#let the leash go‚ whoever holds me back in therapy

[0809sysblings]

[bittybeanie]

spirits and such office dog

the more i think about reigen having an office dog the more i go feral over it. the possibilities are so soft. i mean just think about it.

just the general vibe would be so good like- i always picture the spirits and such office as a place where not a whole lot of work gets done and it's mostly just the crew hanging out and listening to classical music while they pretend to work and adding a very chill dog to that? impeccable vibes

can't decide if a tiny dog or a big dog would be better bc on the one hand a tiny dog curling up in reigen's lap like a cat while he works? kill me now that's so cute!! but also having a big dog sit across people's feet or next to the couch so they can pet the dog while they explain their problems?? the viBES!!

if somebody's allergic or just doesn't like dogs he turns to serizawa like "i have a very important job for you." and serizawa salutes like he's about to take on a battle but then just scoops the dog up and walks into the other room

(the idea is for him to come back but serizawa appreciates the opportunity to listen to the client stories somewhere he can't be Perceived. so he "keeps the dog company" while he listens in from the other room and reigen comes in when the client is done to hear what serizawa thinks)

also the thought of all reigen's neighbors thinking he's just walking a dog normally before realizing he's always in a suit and they don't see him come back for hours and hours and they start wondering where he's going that he needs a dog AND a suit at the same time

taking the dog outside throughout the day gives him an opportunity for smoke breaks where mob can't see him (even after/if he quits, he appreciates the chance for some fresh air and a change of scenery). he leans against the wall with one leg crossed in front of the other with the end of the leash around his wrist and his hand in his pocket while he just lets the dog wander and say hi to people that walk past. (i am. so very gay for the image of this.)

when they go out for field jobs he pats the dog on the head and tells it to "hold down the fort" every. single. time.

i'm not sure if the cafe above their office is like- run by them or if it's a separate business but either way i love the idea of whoever's up in the cafe coming down during breaks to pet the dog.

the dog going absolutely batshit the first time dimple shows up and it takes everybody a minute to figure out what the problem is bc they're so used to seeing him.

the dog eventually gets used to him, which means it also stops barking when there's a Haunted Object around, which reigen figured out was a pretty handy thing. he's gone long enough without it that it's not a big deal, but he still trains it with nonverbal commands to bark when he knows something is haunted bc. the theatrics of it all. the best actor that he doesn't have to pay (except in lots of treats once the client leaves). and it's not like him moving his hands around is all that conspicuous bc i mean have you seen this man? the hardest part is helping the dog figure out when not to bark

i remember reading that one of mob's hobbies is making dogs float?? and just. ever so slightly hovering the dog above the ground and zooming it around. it might freak the first time but after that it's just like how dogs stick their head out the windows of cars and a great time is had by all.

everybody accepts that the dog is mostly reigen's but the others take it home for a night sometimes, and as much as reigen loves the dog he's thankful for the break. probably not mob or ritsu bc of their parents but serizawa takes it bc the dog laying on his chest helps him sleep, and it's not like teru's parents are around to tell him not to when it makes his apartment feel less empty.

just. please give reigen a therapy dog. he deserves it.

[itsclydebitches]

Discredit Part Three! (Click on each pic for something resembling quality!) 

Part One---contains translations, podfic, and related works---Part Two

Tagging, credit, and transcript all below the cut 💜

First off, people who specifically asked to see more of this nonsense may God in all Her glory bless you accordingly: 

@internet-or-sleep, @just-some-girl-on-the-internet, @readytoocomply, @vocallsama, @fellowshipofthegay, @lucky-leafeon, @alph4centauri, @sumoranges, @diaphanedreams 

Aziraphale’s profile pic is courtesy of good old Neil, found here. All others are from Creative Commons. 

Sorry it took so long to produce more stupidity. YOU ALL ROCK  🎊🎊🎊 Here, have a messy transcript. 

Abdou G. 

Have you ever walked in on a conversation and, despite clearly missing the majority of it, feel like you could reconstruct it, word for word if necessary? That happened at Fell’s today. The ‘talk’ had obviously been going on for a while, but I can give you a perfect summary here: rude fuckboy thinks he gets to say who God is, Fell was having none of it.

Best response? Turn around, walk back to your apartment (pro-tip: this only works if you’re just a few blocks away), and change your shirt. I walked back in with my I MET GOD, SHE’S BLACK tee and had the pleasure of seeing Fell do a double-take.

“Yes, thank you, that’s what I’ve been trying to say!”

***

Doug E. 

Scout’s honor: I once saw that Crowley dude unhinge his jaw and eat a large pizza in one goddamn bite.

Update: you heathens read about this gay abomination with his dislocated jaw and what you decide to question is whether I was acTUALLY A SCOUT? 

***

Mary L. 

I came in with my four-year-old last week fully intending to keep him within sight at all times. Yes, I bought one of those kiddie leashes and no, I don’t regret a thing. You try holding down two jobs as a single mom to the bonefide antichrist. I love my boy, but the devil got to him, telling him things like, “Yes, Freddie, permanent marker would look just great on Mum’s only work jacket!”

I said as much to the owner because this mom needs to vent sometimes.  

I wish I could give this place a higher rating, but the ownership is frankly terrible. Inconsistent hours, no help when you’re trying to find a book, just basically all around bad customer service, BUT it still gets five stars because when I told the guy I was raising the antichrist?

“Oh yes. I did that myself not too long ago!”

We parents need to support one another. Otherwise the world is going to burn. So here’s a good review for you, Mr. Bookshop Guy. A part of me hopes you’re a better dad than you are a bookseller. The other part? The bigger part? It’s very aware that Ms. Pot here just met Mr. Kettle.

Now if you’ll excuse me, Freddie just got into the flour.

***

Alfred B.

I hereby nominate Mr. Fell as the British Steve Irwin. I’ve never seen anyone handle a red bellied black snake like that. I mean yeah, they’re a chill species overall, but there’s a difference between casually handling a snake and fucking chucking one onto the chair because it’s in your way. (Okay. Maybe Irwin was a little nicer.) 

Renee K. 

whos steve irwin?

Alfred B. 

...How old are you?

Renee K. 

15

Alfred B. 

You existed on this planet for two years with him and you dare to ask me this? Go boil your head and then use google. Good god.

***

Mark F. 

overheard the owner telling his boyfriend that last they met his brother tried to set him on fire? and succeeded?? actually now that I think about it, not sure which brother they were talking about---his brother or boyfriend’s brother--but WHOEVER has the brother needs to... i don’t even know. do something about that? ring the police or go to therapy or SOMETHING. i mean maybe they already have, i’m just an eavesdropping tourist, but the idea of someone setting that bow-tie cutie on fire—DID I MENTION THAT? PERSON ARSON. MURDER—makes my blood boil

***

Shiefa N. 

People aren’t joking about overhearing weird conversations here. I walked in on two men (owner and husband? owner and escort?) debating Seven Minutes in Heaven. You know, that stupid kissing game the better looking kids got to play in middle school. It got pretty heated at one point (pun not intended), arguing about whether seven minutes of making out was divine or damning behavior. I hung out long enough to catch the segue into a lust vs. love debate and then had to skedaddle. Nice couple. I support their weird flirting habits.

***

Chang Z. 

Is it legal to visit a store for things other then what it sells? I realize that makes me sound druggie or something but I swear I’m dealing with a much healthier addiction. (Ha. Maybe.) I cosplay (yeah, yeah, move along, trolls) and Mr. Fell has an absolute wealth of historical clothing. It’s astounding! I thought they were particularly detailed costumes at first, but no. I’m majoring in Textile and Apparel Studies. I know a naturally worn piece of fabric when I see it. Mr. Fell is always cracking jokes about how he wore this frock in the 19th century, this shirt in the 17th, oh don’t you just love my old vest? (He has... so many vests...) I indulge him because anyone who lets me borrow this stuff for free deserves all my attention and fake laughter.

Yeah. You read right. Artifacts borrowed for free. He’s even let me alter some of the stuff because I’m not exactly his size. Should this stuff be in a museum somewhere? Probably. Am I calling anyone to take my personal cosplay supply away? Noooope.

***

Leah M. 

Helping to spread the word here because I’m not sure how much foot traffic this place actually gets.

I pass Fell’s every morning on my way to work and yesterday there was a new sign in the window. This might not seem very interesting to most people on here, but you’ve got to understand that Fell’s never changes. None of it. I’ve lived in Soho since I was a boy and this place has always had the same placard with his insane times listed, same stripped paint on the door he’s never gotten around to fixing, same spiderweb in the corner I absolutely swear. My dad used to pop in there when he was in college and I swear he’s taken me through the stacks, points out books that haven’t moved in 30+ years. It’s nuts and more than a little bit impressive.

So you can imagine my shock when I passed by and saw not one, but four new papers in the front window. They’re drawings and I recommend going and taking a look for yourself. I don’t think I can accurately describe the utter chaos of crayons and glitter that’s displayed there, let alone what it’s trying to depict. A dystopia? The end of the world? If so the apocalypse features a surprising number of dogs.

There’s a fifth paper off to the side, written in Fell’s messy penmanship. It just says, “My god-children drew these!” and if that’s not the cutest things you’ve ever heard get out of my face.

***

Gabriel A. 

azirfell

alzaphral

azzzzzirafal

i’m a litttle drunk but azifjkaafha’s place is good he just needs a name easier to spell

***

Aziraphale 

Dear Gabriel A,

My partner Crowley told me about this site and the many lovely well-wishes you all have left us here. I have come to express my thanks and to offer a bit of advice. You are hardly the first person to struggle with my name, dear girl! I recommend the following three step process:

A - simple, yes? + zira - a nickname I’ve adopted over the years, easy enough to recall + phale - this is admittedly more difficult as our ending, “phale,” is neither spelled in a way nor presumed to be pronounced like the “fell” sound we end up with. In truth my name is more along the lines of Azz-ear-raf-AE-el, but change is inevitable and you needn’t hear about that transformation, nor the etymology involved in getting “fell” out of “phale.” I say this not because I don’t wish to teach you, but because my partner has reminded me--in a rather rude tone I should add--that this site has a word limit. Suffice to say you should simply memorize the “phale” portion and you shall be, as the expression goes, in tip top shape!

Best regards,

Aziraphale

P.S. Nothing personal, dear boy, but I fear I’m not terribly fond of your name either. I would highly recommend changing it if you’re ever of a mind to do so. Cheerio!

[softlighter]

The Roommate

written for @sparrowhawk-station‘s shapeshifter Blake prompt!  Hope you enjoy.  <3

Also posted as “The Roommate” on ao3.

“Yeah, I just found her,” Yang said into her Scroll.  

“Where?” Weiss asked, distaste clear in her voice.  “Off the street?”

“She was on my front porch!”

“That cannot be sanitary.”

“We gave her a bath at the vet’s,” Yang huffed.  The female cat she had dumbed Bumblebee for her dark black fur and bright gold eyes was currently napping on the arm of her couch.  Yang ran her fingers through her hair.  “And she got all her shots, and she’s not chipped, and if I didn’t take her in, she was getting sent to the kill shelter.  The kill shelter, Weiss!”

Weiss sighed through the phone.  “You’ve never even had a cat before!”

“There’s a first time for everything!” she chirped.  “I already got her food and a collar and a leash-”

“Yang.  She’s a cat.  You cannot walk a cat.”

“Watch me.”

Another sigh.  “You’re exhausting.”

“You’re not wrong,” she laughed.

A tight sigh.  “You know, when I said you needed a roommate, I didn’t mean the fluffy and furry kind.  I meant the people kind.”

“I don’t need a roommate,” she said automatically.  “It’s my house, Weiss, and it’s my life.  I’m fine.”

“You’re lonely.”

“I’m fine,” she repeated.  “And I’m not lonely!  I’m talking to you!”

“Yes, but you only talk to me, Ruby, and Penny-”

“And Jaune, and Pyrrha, and Ren, and Nora-”

“You need to get out more,” Weiss interrupted.  “We need to get you back on the dating scene.”  

It was Yang’s turn to sigh, and she curled a lock of her hair around her finger.  “No, we do not,” she said as calmly as she could manage.  “I’m happy, and I’m fine.  Just because you’re happy in a relationship doesn’t mean I would be happy in a relationship.”  Her heart ached, but she ignored it.  She didn’t have time for a relationship, and that was that.  “Also, aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I’m the CEO, I do what I want,” Weiss sniffed.  Yang rolled her eyes, reclining deeper into her couch.  “But I do have a meeting in five minutes, so we’re going to have to make this quick.”  Weiss’s voice softened.  “I’m happy for you, Yang.”

Yang blew out a breath.  “Thanks, Weiss.”  She scratched Bumblebee’s furry head, who purred in her sleep.  It made Yang’s heart clench in the most pleasant way.  “And if I ever want to get back out there, you’re the first person I’d call, you know that.”

“I’m happily taken, thank you very much,” Weiss snarked.

“Don’t remind me,” Yang said, closing her eyes.  “I have no idea how those two sweethearts put up with you.”

“Because I’m a wonderful and very generous lover-”

“Gross, Weiss.  That’s my sister.”

She could hear Weiss cackling.  “Look, I have to go.  But I’ll be by later for dinner with Ruby and Penny.  We still good for six thirty?”

“Oh fuck, that’s tonight?”

“See you tonight, Yang.”  Weiss hung up before Yang could curse again.  She dropped her Scroll on the couch beside her and tilted her head back into the couch.  She eyed up Bumblebee, who was now awake and staring at her.  “We got a lot of work to do, Bee,” she said.  

Bumblebee meowed, and Yang sighed.  She held out her arm, and Bumblebee gracefully walked up her arm to place herself around Yang’s neck.  Yang stood up, her cat-scarf clinging to her as she moved.  “Wanna help me make dinner?” she asked.  Bumblebee meowed again, and Yang could feel the vibrations moving out from the feline and into Yang’s skin.  

They walked into the kitchen, and Bumblebee promptly leaped off of Yang to sit on the chair she had claimed earlier.  Miraculously, Yang hadn’t had to tell her to stay off the counters or the table.  Whoever had Bumblebee before her had trained her well.

Guilt twisted in her stomach as she studied her new cat.  Bumblebee was still malnourished and bruised from her last owner’s treatment.  Yang patted her cat’s head and gave her a smile as a silent apology.  Bumblebee purred, her head bopping against Yang’s hand.  She was soft, impossibly so.  Despite everything the cat had gone through, her fur hadn’t been matted, and Bumblebee was delightfully fuzzy.  

Yang nervously checked the clock and debated what to do for dinner.  Worst came to worst, she could order pizza for the four of them.  No one would complain about pizza, especially about the local pizzeria she ordered from at least once a month.  She checked her fridge and decided pizza was the way to go, even if Weiss would smirk about it.  

“Pizza it is, BeeBee,” she said.  Bumblebee meowed, daintily licking her paw.  She held herself impossibly regally, even though she was still injured.  

Yang had been surprised at how quickly the feline had warmed to her.  When Yang had first found her three days ago, she had been hissing and yowling.  Getting her to the vet had been a journey and a half and gotten her nothing but claw marks that still burned.  But she had looked into those golden eyes and known she couldn’t let the beautiful feline go to the kill shelter.  After that, it was almost like Bumblebee had known that Yang had saved her.  She wasn’t affectionate per se, but she wasn’t fighting her anymore and even let Yang pick her up.

In the past three days, Yang had taken to the cat like a moth to flame.  Bumblebee was a sweetheart when she wasn’t fighting Yang, and she loved it best when Bumblebee came to her and demanded pets, even if she asked for said pets at inopportune times.  Yang didn’t mind.  She needed a friend, even if she had told Weiss she didn’t.  

Weiss, Ruby, and Penny arrived just after pizza had been delivered.  “Kitty!” Penny cried out as greeting, immediately handing the wine she was holding off to Ruby before flapping her hands.  “Where’s the kitty?” 

Yang grinned.  “Come here, Bumblebee,” she said, crouching down to beckon the cat from underneath the table.  Bumblebee shrank away.  Yang cocked her head.  “Are you shy?” she asked.  “It’s okay, they’re just friends.”  Her voice was soft, and Bumblebee nervously stepped forward.  “Penny, come here, and hold your hand out.”

The redhead obliged, bending down beside Yang and tentatively holding her hand out with wide eyes.  Bumblebee looked to Yang, who nodded, before gently pressing her head to Penny’s hand.  Penny squealed, and Bumblebee shrunk back.  “No, I’m sorry!” Penny exclaimed softly.  “I just got excited!”

“She’s a little shy,” Yang said.  “She was hurt real bad before I got her.  I think she’s a little nervous around people.”  She started petting Bumblebee once more and smiled at her responding purr.  “But she’s a sweetheart.  Just be careful.”

Penny held out her hand once more, and Bumblebee bopped her hand.  “She’s so soft,” Penny marveled.  “I wish we could get a cat, but I don’t think Weiss could take all the fur getting everywhere.”  

Ruby giggled behind them, and Yang bit back a snort.  “We’re barely home, Penny,” Weiss said, clearly exhausted from already having this conversation.  “We don’t have the time to take care of a cat.”  

“You could get a fish?” Yang suggested.

Ruby clapped, and Weiss groaned.  “A fish would be delightful!” Penny declared, standing up and brushing her hands off on her skirt.  “We should get a fish.”

Weiss shot daggers at Yang, but Ruby just asked, “Where’s the food?”

“Let’s wash our hands and head into the kitchen,” she said, dragging Penny away from Bumblebee.  

“I thought you said she was clean,” Weiss asked warily.

“You should always wash your hands before dinner,” Yang said, rubbing her hands together underneath the faucet.  Weiss wrinkled her nose, and Yang stuck her tongue out at her.  “Lighten up, Weiss.  Bumblebee’s a good cat.”

“You’ve had her for three days,” Weiss said curtly.  

“Best three days of my life!” she shot back as she sat down and helped herself to a slice of pizza.  She moaned around the cheesy bread, suddenly aware of how hungry she was.  She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.  “How was everyone’s day?” she asked, taking a sip of her water.

“It was a pretty slow day today,” Penny said.  “No calls for me, thankfully!”  Penny may be small, but she was the strongest firefighter in all of Vale.  There had been a competition, and Penny had blown her competitors out of the water.  

“That’s good that it was a quiet day.  My meetings went well,” Weiss said.  “They were a complete headache, but they went well at least.  We’re moving ahead on some new technology, which should be a real asset.  What about you, Ruby?”

“I’m heading to the restaurant later, but I spent most of the day working on new recipes,” her sister said.  “I can’t quite get the spices right, but I’m getting close.”  Ruby’s eyes flicked to her.  “What about you, Yang?  What did you do today?”

“Hung with BeeBee,” she said casually.  “Nothing much.”

Penny, Weiss, and Ruby managed to exchange a look, which Yang still marveled at their ability to do so, even when it grated on her.  “Did you go to physical therapy today?” Penny asked gently, but that wasn’t enough to soften the blow of her words.

“Nope,” she said too casually.  “I didn’t have an appointment today.  I usually go on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“So did you go yesterday?” Weiss asked, raising an arched brow.

“Yes,” she gritted.  

“Good!” Ruby said, clapping.  “That’s really good, Yang.  How are you doing?”

She felt all of their gazes pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room and refusing to look at her right arm.  She clenched her fist as she folded her pizza in half and brought it to her mouth to buy herself time.  The metal of her hand creaked quietly, and she brought her arm back down to her lap to avoid dealing with their acute avoidance.  

“I’m doing good,” she said.  “Making progress.”  She hesitated, but added, “They think I’ll be good to go back to work in the fall.”  

“And do you want to go back to work?” Weiss asked.  

“I need to do something productive with my life,” she said tightly.  She gestured around.  “I’m going nuts doing nothing.”  She had spent far too many days lounging on the couch and moping about.  At least she was moving again, leaving the house again.  

“What’re you gonna do about Bumblebee when you go back to work?” Penny asked.  

Yang shrugged.  “She’s pretty self-sufficient.  She just needs me to feed her.”  Bumblebee was inclined to roam the house, but she did usually stay in the same room as Yang.  “I think she would be all too happy to get me out of the house and have it all to herself for a couple hours.”

“This is why you should have gotten a dog!” Ruby said.  “No offense to Bumblebee, but dogs are way more loyal!  They wait for you to come home!  They’re total sweethearts!”

“Yeah, but Bumblebee is cuter than any dog,” she pointed out.

Ruby gasped, holding a hand to her forehead and sagging against Penny, who merely giggled at her girlfriend.  “Don’t let Zwei hear you say that!” her sister warned.  “He’ll never forgive you.”

Yang rolled her eyes, but she was glad the conversation had drifted from her to a safer topic.  Bumblebee curled around her ankles, purring.  Yang smiled and leaned down to scratch the top of her head.  “Zwei loves me, and so does Bumblebee,” she said.  “All animals love me.”

Weiss snorted.  “I haven’t forgotten about that bird that pooped on you,” she said.

“That was six years ago!” she said.  Bumblebee pulled closer to her ankle, and Yang lowered her voice.  “And that was one bird, ages ago.”  Bumblebee purred again, nuzzling her ankle once more.  Her cat still wasn’t used to loud noises, she had noticed, and it was hard to remember to keep her usually loud voice quieter, but she was trying.  

“It shat in your hair.  I’m never letting you live that down,” Weiss smirked.

Yang groaned.  “Six.  Years.  Ago.  And don’t remind me,” she said, pulling her hair over her shoulder in a comforting motion.  “My hair didn’t deserve that.”

The table broke out in laughter, and a smile tugged at her lips.  Life was good.  Life was really good.  

~~~

She woke up to tiny cries.  Yang sat up, instantly moving for Bumblebee who was yowling at the edge of her bed.  Yang scooped her up in her arms and began shushing her, gently stroking her fuzzy head.  “It’s okay,” she breathed.  “It’s all okay.”

Bumblebee was shaking in her hands and still yowling at the top of her tiny lungs.  She was trying to scratch Yang, but it was more out of panic than out of malice.  “It’s okay,” she said.  “I got you now.  No one’s gonna hurt you now.  I promise.”  She kept stroking her head until her cries died down and Bumblebee’s tiny body wasn’t shaking half so badly.  Yang gently laid Bumblebee in her lap and watched as she curled up.

Her throat was thick, and she whispered, “It’s okay.  I get nightmares too,” she whispered.  Bumblebee meowed, as if she was trying to respond.  Yang chuckled.  “They’re the worst, aren’t that?” 

Bright wide gold eyes looked up at her, catching the moonlight.  A small nod of that fuzzy head.  Yang gave her cat a half-smile.  “I’m sorry someone hurt you,” she said.  Bumblebee nuzzled her hand, but Yang continued.  “Someone hurt me, too.”  Her throat thickened, and she was acutely aware of the absent weight of her metal arm.  

Bumblebee stood on her hind legs to look Yang in the eyes.  “But we’re together now, and we’re not gonna let anyone hurt us ever again.  Aren’t we?”  Bumblebee nodded, as if she could understand.  Yang smiled.  “I’ll protect you, BeeBee.”  She held her cat tight to her chest and closed her eyes.  “I’ll protect you.  You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”  Bumblebee purred, and she gave Yang’s cheek a quick lick.  Yang laughed, wiping her cheek.  

“We should get some sleep,” she said.  “The nightmares can’t last forever.”  She hoped.  

But Bumblebee purred and nuzzled her cheek.  Yang let herself fall back against the mattress, still holding the dark cat.  “I’m a cuddler,” she warned.  Bumblebee simply purred again, settling down on the space of mattress in front of Yang’s chest.  “You can wake me up, though.  If you have nightmares.”  She yawned.  “I might wake you up with mine.”

Bumblebee cocked her head.  Yang just smiled tightly.  “But don’t worry, BeeBee.  I’ll take care of you.”  Gold eyes blinked at her, and that was the last thing Yang saw before she closed her eyes.  “I promise.  I’ll take care of you.”  She would protect Bumblebee.  She could do that much.  Even if she had lost her arm.  Even if she had lost herself for a while.

She could do that much.

~~~

Yang let out a grunt of frustration as she held the plank, sucking in her breath.  Thirty more seconds, according to her timer.  She could do another thirty seconds.  She gritted her teeth and forced herself to take a deep breath of air as she felt her shaking worsen.  Twenty seconds.  Fifteen.  Ten.

She collapsed to the ground with a groan.  “Fuck!” she spat, flopping onto her side.  Yang grabbed her Scroll and ended the timer with a sigh before placing it back on the floor beside her.  She would try again in a few minutes, but, for now, her core ached, and she needed a breather.  She needed a break.  

No, what she needed was her fucking body back.  What she needed was her strength back.  What she needed was herself back.

A fuzzy tail brushed her ankle, and Yang let out a sharp breath as Bumblebee came up to snuggle.  “You still like me, at least,” she muttered.  Bumblebee meowed, and a smile tugged at the corners of Yang’s mouth.  She sat up and started scratching behind her ears, just where she knew BeeBee liked it best.  

Bumblebee gave her wide eyes, as if asking Why wouldn’t I like you?  You feed me and blinked at her slowly.  Yang sighed, running a hand through her own hair.  “I’m not as strong as I used to be,” she explained.  Her chin wobbled.  “I’m weak.  And I need to get strong again.”

BeeBee meowed, her cute face scrunching up to bare her teeth.  Yang rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, Weiss says the same thing,” she said.  “But I want to feel comfortable in my skin again.  If that’s possible.”  She sighed, shoulders slumping.  Bumblebee pawed her arm and climbed up onto her shoulders.  Yang smiled as the feline nuzzled her neck.  “Thanks, BeeBee.”

She bent forward and stretched out her legs and back, Bumblebee still curled around her neck like a scarf as she moved.  Her lower back crackled and popped, but it felt better as she straightened up.  Her Scroll buzzed, and she carefully grabbed it as to not disturb Bumblebee too much as she answered the call.  “Hey, what’s up?”

“We got a fish!” Ruby announced.

Yang smiled, letting out a breath.  “Only took four months of arguing,” she teased.

“Shut it, Xiao Long!” Weiss called in the background.  

“His name is Barry the Beta Fish, and I love him very much,” Penny added.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” she said as BeeBee purred around her neck.  

“Do you want to come over later for dinner?” Ruby asked.  

Yang pretended to think for a moment.  “Are you cooking?”

“I will!” Ruby said.

“Then I’ll be there.  What time works?”

“How about five?”

“Sounds good to me.  I’ll see you then!”  Yang hung up and nuzzled Bumblebee as she pulled up her timer once more.  “Alright, BeeBee, let me get back to work,” she said, taking Bumblebee from around her neck and placing her on the floor.  Bumblebee hissed, but she strode off, tail waving in the air before settling down in front of Yang’s yoga mat.  Yang resumed her position and started the timer once more.

She forced a grin at BeeBee, who meowed in response.  Almost as if she was cheering her on.  It made Yang’s grin grow.  She adjusted her position and held her core tight, taking deep breaths.  She could do this.  She could definitely do this.

~~~

Yang unlocked her door, humming as she did.  She turned and closed it behind her as she took her shoes off and set them by the door.  She had left Ruby’s, Weiss’s, and Penny’s early because she had forgotten that she had to get up early for physical therapy.  Normally, she stayed until late, but the sun was still out, although it was setting.

She dropped her keys in the dish and strode into the kitchen.  Yang froze.  “Who the fuck are you?” she asked, voice shaking.  The dark hair woman digging in her fridge stilled at Yang’s voice.  “How did you get in here?”

The woman turned around, gold eyes wide.  “You’re not supposed to be home for at least another hour,” she said.  Her voice was a throaty rasp, as if she hadn’t spoken in ages.  

“What the fuck are you doing in my house?” she demanded, ignoring how the woman knew her well enough to know her schedule.  “How did you get in here?”

The woman audibly swallowed.  She was shaking, Yang realized.  “I’m sorry,” she said.

Yang’s heart softened at her broken tone, but that didn’t stop the fear sparking through her.  She looked her up and down and checking for any weapons.  She was unarmed and, oddly, pantless.  Yang’s stomach clenched.  The woman was wearing her shirt.  “What the fuck?” she heard herself say.  

The woman’s throat bobbed.  There was a flash of light, and the woman was gone.  In her place sat Bumblebee, who was shaking.  Yang blinked, eyes burning from the light, but before she could get accustomed to it, the woman was back with another flash of light.  “I’m so sorry, Yang,” the woman croaked.

“What the actual fuck?”

The woman was shaking harder.  “I didn’t want you to find out like this,” she said.  Yang’s mouth was dry.  “I thought you wouldn’t be home for a while longer, and I was just so sick of having to drink out of a bowl, and I just wanted a cup of tea.  I’m sorry.”

Yang blinked.  “Are you my cat?”

The woman, or Bumblebee, tentatively nodded.  

“What the fuck?”  Bumblebee flinched, and Yang became distinctly aware of how loud she was speaking.  “I’m sorry, but what the fuck is going on?” she asked, lowering her voice slightly.  She was still angry, still confused, but she couldn’t unsee the woman’s winces in contrast with the way Bumblebee had shook whenever it got too loud.

“Maybe we should sit down,” Bumblebee said.

Yang silently took a seat at her kitchen table, never taking her eyes off of Bumblebee.  Bumblebee took a seat across from her.  “What the fuck is going on?” she asked again.  Her own voice was shaking, and she wasn’t quite sure why.  “What is happening?”

The woman took a deep breath.  “My name is Blake,” she said.  “I’m a shapeshifter.”

Yang’s mouth dried up.  “Alright.”  She nodded.  “Shapeshifters are real.  Alright.  That’s fine.  And apparently my cat is one.  This is totally fine.”  Panic edged her voice, but she nodded at the woman, Blake, to continue.

“I never meant to- I didn’t want to hurt you.”  

“Why the fuck were you pretending to be a cat?” she demanded.  “My cat?”

Blake took a deep breath.  “You saw how badly I was hurt,” she said.  Yang stilled as Blake continued.  “My ex-boyfriend beat me.  I had to get away from him, and I did the only thing I could.  So I shifted and ran away, and I ended up here.  I didn’t have a plan, I just needed to get away from him.  But I was in so much pain, and I wound up on your porch barely able to move.  And you took me in.”  Blake’s throat bobbed.

“You took me in, and you protected me, and you took care of me.”  Blake’s golden eyes flickered, so similar to Bumblebee’s and yet so different.  “I had planned on leaving once I was better, but you seemed to need a friend.”  Yang’s cheeks heated, although she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or anger.  “And I wanted to repay you as best I could.”

“So you pretended to be my pet?”  Her stomach tightened.  “Did you understand me when I was speaking to you?”

Blake nodded, biting her lip.  “I did,” she said quietly.  

“And what?  Did you- Do you pity me?” she asked.

“I wanted to repay you!”  Blake rubbed her brow.  “You helped me, and I wanted to help you, and being Bumblebee seemed to help you.”

“What was your long term plan here?” she demanded.  “Just pretend to be a cat until you died?”

“Obviously, I didn’t have a long term plan!” Blake said.  “I just- You helped me  And I wanted to help you.”  

“I didn’t ask for your help,” she snarled.

Blake winced.  “I know.  And I never wanted to hurt you, Yang, I just- I didn’t know what to do.”  Her voice was pleading.  “I was scared.”

Yang faltered.  She took a deep breath and leaned back against her chair with a sigh.  “What do you want to do now?” she asked wearily.  “Because you don’t owe me anything, Blake.”

“But I do,” she said softly.  “You saved my life, Yang.  In ways more than one.”  Blake’s throat bobbed.  “And I’ll leave if you want me to.”

Yang looked up at her.  “You don’t have anywhere to go.”  It wasn’t a question, but Blake nodded.  Yang sighed.  “You can stay here,” she said.  “

Blake froze.  “What?”

She shrugged.  “You don’t have anywhere to go,” she repeated.  “And I have a guest room.  You can stay here and get back on your feet.”  Her throat thickened.  “You can be whatever you want.  Bumblebee, or you, or whatever, you can be a human or cat.  But you can stay here.”

“I can leave,” Blake said, but she was biting her lip.

“I’m not letting you go back on the street again,” she said.  “And you’ve already been living here for six months.”  She flexed her fingers.  “I can help you get back on your feet, and then you can do whatever you want.”

Blake nodded, but she looked ashamed.  “I’m sorry, Yang.”

Yang just shrugged.  “I’m going to bed,” she said flatly.  “I have physical therapy early tomorrow.”  She hesitated.  “Do me a favor?”

“Anything,” Blake said instantly.

“Don’t leave the house.  I don’t have a spare key to give you, and the locks are automatic.  If you get locked out, you’re locked out until I get back.”  She rubbed her temples.  “And I have some pjs for you.”

“Sorry about the shirt,” Blake said.  “I just didn’t want to walk around naked.”

“I get that,” she said awkwardly.  She stood up.  “I’ll put your stuff in the guest room.”

“Thank you, Yang.”

Yang just pursed her lips and nodded, all too aware of the awkwardness.  “Yup.  No problem,” she said.  She awkwardly walked out of the kitchen and closed the door to her room.

What the fuck was she going to do?

~~~

She woke up to the smell of bacon.  Her stomach grumbled, and she practically ran out of bed into the kitchen to see Blake cooking.  Somewhere, she had found an apron, and she was standing over a spitting pan and flipping pancakes.  “Oh, you’re awake,” Blake said, turning to face her.  “I wanted to surprise you.”

Yang blinked at her.  “You’re making me breakfast?” she asked slowly.  “You didn’t have to do that.”  Even if her stomach was grumbling and she was ravenous and it was nice to wake up to someone cooking her breakfast.  It was weird, it was so damn weird.  

Blake just shrugged.  “It was the least I could do,” she said.  Blake bit her lip.  “You’ve made me breakfast for the past few months.  I wanted to repay the favor.”

“You really didn’t have to,” she said.  

“I wanted to.”  Blake gave her a tentative smile, and Yang’s stomach flipped.  Brothers, she was beautiful.  She gave a tiny shake of her head, as if to chase the thoughts away.  Blake had been her cat for six months.  She should not be thinking about how stunning she was, even if she was in human form.  But Yang couldn’t deny Blake’s beauty.

She swallowed hard and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot Blake had made.  “Thank you,” she said quietly, awkwardly.  “I appreciate it.”

Blake just nodded and gave her a small smile.  

~~~

“So how did you meet Yang?” Weiss asked, eyes cutting between them.

Yang’s eyes flicked to Blake, who nodded.  They had gone over this.  “We met in physical therapy,” Blake said easily.  

“Funny, Yang never mentioned you.”  Weiss’s icy eyes narrowed to slits.  “And you just moved in because?”

“Yang is doing me a solid,” Blake said.  “I- My ex kicked me out of our apartment.”  Another lie, one they hadn’t discussed.  “I needed a place to stay, and Yang was kind enough to offer up her guest room.  She’s a really great person, and she’s really helping me out.”

“Yang is a really great person!” Penny agreed brightly.  

Yang took a deep drink of her wine.  This had been a horrible idea, but she had no way of hiding that she suddenly had a roommate, and she wasn’t going to force Blake to stay in cat form when Weiss, Ruby, and Penny came over.  A dinner with the five of them had been a horrible idea, but they were getting through it.  Even if Weiss was suspicious as all hell and grilling Blake within an inch of her life.

“This salmon is really good,” she said, shoveling another bite into her mouth.

Ruby beamed.  “Thank you!”

“And how long do you think you’ll be staying here?” Weiss asked.

Yang shot her a pointed look, but Blake just straightened her shoulders and said, “I’m working on getting an apartment already.”

Weiss nodded and took a drink of water.  

“Alright, enough of the interrogation,” Yang said, only half-joking.  “How was your guys’ day?  What did you all do today?”

“We rescued a cat from a tree today!” Penny said with a smile.  “She was so cute, and she was so scared!  I felt so bad.  But we managed to get her down and back to her family.”  Penny’s braid flipped over her shoulder as she turned towards Yang with a tilted head.  “Any word on BeeBee?”

Yang shook her head.  “No word.”  She had told them that BeeBee had run out the door and disappeared.  They had put signs up over town with pictures of Bumblebee.  It was Blake’s secret to tell, and either way, she wasn’t sure how her sister and her girlfriends would take the news that shapeshifters existed and that magic was real.  It was the safer option, for both of their sakes, to not tell them.  Still, it felt wrong to lie to them, and Yang took another sip of her wine.

Penny’s face faltered.  “I’m sorry, Yang,” she said gently.  “I know you really loved her.”

“I do,” she said.  She felt Blake’s gaze on her.  “But I have no doubt that, wherever she ends up, she’ll be okay.  BeeBee is a fighter.”  Blake smiled tightly at her, and Yang nodded back.  “She’ll be okay.”

Weiss cleared her throat.  “On a lighter note,” she said, “I’m glad you two are living together.”

“Really?” Yang, Ruby, Blake, and Penny all said in unison.  

“I am!”  Weiss’s eyes narrowed before softening.  “You’re taking care of her?” she asked Blake.

“I don’t need to be taken care of!” she snapped.

“Yes,” Blake said with a wry smile.  “I’m doing my best.”

Yang glared at Blake and Weiss, but there was no venom in it.  In truth, Blake had been taking care of her.  She made them breakfast and dinner every day, even though Yang had told her countless times over the past few weeks that she didn’t have to.  In truth, it was nice.  

“Good,” Weiss said, apparently satisfied.  

Yang looked over at Blake and gave her a tight smile, and Blake smiled back.

~~~

“Hey, hey!”  

Yang’s eyes snapped open, and she was all too aware of the hands on her shoulders.  She jerked out of her grasp and sat up, pulling the covers to her chest.  “What’s wrong?” she asked, taking deep breaths.

Blake’s gold eyes glinted in the moonlight.  “You were screaming, Yang.”  

“Oh.”  Her throat thickened.  She brushed her off.  “I’m fine.”

“Bullshit, you’re fine.”  Blake sighed.  “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but don’t lie to me, Yang.”

“I just had a nightmare,” she mumbled.  “It’s fine.  I’m fine.”

Blake ran a hand through her hair, and then there was a flash of light that briefly blinded Yang.  Bumblebee was staring up at her and headbutted Yang’s hand.  

“What?”

But Blake pushed her down to the bed, and Yang groaned.  “I am not cuddling you,” she said.  Blake rubbed her head underneath Yang’s neck, almost as if to say Then I’ll cuddle you.  Yang sighed, and she begrudgingly accepted Blake into her arms.

“This is so damn weird, you know that?” she said before closing her eyes.  Blake just purred, settling on the mattress.  She rolled her eyes, but before she knew it, she was asleep.

~~~

Yang woke up with Blake in her arms.  It was how she had woken up every morning for the past two weeks, ever since she had had that nightmare and Blake had transformed back into a cat to cuddle.  During the night, Blake often wound up transforming back into a human, and at this point they got ready for bed together, and Blake just slept in her bed in her human form.  It was weird, it was so damn weird, but it worked.

“You know, you can stay here,” she said one morning over breakfast.  She swallowed the bite of pancakes, ignoring Blake’s stillness.  “If you want.  You can stay here.”

“Yang, I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” she said gently.  “You help me, and you’re kind, and sweet, and maybe I want you here.”  She gave Blake a weak smile.  “I want you here, if you want to be here.”

Blake’s throat bobbed.  “I’d like that,” she said quietly.

~~~

“Hey, Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I take you out?”  Yang swallowed hard.  “You know, like on a date?”  Her palm was sweating, and she wasn’t looking at Blake.  

Blake laughed softly.  “I thought you’d never ask.”

[vecnawrites]

Hypnotic Pets

Garnet Rose sighed as he arrived home. School today had been long. Not difficult, thankfully, just long. However, he was home now, and could relax. Opening the door, he called out to the one that was always home twenty-four-seven, unless he, his mother, or his father took her out. “Cinder! I’m home!” a small smile formed on his face as he heard rapid shuffling heading for the stairs, before a head of black hair poked around the corner, golden eyes widening and a smile forming on the girls face.

She clambered down the stairs eagerly on all fours, excited barks emerging from her mouth, her bare tits and ass jiggling wildly from her rapid movement. Coming up to her owner, Cinder whined, rising up on her knees and gently gripping his shirt, nuzzling her face into his chest.

Laughing, Garnet scratched Cinder behind her ear, making her lean into his hand, panting happily and licking his finger tips. “It’s great to see you too, girl! How has your day been?” he asked, receiving more pleased pants.

Garnet chuckled as his pet flopped onto her back, arching upwards and exposing her stomach, tits swaying...although that wasn’t the only thing that was. Part of the reason that his mother wasn’t concerned about him...playing with his pet was flopping against her thighs currently. It wasn’t as big as his own, but Cinder’s cock and balls were sizable.

Rubbing her stomach, Garnet chuckled. “Looks like you have some excess energy...how about a walk?” he couldn’t help but laugh at how the golden eyes widened with happiness and she quickly rolled onto all fours and barked happily, darting off to grab the leash.

Garnet smiled as he watched his pet. It had been odd how this had all started, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

It had started before he was born, but a new law had been passed to try and ‘redeem’ those who committed crimes...by using hypnosis and subliminal messaging to turn them into pets for others to care for. Granted, it was strictly for the non-violent cases. Those who completed their ‘sentences’ usually rejoined society much better off, although a very few actually willingly went back under if they were treated well enough to continue being pets. Families that ‘adopted’ the ‘pets’ were strictly screened to prevent abuse...part of the reason that they got her so easily was because his father was a detective of the Special Victims Unit and his mother was a Social Worker for abused youth.

From what he understood, Cinder was a rare case; she had been a victim of abuse and lashed out to protect herself, ending up accidentally setting fire to her childhood home. In this case, her being a pet wasn’t meant to be punishment, it was therapy, to help her realize that not everyone was out to hurt her.

It had certainly been odd in the beginning, since Cinder was standoffish to both of his parents, clinging to him and growling every time his mom or dad made a sudden move. But slowly, she had warmed up to them both, even if Cinder still did prefer him.

Pulled from his thoughts as he felt a nudge against his leg, he smiled as he looked down at Cinder, who was looking imploringly up at him, leash held between her teeth, rear wagging back and forth.

Taking the leash, Garnet attached it to the collar and gently kissed Cinder’s forehead. “Come on, Cin...let’s go for a nice walk.” holding the leash securely in his hand, Garnet opened the door and allowed Cinder out, closing and locking the door behind him.

The pair enjoyed a slow, leisurely walk, Cinder inquisitively sniffing flowers that they passed, Garnet nodding or waving to those they passed by, before the pair paused, hearing something that they hadn’t heard before. “...on, Emerald! Don’t fight me on this!” followed by growling.

Turning his head, Garnet paused as he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Long silky blonde hair, like long strands of solid sunshine, and eyes of lilac, similar to amethyst gemstones. Her cheeks were flushed, and her full lips were set into a pout, although that was easy to see why, since she was pulling a leash connected to a struggling pet of her own, a very curvy chocolate-skinned verdette with crimson eyes.

Glancing down, he smiled at the look on Cinder’s face. Her golden eyes were wide, mouth dropped open in an ‘O’ shape. She looked enraptured at the other pet that the blonde had. He couldn’t blame her, really. The blonde girl was quite beautiful to him as well. She had to be new in Vale; those who looked after Pets were few and far between, and there was only one other his own age that was capable of having one, even if he didn’t currently: his friend Domino.

Yang Xiao Long was having a rough day. She and her family had recently moved here from Patch, and it was a very different thing moving to a big city after living her life on a coastal island. She had thankfully been given a week to be ready to start school, to acclimate to her new surroundings, but her pet…

“Emerald, calm! Its okay, nothing here will hurt you!” she tried to soothe her growling verdette haired pet. She had been an orphan thief before her family had gotten permission to care for her, making her one of the rare ‘therapy’ pets, since all she had ever stolen was food and the occasional clothing item.

She had been very skittish with the move, even though Yang had basically done her best to soothe her the entire time. It was what had brought the idea of the walk to her, get Emerald acclimated to their new home as well, but it wasn’t going that well.

Tugging on the leash again, Yang sighed. “Come on, Emerald! Don’t fight me on this!” she pouted, never having this much trouble with her before. A sudden growl from Emerald made her look up to warn whoever she saw off (while everyone knew about the Pet program, there were always those who thought it something sexual and liked to try and ‘rent’ a pet away from their ‘owner’) only for shock to fill her as she saw one of the most attractive young men (a very pretty one, a fleeting part of her mind wondered what he would look like in a dress) she had ever seen, holding a leash connected to a Pet of his own, a fair skinned brunette with golden eyes.

Untying his tongue, Garnet stepped forwards. “You’re obviously new in town, right? My name is Garnet Rose, and this is Cinder…” he barely registered Cinder moving a few steps forwards and sniffing at the green-haired Pet, who drew back with a slight growl.

Swallowing, Yang brushed hair back behind her ear. She was surprised. She of course knew that there were other ‘Pet Owners’ in Vale, which was part of the reason they had moved here, but she never expected to meet one in this huge city. “U-Um...yes, we arrived earlier this week. I’m Yang. Yang Xiao Long, and this is Emerald with me…” her hand reflexively tightened on the leash as she felt her Pet move back a bit.

Garnet swallowed, gently tugging a whining Cinder back to his side. He could tell she really wanted to get to know the other Pet, and he wouldn’t lie, he honestly would like to get to know Yang better...and he could tell Cinder wanted to get to know her Pet, Emerald, better.

‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Rose…’ he thought, before speaking. “Well, since you’re new to the town, would you like me to show you around? I can help you find landmarks and good local places.” he really hoped that he didn’t just sound like a hopeless moron then, but the relieved look on her face told him that his offer was appreciated.

“Thank you, I still can’t believe how big this city is! I grew up on Patch, everyone knew everyone there, it was so small.” Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Part of the reason that she hadn’t really learned much of the general area was worry that she would get lost.

Gripping Cinder’s leash, Garnet tilted his head with a smile. “Shall we go then? We met in a good place, this street takes us downtown.”

So, the tour began. Garnet led them to the downtown area. “That’s Pizzaria Mistrali! Voted best pizza in the city five years running...long line, though, so best to order ahead and pick up or have it delivered.”

“Over there is the Secretary of State, that building is the main branch of the Bank of Vale, and that is the Farmer’s Market.” he pointed towards several buildings, making sure Yang had time to put their placements in her memory before they moved on.

Garnet showed her where the main movie theater was, several of the other best restaurants, and other recreational areas, like the Arcades and Technology stores he and Domino frequented.

Walking down two blocks, Garnet turned to her. “You are carrying your Pet License, right?” he asked, getting a confused nod from Yang, who pulled it out of her pocket and showed him. Nodding, Garnet showed his. “Good, I’m taking you to the ‘Pet Owners’ area of Vale. This has places for us and our pets, like restaurants where we can take them and eat with them, places for care, and public and private parks for Owner and Pet.”

Walking up to the fenced off area, Garnet handed his License to the guard who scanned it and handed it back, nodding to him. Tentatively handing hers over, Yang said, “I just moved here last week, I’m not sure if-” she stopped when the guard offered her a kind smile.

“A requirement for changing locale to a different town is a month’s advance knowledge of a Licensed ‘Pet Owners’ in the family. Its to make sure your license is properly integrated into our database.” she scanned the blonde’s license and handed it back to her with a warm smile. “Enjoy your time with your boyfriend, dear.” she said, getting bright blushes from both Garnet and Yang.

Entering the gated area, Yang looked around seeing several other Owner and Pet pairs, most specifically a busty blonde with glasses leading around a modestly endowed ginger who was wearing a bowler hat.

“That’s Professor Goodwitch, a teacher at Beacon, and her own Pet, Romana Torchwick. She was a con artist before she got caught. She comes here at the beginning and end of every week, usually.” Garnet said, before tilting his head. “Come on!”

Yang glanced at the woman who likely would be one of her teachers shortly, before following her new...friend?, to wherever he was going.

After a few minutes of silent walking Garnet reached a small fenced in area. Flashing his license, the locked beeped and the door clicked open, which he held and gestured to Yang. “Here we are. A place for Cinder and Emerald to get to know one another, and we can talk as well.”

Yang smirked. “Just met me and you want to get me alone? Naughty~” she teased, delighting in the blush that streaked across Garnet’s cheeks. Chuckling, she entered the gate, tugging an intrigued, if pouting, Emerald along.

Calming his beating heart, Garnet looked down at a wide eyed Cinder, before following Yang inside of the private park section, the barred door locking behind them.

“...wow…” Yang murmured, looking around. The space was small, certainly, really only having a large bench, a small man made pond with a fence around it, and enough area to do a decent jog in she supposed. But it was beautiful.

“Yeah, this is one of the ‘Private’ areas of the park, generally only for one or two people and their pets. We can let them off their leashes for now and let them stretch themselves.”

“Sounds good,” Yang said, already kneeling down and beginning to fiddle with the leash attached to her collar, letting her cocoa-skinned pet loose, who immediately hopped away, watching Garnet warily, making her sigh.

Garnet leaned down and unlocked Cinder’s leash, petting her hair. “Be nice, Cin...I think Emerald’s had a rough time of it, like you.” he murmured in her ear, getting a nod and gentle nip on the fingertips from his Pet, who slowly began to walk towards the verdette.

Looking up at Yang with a smile, he spoke. “Well, since we’re letting them get to know one another, we can talk as well if you’d like?” he asked, hoping she would be willing, he would like to know her better.

Yang smirked, but her heart fluttered. He was very earnest and honest, and even then, people were screen so thoroughly when they were checked to be ‘Pet Owners’ that there was nothing hidden in their lives. He wouldn’t have Cinder if he was anything but. And he could tell he appreciated how she looked, but wasn’t perverted about it, like most of the boys she had met so far in Vale, like that blue-haired guy Emerald absolutely hated.

“Alright, sure. Thanks for leading me around all day, by the way.” Yang said, heading to the bench and sitting down on it, looking at her curious Pet who was was edging closer to the man made pond, sniffing at the flowers, while Garnet’s Pet watched carefully from a short distance.

“So, you say you grew up on Patch? What was it like? I’ve always lived here in Vale.” Garnet asked, looking at Yang in interest.

As her owner and the blonde regaled each other their general life stories, Cinder carefully approached the beautiful cocoa-skinned pet, making an inquisitive noise, getting a wary look from the red-eyed girl, who stared before purposefully turning away and looking towards the water.

Looking down, she licked her lips, her cock twitching as she saw the wonderfully round ass and tightly closed pussy. Leaning forwards, she took several sniffs of the offered area, cock getting harder and harder as she realized that the other Pet was in heat and ripe for breeding. Licking her lips again, she covered the last bit of distance and started lapping away at the pussy before her, making her new bitch stiffen and release several squeaky barks of shock...but the arousal quickly flowing over her tongue told her the truth. She wanted this.

Moving back, she quickly mounted her new bitch, thrusting her cock into her with a single smooth motion.

Yang and Garnet turned just in time to see Cinder thrust into Emerald’s core and begin to thrust against her. “Cinder, what are you doing?!” Garnet exclaimed, horrified. He readied to get up, but Yang grabbed his arm, shaking her head with a smile.

“It’s okay,” she said, waving off Garnet’s apologetic look, “Emerald has been antsy ever since I got her...maybe some puppies will help calm her down…” she chuckled. It was true, on the off chance that a Pet got pregnant due to a Pet/Pet relationship or the much rarer Owner/Pet relationship (which were much more strictly monitored, with frequent visitation from State Officials to make sure the Pets weren’t being abused in any way) the family caring for the Pet got Government subsidies to help raise the children.

Cinder panted happily, the hot and tight clench around her cock filling her with more pleasure than she ever remembered having flowing through her body. A long whine of pleasure left her mouth as she began to slam her hips back and forth, her new bitch’s legs giving out and her body flopping onto the ground, giving her more leverage.

Leaning down, she nuzzled the neck of her new mate, nipping gently at the tender skin both as a form of comfort (she was shivering) and a form of dominance, since before her legs gave out she had been trying to squirm away from her. ‘Mine,’ she thought, ‘Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.’

Yang licked her lips, feeling warmth pooling in her core as she watched her Pet being claimed. Despite the squirming until the neck bite, she could tell Emerald was enjoying what was happening to her...the squirming had already changed to shudders and her rear end was moving up as Cinder’s was moving down.

“Y-Yang?!” she turned to the right to see Garnet staring at her in shock, eyes wide and cheeks an almost glowing red. She wondered why, before she looked down to see her hand rubbing herself over her shorts. Her cheeks darkened, surprised and a touch mortified that she was practically masturbating in front of a boy she had practically met just over an hour ago!

But seeing the tent pitching in his pants, she licked her lips. She wasn’t going to let her first time be taken in a small park next to her pet...not only did she want to lose attention on her pet for any reason, but she also refused to let any possible camera get photos of her. But still...that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have any fun…

Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and gently placed it at the apex of her thighs, giving him a sultry smirk. “Come on, Garnet...give me a rub...don’t keep a lady waiting~”

Garnet couldn’t believe his luck; he had met the prettiest girl he had ever seen only today, and she was asking him to do this!? His hand began to move on its own, his long and thin fingers rubbing the seam of her shorts, feeling the warmth bleeding through the fabric and into his fingertips. God, his cock ached...and it didn’t help when Yang’s hands moved up under her jacket and rubbed and squeezed her breasts over her top.

Yang sighed as she watched her Pet getting fucked into the ground, being rubbed over her pussy and stroking and tweaking her sensitive breasts and nipples, unable to keep from moaning as she did so.

Cinder’s movements were becoming more frantic, a loud chorus of clap, clap, clap filling the small area as her hips slammed into Emerald’s, her new mate finally having accepted her place and working with her to bring them both pleasure. She knew she would fill, would breed, her mate...her balls hadn’t been emptied in a long while.

Emerald whimpered, biting down on her fingertips as she humped her rear upwards, shameful and originally unwanted pleasure filling her as her mate fucked her hard. Part of her was resentful, the other part overjoyed at being claimed, knowing that she wouldn’t be alone anymore. A needy whine escaped her as she felt her walls beginning to quiver, knowing she was about to cum and fully submit soon.

Yang watched with wide eyes as she was getting nearer and nearer to orgasm. She never got off this fast normally, but she supposed that a mix of not getting off during the period of the move, the show before her, and the fact that the cutest boy she had ever seen was next to her and rubbing her pussy through her shorts was driving her up the wall. Little shudders of pleasure began to overtake her form.

Garnet was painfully turned on, his cock twitching hard in his pants. It was going to be a pain hiding that, but he wouldn’t trade the awkward walk home for anything at this current moment. He would have never thought that any girl would ask him to do this, ever.

Cinder was close, so close. Her balls were throbbing and pulsing as they slapped against Emerald’s body, and she could feel the warm walls around her cock beginning to tighten.

Emerald whined and shifted underneath her mate, head tilting to the side and baring her neck to her mate as she finally gave in, eyes rolling back as she came hard, her pussy clamping down hard around the invader within it.

Cinder howled as her mate tightened around her, her walls rippling and flexing around her shaft, trying to draw her seed out. And she succeeded.

Burying her face into Emerald’s neck and whining in relief, she unloaded, her balls releasing everything that they held within them, bucking her hips in short stilted thrusts in order to make sure all of her cum entered her mate’s pussy.

Emerald whimpered as she felt her belly actually begin to swell from all the thick heat, feeling her mate lick at her neck as her hips slowly rocked into her rear, shuffling the cum in her pussy down towards her womb with the intent of breeding her. All she could do was accept her mate’s offering and comfort.

Yang shuddered, moaning low as she came, slumping against Garnet as her panties became soaked in her shorts. Thankfully her shorts were dark, otherwise there would be awkward questions. Looking up dreamily at the blushing teen, she couldn’t help but release a drunken chuckle. “How many girls have had the feel of these fingers, hmm?~” she teased.

“J-just you…” Garnet didn’t know why he was so flustered right now after all that had happened, but he cleared his throat. “I...don’t talk to a lot of girls...and the ones I do, see me as more the ‘little brother’ type…” he gasped as a hand cupped his groin and gave his aching length a gentle squeeze.

“Hmm, from what I’m feeling...there’s nothing little about you~” Yang teased, rubbing the heavy bulge, wondering how big he truly was. “Now, let’s let our Pet’s enjoy the afterglow and collect them...and when we get out of here and somewhere more private, maybe I can help you with this~”

Garnet swallowed at the hungry look in his new friends eyes, part of him wondering if this was just a very good dream he was having, and the rest ordering him not to question it. He shifted, although Yang didn’t lighten her grip on him as they both turned to check on their Pets.

Cinder was sure, as her cock slowly softened, that her mate was bred, but she wasn’t going to leave her warmth until she was sure that every drop of her cum was in Emerald’s womb, where it wouldn’t leak out when they separated. She gently nipped at the dark-skinned young woman’s ear, getting a light squeak from her.

Emerald was...content. Happy as she had been in as long as she could remember. She nuzzled back towards her mate, one of her hands drifting down to her swollen belly. All she could wonder was how many pups would be in their future...

[lafiyahenry]

Side Effects of Pressure

Can I be honest with ya’ll? 

Like REALLY honest? 

Whether or not people like it, I will live my truth and tell it as I see fit because that’s the only thing that I can do. I’ve been listening to a lot of Amanda Seales lately and maybe because of that, I have the confidence to write this post. Her podcast “Small Doses” definitely inspired the title of this blog post because she uses it for all the titles of her podcast Eg: Side Effects of Being Difficult etc. I’m tapping into her energy and power to talk about something I’ve had to live with since the day I came out of the womb. You guessed it: Pressure! I’ve had to live with a lot of pressure and it has affected my life in so many negative ways that I never talked about and I feel like now is the time to talk about it. Please keep in mind that I am talking to and about my experiences. I’m sure that many others can attest to it as well. 

My grandfather was the late, great Dr Reverend Lealand Henry. It was because of my grandfather I promised myself to never marry a man who was a pastor. Bear with me here, nothing is wrong with being a pastor, I have no qualms towards people who are pastors or even the church but If you were ever apart of a pastor’s immediate family, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s not fun. It’s hard and it affects your family in so many different ways. Growing up, I felt like I was never allowed to be myself. Not really. I couldn’t do the things other kids did, I couldn’t experiment, try new things or find myself the way other kids could. If I made a mistake or did something wrong it was blown out of proportion because of who I was. I would never forget this sentence that was said to me. I can’t even remember what is it I wanted to do but someone told me, “What would the church think?��� 

What would the church think?! Years and years later I found myself thinking like that. Obviously, I was unhappy. I felt like my every move was being watched and I hated it. It was hard, to say the least. As I got older, it didn’t get easier. When I did therapy as a kid, the one topic I always talked about was all this pressure I felt coming from every direction in my life. There was not just pressure because I was a pastor’s kid. There was pressure  because of who my family is, and the notions that come along with that. I was a smart child. Brilliant like my father, people said. So, that had to be reflected in my grades. I would bring home a B+ and would be told that I should have gotten an A. 

Eventually, I stopped caring. I stopped caring when I realized the more energy I put into caring about what other people think and constantly having to monitor myself and put myself on a leash, the unhappier I was. I had to put an end to it. I had to stand up for myself because it felt like nobody was standing up for me. So, much to the dismay of my grandparents, I stopped caring. The truth is, I still cared a little bit at that point but I was more myself. I feel like my life really started, you know? I was probably seventeen when I really started doing things that I wanted to do. My grandfather was retired but  I still felt required to things within the church and still uphold this persona that I didn’t want to do or be anymore. 

Earlier this year I came to the place where I wasn’t happy in this certain environment. I wasn’t growing,  I didn’t enjoy doing it anymore, I felt like I was there as an obligation. In my mind, I was doing it because I had to and I had no other choice. I was ready to give it up there and then but my boyfriend encouraged me to see it through. A big thing was happening and I had an important role to play. So essentially I put it off for a couple months. I swallowed how I was feeling and just did my best to be apart of the team. I was miserable!  Reflecting on it now, one of the reasons I completely shut down toward this thing is because they were putting a lot of pressure on me that I did not want. It was like I had to regress back into putting on this persona. A cookie cutter, PG-13 version of myself that felt fake. I couldn’t do this and I couldn’t say that and I couldn’t just be a flawed human like everyone else. I found the courage to let that thing go. There are flames around me, burning down from the impact but I am calm. I am calm and I am free. 

 I see a lot of miserable Pastor’s Kids. I personally do NOT miss being the granddaughter of an active pastor. I see them and I feel for them because I can only imagine what they’ve gone through or are still going through. It isn’t easy when everyone is holding you to a higher standard and it also isn’t fair. My whole life I’ve been regarded as everything else except myself. I’m always introduced as somebody’s daughter, somebody’s granddaughter, somebody’s niece, somebody’s something. I am Lafiya Henry. That’s who I am. None of those other things define me. I’m sending love and compassion to whoever may be going through the struggles. God’s got you. We’re all doing our best out here. 

Love, Lafiya. 

[colddisobedience-blog]

WINTER AND BUCKY

This headcanon is a long ass time coming but it’s going to be my go-to post in explaining the dynamic I have for The Winter Soldier and Bucky Barnes. As a forewarning this post covers major abuse, mental health talk, suicidal ideals, deliberate triggers, emotional manipulation ect ect ect - if you’re having a bad day please skip ahead.

So after combing for too long through the Winter Soldier comics and re-watching the movies I started to notice a re-occuring theme in Winter and Bucky that had my attention and it mostly delves down to the terminology Bucky uses as well as Winters reactions to outside stimuli.

We all know what happened to Bucky, Hydra caught him, experimented on him with tests of the super soldier serum and began first trials of a new mind control and neurological adaptive technique. Under his time with them Bucky went through a lot of intrusive testing and mind fuckery - it was abuse down to the bone, plain and simple. But it didn’t just come in strapping him down and pumping him full of painful concoctions.

Hydra wanted to wipe all loyalty and personalisation of Bucky from his head and make him an asset that was entirely loyal to Hydra, but they didn’t want to loose his skills or experience in the field. Keeping in mind that Bucky was a sargeant at that point and a hell of a renowned sniper in his own right it would be a waste to rid of talents by setting his mind completely, they may as well have just raised children as they did with the red room for that.

No. They wanted to keep the skillset and tacticians mind but change his loyalties and obedience and in doing that they took away everything that made him Bucky. They rewrote his personality, they used reward techniques so that he would associate disobedience with pain and loyalty with reward. Hydra took away everything that influenced Bucky’s morality (his family, steve, his background) and finally his name so he wouldn’t be able to look into that should he actually wiggle out of their grasp.

They were left with an empty husk of ability but not mind so they gave him a name, a handler to become emotionally dependant on and they taught him their own version of morality. Winter’s a weapon, no doubt, but he’s still a person. He has to be. A weapon can’t think in the field, it can’t react, it can’t make calculated choices and a weapon can be loyal to anyone that handles it.

Winter is loyal only to his Handler. A way to ensure loyalty isn’t split and keep the amount of hands holding the leash to a minimum. A handler was enforced, stayed and given control of him. The Handler and the Handlers superior were the only ones who knew the trigger words for him, anyone not given control was beneath winter and the one holding him.

Every time Hydra wiped his mind they didn’t remove Winters training, they didn’t remove WINTER they just wiped BUCKY. The resets ensured Winter was the fronting personality, otherwise it’d be a waste of time. With the amount we know Bucky kept breaking out if they had to restart from scratch every single time and re-train winter it wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

This specific strain of abuse, forcing someone to take an act that isn’t them, punishment for acting out of character - that strain of abuse caused Winter to have his own mindset entirely and a case of Dissociative Personality Disorder is honestly extremely likely.

Obviously it’s not canonly confirmed but - DISCLAIMER - as someone with DID the way that Bucky speaks of memory lapses, of whispers, of voices and actions he doesn’t remember and the way Winter so violently responds to being called Bucky, the visible dissociation when Bucky starts coming forward? It all fits the box.

DISCLAIMER PART 2: Don’t take this as me feeding a stereotype I’m very much not. Not everyone with DID is evil, DID isn’t a violent horrible thing and it isn’t the string of serial killers and shit. This is me acknowledging that the abuse Bucky went through was also put on Winter and that the mind simply had to cope in some way, Bucky through canon states that he knows Winter is still in him, that he can feel / hear him in his head and Winter recoils from Bucky entirely. They act as two people, for obvious reasons.

DISCLAIMER 3: I wont be having either of them use terminology nor will they be diagnosed, Bucky doesn’t want a therapist and in order to diagnose it they’d have to study winter which just isn’t a safe thing within Marvel universe. I’m letting y’all know this purely so you can see where my mentality lies and why I’m writing them as I do.

Which brings me to further points - Winter as a person and not just an asset. Despite what Hydra trained Winter for and despite the abuse forcing him to obey we see in the comics and slightly in MCU that Winter isn’t thoughtless or heartless. (As much as I hate the ship) It’s shown most in the comics in regards to Natasha. It wasn’t BUCKY who was with her, it wasn’t Bucky in that room, it wasn’t Bucky who fell for her. It was Winter and it’s Winter who she betrayed which is why Bucky’s dumbass was willing to hop around and see what happened whilst Winter went boi stop that.

Winter is a case of a personality regressing to what its abusers demands. Hydra demands him to be violent, Hydra demands him to be cruel so he is but Winter also makes personal choices. He chooses to pull Steve out of the river in search for whoever Bucky is and he chooses to Run rather than keep fighting Steve when Bucky starts fronting.

I’m not dismissing everything Winters done, before anyone starts getting on my ass about it, I’m simply pointing out the cold hard fact that whilst Bucky was abused, Winter wasn’t much better off.

HOWEVER due to the nature of Hydra’s reward and punishment system Winter’s morality scale is fucked and he has an idealisation of whoever is his handler. They’re his best bet at safety, they’re his best bet at surviving. Winter very much see’s a handler as his protection, as long as he behaves and pleases them they keep him safe.

So what about Bucky and Winter? Well, Bucky fucking hates Winter and Winter fucking hates Bucky. That’s probably not going to change, at all. Bucky for obvious reasons blames Winter for everything and is terrified of him and Winter is… angry. He’s pissed that he wouldn’t exist if not for Bucky but he’s also pissed that no matter what it’s Bucky people see. He thinks of Bucky as a weakness, an error in his system that he’d get rid of in a heartbeat. ( This isn’t usual DID mentality, this mentality only comes about in late term DID development e.g. when adults develop it because it’s rarely done. It typically occurs in children who haven’t got developed personalities anyway. )

Aaand we come to a big question. Can Shuri actually get rid of Winter? Hard no. She can’t. What Shuri did do was undo the conditioning and the trigger words that would force Bucky down but it doesn’t stop winter fronting if needed and his reactions can’t be predicted. I really hate to tell MCU this but trauma can’t be undone with a fancy machine and MCU can absolutely choke for trying to tell me that. What a goddamn quick fix dismissive mentality to character growth fight me infinity war -

anyway lmao

Bucky was given rest, she did what she could the rest should’ve been done with therapy but Bucky ran off before that could’ve continued.

So where am I at?? Winter & Bucky aren’t becoming just Bucky, Hydra are pieces of shit who should burn, they both need a hug though winter would probably stab you a little bit, mental health isn’t a gloss over for shipping marvel I will @ you on that and I think that’s everything!

I might come back and update this as and when I remember things! IF you’ve got any questions feel free to ask I hope I explained it right and heed those disclaimers thank you!

[notcompliant]

Winter and Bucky

This headcanon is a long ass time coming but it’s going to be my go-to post in explaining the dynamic I have for The Winter Soldier and Bucky Barnes. As a forewarning this post covers major abuse, mental health talk, suicidal ideals, deliberate triggers, emotional manipulation ect ect ect - if you’re having a bad day please skip ahead.

So after combing for too long through the Winter Soldier comics and re-watching the movies I started to notice a re-occuring theme in Winter and Bucky that had my attention and it mostly delves down to the terminology Bucky uses as well as Winters reactions to outside stimuli. 

We all know what happened to Bucky, Hydra caught him, experimented on him with tests of the super soldier serum and began first trials of a new mind control and neurological adaptive technique. Under his time with them Bucky went through a lot of intrusive testing and mind fuckery - it was abuse down to the bone, plain and simple. But it didn’t just come in strapping him down and pumping him full of painful concoctions. 

Hydra wanted to wipe all loyalty and personalisation of Bucky from his head and make him an asset that was entirely loyal to Hydra, but they didn’t want to loose his skills or experience in the field. Keeping in mind that Bucky was a lieutenant at that point and a hell of a renowned sniper in his own right it would be a waste to rid of talents by setting his mind completely, they may as well have just raised children as they did with the red room for that. 

No. They wanted to keep the skillset and tacticians mind but change his loyalties and obedience and in doing that they took away everything that made him Bucky. They rewrote his personality, they used reward techniques so that he would associate disobedience with pain and loyalty with reward. Hydra took away everything that influenced Bucky’s morality (his family, steve, his background) and finally his name so he wouldn’t be able to look into that should he actually wiggle out of their grasp. 

They were left with an empty husk of ability but not mind so they gave him a name, a handler to become emotionally dependant on and they taught him their own version of morality. Winter’s a weapon, no doubt, but he’s still a person. He has to be. A weapon can’t think in the field, it can’t react, it can’t make calculated choices and a weapon can be loyal to anyone that handles it. 

Winter is loyal only to his Handler. A way to ensure loyalty isn’t split and keep the amount of hands holding the leash to a minimum. A handler was enforced, stayed and given control of him. The Handler and the Handlers superior were the only ones who knew the trigger words for him, anyone not given control was beneath winter and the one holding him.

Every time Hydra wiped his mind they didn’t remove Winters training, they didn’t remove WINTER they just wiped BUCKY. The resets ensured Winter was the fronting personality, otherwise it’d be a waste of time. With the amount we know Bucky kept breaking out if they had to restart from scratch every single time and re-train winter it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. 

This specific strain of abuse, forcing someone to take an act that isn’t them, punishment for acting out of character - that strain of abuse caused Winter to have his own mindset entirely and a case of Dissociative Personality Disorder is honestly extremely likely.

Obviously it’s not canonly confirmed but - disclaimer - as someone with DID the way that Bucky speaks of memory lapses, of whispers, of voices and actions he doesn’t remember and the way Winter so violently responds to being called Bucky, the visible dissociation when Bucky starts coming forward? It all fits the box. 

Disclaimer part 2: Don’t take this as me feeding a stereotype I’m very much not. Not everyone with DID is evil, DID isn’t a violent horrible thing and it isn’t the string of serial killers and shit. This is me acknowledging that the abuse Bucky went through was also put on Winter and that the mind simply had to cope in some way, Bucky through canon states that he knows Winter is still in him, that he can feel / hear him in his head and Winter recoils from Bucky entirely. They act as two people, for obvious reasons. 

Disclaimer 3: I wont be having either of them use terminology nor will they be diagnosed, Bucky doesn’t want a therapist and in order to diagnose it they’d have to study winter which just isn’t a safe thing within Marvel universe. I’m letting y’all know this purely so you can see where my mentality lies and why I’m writing them as I do. 

Which brings me to further points - Winter as a person and not just an asset. Despite what Hydra trained Winter for and despite the abuse forcing him to obey we see in the comics and slightly in MCU that Winter isn’t thoughtless or heartless. (As much as I hate the ship) It’s shown most in the comics in regards to Natasha. It wasn’t BUCKY who was with her, it wasn’t Bucky in that room, it wasn’t Bucky who fell for her. It was Winter and it’s Winter who she betrayed which is why Bucky’s dumbass was willing to hop around and see what happened whilst Winter went boi stop that. 

Winter is a case of a personality regressing to what its abusers demands. Hydra demands him to be violent, Hydra demands him to be cruel so he is but Winter also makes personal choices. He chooses to pull Steve out of the river in search for whoever Bucky is and he chooses to Run rather than keep fighting Steve when Bucky starts fronting.

I’m not dismissing everything Winters done, before anyone starts getting on my ass about it, I’m simply pointing out the cold hard fact that whilst Bucky was abused, Winter wasn’t much better off. 

HOWEVER due to the nature of Hydra’s reward and punishment system Winter’s morality scale is fucked and he has an idealisation of whoever is his handler. They’re his best bet at safety, they’re his best bet at surviving. Winter very much see’s a handler as his protection, as long as he behaves and pleases them they keep him safe. 

So what about Bucky and Winter? Well, Bucky fucking hates Winter and Winter fucking hates Bucky. That’s probably not going to change, at all. Bucky for obvious reasons blames Winter for everything and is terrified of him and Winter is... angry. He’s pissed that he wouldn’t exist if not for Bucky but he’s also pissed that no matter what it’s Bucky people see. He thinks of Bucky as a weakness, an error in his system that he’d get rid of in a heartbeat. ( This isn’t usual DID mentality, this mentality only comes about in late term DID development e.g. when adults develop it because it’s rarely done. It typically occurs in children who haven’t got developed personalities anyway. ) 

Aaand we come to a big question. Can Shuri actually get rid of Winter? Hard no. She can’t. What Shuri did do was undo the conditioning and the trigger words that would force Bucky down but it doesn’t stop winter fronting if needed and his reactions can’t be predicted. I really hate to tell MCU this but trauma can’t be undone with a fancy machine and MCU can absolutely choke for trying to tell me that. What a goddamn quick fix dismissive mentality to character growth fight me infinity war -

Anyway lmao

Bucky was given rest, she did what she could the rest should’ve been done with therapy but Bucky ran off before that could’ve continued. 

So where am I at?? Winter & Bucky aren’t becoming just Bucky, Hydra are pieces of shit who should burn, they both need a hug though winter would probably stab you a little bit, mental health isn’t a gloss over for shipping marvel I will @ you on that and I think that’s everything!

I might come back and update this as and when I remember things! IF you’ve got any questions feel free to ask I hope I explained it right and heed those disclaimers thank you!

[netgirl-y2k]

wip amnesty day

fics that I’m never going to finish - one (1) Pitch, one (1) PoI, both femslash, both stop mid-sentence.

Pitch, Ginny/Amelia, fake dating 

Ginny found out she was dating Amelia the same way she found out pretty much everything about her life these days: from baseball gossip blogs.

"We're dating?" she hissed into the phone.

"There's a picture of us, from that night outside your hotel room..?" Amelia said it almost like Ginny might not remember.

And as much as Ginny might like to forget that she had called a woman who wasn't her agent, in floods of tears, to fly from New York to Arizona, and then later, out of her mind on painkillers and despair, had tried to kiss her outside her hotel room... Well, it was pretty hard to forget.

Ginny made a noncommittal noise and Amelia said, "The blogmaster called for a comment--" Ginny could almost hear Amelia's inaudible, put-upon sigh "--and Eliot answered."

"Amelia, we're not--?"

"Ginny," Amelia interrupted smoothly. "This isn't going to be like the time you believed Yardbarker that you were going to need tommy john surgery even after the Padres own doctors had said you wouldn't, is it?"

"...No."

*

Ginny was in an empty hotel meeting room with Amelia and Eliot.

"Okay," said Amelia, shaking out her blonde hair. "This is fixable."

"Why did you tell that blogger I was dating Amelia?" asked Ginny, and she actually felt a little bit sorry for Eliot, who looked like he wanted to crawl inside his tablet and die.

"I panicked, okay? They sent me that photo of the two of you, um--" Eliot choked a little "--and I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know that you liked girls, Ginny!" He shot a panicked look at Amelia. "Women. Like women, I mean."

Ginny stared at her sneakers and wanted to fall through the floor. "It's not something I've ever really explored."

"Why not?" Amelia asked gently, and something in Ginny's chest clenched.

"For the same reason I don't sleep with my teammates," said Ginny. "I get enough crap as it is without inviting any additional bullshit."

"This is how we'll handle it," said Amelia, all business again. "The photograph is already out there, and there's nothing we can do about that now. But on the bride side, we're in Arizona--" Ginny had come down to Arizona early to recuperate out of the limelight before spring training, and as far as Amelia was concerned they might as well be on Mars. "So this is our story: Ginny, you and I have been dating on and off for a few months--"

"Why on and off?" Eliot asked, tapping notes into his tablet.

"Because we don't want Ginny's legions of fans to think she's been cheating on her girlfriend with a tech billionaire."

Ginny groaned. The thing with Noah had sort of fizzled out; a bit because watching your MLB playing girlfriend train in Arizona sounded much sexier than watching your sort of girlfriend sulk and bitch about her physical therapy in Arizona, and partly because his advice that there should only be one voice on the mound had turned out to be crap; they had stats geeks in baseball for a reason.

"I've come to Arizona to help Ginny through her injury and work on our relationship. Before spring training starts we'll pretend to break up for good. The media can spin its wheels while you're out of the limelight, and it'll make it easier for you later if a relationship with a woman is something you do want to explore for real."

Amelia looked questioningly at Ginny, and because it sounded better to her than admitting that she'd overdone the painkillers and decided to add a sexuality crisis to her ongoing career crisis, Ginny nodded.

*

Mike had come to Arizona early too; his knees demanded that he spend some time with the physios.

"Mike, hold up!" Ginny called after him.

"What's up, rookie?"

"Um. So. You might hear a rumour that I'm dating Amelia."

Mike blinked; he blinked again, and said, "I'm getting back together with Rachel."

"Okay."

"Okay, then."

*

The picture was everywhere online; Ginny's hand curled around Amelia's bicep, her head tilted to one side and leaning close to kiss Amelia. The picture didn't show what had happened next; Amelia pushing Ginny away by the shoulders, her soft, admonishing Ginny; in the picture it looked like Amelia was about to kiss back.

GINNY BAKER LESBIAN??? was the title of the online gossip piece the picture was attached to; Amelia had rolled her eyes and said that more than one question mark was redundant when Eliot had first shown them the blog.

Back in her hotel room Ginny couldn't help but click back to the blog, although she hadn't been able to bring herself to read more than the first paragraph. She slammed her laptop closed and picked up the remote control.

"...So it doesn't matter if Ginny Baker is gay, bi, or just has damn good taste in women; her girlfriend is hotter than any of the neckbeards complaining online could ever dream of catching."

There was a knock at the door, and Ginny let it swing open allowing Amelia in.

"Katie Nolan thinks you're hot." Ginny gestured towards the television before clicking it off.

"I just came to see how you're coping with all this."

Ginny shrugged. "Okay. I was actually thinking that maybe we should be seen together more, seeing as we're supposed to be a couple."

Amelia's mouth quirked up. "Like a date?"

"Just dinner, here at the hotel."

"You really know how to show a girl a good time, Baker."

"I--"

"No, it's a good idea." Amelia grinned. "I'll tell you what though, fake date or not, I'm not picking out your outfit for you. You'll have to dress yourself."

"I think I can manage that."

*

Ginny hadn't felt bad about losing touch with Tommy after he'd been traded to Chicago, at least she hadn't until she'd realised that she didn't even have his number and had to ask Blip for it.

She'd had to listen to a ridiculous amount of bragging about how he had a world series ring now, but Tommy had spent the first few months of Ginny's rookie season out with a broken hand, so he could kind of understand what she was growing through.

She wasn't sure how helpful his advice that she should "be a total bitch to whoever they bring in to pitch your spot", but it did make her laugh.

After the story about her and Amelia broke he texted her a series of emojis that Ginny had to turn her phone on its side and squint to understand, and when she did she stuffed her phone down the side of the couch cushions with a , "Jesus, Tommy."

*

Dressing for dinner with Amelia was trickier than Ginny had expected; it wasn't a date, but it had to look like a date to onlookers. Plus, it had to be something she could get into by herself with her arm still immobilized and in a sling.

She wrestled herself into a black dress missing Evelyn the whole time; she left her hair down because she couldn't put it up one handed, and kept her makeup to lip gloss and mascara, things she couldn't mess up with her off hand.

Evelyn

PoI, Root/Shaw, the never to be continued continuation of this

Shaw walked down the New York City street, Bear's leash in her hand and the sun at her back. She felt... okay.

A payphone started ringing as she walked past, she stopped, and picked up the receiver.

"Sameen." The rebooted Machine was still using Root's voice. Shaw looked up and found a security camera blinking at her; she smiled. "Can you hear me?"

The camera blinked again. Shaw's vision whited-out, and she could feel Bear's leash dissolving in her hand; the simulation was resetting.

No.

Shaw couldn't see properly; removing the VR goggles and the hospital strip-lighting had been what caused her vision to white-out. There was a blurry figure hovering over her, and she struck out at where she guessed the Samaritan goon's throat was.

The flunky fell back with an audible ack. Shaw rolled to her feet, blinked, and the figure sprawled on her floor and clutching at her throat resolved into...

"...Root?"

"Hey, sweetie." Root croaked. "Miss me?"

Root was dead; she'd taken six millimeters of lead to the chest and died alone. Shaw wanted to kiss her; Shaw wanted her gone.

"Do you have a gun?" she asked instead. Sometimes there was an axe in the simulations, sometimes not; a gun would be better.

Root looked long and painful at Shaw, forced the puppyish expression from her face, nodded briskly once, and said, "I know where to get one."

She scrambled to her feet and pulled open the door. Stewart the creepy medtech was out cold in the hallway, his face an unhealthy shade of blue. Root grabbed one of his ankles and began tugging him through the doorway by inches.

During one of the first simulations, somewhere in the early hundreds, Samaritan, or Shaw's subconscious or whatever, had forgotten that Root had all the upper body strength of wet spaghetti, and she'd been able to lift Shaw clear off her feet during foreplay.

Shaw pressed down hard on the skin behind her ear, grabbed Stewart's other ankle and hauled him into the room. Root found a Glock 26 in his ankle holster, which was apparently the only gun he carried.

Shaw held out her hand for the gun.

"Sameen..." Root began. She dropped the hand holding the gun to her side, but stopped short of hiding it behind her back.

"Root."

"Look, the only reason we're not swarming in Samaritan agents is that She's interfering with their surveillance somehow. I don't know how long we've got."

"Then you'd better hand over that gun."

Root sighed audibly, and offered Shaw the gun butt first. Shaw took it and said, "Can your Computer Overlord find us a way out of here?"

Root hummed and pushed her hair back over her shoulder, tilting her head to show off the line of stitches running down from behind her ear where her cochlear implant had been removed. The stitches looked more or less professional; they'd probably scar, though they didn't look infected.

Shaw wanted to touch Root's neck; she wanted to scratch through the skin behind her own ear until she hit bone and sinew.

"Right," she said, briskly checking that the Glock was loaded and ready to fire. "We play on the highest difficulty setting this time, then."

*

Even without the Machine's help they managed to find their way to a stairwell without cameras, and overwhelm two Samarian agents netting them two more guns and a white lab coat that Root had thrown on over her hospital gown.

"Can't say I love the outfit."

"No?" said Root, coming dangerously close to striking a pose.

"Psych ward chic isn't really my thing," said Shaw. "So if you playing dress up is part of Samaritan's latest recruitment pitch then it's off to a bad start."

"Shaw..." Root began, and Shaw slammed her up against the wall as two Samaritan agents passed the door to the stairwell reporting that they'd cleared this floor into their earwigs.

Shaw was pressed up against Root, her face pressed against Root's shoulder; Root felt warm and solid and real... but then, she always did.

"Shaw..." Root began again, this time with a tremor in her voice; her hands were in fists against Shaw's shirt like she was trying really hard not to clutch at her.

"I swear to god, Root, if you're about to smell my hair..." Shaw pushed herself off the wall and away from Root. "If they've finished searching this floor we

[blackhatcannons]

Dude the mom blackhat hc's are freaking awesome especially the PTA one, so I'm wondering what he would do if he was chaperoning a school field trip, like taking the kids to a zoo or a museum 😊

((So just for the record, I’m gonna try to go through my entire askbox now that finals are over, answering the pre-hiatus ones first. (Thank you for your patience.) on the other hand I’m gonna be stuck on mobile for about a week so please bear with me on any weird formatting or typos. It’s good to be back.))

“What do you mean you need another chaperone?!?” “Boss please Joey’s mom got sick at the last moment and there aren’t any other volunteers!” “FUCK that, I’m not spending my one chance to have the house to myself on a bus with disgusting children.”

“………Boss did I mention that we’re going to a museum”

“FLUG GET MY RANSACKING-SACK, WE’RE GOING LOOTING.”

congrats flug. on one hand, now the entire class gets to go to the museum. on the other hand, BH is going to pull a heist

BH shows up in his civilian dad disguise and forces himself through gross pleasantries with the other parents

“Why yes, Karen, this is a new hat. Thank you for noticing. No Louise, I’ll be happy to take your shift during lunch. It’s not a problem.” (really, it isnt. he has clones ready for this shit)

“…..helen.” “Mr. Trueba. How, lovely, to see you.” “Really, the honor is mine. It must have taken quite the necromancer to get you out of the crypt this morning.”

It’s honestly impressive how BH manages to not kill anyone on the bus ride there. especially when Dementia started singing “The Wheels On the Bus”

They get to the museum in one piece somehow and BH promptly tries to fuck off to do reconnaissance but. Nope. Apparently he has a group of children to lead. Fuck.

“Alright kids on your left you can see whatever the fuck this piece of shit is supposed to be. And on your left there’s a statue; that’s pretty cool I guess.”

“People actually PAY for this shit?? –Flug I have an idea holy fuck” “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna say ev–” “EVIL PAINTINGS!!” “…”

Dementia is literally wearing a child leash so that she doesn’t go run around breaking the expensive things in this museum. 5.0.5 is the one holding the leash. He’s a registered “therapy dog.” Dementia is holding 5.0.5’s leash. Symbiosis at its finest.

BH sneaks away during lunch, when he promptly makes use of all the intel he’s gained on the museum’s security systems, and casually steals half the art gallery.

He stores all the stolen art in his pocket’s pocket dimension. Gotta love using the void as a purse.

so the museum trip goes pretty well, all things considered. It’s the Zoo Incident that’s a disaster.

It starts off fine enough; 5.0.5 has a lovely time at the butterfly garden and Demencia has looted the gift shop.

BH spends a very long time staring at the squid and octopus exhibits with an odd expression on his face

But everything goes to shit once they get to the tiger exhibit. BH has been so well-behaved, he can’t just leave without having caused some mayhem. He has a reputation to uphold.

The victim he chooses is some student who has been tapping on the glass of the various enclosures since the start of the trip. BH can appreciate a good rule-breaker, but not a fucking annoying one. And little Sammy or whoever the fuck is taking the cake.

So, he does what any respectable person would do. One minute the kid’s yelling for the tiger to “stop being boring and come out of it’s den already”, the next moment he realizes he’s in the exhibit

BH (and the other students) laugh and watch him run around in circles from an excited-looking tiger. The security team get there before anything can happen, unfortunately. BH and the children collectively groan.

He gets yelled at later by Helen for “letting a kid get stuck in the tiger cage” but counters that with his own yell about how “a piece of shit brat like that deserved a smaller cage with more tigers.”

Needless to say, he’s banned from chaperoning. That’s fine. (It was his plan all along). Still, might as well pull one final trick for his last hurrah.

As the students make their way back to the busses, BH casually snaps his fingers. On cue, every single lock on the animal enclosures open at once.

“What was that?” “Oh, nothing. Probably. Let’s just get onto the bus. Now.”