrolling the cold, rainy streets since 11 and Gotham had finally grown quiet. His body ached something awful from the numerous fights he’d gotten into that night, and exhaustion had crept into his bones making him feel like he could fall asleep standing up.

He climbed into the window of the dark apartment silently to avoid waking his lover and got out of his gear in the living room. The sound of clanking metal and ripping zippers tended to get noisy. Once in his briefs alone he slipped into your bedroom, pausing for a moment to watch the rise and fall of your chest with a smile on his face. You slept soundly, your hair a nest around your face and your soft snores like a comforting lullaby to Jason.

He reluctantly made his way to your shared bathroom. He’d love nothing more than to just go to bed, but you didn’t like it when he got into the clean sheets with Gotham’s grime on him. And, to be fair, he was pretty gross some nights. He showered quickly, enjoying the steaming water on his sore muscles, then hastily moved to brush his teeth. However, something odd caught his eye as he spat.

There were balls of what looked like clean tissue wadded up atop the trash, which was strange as he’d just changed it before he left. You didn’t have a cold or anything that would constitute using that much. He furrowed his brow, a weird feeling washing over him. Something white and shiny just barely peeked out from underneath, and he moved the tissue aside to reveal not 1 but 4 pregnancy tests. His heart froze, time seeming to stop around him. Dread built in his gut as he grabbed the sticks, and terror settled in as he picked up one positive after another. Holy shit, y/n was pregnant. He’d gotten you pregnant. Fuck.

Something pleasant stirred in his gut but he squashed it down. His child would be in danger every day having him as their father. If anyone found out about his baby, child of the Red Hood and grandchild of the Batman, they’d instantly have a target on their head. Aside from that, he’d be a terrible father. He was gruff without meaning to, he had a short fuse, and he certainly didn’t have any good role models. All he could think about were the ways he could accidentally fuck them up. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice you until you were in the bathroom with him.

He was no longer tired, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he dropped to the floor. Fuck fuck fuck. He couldn’t be a father, he’s Red Hood. He had huge time constraints, anger issues, and most importantly, a lot of blood on his hands. How could those hands, forever stained red, hold something like an innocent newborn in his grasp? A baby, with chunky cheeks and thighs, perhaps with his hair and your eyes.

“Jay?” You asked tentatively. He realized he was hyperventilating. He tried to respond, but he found all he could do is stare at your middle. Your eyes slipped to the floor, taking in the discovered pregnancy tests as he watched your face turn. This is clearly not the reveal you were hoping for. You crouched to his level.

“Jay, can you breathe with me?” He was still lost in his thoughts, buried in his anxiety. But he looked up and met your gaze, your features worried. For him. He closed his eyes and nodded with a shuddering breath.

“Alright babe, in through the nose…. Out through the mouth.” He followed along with you, his hand reaching out. You grabbed it firmly with both of yours without hesitation, running your thumbs along his skin. He usually didn’t like to be touched when he was having episodes, but something about your warmth grounded him. He steadily felt his heart begin to slow down.

You let go with one hand to tenderly cup his cheek, smiling sheepishly at him.

“You’re pregnant.” He said simply. You bit your lip and looked away, but nodded.

“I made an appointment in the morning to get an ultrasound and make sure, but well, 4 positives. Plus, you know how sick and nauseous I’ve been. Emotional, tired, hungry for weird shit…” He cursed under his breath and noted how your shoulders sank. Your hand just barely moved to your belly before you caught yourself, returning it to your side.

“You want the baby.” He stated, though it was more of a question. You sighed in frustration and ran your hand through your hair.

“I don’t know. I don’t feel ready, but I can’t stop picturing a little baby that looks like me and you and I just… I can’t-“ Your resolve crumbled as tears began rolling down your cheeks. He took you into his arms instantly, pulling you onto his lap and letting you bury your head into his neck as you sobbed. He drew circles into your back and whispered reassurances, but his head was spinning.

“I don't know what to do Jay!” You whimpered. He didn’t know either, but he needed to come up with a solution. For you.

A baby. A fucking baby. Bruce would absolutely lose it.

“Well,” he started, his voice calm. He was freaking out, but you didn’t need him a nervous wreck. You needed him strong and steadfast. He took a deep breath.

“There’s allot going on in our heads right now, why don't we break down our options, yeah?” You nodded, still sniffling and sat in his lap to meet his eyes.

“No matter what, I'm not putting a baby in the Gotham foster system. No way.” He started. Gotham had a lot of kids entering its foster system and almost no kids being adopted. Bruce had been trying to help solve the issue for years, but Jason knew if they gave the baby up for adoption, they’d likely have a hard time finding a home. Not to mention the issue still stood that they’d be in danger if their parentage was discovered, except in that scenario Jason wouldn’t even know where they are to help them. You nodded in agreement.

“So that leaves…” you began softly.

“Keeping it or getting rid of it.” He finished. Your lip twisted and fresh tears fell, but you wiped them away.

“I don’t… what do you want to do Jay?”

“It’s your body.”

“And it's your baby.” You responded. That was fair, and he thought about it. There’s no denying it could be dangerous, but there was also no denying that his kid would have the planets greatest protectors on its side. His family would call to arms for his baby in an instant, as would the friends Jason had made through his life. Hell, even the Justice League would defend Bruce’s grand baby. And he wouldn’t repeat his mentor’s mistakes and drag his kid on the rooftops with him. They belonged at home; safe, cared for, and loved. A feeling he reveled in when he was with you. He thought about you holding a toddler in your arms and playing with them, the sound of his child’s laughter echoing through the house. He just knew you would make an amazing parent. Feelings once again rose in his chest, but he didn’t push them down. He let them sit and, once he really thought about it, he kinda wanted to see the little guy live and grow. But ultimately it wasn’t his decision.

“I want what you want.” He finally responded. You groaned in frustration.

“I don’t want you to want what I want Jay. If I say I want it, I don’t want you to agree to make me happy and then feel trapped and then…” you trailed off, looking away from him. He furrowed his brow.

“And then what, leave you? Abandon you to raise my kid on your own? Do you really think I’d do that to you?” His tone sounded almost angry, but he didn’t mean for it to be. He wasn’t mad, he was hurt.

“No, Jay I-“ you sighed and ran a hand through your hair.

“I just don’t want to make you do something huge like this if it's not what you want. And I don’t want to force you to commit to me like that.” He scoffed at you.

“I think we’re well past worrying about me wanting to commit to you, doll.” You stared at him seemingly unconvinced, your fears and uncertainties visibly rattling around your skull.

He sighed. This wasn’t the circumstance he was hoping for, but his gut said it was time.

“You want to see how fucking serious I am about committing to you? Where the fuck are my jeans?” He gently pushed you off of him and told you to stay. He nearly chuckled at the cute, confused look on your face. He grabbed the pants he'd been wearing before patrol and fished his wallet out of his pocket.

“Look at this shit, I’ve been carrying this around with me for months.” You stared at him with a raised brow, wondering what the fuck he was doing. Out of the cash flap he pulled a small pouch of bubble wrap which produced a beautiful engagement ring. It was your picture-perfect ring; you couldn’t have picked a better one yourself. You froze, your breath catching in your throat.

“Jason-“

“No, shut up and listen to me. I love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone on this god forsaken planet. You are beautiful, and kind, and funny, and so fucking smart. You’ve been there for me at my worst and my best without judgement. You’re one person that I know I can rely on, and I am so proud that you rely on me. I am a lucky fucking man to have you in my life, and if you want this baby I’m with you. And I’ll be the happiest man alive. But if you don’t want it, you don’t. And I’ll be happy with that too. But either way, I love you and I want you to be my one and only for as long as you’ll have me. So, what do you wanna do babe?”

[syoish-aot]

"I Found You (too)" - EREN/READER - REINCARNATION AU (chapter 1)

sequel to "I Found You" (which you're going to want to read first or you'll be very confused)

Eren/Reader

post canon, reincarnation AU

memory loss

word count: 1650 

CH 2 ->

“Is this heaven…”

Eren’s eyes widen as the words come spilling out of your mouth:

“...Mr. Kruger?”

Everything felt like a dream…

Which you found odd considering how when you normally woke up everything was a nightmare.

But not this time… this time it was a dream. A wonderful, peaceful, happy dream.

And because of that, you were going to enjoy every moment of it.

“What’s that?” You excitedly asked Mr. Kruger as you pointed to the strange object at the further end of the room. It looked like a picture frame but it was glowing like a light! 

“It’s the TV.” Mr. Kruger said.

“Tee… vee…” You repeated slowly before you gasped. “It’s amazing…”

“Um... yeah it’s- it’s pretty cool.” 

“And what’s that!” You excitedly asked again.

“A microwave.” Mr. Kruger told you.

“That!?”

“The fridge.”

You continued to dart around the apartment pointing at all the new sights around you and asking for explanations of what they were. It was amazing! Everything was amazing!! It was all so shiny and clean, the complete opposite of the grimy life that you were used to. 

As you buzzed around the apartment, Eren’s eyes followed you.

He knew how you felt right now. Exactly how you felt, actually; because he’d experienced the same thing just that morning. He’d also woke up, completely confused about where and when he was, until his memories of his past life and his current life meshed together and everything (for the most part) made sense again.

That was supposed to be the end of the confusion. He was supposed to remember and then he could move on and enjoy his second life, just like his friends had.

And yet…

“So what is this place?” You asked, finally coming to a stop in front of him. You placed your hands behind your back, smiling up at him with your eyes wide and practically sparkling with excitement.

It made his heart hammer against his chest.

“Well uh- it’s-... it’s where you live.” He awkwardly told you.

“I live here!!” 

“Uh- yeah…” Eren cleared his throat. “And… I- I do too.”

Your eyes widened. “You do too?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Well uh-” Eren looked away from you and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure how much was safe to say. He knew how confusing it would be if he threw too much information at you at once and he had a feeling that confusion would do more harm than good. His friends had taken things slowly with him, so he figured he should do the same with you. After all, he now knew firsthand that it just took a little bit of time for the memories of this life to mesh with the memories of the past. All he had to do was wait it out. Right?

“Is it the same here?” You suddenly asked him.

“Is… Is what the same?”

“Do I take care of you here too?” You asked softly, causing a rush of heat to run up Eren’s spine.

“Y-Yeah...” He stuttered before he could think of anything else to say.

To be fair, it wasn’t a complete lie. You were his girlfriend so you did take care of him sometimes. You made dinner when he worked late. Cleaned the apartment on your days off. Got on his ass about not matching his socks on laundry day. 

But he took care of you too. He mopped after you swept. Made sure the dishwasher ran when it was full. Watered the (overpriced and half-dead) plants you kept insisting on buying from the supermarket anytime you got groceries.

It was a partnership. And it had been for the last six years.

“Hm…” You hum softly in reply as you continue to smile up at him and a glimmer of something- something familiar- flickers in your eyes. “It feels the same.” You tell him.

Eren isn’t sure what you meant by that, but he’s a little too intimidated to ask.

Especially when your eyes flick left, then right, then left again as you look between his own. You’re smiling, still smiling so softly as the expression on your face becomes so familiar but still so new.

He’s seen the look before.

Not here, but before.

In another time. In another life. Under different circumstances that made being close to you like this impossible. 

“It’s probably time for bed, isn’t it?” You asked him as you pulled away. “Do you need me to help you change?”

Eren’s heart leapt into his throat again. “N-No!” His cheeks flushed crimson. “I can um- I can do that myself.”

You laughed and it made his heart flutter.

Just like it always did and just like it always had- even in that brightly lit hospital room in Liberio…

Hot.

It was always so hot in the middle of summer.

The heat made you feel sluggish, especially in combination with the thick humidity in the air that was likely indicative of an upcoming storm.

It wasn’t just the heat though, there was something else in the air, the anxiety of… of… of impending doom, an undeniable end, the constant fear that something could happen in a moment’s notice that it would completely shatter everyone’s life into pieces.

You were used to that though. It was just a part of war.

So the heat.

That’s what was really bothering you.

You sighed as you leaned against the window sill, looking out across the courtyard two stories below. 

A doctor in a white hospital coat was ushering a patient inside. The old man sobbed and hollered about- honestly, you have no idea. There was no point in paying enough attention to find out. Two patients sat at a bench in hushed conversation. A delivery boy rushed through the gates with a stack of papers in his hands, the white armband he wore immediately caught your eye as it contrasted against his dark clothing. 

You brought your teacup to your lips and sipped your tea as your mind slipped off to somewhere else.

Somewhere nice.

“I hear we’re getting a new shipment today.” Your coworker Myra says, completely snapping you from your daydream as she steps up to you and leans against the other end of the window. Just like you, she stares down at the courtyard below. She snickers as she watches the doctor escorting the old man below. The doctor struggles to lift the man to his feet.

“Shipment of what?” You ask wistfully, only half paying attention to her as the rest of your mind is still swept up somewhere else.

Somewhere nice.

“Eldian devils, of course.” Your coworker sighs, the amusement now gone from her tone and replaced with boredom. “They’re coming in from Fort Slava. Probably going to be all fucked up because of it.”

“We won the war,” you point out, still only half paying attention to the conversation, “you should probably be celebrating.”

“I am celebrating.” She says as she turns away from the view and presses her back against the windowsill so she can stare into the break room instead of the courtyard. “Unfortunately, the celebration comes hand in hand with how much damn work it’s going to create for all of us.”

You sigh and give up on your daydreams. You’ll go back to them later.

“Soldiers are coming home.” You say as you look over at her. “That’s a good thing.”

Myra scoffs. “Eldian soldiers,” she emphasizes. “It’d be easier on all of us if they just died out there. Fucking devils… what a pain.”

You don't get what her deal is.

If she doesn’t want to work with Eldians, maybe she shouldn’t have taken a nursing job at an internment zone hospital.

But you don’t say that to her, there’s no point in making enemies with the one coworker that you (sort of) consider a friend.

“Oh look,” she says just in time for a large truck to pull up to the front of the hospital. A Marleyan escort drops the tailgate and a line of soldiers begin climbing from the back of the truck.

Soldiers with bandages across their chests. Limbs. Heads.

Soldiers with missing legs. Arms. Eyes. 

Soldiers that stagger forward in a line, passing through the gates of the hospital with their heads turned down, barely paying attention to the world around them and focusing more on putting one foot in front of the other (if they even have two feet to focus on, that is).

Eldian soldiers.

Straight from Fort Slava.

“Hey, you!” The Marleyan soldier escorting them calls, slamming his gun against the side of the truck.

One last Eldian pulls himself out, walking on a single leg as the rest of his body is supported with an old crutch. 

He has a bandage around his head, concealing a (likely missing) eye, with long brown hair that’s in desperate need of a trim.

You assume he wears the same expression as all of the other traumatized soldiers do when they show up at your hospital. The same bags under their eyes, frown lines etched against their face, and depressed lost look of desperation. The desperation for what? You aren’t sure. Escape. Death. Freedom. It doesn’t matter what it is, because it’s always the same.

You’ve worked at that hospital for years and it’s always been the same. 

And yet when this soldier, this Eldian soldier, crosses the courtyard below you, he’s shoved by the Marleyan that’s escorting him. He stumbles. He looks up.

That’s when you see it.

You see the look on his face.

And you see his eyes.

A stunning composition that reminds you of the night sky on a full moon- swirling blues and greens beautifully illuminated with flecks of golden stars. 

Your fingers tighten against your teacup, pressing its warmth firmly against your palms.

Hot.

It was always so hot… in the middle of summer.

[bambamramfan]

Community Building Secrets

A couple weeks ago the SSC reddit had a discussion "If people want a community so much why aren't we creating it?" I found it really odd since it comes from a place of "here is why community building doesn't happen" and you can tell that in the tone of the comments.

But obviously communities are being made, every day. (There is a secondary problem which is that all communities have some problems - drama, eventual collapse, inequitable burdens, exclusivity, cults of personality, problematic members, etc - but they do EXIST, and presumably people want them despite knowing that problems of some form are likely if not inevitable.) It would be like a reddit thread on "why does no one date" despite, you know, a lot of people dating out there.

So a more legit question would be "why are our community efforts not succeeding? What is the difference between our efforts and the communities that are made."

I don't have nearly all the answers to all their questions, but reading it and thinking on the topic let me crystalize some thoughts I've had for a long time. Thoughts that are very important about how communities start, and how they go forward. I'll put them below the fold.

The Golden and Iron Laws of Communities

The Golden Law of Communities is that you need something shiny to start the kernel of any community. It is nominally the thing the community is "about", but even when it's not explicitly that, it's still the hook that gets people interested.

It could be "we have the word of God and this is how to avoid Hell." It could be "we are all descended from this sacred bloodline." It could be "Sharon hosts dinners and her husband is an executive chef so they are amazing." It could be "this famous blogger is part of the community and you'll get to meet them." It could be "we talk about and run alternative theater." It could be "there are lots of sexy young people and who knows what might happen." It could be drugs, going to water parks, arguing about charities, talking about politics, a favorite scifi author, watching black and white movies, speedrunning videogames, a particularly charismatic founder of the group, or any damn thing.

But you can't just say "hey everyone, let's have weekly dinners and help each other babysit or play boardgames, because community is nice." You have to advertise (even if just by word of mouth) a short idea that motivates people to want to get in on that.

Got that? Can you admit that dark truth? Okay we can move onto the second law.

The Iron Law of Communities is that the thing the community is about doesn't matter.

Two seconds after you have enough people in your group to begin enjoying themselves, someone will ask if they can invite their friend "who is totally cool but aren't really into X" where X is the thing in the Golden Law. Or someone will invite the people in the community to a completely generic event that has nothing to do with X - because they're cool people and you're enjoying hanging out.

And that's... fine? Like you might say yes or no to the request, but either way it will start happening, and your group will do the same things and have the same type of people and same discussions as every other group. Your identity that separates you from other people will dissolve away slowly. (In very official institutions, this will take the form of adjacent informal activities.) Congratulations, you have now made a Community with the potlucks and babysitting share-schedules and networking and incestuous dating drama.

There are of course, communities that fight against the Iron Law harder than others, but it just doesn't really matter. They're just as likely to wither and die as any community eventually, and if they had admitted those adjacent people that wouldn't hasten that day. Most of the communities you see have plenty of "members who don't care about X, are just here for the people/stuff."

If everyone was coming to the events just to see some famous blogger or sparkling charismatic leader, they would soon find out they get very little face time with that person, but there are other people around, and they're fun, and they'll start coming back for those other people and the group activities.

There's a running joke that no matter WHAT your Discord server is about, eventually they'll make a #politics channel, then an #nsfw channel, then a #nsfw-hardcore channel, etc etc. And that's where most of the chatter will take place in, eventually.

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with Vanity Fair (2024)

If you looked up the phrase “booked and busy,” you’d probably find a picture of Jonathan Bailey. The British actor broke out as Lord Anthony Bridgerton, whose love story took center stage in the second season of Netflix’s eponymous hit romance. He captured even more hearts as Tim Laughlin, a McCarthy-era conservative turned radical queer leftist in Showtime’s epic limited series Fellow Travelers, and will soon star as another eligible bachelor, Fiyero, in Jon M. Chu’s two-part Wicked adaptation—a part Bailey scored after Chu found clips of the actor singing online. “The fact that it was a YouTube video that got me the job is kind of wild and incredible,” Bailey says on this week’s episode of Little Gold Men.

On top of all that, Bailey managed to return to the Ton for season three part two of Bridgerton, which begins streaming Thursday, June 13 and filmed concurrently with Fellow Travelers—which bled directly into Wicked. He remembers practicing Ozdust Ballroom choreography during lunch breaks on Travelers, wearing his buttoned-up G-man glasses and sharp haircut from the waist up—“and then it was Fame from the waist down. I’ve got terrible videos that may or may not surface in about a hundred years time—hopefully once I’ve died, because they’re so embarrassing.” But then again, there’s a poignancy to them: “Tim, if he’d been born 60 years later, may have played Fiyero in the school production of Wicked. And he would have loved the shiny boots.”

Vanity Fair: As Tim on Fellow Travelers, you evolve from a conservative, religious congressional staffer in the ’50s to a radical queer man living in the ’80s. What was it like filming that character arc? I have to imagine it would be tough to do.

Jonathan Bailey: It was an incredible challenge. For Tim, he’s talking about the idea of religion and faith and what that gives you at the beginning. And I think it seems to have equipped Tim to endure a love against all odds. He never gives up on Hawk (Matt Bomer). And Hawk becomes his sort of living religion, and something that he believes in.

I was like, I want to see a gay ingenue who’s a fish out of water—who’s itchy in his skin. It’s not like he’s doe-eyed and just sort of hapless; he’s fighting from the get-go. He does not understand why the world is the way it is. His emotions are the thing he leads with. And he’s all about truth and transparency and honesty. And I think that comes from this Catholic sort of conservative upbringing. So it’s just the most beautiful quest that he has in his life, to find absolution but also acceptance. But he never stops fighting. That’s why, to me, he’s an absolute icon.

Tim is prickly and struggling internally with his sexuality while also dealing externally with important moments in American history, from McCarthyism to the AIDS crisis. As a Brit, how familiar were you with the American history?

Not enough [laughs]. It was not included on the curriculum. But then I’m not sure it really was in America, either. This is why we’re shining a light on areas of history that conveniently haven’t been included. It’s an experience to explore a character throughout that time, but also the history of queer experience—to offer me, as Johnny, catharsis. And to be in a predominantly queer environment to tell that story. I relished it, because there’s so much that I need to understand about the privilege that I have now and the people that came before me. The fact that there’s five out gay actors leading the show is because of all the people that came before. And I’m telling you, people have been loving gay actors for years. They just haven’t been able to say that they’re gay.

We’re getting more and more queer stories and queer representation on screen, but these characters are not always portrayed by actual queer people. I think Fellow Travelers proves that it makes a big difference when you cast queer, out, gay, LGBTQ+ actors in roles that are queer.

This is so specifically exploring the queer experience over 40 years. I think there was a GLAAD report last week that was kind of disheartening, about how there’s been a decrease in queer or LGBTQ+ characters being represented…. Tim and Hawk and all the characters in this are born into a world where they have to fight. And if you’re ever having to monitor or adapt or to survive, if your first instinct is it might not work because of who I am, then that’s the difference between being a gay actor and not being a gay actor. It’s the fight.

The show wouldn’t work without your chemistry with Matt Bomer. How did you find that dynamic? Tim and Hawk’s relationship has a sub-dom dynamic, and at times it switches. There’s a power struggle. It’s complicated and nuanced and always believable.

[laughs] Well, I mean, Matt Bomer is a supreme being, and incredibly lovely and great. He’s got such a wealth of experience. We met on Zoom to do a chemistry read, and then we met in a coffee shop about a week, or even actually less than that—like, six days before we started filming. For about an hour we said, you know, this is such an opportunity. This is what we’re really excited about. It’s a great amount of trust and a free fall. But that’s the point of gay relationships: There is so much nuance, and the dynamic is so balanced because there’s no gender, There’s no—uh, what was it? Women are from Venus, men are from Mars.

The fact that the intimacy is so richly explored is so important to the gay experience. It’s something that I found really incredibly vital as well—to allow people to understand the way that men come together sexually is also directly linked to how the world communicates to them. You know, their relationship with their self-worth and their shame. Also, literally, where are the safe spaces that they can meet. Even in their own homes, in [Fellow Travelers], they had a window of how many hours until the sun came up and Hawk had to get out. Even there it’s unsafe. I loved that the intimacy had its own evolution.

I’m glad that you brought up the intimacy. It’s such an important part and of the show’s DNA, and, frankly, rare to see intimate scenes between two queer men on television. What was it like filming those scenes?

Personally, I just think, What an opportunity. It’s really exciting to be able to know that you’ve got the space to be able to show what you haven’t seen before. I remember Queer as Folk, Blue Is the Warmest Color. There’s been beautiful same-sex intimacy explored. But I think in this instance, it was how the two characters came together, but also directly reflective of what’s going on inside and the distance between what they really felt towards each other—what they felt like they could say, and also what they felt that they had to do in order to survive. That’s where the intimacy is incredibly hot.

It didn’t seem to me to be an overwhelming ask for the intimacy scenes. It felt to me that that was exactly what it should be. If you’re going to tell this incredibly bruising, tender, detailed love story that’s going to explore four moments in history, of course, you should explore the intimate dynamics. And I do think you can show so much about what’s happening with a human in those silent moments of intimacy. That’s why it’s brilliant. You know, I can see where sex scenes don’t further the plot and they don’t explore character development and they’re cynically included. With this, that was never going to happen because it was all on the page. And it’s important.

Source

[avocadoguru]

He was staring at her in a way no one had in her entire life. She couldn’t read anything in his eyes - not surprise, not fear, not malicious intent - nothing. (wolfrry, werewolf!harry, alpha!harry, ranger!y/n)

Lupus Noctis- Masterlist, Author’s Note & Warnings

Chapter 1 / alternatively, read on wattpad

Chapter 2 (word count: 7k)

Inside the station, Y/N put the pup into a crate and gave it water before locking up and putting her rifle away safely. She took a few deep breaths to center herself as she was still a bit shaken up. She needed to regain her sense of control and so she decided to busy herself to get her mind off things.

Pulling out everything she’d need to examine him, she realized the little guy also appeared to be done for the day, but she took advantage of its even drowsier than normal state, since it was already such a calm animal in general, and took it out of the crate in order to further inspect it.

Placing it on the disinfected metal table they used for inspecting animals, Y/N’s heart still pounded loudly in her chest - she was a bit shaken up after that encounter. What had just happened? That man had really gotten under her skin. The way he was looking at her, dissecting her appearance, almost reading her thoughts. It left an unsettling feeling inside her chest. But there was something so unusual about him as well. Dangerous even. She didn’t buy his story but she didn’t want to deal with bringing him to the station and further questioning him. Though she had a rifle, the man was far larger and clearly stronger than she was. Even in his heeled, velour chelsea boots, and jeweled fingers he could certainly take her. No question. She didn’t want to push it to find out.

She laughed to herself when the pup kept slipping and sliding on the table and eventually let it just lie there like a deflated pancake while she conducted her thorough examination. She inspected it closely and found nothing to suggest foul play, the animal appeared to be well nourished, its fur was shiny, if a bit unruly for a cub its age, its eyes were bright, if sleepy, and its teeth and gums were also healthy. Since it still had its baby teeth, she couldn’t tell whether it was a wolf or a dog, but there were some indicators of the former. And perhaps the most obvious one was the way it had howled in response to the wolf they’d heard just when they were getting back to the station. Its eyes were also indicative of the species, the golden hue quite apparent. And finally, the man had gotten something right at least - it was a male. He never did mention the name, though. 

Which led her to another idea. If this animal really was the man’s pet, then surely it’d been microchipped. She took out the scanner and starting from the head, she ran it down its body side to side until she reached its tail, but it read nothing. She repeated the process again, but still, the scanner wasn’t picking up anything.

“Sorry, boy. Couldn’t find out your name. Nor your owner’s, for that matter.” She rubbed her palm gently down its back and lightly scratched. The eyes were the most interesting part. They looked almost human. This little guy was by far the most interesting-looking creature she’d ever encountered. The paws were more jointed than that of a canine too. Like it had digits. The curve of the spine and neck were odd as well.

She tried to determine the age. It didn’t seem like a newborn. It didn’t react in the way a newly born pup would. The muscles were well-formed and it had a keen sense of awareness. Perhaps she could say it was a year old based on these characteristics but the size was a touch too small to be aged at a year. Most wolves at one year were almost fully grown. This thing was the size of a typical wolf pup.

The cub closed its eyes and looked to be on the verge of falling asleep, and that’s when Y/N decided she should just microchip it now that it was naturally drowsy, since it had to be done anyway. Legal owner or not, the man had the obligation to microchip his pet. And if it really was a wolf that belonged in the forest, then she’d just log it into their inventory later on. She’d wait for the man to bring proof of ownership the following day, and if he could prove it was his, she’d just log in his info along with the pup’s name.

But Y/N was fairly certain she was looking at a wolf, not a dog. She’d have to run it by the vet the following day to be certain, of course.

The procedure was straightforward enough, and she’d seen the vet do it many times. The wolf cub barely budged when she grabbed the loose skin between its shoulder blades and inserted the needle, effectively microchipping it. She then scanned it and took a mental note to finish logging it into the system the following day, when she’d hopefully have all the remaining necessary info. 

She still had hours left on her shift. The pup wouldn’t eat what she tried to give him, so she gave up. Not only was he at what appeared to be a healthy weight, but it was also probably stressed so she wasn’t going to force it to eat. She noted that it was looking directly into her eyes when she was checking it over and mumbling to herself. It was odd. Unusual. Only domesticated dogs would be likely to make that kind of eye contact. Dogs that were used to humans. Maybe this was just a pet. She’d see soon enough if the man returned to prove ownership in the morning. But she doubted every word he spoke.

She then took the little guy into her arms and watched it snuggle into her chest and she allowed herself this tender moment. It wasn’t every day that you could snuggle up with a wolf pup. Granted, this one was a peculiar one, because, as Nick had mentioned, even the young could prove to be quite feral. Their claws made up for what they lacked in the fangs department if anything. But this little guy was as docile as a rabbit, even more so. It was endearing. She placed it back into the crate and gave it a fluffy towel to snuggle up against, then secured it, pulling a blanket over the crate to make it feel as if it were in a den, and turned off the lights to the medical room. 

Being a forest ranger came with certain perks but most of the perks were combined with some annoying aspects. Such as an old Jeep that smelled peculiar and creaked over bumpy roads. Or hot days with sunscreen melting down into her eyes. And bugs. Lots of bugs. But there was nothing like being in nature. Silver Wolf Preserve National Forest was gorgeous and expansive. She’d never tire of the views and the feeling of being outdoors under the canopy of the tall trees. But tonight? Tonight was not something she ever expected of her job. That man had her hackles raised and her head on a swivel. She kept hearing strange sounds coming from outside of the station.

Normally these sounds wouldn’t bother her so much but they did tonight. The radio wasn’t working at all. None of the stations would come in clearly still. She tried to enjoy the book she’d brought along but her mind kept wandering. To the wolf cub and how unusual it was. To that man. Tall and lean, dressed like he was going to a house party or a semi-fancy restaurant ready for a date. She tried not to let her mind wander too far about his appearance. Because sure, anyone could see that he was well-built and very handsome. But he was weird. Wasn’t he? And intimidating. His nonchalant attitude was also frustrating. She sort of hoped he’d come back to claim the cub in the morning so she could give him a piece of her mind. Tell him she wasn’t scared and that she wasn’t dumb. That she was onto him. She’d put him in his place if he came back around while she was there.

And his hands too. God his hands were so big and his fingers were long with an array of rings on them… She couldn’t go there. That is quite enough Y/N. Stop.

She watched out the window and sighed as she looked up into the sky. The moon was already hidden behind the trees so she couldn’t see it anymore but she knew it was still a full moon. And her night had been so strange but she was feeling absolutely exhausted. She figured it would be wise to sleep a bit.

Changing out of her work clothes, she slipped into her oversized t-shirt that she’d brought for this purpose, and got into the small one-person bed the station provided for watch duty. She had to be able to pull her pants back on rapidly in case she would be needed throughout the night. The bed was awful, the mattress was a joke, and she really doubted she’d get any sleep in.

But when she flinched awake in the middle of the night, checking the digital clock that read half past 3, she realized she’d been more tired than she’d initially thought. She couldn’t figure out what had woken her up, but then she heard the pup whimpering and she relaxed. It was probably frightened, having woken up in a strange place, locked up in the crate, with a blanket obscuring its view. Y/N decided to go check on it, and maybe leave a light on for it this time around.

She only slipped her boots on, forgoing tying up the shoelaces, and made her way to the medical room. She could’ve sworn that she’d shut the door before going to sleep, and the blanket was lifted from the cage but the wolf cub was still inside. Though he was standing and looking at her, very awake, and looked like it wanted to play.

“Poor fellow. You probably miss your siblings in your litter, don’t you? Way too young to be separated from your family. Wonder was that man thinking parting you from them…”

She took the pup out of the crate and slipped the lead back around its neck, deciding to step out the back and hopefully get it to relieve itself outside. She was happy to see it do just that the moment she placed it on the ground, and after letting it sniff around for a bit more, she took it back inside and placed it back into the crate, giving it a chew toy to keep itself occupied until it fell back asleep.

“Good boy. Don’t wake me up again, though, else you won’t be getting any treats come morning,” she warned and, careful to leave a lamp on in the medical room, she closed the door behind her and made her way back to the spare room where she was sleeping. 

A very pleasurable whiff of something hit her as she crossed the hallway and she made a mental note to ask the cleaning lady whether she knew what type of air freshener they had in there. It smelled amazing!

She kicked off her Doc Martens and climbed under the cover, happy to resume her sleep, and glad that she was able to sleep at all.

Seemingly 5 minutes had passed since she’d gone back to bed, but her alarm proved otherwise, the clock read 7am. She begrudgingly got out of bed, stretched her sore limbs (that mattress really needed to go), and dressed herself back into her ranger uniform. 

She was meant to wait for the cleaning lady, usually, the first person to turn in, before she could leave for her day off so that the station would not remain unoccupied in between shifts. 

She debated making a cup of coffee and waiting for the vet to come in before she left for the day, though. She wanted to run the whole thing by her, regarding the microchip and why she’d installed it when she did (as to not unnecessarily have to anesthetize the pup), and also inform her about this strange man that was due to come in and provide proof of ownership over the cub.

She was gonna leave out how she’d happened upon them since that wasn’t standard procedure and she could get in trouble for having not called in reinforcement when she suspected poachers. She figured telling the vet was the easiest way to dodge having to explain to a fellow ranger what had gone down.

After all, she couldn’t afford to risk getting into trouble only 2 months into this job.

But when she opened up the door to the medical room only to find the crate wide open and the cub missing she froze in place for a long moment.

“Fuck!” She groaned loudly and in a panic began to look all around the station to see if it had gotten loose from the cage but it dawned on her what had happened as she slowly woke up from the fog of sleep. 

The pup had been taken. By the man she couldn’t get out of her head.

She put her hands into her hair and closed her eyes, “Fuck, fuck, fuck…” she couldn’t believe she let this happen on her watch.

She paced from the break room with the bed to the tiny medical room and back in thought. How had it happened?

Then she remembered waking up to check on the wolf pup and how the blanket had been moved, and the unfamiliar scent lingering in the air. Retracing her steps she could see a little better with the daylight falling through the windows and illuminating the space.

The medical room was tiny. She pushed the door wide open and investigated. There was no room for anyone to hide under anything. She popped her head into the hallway and then back into said room.

This time she closed the door behind her and realized then there was a perfect spot for a large man to stand right behind the door as it swung inward into the room. He had been standing there the whole time, smelling delicious and waiting for her to leave so he could finish what he’d started. 

The fucker. It was him. He was there, only feet from her and she had no clue the whole time.

After stuffing her pack with things she’d need for her search and unlocking her rifle from where she’d safely stored it (she still had her handgun with her this whole time - thankfully, as it was quite apparent now that this man was a lot more dangerous than she’d originally assessed), she grabbed the GPS scanner they used to track the wildlife they could successfully tag and ran the microchip data through it in hopes of getting a read. She was hoping they were still on forest premises since the GPS could only cover so much ground, and when she got a ping she wasted no time and hopped straight into one of the jeeps. She was determined to get to the bottom of this, even if it meant sacrificing part of her day off.

She parked at the trail on the southeast entrance of the forest. The one the man said he’d parked at. She didn’t know if it was true that he came in from that end but not only was it far enough away from the station that it was very unlikely she’d cross paths with anyone she worked with, the GPS was showing her that she’d have a good chance of finding the pup if she began on that side.

She began the search on foot. She was able to follow the trail into the forest for about a mile until the location led her outside of the boundaries of the safe path. But she was prepared. At first.

Soon the path became difficult to navigate. There were down trees and slopes to climb. She passed through a stream, needing to remove her boots and put on her water socks to safely cross. But the ascent became sharper the further into the woods she got. She was glad she had a GPS device because it would have been easy for even someone as skilled as herself to get lost.

Y/N needed to sit for a bit and drink her water. She was out of breath. She was in good shape because her job required it but the elevation was getting to her. She figured she must have climbed a thousand feet. But she was headed in the direction on the map.

She prayed she could solve this unscathed, not only for her safety’s sake, but for her job’s sake. She was sure to get in big, big trouble if anyone were to find out about this. It was bad enough that she’d left with the station’s jeep, a rifle in her possession when she was supposed to be off-duty. But this? Wandering off into uncharted, off-limits territory, not having told anyone where she was going at the very least, not to mention without a partner - it was all in violation of all of their safety codes. She would lose her badge for sure.

It had already been a couple of hours since she began her trek. She kept track in her mind of how long it would take her to return to her car. She still had hours upon hours of daylight. But she’d need to be careful to turn back after hiking for another four hours. 6 hours in and 6 hours out. That would give her the right amount of daylight and be able to return before the sun was down.

After another hour of hiking, she found more level ground and the temperature was considerably cooler. There were more openings in the trees allowing more sun to shine on her. The GPS had her very close to the supposed spot the pup was in but there was no sign of anyone or anything that could indicate human or canine. She continued into the geo-location and even past the spot identified on the map, thinking perhaps she could make a large circle about twenty yards around the perimeter of the marked area.

Having to hold up her rifle was definitely slowing her down as well. There was plenty of wildlife roaming freely along these parts, she couldn’t risk a single step without it aiming to shoot in case it came down to it. She was hoping this was not gonna be the day she’d see more of those bears she was complaining about lack of to Nick the other day.

That, paired with continuously having to check her GPS to make sure she was staying on track, made her feel as though she was advancing with the speed of a slug, but after a few jumpscares that proved to be just a couple of deer, she stumbled upon something even more surprising than the scene she’d happened upon the day before.

Directly in her line of view was nothing less than a… cabin.

Certainly unaccounted for, she’d never heard of its existence, and she was certain no one at the station had any inkling as to it being there- she blinked her eyes a few times, as though she couldn’t believe her eyes.

How was it even possible? It was so deep into the forest, making it so wildly dangerous to live in, not to mention it had no way of generating electricity or running water…

Why would anyone want a cabin there? She couldn’t think of a single reason. It was literally insane.

It wasn’t just a shack, either. It was a proper cabin, far nicer than the ones the administration provided for visitors that were going to camp out during the nights and needed shelter from the elements should the weather turn bad, or in the eventuality of straying off course and not being able to make it out in time before nightfall- which, if they logged in at the station, the rangers would know to organize a search party to find them in order to avoid having to even use these so-called cabins anyway. She’d even sent the man to go spend the night in one of those amenities, not wanting to take him into the station all by herself.

This was getting weirder and weirder. But the cabin matched the ping on the GPS. The pup was definitely inside. The whole time she’d tracked it, it had stayed put, so it would account for the animal not moving.

She hadn’t really gone over how she’d handle it in her head. She’d just have to confront the man and find out what was happening. Of course, now that she was just about to come face to face with him, she was doubting any of this had been a good idea. None of what she’d done was safe or wise and she was probably going to get her ass fired. 

If she even made it out alive, that is.

She circled the cabin, inspecting it from every angle. 

She expected to hear the man inside, or the pup, or both, but the coast was eerily clear.

“Hello, the house!” she shouted, making her presence known in customary fashion around those areas. This wasn’t legally anyone’s property since it was government land, but she didn’t know who was living in it and what delusional ideas they had about it. Probably pretty far-fetched ones since they thought it wise to build a cabin in the middle of the wilderness.

Never lowering her rifle, she began advancing towards the entrance, having not gotten any response to her greeting. Very carefully, she inspected the windows up close, and since whoever lived there had goddamn lace sheer curtains and she couldn’t see a thing inside, she made her way towards the door. 

Opening it just as carefully, she took in the open space whilst making her presence known again “Hello? I mean no harm. Please come out so we can talk.”

But again, there was no answer. She listened very carefully but she couldn’t hear anything. Finally, a noise caught her attention, a sound she’d grown familiar with.

It was a whimper. 

Looking to her right, she saw the little guy sitting right next at the doorway to another room. 

It was wagging its tail and seemed happy to see her and not at all afraid. 

Y/N whistled, beckoning it over “Come here, boy!”

The pup obeyed her, which led her to believe its owner truly wasn’t there, since it wouldn’t budge from next to him the previous night. But then again, maybe now she’d earned its trust.

“There’s a good boy. Is your daddy home?”

The cub tilted its head which earned a chuckle from Y/N. She could use a break after all that amount of adrenaline. 

She walked around the cabin, inspecting every room, not that there were many. Actually as far as she could tell there were just the two. There was no bathroom, but that was to be expected since there was no sewage system and running water. Plenty of candles scattered around in a safe manner, no kitchen either. Just the bigger, open space area in which you stepped in going inside, and the other room the pup had come out of to greet her, with a bed. 

Little furniture, but still it was incredibly surprising there was any. How in the hell did he get it there? Just imagining the distance he’d have to carry it from the nearest point to which you could drive up. A couch and a coffee table. A bookshelf that actually had books in it. Quite an extensive collection of spirits. The place had lots of animal furs as carpets too. A huge bear skin rug, complete with the head, that was preserved eerily well.

And then in the bedroom, a surprisingly large bed, with lots of pillows and expensive-looking blankets. Lots of rabbit skin furs. There was also an armoire in there, and opening it up she found a collection of very expensive-looking shirts and, surprise surprise, even more heeled chelsea boots. Not that there was any doubt in her mind anymore regarding who was the owner of this cabin, but this just confirmed it. She couldn’t help being nosey, and on a closer inspection, she saw the items were designer labels. Mainly Yves Saint Laurent, but others too.

How the hell did that make any sense? This guy obviously had money and a lot of it at that. Yet here he was, living in a cabin in the deepest, most secluded part of the woods, with no access to facilities to live a half-decent life.

That only meant he didn’t live there at all, of course. He probably only used it in passing. But why would he need it? What use could he possibly have of it, so far away from, well, civilization? It’d taken her hours to get there. And she still needed to get back before sundown, or at least back to a more forgiving trail that she could navigate easily.  

Something was definitely off about all of this. 

She needed to get to the bottom of it, but maybe she needed to think it over more carefully and make an actual plan. She’d lucked out this time around, seeing as he wasn’t there, but this could’ve gone terribly wrong. And it still could, if she wasn’t careful. 

She had to make her way back.

She crouched next to the cub and petted it. She noticed lots of plush toys scattered around the cabin, a food bowl that was now empty, and a water bowl that she refrained from topping off. She didn’t need him knowing she’d been there.

She was careful to leave everything intact and looked around for mud tracks, but thankfully, she’d been wise enough to wipe the soles of her boots on a patch of greenery just before entering.

There was no way he could tell she’d been there, and she intended to keep it that way and play it to her advantage.

At least the little guy was safe, it was very clearly used to being there, it wasn’t afraid, and didn’t even try to leave out the door when she stepped out of its way. He was apparently content to be there. That put her at ease tremendously, happy she didn’t happen upon the horrific scenarios she was imagining, where the strange man had performed blood sacrifices on it in the middle of the woods and left it for dead (the only other explanation as to why the GPS wasn’t monitoring any movement).

Whatever this man was, she at least knew he wasn’t cruel toward animals. He obviously cared about the well-being of the wolf pup and for some reason, it mattered a great deal to him.

She petted the cub again, scratching behind its ear, and took her leave just as carefully as she’d approached the cabin, then began her trek back to where she’d left her jeep, mindful of how dark it’d already gotten.

*

Days had gone by sans incident. Y/N felt like she’d been lucky to make it out of that dangerous situation unscathed. She had time to ponder every little aspect of everything she’d learned about this man ever since their encounter that full moon, and it all pointed to him being a very dangerous, if mysterious man.

It made no sense for him to have that cabin so remote, so deep into the forest. Everything indicated to him not staying there long (there was no bathroom, no electricity, no running water), but the trek there was so long and hazardous that it just didn’t make any sense to go all the way up there just to stay for a day or two at most.

Why did he need that cabin there, then? It just wasn’t adding up regardless of how she looked at it.

Being a ranger also meant she was a sworn officer of the law, so wasn’t it then her duty to shed light on this whole thing? The man had built a cabin there. Illegally. She’d checked all their logs at the station, there was no entry on any cabin in that area. He’d deliberately picked an area that not even rangers patrolled. He had clearly chosen such a hard-to-reach area to ensure it would be highly unlikely to ever be found.

Why was that? What was he hiding? 

Was he a fugitive? Was he a wanted criminal?

But then, how would that work? He clearly didn’t use the cabin to live in, he just kept it as shelter from the elements mostly, in passing. Also, what kind of criminal owns designer clothes?

Actually - scratch that. Lots do.

But clearly, he had money, so this wasn’t a question of him having nowhere to go and hide from the law.

She was well aware this was way over her head and she needed to tell her colleagues about it. This was something illegal this man was doing, and the longer she knew about it and did nothing about it, she was becoming an accomplice to it by keeping her silence.

But, she didn’t know how to go about it. She knew what she’d done was in no way compatible with her keeping her job at the station. And she loved this job. She really didn’t want to give it up. But if it came to choosing her freedom over her job…

Maybe if she found out what he was up to, she could have a better idea of what the right move would be. If it turned out that the man was indeed an outlaw (aside from his little cabin in the middle of government forest), she’d have to turn him in and say goodbye to her job there.

But if this proved to be just a silly man with a silly cabin… which made absolutely no sense… then why would she risk her job over it?

She was contemplating all this in her little oasis of peace and quiet. She’d found this spot pretty soon after securing the job there, it was off-trail and so she didn’t have to worry about hikers walking in on her. Well. She would hope so, at least, but she was fairly certain nobody would venture off track since it wasn’t an easy trek there. However, it was worth it to her, because she knew what awaited her once she’d made the journey.

It was a small, but deep freshwater lake at the center of the wetlands of the mountain. The water was crystal clear, filtered as it ran through the crags and rocks. Beautiful old pines, hemlock, and cedar lined the shore and rose upward as the mountain sloped higher for a breathtaking backdrop. A literal lake in the mountains. A true refuge.

There were a few bodies of water in the preservation, including a waterfall, but none were quite as lovely and secluded as this spot. She considered it her little hiding place. She knew she could come here and be all alone with her thoughts, and the sounds of the forest and the occasional wild animal (none that would present any harm though, since those tended to inhabit the deeper parts of the forest).

She went there when she had her days off, or when things were particularly slow and she could take a longer break. She especially loved going there towards the end of the day, so she could enjoy her unobscured view of the majestic sunset.

And since she was alone and she knew none of her colleagues would be patrolling that area, and no hikers would walk in on her, she would skinny dip.

Walking into the water she slowly got deeper and sucked in a sharp breath when the water reached her waist. Holding her breath she bent her knees and ducked herself under the water to cover her head and then rose from the water quickly and laughed loudly. She loved the feeling of the cold water covering her limbs and shocking her system.

She waded deeper and began to swim, kicking her legs and propelling her arms as she glided in the water, already feeling her stress melt away.

She loved swimming, having grown up doing this as a pastime in her hometown, and ever since she moved to the big city she’d missed it.

She floated peacefully after doing her usual rounds, taking note of how the sky was beginning to change to her favorite hues of purple and orange as it was approaching sunset. She loved this part of the day the most but especially loved watching it all unfold while she was floating blissfully in the lake. 

She was done for the day and was off-duty, so since she was heading back home after this, she could afford to get her hair wet and deal with it later. Whenever she would come there for short breaks in her schedule, she’d make sure not to get it wet though. She didn’t want her colleagues to find out about her little secret and accuse her of slacking on the job. 

It was getting a bit chilly though, so she decided to get out of the water and watch the sun go down from ashore. 

Turning in the water, she began to swim back in the direction she came from but paused with a jolt and gasped when she saw the man. 

It was him.

He was right there, in front of her, his head barely visible atop the waterline, with only his eyes and nose breaking surface. 

How long had he been standing there in the water? Watching her. Preying on her.

Did he know? That she’d been to his cabin. Did he know she was onto his secret? Was that why he was there? Was he going to harm her?

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard him get into the water. Or seen him, even. He must’ve done it while she was doing her laps. 

Suddenly, she was reminded of her nakedness and she felt her whole body flush furiously in embarrassment, despite how chilly it was getting by the minute.

They kept staring at each other until she realized he was slowly making his way toward her in the water. It was barely noticeable that he was moving at all. This guy really gave her the creeps, but for some reason, she couldn’t look away. She could barely see half of his face but his eyes were mesmerizing, they had a strange hold on her. She just couldn’t look away.

She should’ve made a run for it while she still had the advantage, being close to the spot she’d dropped her belongings. She wasn’t armed, since she was off duty for the evening, but she did have her swiss knife and it was definitely better than her bare hands. 

Her bare everything. 

That was what was keeping her from doing just that - her state of undress. She knew he’d likely seen every bit of her, especially with the way she’d floated toward the end, but she couldn’t get herself to snap out of it. She was risking her life for the sake of her modesty, and even that was a thing of the past.

He eventually got within an arm’s length of her and began circling around her ever so slowly. He reminded her of crocodiles, with their eyes poking out of the water and the eerie, slow way in which they move before suddenly launching at their prey. She was expecting him to pounce on her in a similar fashion, drowning her maybe. 

But she wasn’t gonna go down without a fight. She was going to stand her ground and use every tactic in the book she’d learned in military school to try and turn this around in her favor.

She wasn’t gonna show him how scared she was. She wasn’t gonna let him see how he intimidated her. She needed the upper hand. So she broke the silence as she watched him circle around her, making sure her voice didn’t waver.

“Why did you steal the pup back?”

She saw a glint of mischief in his eyes just before he pushed himself out of the water to his shoulders. Her eyes landed on that big, luscious mouth of his again, and sure enough, she saw the hint of a smirk there before his deep voice wiped it off his lips, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, officer.”

“I warned you that if you didn’t come to provide proof of ownership it’s considered a criminal offense. Not only did you not follow through, but you broke into the station and stole the pup back.”

“Am I under arrest then, officer?” He batted his eyelashes at her innocently and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was infuriating. Did he think this was funny? 

“I have every right to arrest you. You’re breaking more laws than I can count, sir.”

“I’m sure you’re smarter than you give yourself credit.”

She squinted her eyes at him for that little jab, “I’m warning you.”

“Or else, what?” He came impossibly close, rising slightly above her in the water. She could now see he was inked. Quite heavily so. She couldn’t stop her eyes from roaming over his torso, water droplets chasing down his tattoos. Her eyes took a quick inventory of two swallows, one atop each of his pecs, small ones that she couldn’t decipher, and further down, the top of what she could only assume were butterfly wings. “Go ahead. Take me in.” He teased, his voice low.

The innuendo wasn’t lost on her, even in her state of panic. She willed her eyes off his body, but looking straight into his eyes wasn’t any easier. A strand of his slicked-back, long, wet hair was falling over his face, his eyes were piercing right through hers and his heavy panting was accentuating his masculine nose. Just everything about him made her feral. She couldn’t deny her body’s response to him, and it infuriated her to no end to know she was allowing herself to feel this way when her life was in literal danger.

“I know about the cabin.”

It was just a split second, but she didn’t miss the look of surprise on his face. He didn’t know, then, that she’d been there. He didn’t know about the microchip she’d planted into the pup. He couldn’t have known, she’d made sure not to leave any tracks, but then why was he here, stalking her like this, if he didn’t know? 

He searched her eyes, probably in an effort to figure out somehow just how much she knew about his dirty little secret, but her shivering seemed to snap him out of his train of thought.

“The temperature is dropping fast; go put your clothes on. You’ll freeze to death.”

She stared at him, taken aback. She hadn’t expected that.

“I’ll do no such thing!”

“Nothing I haven’t already seen,” he raised an eyebrow at her and she furrowed hers.

“You get out first, and turn away.”

“Oh? So you can shoot me when I’m not looking? Not very heroic, is it, officer?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you know I’m unarmed. Who knows how long you’ve been stalking me.”

He lowered his gaze in between them “Can’t promise the same for myself.” And with that, he proceeded to make his way out of the water. Stark naked, of course. She expected nothing less.

And when he made it to the shore and turned towards her, on full display, she bit her tongue. She definitely had expected less, as it turns out; nothing could’ve prepared her for that. 

Whatever happened to cold water shrinkage?

“It’s not polite to stare.” 

“Then put some bloody clothes on!” Her voice came off way higher than she’d intended it to.

The man shrugged and, to her dismay, he walked over to her pile of clothes and picked up her ranger hat, placing it on his head.

She couldn’t help but to let out an incredulous laugh.

“I meant, cover up!!”

Harry looked down at his crotch, seemingly completely unaffected by his state of undress. It was as if it was perfectly normal for him to just roam around naked like that in front of a literal stranger. He then grabbed the hat from atop his head and placed it over his groin, holding it there for a beat before letting it fall to the ground.

Y/N’s mouth fell agape, and then the man just shrugged again “Come out, and I’ll make it stay on this time. I promise you.”

Y/N was blushing profusely, so she turned around, more in an effort to keep him from seeing just how much he was affecting her than to give him privacy. “Sir!… Please!”

She heard him chuckle and waited a considerable amount of time for him to get dressed. When she thought it was safe to turn back around, she froze. 

The man was gone.

She hadn’t heard him make his way through the greenery at all.

She looked around, but the coast was clear. If she couldn’t see him, it was very unlikely he could see her.

And just as he’d reminded her, it was nothing he hadn’t seen before.

She finally emerged from the lake and rushed to her clothes. Her swiss army knife was still there, nothing was missing.

Except for the mysterious man, who was now aware she knew about his secret. And that sent shivers down her spine, and not from how cold it was getting.

Chapter 3

A/N: (@fkinavocado and @gurugirl here) ladies and gentlemen... wolfrry 🥵

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[who-knew-a-sheep-can-write]

Right At Your Doorstep: Bigby Wolf x Reader

Bigby hissed at the burn of the rubbing alcohol, flinching away from your gentle touch. You moved the cotton ball away and grasped at the tweezers just a bit harder, going in for another try only to be met by the same response.

“Bigby, you need to be still,” you tutted.

“It burns like hell,” he groaned back, rolling his tense shoulders, and sighed.

“Do I need to call Swineheart?” Bigby shot you a look at the question, looking as unimpressed as he ever could at the question. It was almost like he was daring you not to. “Then you need to be still.”

Bigby took in a deep breath and clenched his jaw, his hands digging into your dining room table so hard that the wood was creaking with threats of breaking. You knew he was being as kind to your furniture as he could be, but the pain he was experiencing was something awful you were sure.

You had managed to pull out one of the remaining pieces of shrapnel lodged inside of his chest, adding them to the small glass beside him. The shiny silvery coat had blue tints to them as you added another in, they looked almost like scales in a cup. You had plucked another and then another, earning yourself another deep groan coming from Bigby’s throat. His nose scrunched up and he winced, hissing between his teeth as you suddenly pulled out a big and nasty piece of shrapnel this time.

“How many more are there?” he tensed.

You gave him a look, almost like a mother giving a stern look to a disobeying child.

“It’s done when it’s done. You’re lucky that it’s mythril and not silver, you know.” You plucked another piece from his chest and dropped it in the glass. “Besides, I’m almost done I think. Just a few more.”

He had come to you in the middle of the night, showing up at your front door knocking, all bloody and in pain. His clothes distressed and torn up, you knew he had turned to deal with whatever the problem was, hell, that was probably the only reason he was still awake at the moment in front of you. You couldn’t help the blush heating up your face as you were looking at his body. He was brawny and tan, with just enough hair in all of the right places. God, he was broad as well, arms all muscley, you wanted him to take you in his arms like it was some silly mundy romance novel.

Sure, you and Bigby had a little relationship going, but you both were still testing out the waters. You just couldn’t help yourself but stare at the merchandise you now found yourself dating.

If Bigby noticed you staring, he didn’t say anything. He was more worried about breaking your table from his killer grip than you looking at his chest and abdomen.

When you had gotten rid of his ruined shirt, he tried to tell you what happened. Some Fables were planning on dealing drugs to mundies with whatever horrible magic they could concoct when Bigby put a stop to it the only way he knew how: By getting shot at with mythril bullets as he wolfed out on the assailants.

Your tweezers grabbed onto another really big shard of broken mythril casing and yanked it out, Bigby gritting his teeth that you just now noticed were sharp and his eyes starting to become yellow. You dropped your tweezers into the glass and stood up straight.

“All done,” you hummed.

Bigby’s shoulders slumped with exhaustion, allowing himself a moment to breathe and regain himself in your presence - which was a very rare occasion since you’ve known him. His eyes opened to watch you as you went to the sink and grabbed a rag to soak in cold water. You turned back to him with the rag in hand and observed the wounds. They were already clotting, barely sealing themselves. They wouldn’t heal fully for about a day or two, maybe three for the deeper gashes the shrapnel had caused. It always was odd to see how Bigby healed compared to most other Fables, granted the werewolf blood coursing through him did help speed up the process.

You started to work on cleaning his chest in silence, gently scrubbing away the blood from his skin and body hair. He smelled like tobacco and sweat, he was in desperate need of a shower as soon as you were done with him. You know he’ll deny your offer of using your shower in his own little awkward yet polite way, instead opting to walk home in his ruined shirt and pants (and no shoes now that you’re noticing) and shower there.

You had worked from the top down, wiping away the blood that had splattered on to his neck to his broad chest you wanted to just lay your head against and fall asleep to the rhythm of his heart beating. You moved down to his abdomen, noting the slight growling coming from his stomach. Just as you were running out of clean space on your rag, Bigby stopped you.

He placed his hand over yours and pushed the rag away slightly, his fingers gently grasping at your wrist. He was looking straight at you this time, his chocolate brown eyes still all yellow.

He carefully pulled you in close, standing up as he did so. You were nearly pulled into his chest which was still wet, but he was giving off such comforting warmth before you.

He slowly lowered his head, your noses brushing against one another until your lips pressed firmly together. It was a moment in bliss, a moment that made you forget you were stuck in crummy New York City and not back in the Homelands where you’ve met the end of your fairytale.

Bigby pulled away for a moment to look you in the eyes, his eyes still holding yellow.

“Thank you,” he said softly in the comfortable space between the two of you.

He slowly leaned back in for another kiss.

[bunny-dr34ms]

the love fate demands of us - prologue

- mystical!txt x angel!reader

summary. flora was the land of magic, where fantasy thrived. now, in the hands of humans, it has become a land where the enchanted had to hide in shadows in order to survive. you, neither human or angel, an abomination to both, knows better than anyone how cruel this world can be. fate has failed you time and time again but when she leads you deeper into flora, you'll find that your hardships are shared by others. will you and your new companions be able to restore what has been oppressed in flora? more importantly, will you be able to find the love fate demands of?

cw/ tw; f!reader, fae!yeonjun, vampire!soobin, werewolf!beomgyu, wizard!taehyun, elf!kai, fantasy au, royalty au

features; txt, names of other idols that i decide as i go

wc; 1.8k

Prologue: Flora: The land of magic

Flora, the land of magic and all things fantastical. There was truly nothing like it. From the mystical forests to the flourishing river channels, from the tiniest twinkling pixies to magnificent beasts, Flora was a land of legends. Creatures of all and every kind roamed freely, building little communities and towns of their own. Whole civilizations existed but no matter how they continued to advance, the peace was never disturbed, they were all Florians after all, united under their nation. Truly, there was nowhere else promising more beauty and adventure.

And then the humans arrived.

Nothing could've prepared Flora for humans. No seer, omen, or prophecy could've prepared Flora for the shattering ruination that would come with humans. Albeit there was no early premonition that they were even coming at all but a place like Flora would've welcomed them anyway.

Welcome she did.

When the first group passed through the fog, they spent weeks wandering and building camps in the forests, dryads and nymphs passing word that something new has entered Flora. A new kind of people for the first time in almost 1000 years, the most recent being the first group of leprechauns that came along(they were quickly found out to just be odd fairies) The humans wandered and wandered, lost in Flora’s great forests until one day they stumbled upon a little town of dwarves. The dwarf king of that town graciously let them in, already catching wind of the new friends that have been lost for weeks. Dwarves were stubborn, prideful people who really only acknowledged other by their work but humans were equally crafty with their shiny metal armors. Just like that, the dwarves and the humans became good friends and even better partners.

Now, if it wasn't for greed.

If it wasn't for the human's greed for more--more power, more riches, more land. If it wasn't for the thirst that they had to conquer, maybe...no, Flora definitely wouldn't be what it is today.

In just a month's time, hundreds, thousands of humans started entering the forest. All of them flooding Flora's forests from all sides, clambering up into the mountains, into plains, anywhere that had land for them to take. Still, without question where all of them came from, Flora took them in with open arms. The interactions the dwarves had made the other groups believe that humans were similar to the already residing citizens of Flora. Kind, generous, humans were just another race of goodhearted people joining Flora, right?

Oh, how wrong they were.

The first 5 years of humans just inhabiting Flora were the most destructive years that this land has ever faced. Not even the Great Forest War could compared to the monstrous crimes committed by the humans. Forests were torn down and burned within just weeks. There were houses being built everywhere the eye could see in almost every meadow. Mountains were chipped away until wide paths ran up and down the sides from bottom to top. All water sources became awfully contaminated or redirected into their new little residential areas. The entire landscape of Flora changed in those 5 years.

That was just the landscape; the creatures of Flora suffered far, far worse.

The population of the forest animals cut down by half, unicorns, jackalope, and even dragons alike. Humans had no sympathy for those who couldn't talk to them it seemed. The elves were wearing of these newcomers but reluctantly allowed them in their kingdoms after hearing praises from the dwarves. What a mistake that proved to be because soon the humans began to chase them out of their very homes. Elves were always more closed off in all aspects of their cultures. History books of elven society hardly had any of their spells, traditions, or magic. Humans didn't like that and took it all by brute force instead, fire seeming to be their favorite to burn down whole communities. After the elves, news began to spread about these humans once again. This time about how they were tyrannical, heartless monsters that killed with no remorse.

From nymphs to mermaids, centaurs to witches, fairies to vampires, they were all slaughtered at the hand of insatiable humans. After all, Florians didn't know what to do at the face of cold massacres. They've been living in tranquility for eons and eons. The Great Race War was recorded in history to be at the very start of time, when Flora just a clearing of trees. Just the sight of humans with weapons in their hands were enough to send all life forms running and hiding. In the last 3 years, the entire population of Flora, apart from the dwarves, was once again halved.

Then came the Human Flora War.

After 5 years of taking the cruelty of humans, all the fantastical beings decided enough was enough. They were done with letting the humans take what they want. Another 5 years were spent planning, preparing, training for this battle. Florians knew that humans were a tough opponent, having seen their brutality first hand. And prepared they were. It was thousands upon thousands of mystical beings that had magic and power coursing through their veins, victory was essentially guaranteed. On the battlefield, it was clear who was going to win, the humans with their flimsy iron tools stood no chance against the mages. Fire no longer scared the water nymphs, werewolves and vampires haunted their bases at night, picking them off like flies. Yes, victory was in sight.

The humans were enraged, they've never lost so pitifully before it seems. So they had to play their dirty tricks once more. They turned to the only race that they treated as equals: the dwarves. It was already bad enough that some dwarf towns didn't participate because they believed that humans weren't all bad. The humans made a deal to the dwarves. They promised that in return for the dwarves to join their side, they would provide them all with riches for the rest of their lives. Dwarves were never wealthy, not like vampires or elves, so this prospect made them eager. They were convinced when the humans apparently brought a ship that was filled to the brim with golds and gems that the dwarves have never seen before. The humans somehow constantly replenished their man power and with the betrayal of the dwarves, which were at full force, already having years and years of weaponry stored up and being spared the humans' wrath, Flora ended up losing.

The next 10 years was spent by the humans raising their own cities and kingdoms. In the utmost center of Flora was the main kingdom called Roseria, where the Esor Forest, the largest forest in Flora, originally was. Now there were only a few acres of it left surrounding the kingdom. There were neighboring kingdoms too. Magnia towards the mountains and Asteria near the oceans. Here and there were little human towns with some being mixed in with dwarves. At this point of time, the human population alone was enough to equal almost all the magical beings and creatures.

Flora, ever wondrous and ever adapting, was still able to heal after all it went through.

All the flora and fauna found its way to thrive again, growing back lush and healthy. The were only two major changes. One of them was the new hierarchy in place, where humans stood at the very top. Every one, every thing else had to obey, otherwise they'd face severe punishments. Ears would be clipped, wings were cut, anything that set one apart from humans would be eliminated with so much as a word out of line.

The second change, was a decree made by humans, banning all magic.

Humans were not as intelligent as they say they are. Trying to make home in a land of magic just to ban it, which is impossible by the way, was like stepping outside and banning the sun from ever shining because it was too hot. They always hated magic anyway, hated how those who could wield it made them so much more powerful and just better in every way. Magical beings are naturally more beautiful, more alluring. Humans couldn't accept that with their own greed to be the best. Really, they were just scared of how strong and otherworldly magic was. Still, even with this nonsense ban, creatures of their own environments worked hard to nurture Flora, allowing it to continue prospering under human rule.

So that's where Flora is as of now. Still the land of magic and all things fantastical despite the green-hearted humans' intervention. In spite of this, odd and new definition of peace, there is always something new and unheard of that could happen here. The Kingdom of Esor, ruled by the Hwang Dynasty's 3rd generation, is about to recieve their first princess. This princess is going to be the result of not only infidelity, but also a child of a human and an angel. Interracial families were inevitable, no amount of hate or disgust for the other race could've prevented love from getting in the mix. Not every human was evil and not every mystical Florian held grudges against them. Though the marriage between them was made legal, they were still shunned by society, from both sides. Forgiveness was hard to earn and forgetting was essentially impossible with all the recorded history of the crimes committed by humans. How terribly unfortunate.

Anyways, back to our princess.

She will be the first hybrid royal to ever exist. In a year, we will get to see how she fares in this magical world. In a year she will be born to the royal family and in a year, after 200 years of peace with the humans, Flora's tranquility shall be once more disrupted.

Simultaneously, deep in the forest, a brutal path of betrayal awaits 5 individuals. A misunderstood vampire who wanted nothing more than to protect his own. An exploited fae who longed to experience what love was for himself. A forsaken werewolf who was sacrificed by his own blood. An incriminated wizard who dreamt of helping those in need with his talent. A ridiculed elf who wanted to use his powers for good.

Fate was unkind to you and them, forcing all of you to fend for yourselves in a fight where the world has turned their backs on you. Will the red string weaving through your heart help you find your soulmates? When push comes to pull, will they stand next to you? Come, as Flora awaits its saviors, the suppressed magic straining against its chains, let us discover what fate has in store for us.

Let us face together, the love fate demands of us.

author note: posting after who knows how long.. i really enjoy the concept of world building as hard as it is so i decided to give it a shot! i haven't had a chance to proof read this yet so please forgive whatever blemishes there are, i'll fix it as soon as i can! should i make a masterlist for this, i've never made one before but im willing to try >< chapter 1 is already in the making but i wanted to post this to see how we feel about it. i can't wait to release the next chapter !!!! let me know what you think !! all reposts, likes, and shares are appreciated! my inbox is open!

[cutecowthing]

Greener Pastures

[18+ only; hypnosis/mind control, breast expansion and hucow themes abound. reader is a heifer and not a bull, but I might dabble with more masc-themed stories in the future!]

How long have you been here?

A couple of days? A week? A month? Years, maybe?

Deep down you knew there was something before the farm. Fuzzy hints of memories would pop in occasionally, but they were all of unhappy things. Things that told you that your life outside of the farm was not one you'd want to return to. To live beyond the valley was to live dissatisfied.

Sometimes, in your dreams, you recalled your first day here.

It started out simply enough. You had spent the morning perusing the local farmer's market and right as you were about to leave, you suddenly noticed a cowbell on the ground. The glint of the metal caught your attention and you stopped to pick it up.

There was text engraved onto the shiny surface:

If found, please return to Golden Meadows Ranch.

You thought that was curious. Did cowbells go missing often? However, that didn't stop you from getting back into your car and heading to the address. Why not? It was the right thing to do, after all.

The drive through the countryside was peaceful. The sun was gentle and the breeze whispered through the trees. White clouds drifted lazily across the sky. The calming scenery looked like it came right out of a painting.

After what seemed like a deceptively long drive you finally arrived at the address. At the end of the driveway was a quaint little ranch house. You got up and knocked on the door, cowbell in hand.

The man who answered the door looked at you and smiled. He was ruggedly handsome with brown hair and gray eyes. For a moment you could have sworn he was anticipating your arrival somehow.

"Um," you stammered, offering him the cowbell. "I found this earlier this morning."

"Thank you kindly." He gingerly took it from your hands. "Why don't you come inside? I bet the drive out here took a while."

"Oh, thank you." You said, following him inside. You still had a few other errands to run today, but those could wait. Right now, more than anything, you wanted to stay a little bit longer. The country atmosphere was so, so relaxing.

"What's your name, sunshine?" He asked as he led you into the kitchen.

You told him, and he smiled again as he offered a handshake. "My name's Victor. Want anything to drink?"

"I really do appreciate you bringing that there cowbell back." He told you as he filled up a glass from the tap. "Most people wouldn't have gone out of their way for a stranger."

You wanted to protest but decided against it. Victor was kind enough to allow you into his home, the least you could do is keep him company. You decided to sit down and stay a while.

"Just some water, please."

"I've never seen anything quite like it before." You replied. "...is it common for cowbells to go missing often?"

"Not exactly." He said back, sitting across from you. His eyes were soft, warm and inviting. He handed you the water and you immediately took a drink. "You see, that cowbell is special."

"What do you mean?" You couldn't look away from him if you tried. His gaze pulled you in.

"It's been infused with powerful magic." He explained. His voice was a low, hypnotic drone. "You didn't find it. It found you."

"It did?" Your thoughts were slowing down. Your whole body was starting to tingle.

"That's right." He lightly placed his hand on top of yours. "It sought you out because it knew you wanted a fresh start. And I'm going to give it to you."

As his words slipped their way through your mind, you started to feel an odd sensation. Your shirt was quickly becoming tighter and tighter. It took you a few moments to realize your breasts were growing.

"You will?" You blinked a few times as you hastily lifted your top over your head and tossed it onto the floor, leaving yourself exposed.

"That's right." He said gently, giving you a warm smile. He reached over and tenderly began to draw soft circles around your nipples. "You're going to live on my ranch from now on."

A dopey, lazy smile spread across your face. Your breasts continued to grow. The soft, supple flesh began to spill out onto the kitchen table.

"I think you're going to find that your new life will be much better here." He got up and walked behind you, giving your shoulders a firm massage. "You won't have to worry about a thing."

You closed your eyes and let out a contented sigh. The transformation was continuing at a steady pace. Your breasts continued to grow, and you noticed that you were suddenly sprouting horns, ears and a tail.

You looked at your reflection in the glass of water. Your ears had cute black and white spots-- just like a cow.

You immediately stripped your pants and underwear off to allow everything to finish growing. The warm air in the house felt amazing beyond words. It felt natural, like this was always meant to be.

"You're almost done, sunshine." Victor cooed. He leaned over and gave your ample breasts a squeeze. "You know what happens to good cows, don't you?"

"They... get... milked?" The words came slow. You deliberately had to force them out. The thought excited you, and your tail swished happily.

"Very good!" He gave you another squeeze. "These udders of yours are going to be milked every day from now on."

"Every... day..." You repeated lazily.

He started to poke and prod at your teats, inspecting them with his hands. "Everything seems to have come in quite nicely. You'll make a very good cow. Can you moo for me?"

"Moo!"

Victor began to knead your udders. You could feel the milk sloshing inside, threatening to spill out.

"You've only just started, so you don't have very much." He spoke gently as he tugged at your teats. Small beads were forming on their surface, trickling down onto the table.

The only sound that came out of your mouth in response was a moo.

He let the milk accumulate onto his fingers and brought them up to your lips. "Suck."

Automatically you began to suckle the sweet cream off of his fingers. A deep wave of relaxation washed over you as the final touches of the transformation took effect. You were now a human cow, inside and out.

Victor stepped back to admire his handiwork. "There you go. That wasn't so bad, was it? Stay right there, sunshine. I'll go get a collar to put that cowbell on. Then you'll be ready to go out to the pasture."

[loversberceuse]

I'm gonna ask this question because I'm suspicious, did Elias know us since before the epidemic?

Hello, anon, thank you for the ask!! :0

To answer your question, no! You did not know Elias since before the disease.

Here’s a bit more background on how you met, though….

You’re unable to sleep. It’s past midnight, and Valkryie is fast asleep on the mattress next to yours. Lune, with his chosen space a bit further, has taken up refuge in the old break room. He’s most likely asleep as well, just knowing how much he values his rest.

Though you probably should get some sleep, it seems as though it’s just not in the cards for you tonight.

After a moment of laying there and staring at the water stains on the ceiling, you decide to get up. A little night air could never hurt, and it should be relatively safe to sit by the door.

You swing your legs over the side of your bed and stand up. You kneel down for your shoes, and you struggle for a moment to get them on. The blanket on your bed is soft and inviting, and you pick it up to take it with you. It’s a Hello Kitty blanket you’d found, and it’s probably one of the softest blankets you’d ever felt. Lune has been eying it lately, though, so you’re considering giving it to him. You wrap it around your body to keep yourself warm while outside and give a quick glance at the sleeping Valkryie. Once you’re certain he’s still asleep, you tiptoe over to the door and quietly open it.

The cold night air hits your face, and you tighten the blanket around your body. The door shuts on its own behind you, and you sit on the top step of the little patio the store has. It’s silent outside, that’s to be expected at this point.

You sit for a while, and there’s eventually some rustling just at the end of the walkway to the mattress store. You squint your eyes to see what’s there, and you make out the figure of a person kneeling down by a bag. You let out a soft gasp, and the person’s head snaps up to look at you. They zip up their bag, pick it up, and start walking over to you.

Startled by this simple action, you stand up. As the figure approaches, you notice soft-looking, shiny blonde hair. A part of it seems to almost.. Bounce. Do they have it up? The person stops a couple of feet away from you, and they simply wave. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! Is everything okay?”

You tilt your head slightly to the side and nod. “Yeah.. I’m just sitting out here for a bit.. You don’t happen to be, uh, infected.. Do you?”

He’s just close enough that you notice a smile on his face. “No, of course not. Take a look at my eyes if you’re that afraid, though.”

Is he.. Mocking you?

You shrug, grab the flashlight you keep outside, and shine it at his face. He.. Should be safe, that’s good enough. “..Okay.. What are you doing out here?”

“Oh, see, I was looking for more uninfected! I sort of hoped that we could band together or something.” He has both hands behind his back, and his posture seems relaxed.

You aren’t sure how to explain it, but something about him feels off. “…I’m uninfected, and so are my friends inside. You’re welcome to join us, just don’t do anything funny.”

“Oh, no worries! That’s really nice of you! I’d love to, if you don’t mind it.” He seems to struggle to put something into his back pocket, then he lets his hands rest at his sides. “I’m Elias, by the way! It’s nice to meet you.”

You mutter out your name and move back to open the door. “It’s nice to meet you, too.. I’ll introduce you to everyone, come on.”

He nods, that odd smile still plastered on his face.

There is most definitely something off about him, but you aren’t sure what. He seems to be good with people, so it’s not that he’s just awkward.

So, then, what’s up with this Elias guy?

[hippolotamus]

So this is 39...

I was gonna do one of those X amount of things I've learned by age whatever, but 39 is a lot of things and tbh I'm not sure if I’ve learned that many (as some of you would undoubtedly agree). So, in true Hippo fashion, please accept this list of random assorted things I've picked up like shiny trinkets/facts I've come to accept through the years.

Believe it or not you're worth the effort, love and care you try to give everyone else but don't think you deserve.

Usually the more I've tried to fit in and be like everyone else, the more unhappy I've been. Let your freak flag fly and see who sticks around in your blanket fort.

Legos, coloring, stuffies, swing sets, daydreaming and other ‘childish pursuits’ are not, in fact, just for kids.

when given the opportunity, a solo car concert is a solid choice

If you're constantly putting yourself in boxes for the benefit of someone else... honestly, what's the point?

Find at least one person you can drop the mask with and be fully, authentically you.

Groups break up, accidents and weather happen... just go to the concert/show/exhibit if you wanna instead of waiting for ‘next time’.

nobody has their shit figured out (especially anyone acting like they do). we are literally all out here just wingin' it.

Some of the best life advice comes from fictional characters

Nobody cares. Nobody is thinking about you the way you're thinking about you. - Alexis Rose

Life isn't meant to be lived in moderation. We only get one chance at this... What's the point of living if you're just going to keep yourself locked away from ever experiencing life? - Avi Mulvaney

Make sure you’re following your heart - Carla Price

You’re gonna be okay, kid - Christopher Diaz

just because you didn’t die, doesn’t mean you’re actually living

even if you think you’re ‘too young’ for something, i assure you you’re not

i love you isn't reserved for family and/or romantic partners.

Platonic soulmates are a thing and they do exist

Dates with yourself are 100% necessary and sometimes the best ones

there is zero deadline or requirement to find a romantic partner, get married, have kids, buy a house, etc...

Sexual and Romantic preferences are fluid. It's OK if you change your mind or didn't 'figure it out' until your 20s, 30s, 40s or beyond.

You're complete as you are. Without the degree, the partner, the [current arbitrary standard]

Cliche as hell but life doesn’t end because you didn’t get the job/house/partner. Odds are good it’s the best thing that could have happened and you’ll be delighted it did.

Blood may be thicker than water but Found Family, the Family We Choose, is often the best family

Shared genetics doesn't demand your unwavering loyalty

I'm human and I fuck up. I make the wrong choice, say the wrong thing, don’t say anything or say too much. Way more than I want to, and often in the name of trying to keep the peace.

Do you write, paint, draw, some other variety of art? Congratulations 🥳 you’re an author/artist. A real one. Yes, you!

As such (and I will die on this hill) you don’t owe anything to anyone. Not the fic, the next chapter, the snippet, the gif set, etc. Your works are not the price of membership to fandom.

Missing someone and being glad they’re not in your life anymore aren’t mutually exclusive concepts.

You’re more than enough, but not too much. Never too much. I promise.

headpats & forehead kisses 💞🦛

[kiwiplaetzchen]

Remind me again as to why this is of utmost importance?

The Hybridean Black pressed amusedly unto Euphemia’s mind. They often talked whenever she made such treks down Hogwart’s exceedingly convoluted halls, but today’s daily update was…a bit less mundane.

He’s positively everywhere, Eleazar! I was taking out my curlers just this morning, and there’s his grubby little paws going for my jewelry box. I spoke with Bassie about those notes he needed for History of Magic and he’s yanking at our blasted laces under the desk. I tried to have a cinnamon roll Felix baked for me between classes and oh, would you never have guessed! Beady peepers staring into my soul as if I’m the second coming of Christ.

Mmm, mhm. And- you said the minuscule speck of fur with rabbit palpitations is called…?

Nosey, I believe. Why?

…You are fretting over a minuscule speck of fur with rabbit palpitations. Named…Nosey. I am going to assume this is even more human frivolity of which I understand very little.

Zar.

Euphie.

The Ravenclaw audibly huffed, tossing her hair rather sassily. Having finally made it to her destination (evidenced by the impressive trail of shiny baubles and pastry crumbs)- Euphemia sat with her legs folded off to the side, cradling a pile of fresh honeycakes atop her lap dressed in wicker and cloth.

Well in any case, I’m going to take this gift basket to his den and properly introduce myself. We might as well be acquainted if he insists on trailing me better than my own shadow.

I am going to return to the stag you interrupted me from feasting upon.

That…sounds wonderfully revolting. You do that.

Cheers.

(This is in response to a certain nosey Niffler always trying to steal my heart with their like-spams. Cameos for Ask-Sebastian and Ask-Felix-Åberg, too! <3)

While the Ravenclaw seemed entirely absorbed in her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed that, amid the bustling students and echoing footsteps of Hogwarts' winding halls, the very teal menace she sought was already hot on her heels.

Nosy had been trailing her for quite some time now, slipping between legs and darting under robes like an expert. She may have been eager to introduce herself, but the little Niffler was well ahead of her plans.

Nosy's eyes sparkled with mischievous delight as he watched his chosen victim for the day - the girl had been a particularly amusing target lately. And he certainly wasn't done yet. If anything, he was even more intrigued now, for a new, sweet smell wafted enticingly from the basket in her arms. The little Niffler sniffed the air, mesmerised by the aroma, and felt his mouth start to water. There was no way he would give up on that!

Blimey, if anything, Nosy absolutely deserved whatever delicious treat she was hiding inside of that basket! Not only has he been following the girl the whole day - no, being the diligent Niffler he was, Nosy had even cleaned up after the clumsy thing!

Each time Euphemia dropped a shiny bauble, he would swoop down, scoop it up, and pop it into his belly pouch with a self-satisfied little giggle. What an attentive little menace was!

But his devotion to this pursuit wasn't just about shinies. There were, of course, the crumbs that fell from her basket and dotted the path with irresistible treats. How was a little Niffler like himself supposed to resist those? Sebastian might have tried lecturing him about not eating everything he found on the floor, but Nosy saw no harm in a few extra nibbles here and there. To Nosy, each crumb was a gift, surely meant just for him!

As Euphemia finally stopped and sat down, the basket of honeycakes balanced delicately on her lap, Nosy paused, tilting his head as he watched her closely. There was something... odd about this human. Nosy had an uncanny sense that she wasn't entirely alone. But, for the life of him, the little Niffler couldn't figure out precisely what it was. Shrugging off the strange feeling, he settled his gaze firmly back on the basket. The sweetness wafting up to him was irresistible, and his little nose twitched eagerly. It was time for his next move!

With a determined flick of his tail, he quietly crept closer, eyes locked on the basket. This was going to be a very profitable day indeed, thought Nosy with a satisfied honk.

With the girl still blissfully unaware, Nosy Stealthily climbed up onto the bench behind her. The Niffler paused a few times, scanning the area for any prying eyes and ensuring that the coast was clear. Satisfied, he reached into his belly pouch and slowly, centimetre by centimetre, pulled out a shiny fork, his gaze never once leaving Euphie.

Finally armed and ready, Nosy leaned over the edge of the basket, balancing his weight as he fidgeted with the fork, aiming to spear at least two honeycakes in one go. If luck was on his side, this would be the heist of the day. His nose twitched with excitement as he poised the fork just right.

[frenchieee]

sources of light

(A Gray/Haze confession one-shot! One of them is drunk for the first part so feel free to skip if you aren’t comfy 🫶🏻. Hope you enjoy!)

Gray fumbled for his keys-how did they always manage to bury themselves at the bottom of his bag? Right, that’s what was flustering him at the present. It definitely couldn’t be Haze, who somehow looked better in Gray’s jacket than he ever had. He snuck a quick glance at Haze, who was staring at the sky in amazement, moonlight reflected in his eyes.

“The moon is so cool. She makes everything silver and pretty,” Haze was somewhere between a sigh and a sing-song. His foot caught on an uneven brick, sending him crashing to the ground. Gray dropped his bag with a thud, reaching towards Haze. He’d somehow caught himself with one hand, grinning up at Gray. Haze’s grin was one of Gray’s favorite sights in the world-it was the only sunshine that didn’t hurt to look at.

“Professional dancer, bitch,” Haze slurred slightly. Gray rolled his eyes with a smile, turning back to the door.

Speckles of moonlight shone through a fluffy cover of cloud, casting an odd harmony of silver and shadow throughout the sitting room. Gray softly shut the door behind him, heading to the cabinet for a spare box of matches. While this was a usual level of light for him, Haze would likely appreciate a candle. He plunked it on the end table, taking note of Haze’s sprawled form. Sleep was a likely outcome, given the state Gray found him in. Gray placed a small trash can and pair of water bottles near Haze, the sound making him roll over. Upon seeing Gray, his face lit up.

“Should you be inclined, please throw up in there,” Gray tapped the can. Haze nodded, patting the cushions near him with pleading eyes. Sure, he could sit. It was probably preferable to a drunk Haze having run of his apartment. He settled down, earning a satisfied smile from Haze.

“You’re so pretty.”

It was so quiet Gray almost missed it, but he nearly choked. Pretty? Him? Haze was pretty, although the words Gray would use were more akin to ‘radiant.’ Gray was…fine, mostly.

“Thank you, Haze. I think you’re the pretty one,” it was a bit forward, but it felt right, like exchanging gifts.

“We’re both pretty!” Haze shot back, sitting up with considerable effort. The fog in his eyes melted into unmistakable sincerity as he continued.

“Your hair is golden and shiny and you have a really nice smile and I’ve only seen your eyes once but WOW! They’re pretty! So there! You’re pretty.” Gray blinked a few times behind his sunglasses, the breath knocked from his lungs.

Nobody ever complimented his eyes. Even while discussing his appearance, they were always a downside. Faces dropped a little the first time people saw them. It had taken years of effort to be okay with his eyes, to wear his sunglasses as a badge of honor and not an advertisement of his flaws.

“That’s…the nicest anyone’s ever been about my appearance. Thank you, Haze. You are truly kind.” Haze might not remember this, but Gray could never forget it. Haze nodded vigorously.

“It’s true! We’re both pretty and kind! You let me in your house!” Haze erupted into laughter, a sound so infectious Gray couldn’t help but join in. When the room settled back into silence, Haze rolled into the cushions.

“Night, Haze.”

“G’night, Gray.”

“Gray?” Gray was nearly out of the room when Haze piped up again.

“Hm?”

“Can I kiss you when I’m not drunk?”

Gray said a silent prayer of thanks that Haze couldn’t see his face, which was somewhere between a fish gasping for air and a bug-eyed frog. It would never happen, but there was no telling how Haze would react to that in his current state. Might as well answer in the affirmative. It would just be something for the two to laugh about tomorrow while Gray choked down disappointment.

“If you still want to,” Gray chuckled, proud of how calm his voice sounded.

“I’ll leave a note for not drunk me!” Haze slapped the cushions a few times, presumably looking for his phone.

“Remind me to kiss Gray in the morning!”

“What time should I remind you?” A tinny voice rang out.

“I said the morning.”

Gray padded down the hall as Haze continued to argue with his phone. Upon reaching the bedroom, Gray slipped off his sunglasses, gasping a little as he shut the door. Wow. As he drifted off, Haze’s compliments played on an internal melody.

Gray slipped on his sunglasses before leaving the bedroom. Ordinarily, he kept his home dim enough to not need them, but he’d left the curtains open for Haze’s sake. The apartment was sure to be baked in sunlight. Peculiar. The place was still dark. Gray poked his glasses in his shirt pocket, scanning the room for Gray.

“G’morning, Gray!” Haze emerged from the bathroom hall, megawatt grin glowing in the darkness.

“Morning, Haze. I apologize if I drew the curtains-I know how dark my place can be.”

Haze frowned for a few seconds before realization seemed to dawn on him.

“Oh! No, I shut them. Open at night, closed during the day, right?”

A smile curled over Gray’s lips at the simple gesture.

“I do. Thank you. I can light a candle if you wish.”

“I kind of like it, actually. Plus, I get to see your pretty eyes,” Haze giggled. Okay. He remembered. At least he didn’t seem embarrassed.

“Truthfully, I don’t think you could have caught me off guard more,” Gray chuckled nervously. Haze took a step towards Gray, eyes full of that sincerity present last night when complimenting him.

“Not even asking to kiss you?”

There was no hiding his facial expression this time. All Gray could do was hope he didn’t look too moronic.

“Y-you-“

“I meant every word of it, Gray. You’re pretty like the moon and I don’t just think you have pretty eyes. I think they’re the most beautiful eyes ever and I’m so lucky to have seen them. I’d be even luckier to kiss you, if you want me to.”

All Gray could do was nod frantically. Haze giggled again, pulling him in for a warm embrace. Sunshine radiated through Gray’s body, pulsating from his lips and hands, which were currently wrapped in Haze’s hair. The sunshine was strong as ever as the two broke, grinning at each other in a rather moronic fashion.

Gray had a hunch the sunshine would remain for a long, long time.

[greencharisard]

I don't think I've ever shared this guy here, he's an old character that I had semi-abandoned after the group he was made for on dA disbanded (Glowchus). It was something I longed to be part of since I first found out abou it in 2013 or so, and I finally won a spot from a contest... it lasted a few months before being nuked from the internet and tbh I still don't fully understand what happened.

You may wonder what exactly spurred me to work on him again. Well I found out Glowchus have been revitalized and like... have a website and stuff??

I could use his first design and register him on the new site, but tbh I've learned my lesson about trying to develop a character while relying on other people's OCs to create interactions.

So he's not a glowchu anymore, where does he go? Why into the PMD universe of course! He's a regular old pichu obsessed with a book series that sees two factions of special 'chus at odds with each other.

He loves to infodump about the lore to anyone that will listen, including his best friend Nathan (Nathy for short) the shiny lotad! They love to play pretend and want to become a rescue team when they grow up.

He evolves into a pikachu by his mid teens and that's when he started becoming a bit delulu.

Because he has a bit of an unique tail marking he convinces himself that he's a descendant of the characters from his favorite book series (he isn't). He starts adding a marking to his tail with fur dye, wearing leather gloves and earbands to also mimic it, gets a tatoo; the works.

He and His friend Nate become a rescue team and he names it "Team Elementals". Since they're both pokemon that evolve with elemental stones they make a promise: they'll waith for each other and evolve together.

Things are going great for a while, despite Tobio's habit of taking on dangerous outlaws; that is until they finally got their hands on a water stone and a thunder stone. Tobio had gotten so deep into his delusion that the possibility of the evolution not reaffirming it terrified him, and when they eventually got to evolving his fears came true.

He was just a normal raichu, no special traits, no fancy markings, no elemental powers...

For a while he's deep in denial, he keeps dying his fur and drowns himself in dangerous jobs, until reality comes and kicks him in the face: on a mission to capture an outlaw he and Nate punch too far above their weightclass. They go after an extremely dangerous Salamance criminal and while Nate comes out of it with just scratches and bruises, Tobio in his stubborness to prove himself a hero gets his leg bitten off.

It's an harsh wake up call, the recovery takes months, but Tobio's spirit is what takes the hardest hit. He becomes jaded, bitter, starts taking on jobs based on the reward only, stops caring about the dye job on his fur ecc.

Aaaand that's how far I got here! I have a multitude of ideas on how to continue his story but that will come later once I have more characters ironed out. Love my idiot son and I'm glad I decided to bring him back to the pokemon world <3

PMD by Nintendo

art and characters by me, do not copy, trace, repost, reuse ecc without my permission please.

[auxiliarydetective]

⛅ Experiments ⛅

Guess what! I finally wrote something for Cora again! We're continuing pretty much where the last fic left off and just before where Season 2 will probably start. You can read the fic in full length on Ao3 - but here's a quick snippet to get you warmed up <3

It was a lazy afternoon aboard the Merry, the crew gathered in various corners of the galley and passing the time. Well, all but one. Luffy and Usopp were sitting on the floor just next to the door to the quarters, playing a board game they had found in one of the cabinets. Nami was reading a book on the sofa and Zoro was drifting in and out of sleep opposite her, his sword leaning against his shoulder. Sanji, as per usual, was busy in the kitchen – and Cora, meanwhile, had locked herself in her quarters for a while now. It wasn’t unusual for her, of course. She was a person who needed her space and that was alright. When she got an idea for a new project, she usually wanted to get to work on it straight away and that formal attire for the crew was still on her mind. Knowing her, she was probably sketching away behind closed doors, not wanting anyone to ruin the surprise. But it was getting really hard to keep Luffy from asking about her every five minutes.

Just then, the door to the quarters opened and Cora came into the galley, her hair messily pinned up, the belt with her sewing utensils fastened loosely over her dress, and a stray piece of thread wrapped around her hand.

“Hey, Cora!” Luffy called.

“Cora!” Sanji beamed. “Fancy a snack?”

“Oh, no thank you,” Cora quickly stammered. “I, uh, I actually wanted to ask for help.”

“Sure, anything.”

“Could you cut this for me?” she asked, holding up the thread around her hand.

“What, you broke your fifty pairs of scissors?” Zoro mumbled, shifting around in his corner of the sofa to find a better position.

“Shut up, mosshead,” Sanji cut in before Cora could try to defend herself. “Is that a way to treat a lady? She still has an injured wrist and fingers, so of course she’ll have to be careful with some things. Not that you know anything about being careful, you gorilla.”

Zoro just scoffed. Meanwhile, Nami eyed the exchange over the top of her reading glasses, an eyebrow raised in skepticism. As Sanji took the thread from Cora’s hand, Nami noticed that the thread was black and shiny. Something struck her as odd about it, but she blamed it on the lighting.

Swiftly, Sanji grabbed a clean knife from his knife block and laid the thread over the blade. Then, he gave a sharp tug – but the thread wouldn’t budge. Confusion was immediately rampant on his expression and he gave the blade a scrutinizing look before trying to cut with it once again. Nothing. It still didn’t work.

“Maybe it’s blunt,” Usopp suggested, the board game with Luffy long since forgotten.

“Can’t be,” Sanji mumbled, “I used it just yesterday.”

Still, he took out his sharpening tools, in the same motion grabbing a glass from the cupboard.

“Or maybe you’re just weak,” Zoro commented.

Sanji shook this off with an annoyed side-eye, but then his expression softened when he looked at Cora again. “Why don’t you drink some water, princess? You’ve been sitting in there for too long now – and I’ll deal with this, alright?”

Cora nodded. “Just don’t hurt yourself. Thread can be pretty annoying to cut sometimes and when it does come apart, you’re likely to cut yourself alongside it - speaking from experience, I’ve done that too many times.”

“Can’t be any worse than chopping carrots, right?” Sanji smirked, covering his ingredients to work on the issue at hand.

He sharpened the knife within seconds and, by now, everyone in the room seemed more focused on this little oddity than anything else. How come a master-class chef, with a set of razor-sharp knives that he valued more than gold, couldn’t cut a simple piece of thread? Despite the rampant confusion, Cora stayed silent, sipping her water as her eyes sparked with unmistakable curiosity. Luffy had gotten up from his spot on the ground and was now crowding around Sanji so closely that the cook had to swat him away out of fear he’d get himself sliced. Usopp, too, had moved over into the kitchen and was leaning on the isle so his eyes were on the same level as the knife and the thread.

Finally, after having convinced himself of the sharpness of the knife multiple times, Sanji made another attempt at cutting the thread – but it still stayed strong.

“This is pathetic,” Zoro grumbled, untangling himself from the couch. He trudged over to the counter and unsheathed his sword, causing Usopp to flinch backwards. “You and your damn butter knife.”

“This is not a butter knife,” Sanji protested, “it’s a—”

“I don’t care what it is, okay? Just hold the damn thread.”

“Alright, maybe—” Cora stammered, but she didn’t get very far.

“And don’t budge or I’ll gut you alive.”

Sanji was standing directly opposite from Zoro now, both of them in a wide stance, with Sanji holding the thread between his fists and Zoro lifting his sword, ready to strike.

“Zoro,” Nami hissed adamantly, but it was too late.

Zoro’s sword came down like a guillotine and hit the thread with what almost sounded like a metallic clang. In a second of shock, Sanji tumbled slightly forwards, but then he was steady, and the two of them were caught in a shuddering battle of strength. But not for long.

“That’s enough!” Nami yelled and, at the same time, Cora’s scissors came up from below, clashing against Zoro’s blade and prompting him to swing back upwards.

“Oh hey, you got about halfway through,” Usopp mumbled, his voice about halfway gone.

As her scissors floated back into their holster, Cora came up beside Sanji, soothingly running her fingers over the indents the thread had left in his skin. Hopefully, it wasn’t rope burn.

“You should maybe cool that, just to be safe,” she murmured, not even daring to look at him as she took the thread back.

Just this once, Sanji was too stunned to speak or to even do anything in return. He just turned around to the sink, letting cool water run over his hands as he looked over his shoulder every now and again. Luffy stared at Cora and the thread with saucer eyes, blinking in confusion.

“What just happened?” he asked.

“Okay, what’s the trick?” Nami smirked, snatching the now damaged thread from Cora and eyeing in intently. “This isn’t your regular old thread, is it?"

- continued here -

Taglist: @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene @bravelittleflower @box-of-bats - let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

Also tagging: @supermarine-silvally

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Shinnies?

Gift story to @gullivertravelstowonderland based on their story A Monster of Divinity. I love their story, and a prompt thing I tossed in my discord just... really, REALLY had me hyper fixate on their Flynn/Slayer with it. and got like 10x longer then I thought it would be

Have a smol bean that's a good little nugget seeing the giant Slayer, not know who he is and baffle each other. Oh. And feels. It's me, I like feels and soft things. [This is a doom story so there's under tones of cannon violence, but not completely the focused, as its post Eternal]

.

Big.

That was one of the thoughts that finally rattled free as Iris tilted her head to her right. Then slowly to the left as if that would help her process what she was seeing. She crouched in her hiding spot, trying again to tug off what the bad ones put on her neck and wrists. Her bindings were only half done, it was the reason she got away, and being small.

She was good about being small, and had to learn to stay alive with what was left of her family. Keep away from monsters.

Iris was not so sure if she was seeing a monster as the big thing shifted. It was not boney, like the monsters, or leathery like the really big monsters. Metal, but not any colored metal she was used to seeing. Most plane metals, or the oily rainbow shiny, even coated in white or blue plastic paint.

The girl did not feel that itchy, static feeling in her spine that said monsters were near. At least too near. She was safe to rest and puzzle over what this thing was. Something was familiar about the shape but not quite fitting into place.

Maybe she was more tired than Iris thought. She had been moving and running from one hiding spot to another all night. The girl had not meant to fall asleep in this spot as the reddish gray light of dawn started. After waking up to odd vibrations through the ground, Iris found everything looked different in the light.

The girl could not quite tell if it was because of the difference in nighttime or not. Everything seems scarier at night, normally, but Iris was pretty sure that she saw more bushes and hiding spots in the hazy almost light. She had crawled under an old car…truck. It was a truck, it had a lot of black berries all around it and once she got on the ground and used her backpack to push some brambles, it opened up under. Even had a little spot where she sat now that was light out. She could pick a few berries that were just barely in reach before noticing the odd thing.

Watching the thing, trying to understand what it was, kept Iris from thinking about how hungry she was. The few berries, even the not as ripe blackberries, helped a little with the fact she lost her water bottle in the night. Iris remembered she could not get it free from one of the hiding spots. Needed to leave it behind to go to another hiding place.

She wished she had it, grandpa gave it to her-

The big metal thing moved suddenly.

Iris held her breath in shock, trying not to let out a sound out of a trained habit. Wide eyes watching, trying to sort out if she needed to play dead. Watching the big metal thing, as it was turning to her left, the shape was also changing. 

A foot?

A boot?

Was it a statue? 

Iris took a breath, trying to make sure she did not feel herself make a sound. She felt the ground vibrate as she watched the big metal…foot move again, almost back into the safe spot. As far as Iris knew statues did not move…she hoped they did not.

If this was not a statue, or a monster, what could have a foot that big?

The girl tilted her head, watching how the metal foot moved. It stepped away from the building it was near- Iris blinked. Wondering where that building came from. Had she really been so focused on the metal thing that she didn't notice the better hiding spot?

Buildings were nice, as long as it had no monster traps before you go in. Traps left for monsters could hurt people too, that's what Grandpa said.

Iris tried not to gasp, as she realized there was a second foot now. Watching how they moved. Shapes made a lot more sense with the things being feet.

Was it a robot like those comic books they found?!?

If those were really real, the ones with the red mark were heroes, right? So maybe it could save her grandparents! Checking to see involved getting out of her hiding place. Iris was not sure she was ready for that. 

The (possibly robot) feet were walking around the area. Did the owner hear her?

Iris curled up focusing on trying to not vocalize, to make any sounds. She reflexively looked for her Grandma to double-check. Suddenly struck with the realization once again that her grandparents were missing.

Maybe she was the missing one, because grandpa said to run away.

Iris sniffed as she pulled her legs close to hug them. Trying to hide her face as the girl really wanted to cry, trying desperately to hide it. If she had to play dead with any monsters around, crying would make that harder.

There was an odd sensation then,  feeling a vibration in the air as well as through the ground. It felt different though, like Iris should know what it was. The girl uncurled party to lay down and peer under the shielding blackberry plants. It was not a lot of space but more than some hiding spots, and Iris could see through the thinner parts of the vines. Watching the big feet pulling backwards as the leaves if the blackberries moved in a breeze. 

Iris sneezed unexpectedly at the drifting dust and ash that came off the shielding plants. At the same time a massively… big hand rested on the ground not far. Iris was trying to grasp this new thing as she curled up against the feeling of another sneeze. Unable to stop it she balled up to try and muffle the sound. 

It did not look like a robot hand. 

Iris was not sure if she was disappointed or curious as she sagged. Going limp as she reflexively played dead. She was not sure why playing dead worked with most monsters, just that it did. Better when in a hiding spot. She watched as a second hand was placed on the ground and closed into a massive fist before a knee. Then a big forearm.

…was it a person? The scale, once again, was throwing Iris off so much. A person who was as big as the giant robots? Was that really possible?!

Did that make this giant-robot sized person a stranger?

Her grandparents said to always be careful around strangers. Did this mean whatever this was, was not a hero like the robots with the red mark?

Iris felt so confused, more so when the bigger than big person, maybe stranger was now crouched down, braised on the ground. Just seeing the edge of a head, some dark brown hair.

Definitely not a robot.

Wait, was this big stranger looking for her…?

Iris belatedly realized that as there was a feeling of attention being shifted onto her hiding spot. She squeaked in fright, before putting both hands over her mouth and tried to hold her breath again. Time to play dead, Iris tried really hard as this bigger than big stranger was laying down to peer into her hiding spot. Pressing her face against her hands and struggling to not gasp. To try and breathe really slow and play dead.

She counted to twenty in her head before daring to peek again. Iris squeaked again, finding herself looking at a… face?

Again the size was confusing, it almost seemed like an adult, he was watching under the blackberries and truck. Eerie blue eyes landed on Iris as she lay still on her own side. Watching back with her wide eyes, trying to understand the scale of things. Iris was not so sure she was not dreaming now, or if she woke up. 

There was a low puff of warm air, and a low vibration in the air and ground. The giant stranger-person was slowly shifting, as if laying down and bridging the other hand up a bit more. Closer to Iris’ hiding spot before waving two fingers at her.

Iris hesitantly gave a little wave back, but when the big hand got a little too close, she flinched. The big hand froze just outside of her hiding spot, but the girl was retreating back under the truck to grab and hug her bag. She scraped herself on the blackberries again, but did not seem to really notice as Iris went back to watching.

The girl watched the big hand being rested on the ground. Watched the face that looked at her as if confused. If it was not for the constant, if not lesser, scent of smoke and burning meat and plants in the background, Iris might wonder if she was in a different world. If she had gotten so lost at night and showed up in a different place.

Hugging her backpack tightly, Iris whined softly at that thought. Suddenly all at once missing her grandparents. There was another puff of air from the giant, and Iris sneezed at the stirred up dust. Likely not intended but it helped her focus on the bigger then big stranger… man? 

Iris gave a little wave again, finger spelling out, ‘H-I’

To the girl’s surprise, the giant person shifted to lift his right hand off the ground to finger spell back. ‘H-E-L-L-O’

Iris sat up under the truck, shocked that the bigger than big person could sign that she moved too quickly. Iris clucked her head on the undercarriage and whined again, laying down and rubbed the sore spot. She did not cry though, had to hold that in.

The girl looked back at the bigger than big stranger, debating. ‘Big.’

After a moment and the giant squinting to look into the hiding spot, he grinned. A vibration like thunder seemed to come from his direction, it was fascinating. Iris had felt real thunder a few times, and she stared intently at this stranger as he started to look around at the outside of her hiding spot. Lifting up to peer at the top of the tuck before shifting to try and motion. Paused, clearly trying to sort out how to sign something with both hands while needing one.

He ended up settling back down and slowly finger-spelled at Iris in her spot. ‘S-A-F-E. C-O-M-E O-U-T?’

Iris tilted her head, watching the giant peering back under her spot. For the first time wondering if she had too good of a spot, as it was like he was having trouble seeing Iris. she looked around under the truck, the shadowed space and inched closer to the giant. Then peered at the spot she came from, as well as the entrance to get in her hiding spot.

‘Monster and bad people out. They follow?’ She turned back and tried to sign clearly, closer to the light. Iris hesitated as the girl tried to explain. What if the bad people followed?

The big stranger frowned, his right hand edging closer but paused as Iris noticed and stilled as if about to play dead again. ‘Bad? What bad?’

Iris blinked, surprised, did this stranger not know? Did he get so lost to end up in another world? How could he not know about monsters and the bad people? The girl shifted and hesitantly reached out her left arm, putting her hand and arm in the light. Shaking it to hopefully make the loop of chain rattle on the binding on her wrist, pointing to it before pulling her hands back. Trying to explain as she might have signed too fast. ‘Bad-bad people. They help monsters. Ran away.’

The stranger blinked, his frown deeping before sitting up. Iris missing the scowl forming and darkening his face. She could just watch as he stood back up until only she could see those massive metal feet. Watch them walk around her hiding spot, not turned towards Iris but walking two large circles farther away as he must be looking around. Checking for the bad people?

Iris sneezed again, carefully looking around as the giant was now far away from the truck. She saw a familiar glitter in the grass, the girl starting to sit up. Even if she did not have the special water bottle, or the big straw-like thing… surely it would be safe to get some sips off the top of a puddle?

Not really thinking sense, as it had been so long since she had water, let alone some food. Iris was scooting to a spot that seemed a bit more open, pushing her bag first and wiggled out from under the truck, and out of the thicket of blackberry brambles. The girl squinted at the direct light, feeling odd vibrations again as she looked around, spotted the water again. Iris clung to her bag and fuelled by desperation, she started for the big puddle. It had the ash snow on the surface, but it was water!

The girl was just at the edge of the pool, puddle, her bare feet sank into the wet grass somewhat as the vibration grew stronger. She reached for the water, dropping her bag and hands cupping to scoop up-

It felt like a tree was wrapping around Iris, she yelped as thick bands wrapped all the way around her. Her fingers grazed the surface of the water, before she was being pulled up and back. The girl cried out, needing to drink so much now that she saw it. She whined as the ground seemed to fall away, and a massive hand was coming up from her left, wrapping around her.

Two giant hands were holding her.

Iris whined, not sure what to think of it as she helplessly just watched the ground, and puddle, go farther away and the world rumbled and vibrated from behind. A detached part realized her bag was also left behind on the far away ground. The girl went limp, half training to play dead, to not fight back like with the bigger monsters. Twice a big monster had picked her up, but set her down somewhere as if distracted because she played dead.

She could not help but tug a bit on one of the big digits. Reached for the water, trying to remember how to say it. “Pleeeez?”

There was an odd vibration behind her before warm air washed over her. Different from the heat waves from portals, different from the bigger monsters. Iris felt the… hand holding her losened, the other hovering and then closing in. She did not fight being lifted and moved, turned to look up at the giant stranger.

He really was bigger than big. 

“Pleez?” Iris tried again, pointing roughly at the ground. Seeing the giant shake his head, the girl could not help but whine and tried again to be as clear as she could. “...pleeze?”

This strange… stranger winced, the bigger man looking around and turning. Iris felt the rumbling vibration again, definitely coming from the giant as she was carried with. Taken with? The girl let herself go completely limp, chin and arms resting on the massive finger over her front.

She was really thirsty now that she had seen the water.

The massive hands shifted, Iris not sure what she was supposed to do so she did not resist as she was lifted. Now so high off the ground and level with the giant's face, it was a bit dizzying. He blinked at her, looking worried and that confused Iris as her head was lifted a bit with the knuckle she was resting against. 

It took a second to focus on the face in front of her. “Pleeze?”

The giant winced, and shook his head while glancing at the ground. Wincing again at the soft sound Iris made as she was lowered to his chest level. Only able to be carried by him towards the building. It was odd to feel the grip on… her change, to be held up like a kitten in one hand. One hand holding and supporting Iris as the other dropped away and reached for one of several things on a roof. 

The giant man, with possibly robot feet, was using one hand not to sign again. He was moving several large things Iris’ tired mind could not fully understand. At least until she saw water reflecting light.

Iris squeaked, looking up and for the first time gave a little wiggle. Legs kicking uselessly in the air but she grabbed at the fingers holding her. Her own hands flexing in want as she saw the other large hand setting a container down. Then picking up an odd smaller, maybe bowl between his fingers. 

She could not help but reach out seeing the ‘smaller' container being brought closer to her. The girl was unaware of the excited sound that slipped out. Iris grabbed at the dish as it slowly came into range. Not trying to tug it free, it was a good foot or more wide, and as deep as her hand. Iris held her breath as the container was finally coming into range. The girl got what water she could as it was filled to the brim. 

Gasping for air, Iris lifted her head, clinging tight to the edge of the container. Not wanting it to be taken away as she caught her breath. Then ducked to start drinking again. 

Iris was just starting to feel odd when the water was taken away at her third attempt to drink. She tried to hold onto it but the water was moved away, set on the rooftop. Iris whined at it being taken, kicking at the air in protest. Then the other big hand came back to cup around her. Iris shivered as she was being introduced to heat coming off the bigger than big giant. Still pouting at the water taken away, Iris tucked her head against one of the massive fingers, trying to hide. But it seemed like her only option was to go limp again. 

She was moved, not resisting and after a few confusing moments as she was moved. Iris was pressed against a wall of gray fabric, she grasped it and lifted her head in confusion. It took a second, the clean fabric was… his shirt? Iris was being held against the left side of the giant’s chest. She could feel it really was clean, and she almost started to lean away. The girl knew she had gotten really dirty since her last bathtime a few days ago. Before the bad people came and found her family.

Iris could not let go and instead hid her face against the fabric, feeling the giant person lift his other hand around her. Iris felt so oddly safe at the moment that she tried to hide there while her stomach settled from all that water. 

Maybe it was not so bad to be held by the giant. Iris felt squished for a few moments, the hand holding her shifted to be under the girl. The girl blinked in confusion again, still, but found herself in a cupped hand against the giant’s front. Watching his other hand moved to touch her back with two big fingers.

Iris tucked her head against the living warmth that was just holding her. Not understanding why, or who this was, but he did not seem like a bad stranger now. Not minding at all her back being rubbed, or petted. The girl did not resist as a large thumb shifted to her side, then up and under her left arm. Lifting it as the giant bent his head as if to look at her closely. Warm air passing over, in time with the chest dipping. Iris blinked, belatedly remembering how she showed him the band on her wrists before, but that had been in the hiding spot.

Maybe he had not seen it well?

Hesitantly, Iris slowly let go of her handhold on the fabric of the giant's gray shirt. Gripping his finger tip instead and stretched out her arm. Letting him see the binding in that arm, feeling a different vibration starting in his chest. Different from the rise and fall of him breathing, though almost in time. Different from the heartbeat at the same time.

Iris was shifted, her other arm being nudged by the big fingers. Guessing what was wanted, she slowly let go with that hand too and found herself sitting between the massive hands, more in one palm. Lifted up a bit more, the giant focused not on her face but the bindings the bad people put on her wrists. Iris did not resist but sat calmly, if not passively in the big hand, watching him back.

The eerie blue eyes focused on Iris, realizing she was watching him so intently. He smiled. 

It was not a big smile, and the scars in his face pulled it a little odd. It was still a real smile, and Iris shyly smiled back. Giving this odd giant a little wave, not resisting as one big digit moved slowly to nudge against her chin. Pushing up a bit.

Understanding, Iris grasped the fingertip with both hands and leaned back into his other hand. Lifting her head up to stretch her neck and let him see the binding clasped on her neck. It was a bit uncomfortable, as it was made of metal. Yet, he did not seem to see really well? The giant kept squirting a lot.

He was frowning again, focusing on what was on her neck. Then after what seemed like a long time Iris squeaked as she was moved to be held against his chest again. A little lower but it was warm and smelled clean. Sort of like rain. Iris tried to burrow herself against this safe feeling.

The giant was using a thumb of the covering hand to rub up from her shoulders, over the binding and against the back of Iris’ head. That felt nice, she was happy with the attention. In her position she felt that deeper, almost thunder like vibration again, only this time could feel it with her whole body.

She was distracted from noticing the giant man turning to look around. Missed the flash of teeth of a snarl she could not hear. To her it just felt… nice.

The growling was a deep vibration that felt like what thunder did. It felt like what a moving earth looked like it should. Iris closed her eyes as she focused on the oddly safe feeling she had here, even when the deeper vibration slowed. She felt the massive form moving, but just hid her face and accepted being carried, it was not like Iris was strong enough to make something… someone so big to do anything.

Iris almost dropped into a nap, but lifted her head as the hands holding her were shifting again. She was being lifted again into one hand, and almost did not let go of the fabric in time. Iris squinted herself at the light again, blinking rapidly as she was held wrapped up in a big hand before it lowered and she looked around. Staring at the things set down near her… on a roof?

This was different enough for her to make a confused sound, looking up at the giant man as he set her down beside his things. She was almost disappointed that his hands pulled away, they were warm. Only to light up at being offered the same container as before, grasping and getting a good long drink again until she sat back gasping. Disappointed that it was pulled away and set down some odd feet away. 

Iris was just debating going after but a massive hand moving caught her attention. The girl focused on it, then belatedly realized it was a sign. A little weird seeing it from someone so big. She hesitated and spelled out carefully. ‘What say?’

The giant man slowed a bit and tried again. ‘Who are bad people?’

The girl fidgeted with the bindings on her wrists, hesitating as she tried to think how to explain it to someone that might not know. Then she looked up, pulling her legs to sit with them crossed. ‘They are people that like monsters. They are bad, they hurt others and give good people to monsters. I ran away. Grandma said run so I ran away.’

The big person here looked around, shifting his mass and Iris noticed they were not in the same spot. The big man had stepped over a wall, or fence, there were both that were tall and protected a big… yard? That was what this place was! There were even buttercups!

Movement had Iris paying attention again. Watching the giant sign again. ‘Where are bad people?’

She had to think about it, looking all around from this odd new place. Iris hesitated, her hands flexing in the air to show she was unsure. She swallowed and eyed the water. Then looked up, ‘where was hiding spot? Back of the truck?’

The giant paused and then pointed behind Iris, she looked that way, finding she was looking at the roof. It took a long second, or rather minute for the girl to process first that they were on the other side of the building. She thought about it, starting to sign but stopping. Then slowly started turning back to the bigger than big giant. She started to explain. ‘I found the back of truck? Hid under, but came from that way. Saw a stream, could not get there. Turned from. from…’

Iris frowned, trying to think of the map she saw. Struggling for a moment to explain what was in her mind. ‘I ran… north. Saw a town, didn’t go in. Then I followed a road, saw a stream, and tried to get down. Got lost… found the truck, found you?’

She watched the giant man as he looked over the rooftop. Studying what was there before his attention to her again. ‘What is your name?’

Iris blinked about to sign but paused. Belatedly remembering he was a stranger again, and clearly debating on if it was okay. She took a deep breath and looked up at this big person carefully. Iris made the sign that her family came up for her name, holding her fingers out to sign ‘flower,’ but making the motion for ‘girl.’ Once the giant man copied it, she then finger spelled her name carefully. ‘I-r-i-s. Like the flower! Grandpa said Mommy loved them.’

The giant had an expression Iris did not know how to read. He was watching her intently though. Then spelled out something slowly, watching the girl track his hands. ‘F-l-y-n-n. That's me.’

‘Big mountain.’ Iris could not help it but to point out. Watching the man grin wide at that. Then Iris dared to ask. ‘Why is mountain… why is f-l-y-n so big?’

There was a pause, the giant looked down at himself, then at the girl sitting on the rooftop at his lower chest level. He seemed to be confused before trying to answer. ‘Ate all my veggies.’

Iris stared with wide eyes, she almost just ate veggies! Then sat up and asked, ‘Magic veggies? Or can?’

Did he find a magic can of green beans?

Flynn awkwardly lifted a hand to rub at his neck and shrugged. ‘Something magic. Got big. Try to help.’ 

He was reaching for the water again, holding between two fingers to offer. It was a good distraction as Iris focused on getting another drink. This time she did not try for nearly as much, definitely slowing down. The girl sat up, not gasping for air, resting as the container was not pulled away. She tried another sip but her stomach was full, Iris did not resist the container being pulled away. Looking up at the giant, not resisting or trying to pull away as a massive finger was gently put on her head, sliding down her back.

Iris hesitated but leaned into the touch, any comfort was good at the moment. 

‘F-y.’ Iris paused, and then tried spelling the name again, ‘F-l-y-n, can I have my bag?’

‘Bag?’ the giant paused.

‘I dropped.’ Iris explained, watching the giant… Flynn looked around and back the way he must have walked. Hesitated before resting a hand in front of Iris and leaned to the side. Looking over the rooftop, he spotted the bag. 

Coming back, the bigger than big man started to reach for Iris. Hands starting to cup around her before pausing halfway. The girl just blinked back, not resisting as the tree-strong digits wrapped around her again. The most Iris did was to lift her arms and half drape them over a thumb. Gripping the digit but otherwise just went limp to be picked up. The girl was not resisting as she was held, just blinking at the pause.

She wondered if she was going to be held against the giant again, but he was moving and sitting? Iris was moved, partly turned to see a green covered bench. The large hands opened and with a nudge from the thumb to her back, Iris understood to climb off. She wavered, fully back on her feet again. 

Maybe she drank too much water.

Iris looked up as the big hands pulled away. One tapped the bench before Flynn started to sign. She could not fully understand his expression again. ‘Iris stay here, flower is small, need to know where you are. I'm big. Big feet.’

‘I’m small.’ Iris understood and she climbed up on the bench. Turning to sit and hug her knees to show she would sit, looking hopefully up at the living mountain as he backed up.

Iris watched in awed fascination, able to see Flynn moved as he got up. He was so big and strong looking as he just… stepped over the fence. 

The girl watched for as long as she could, tracking where the giant went until the angle of her and the building… hid him? That was more surprising for her, Iris hesitated before looking up and all around, suddenly remembering that she was in the open now, alone. Watching the sky for a few moments, not able to listen for the flying monsters she had to watch now that she was alone. 

It made Iris nervous, she looked at the building, seeing a door. But she was told to stay here… Iris looked for the giant man, not seeing him still she uncurled and slid off. Not to go to the door but Iris was curled up under the bench and long grass there. She could feel the thudding vibrations again, the steps from the giant? Movement by the fence had her peeking out and watching as Flynn came back.

He froze, stepping in the yard again, looking around before Iris moved under the bench. She waved from her spot and saw the giant man looking for her. He stepped closer, frowning again, Iris worried if she was too good at hiding now. She scooted out as Flynn was kneeling down farther away.

The girl was just wondering why, until the giant man was stretching out. Laying down put his hands and head closer to Iris' level and oddly not as big. One large hand slowly came over, touched her shoulder once Iris was sitting up in the grass in front of the bench. Then opened his hand to show the backpack that looked so tiny.

It was still Iris’ bag, and she squeaked happily, climbing almost up into the wide palm to get it. Scooting back to sit and hugged it, signing ‘thank you’ several times around the bag.

Flynn touched his chin back, moving to prop himself up on elbows. He looked between the bench and the girl, using a fingertip to tap a little bare foot. Once Iris focused back on him, the giant signed carefully. ‘Why hide?’

Iris looked up, then back, ‘Monsters fly. Monsters will grab and eat you if there's no roof. I can't hear them, grandma said I have to stay under things.’

He was mouthing a word, something Iris did not understand. Then Fynn looked back with a frown. ‘Did you see monsters?’

‘Not here,’ Iris shook her head, trying to reassure the living mountain. ‘Monsters with the bad people didn't find hiding spots! But saw monsters before, the flying ones. Not here?’ 

She watched Flynn think, not resisting as a large hand came closer. Letting Iris pat at his fingers while he thought. Letting her be fascinated, realizing she was trusting him to be distracted. After a minute Iris tugged at one finger for attention. 

Once she was sure his attention was back, the girl asked. ‘Do you really help people?’ 

Flynn blinked at Iris, as if puzzled at the question before nodding.

Iris fidgeted with the zipper on her bag and was trying to build up the nerve to ask. ‘Can I ask for help?’ 

Flynn nodded, watching the girl, each movement as she opened the backpack and felt around inside and came up with a small, rectangle cookie tin to her. It was almost miniscule to the giant. Iris opened it and pulled out a picture that had to be folded to fit. Showing Flynn first, or trying to.

After a few seconds Iris set it down, ‘Can you find my grandparents? Bad people still have them. Grandma told me to run, but she was tied up in these.’ 

The girl grasped one of the loose rings on the bindings in her wrists. Then the one on her neck, trying to show that loop. So close, Iris could see the giant man's eyes shifting. The pupils were widening, then his eyes narrowed.

Oh!

Iris almost forgot, flailing her hands and tried again. ‘Can you please help find my grandparents?’ 

How could she forget to ask nicely? 

The girl fretted, as she also remembered what her grandfather said about trading with others. Looking all around and then back to the tin. Brightening up and picked out a few things to hold in her hands and show the giant mountain. Making sure Flynn saw them in her hands before sitting in the lid of the tin.

They were her favorite, prettiest polished rocks, and a silver pendant with the absolutely shiniest stone in the middle. Grandma had given it to her, but if ment getting her grandparents back, Iris offered it. 

‘Grandpa said you have to trade for things.  You can have my treasure. All of them, can you get my grandparents from the bad people?’ Iris tried to explain in a rush, picking up the lid to offer up to the giant.

He stared for a long moment, and Iris worried if her treasure was too small for him. She looked down, set the lid in the grass between them. Then she grabbed her bag to look through it, gasping at finding something she had completely forgotten about inside. Excitedly holding the old can of sweet peaches to the giant to add to the trade. The girl watched, puzzled at the look she was getting. 

Flynn's face was hard to read, the girl waiting until a large finger touched her arms. Iris brightened up and moved to set the can between his fingers. Was that a trade? She looked up, for the first time hopeful since running away.

The giant man turned his hand, caught the can and looked at it. Iris looked down and started to pick up her shinies, about to put them in his hand too, but Flynn moved his hand away. He was starting to get up without the treasures, just the can of peaches closed in his hand. He looked around, stared at the direction of her last hiding spot under the truck before getting up to his feet.

“Ooah…” Iris murmured in awe at seeing Flynn's full height unblocked from the ground level. She watched him carefully step around and to the roof with his things. Watching the giant carefully setting the can beside his things. A bag of his own was reached into and Flynn pulled out the biggest cloth ever. A blanket? It looked fuzzy and blue.

Iris watched the giant pour more water in the container as before. He was moving slowly to come back and kneel by the girl. Setting the container of water by the door and tapped his fingertip on it until the door opened in warnds. His other hand moved to Iris, Flynn shook his head as the shinies were offered again.

‘Too small.’ he signed and then motioned for Iris to get up. She hid the treasures in her bag again, in the tin. Getting up in confusion but followed the large hand guiding the girl to the building. ‘Iris, stay here. Hide inside. No drinking puddles. I'll be back.’ 

Iris looked inside, smelling dust as she clung to her bag. She looked back, worried, maybe a bit scared at the thought of being alone again. 

‘Stay here, so I can look for Grandparents.’ Flynn signed carefully, watching Iris light up again. He smiled again, once she was inside the door offered the blanket like cloth at first. Then a little box between two fingers, a package of granola bars. The annoying kind where the bars were all individually wrapped. Better for little hands, and as Iris was gaping at the food, the giant gently eased the cap of his flask in around the side of the door. 

Food, water, a blanket and a hiding spot he knew only opened into the fenced yard. There was supposedly a working bathroom in this building. The tiny girl would be safe in there-

Thoughts came to a halt as he was starting to pull his hand back. Tiny arms wrapped around two digits, Iris hiding her face against his knuckle and for the first time started to cry. All the scary things, she was now crying at the promise of something good. Not knowing how else to express herself.

The other big hand came around, cupping over Iris, almost fully hiding her from sight. The giant carefully, so carefully rubbed his them over her back. The tiny girl was so delicate… fragile to him. It took a surprising amount of willpower to get her off and back inside. He could not resist gently, so gently touching the top of her head. Just feeling the little fuzz of her roughly cut short hair.

‘Stay here. I will come back. Will look for grandparents.’ he grinned, chuckling as the girl plopped in her spot. Carefully pointed at the door, watched Iris scramble to get back up and close the door. Peeking out before it fully closed. 

The giant Slayer stood back up, reaching to set his things from the roof to the ground. Just in case the girl might need anything inside, Flynn thought it should be easy access. She should be safe there as he stepped over the fence. Making sure he was well out of sight, following the basic direction, now and then seeing signs of someone so small falling in the dark.

The Slayer flexed a hand, pulling one of his one-handed weapons from subspace. No little, innocent eyes able to see him snarl as the giant started to hunt. 

The feeling of someone so tiny sitting in his hands. Either having to trust him, or what it felt like at first that she had just given up fighting? He would find her grandparents, could not bring himself to lie that he could bring them back alive. He would find them though.