#oh yeah as i mentioned this is recently after their cat mutation but they also mutate again later for their villain arc :3 :3 :3

[uwuinhell]

This whole concept has been stuck in my head for a few days and I never yapped about it to anyone so I ended up drawing it.

To explain what's happening, in case it's not too clear; Ginger (the kibby) has been able to hear a lot More stuff due to their recent mutation, and thus has trouble sleeping. So, they go to the lab where Donnie (the turtle obv) is working. And the loud, more-or-less consistent noise blocks out/overrides all the many little sounds, which helps Gin sleep. :3

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High: The Seven Ep 5

Through a Glass, Darkly

Welcome back to the Temple of the Earth Defiant where the girls and their magical horses (and one pony!) have found refuge from the strange, twisted, fae creatures that have been chasing them. The statue of Asha Hammerheart that Ost animated last episode is still alive and wrecking house on the remaining harpies and beasts that are foolish enough to keep fighting and the rest soon get the hint and flee. 

Ost does some healing (boosted by the ambient Hallow effect of the temple which gives everyone a short rest) and then, seeing the damage to the temple caused by erosion, starts using Mending to fix things up. Her friends help out too with Sam and Yelle being most effective--Sam by repairing water damage and Yelle by creating tree cover and other druid-y tricks. But of course, we can’t overlook Katja’s crucial addition of carving “A Horse is a Home” into one of the walls of this sacred temple. 

Anyway, the girls are nesting super hard, the horses are having their scrapbooking reviewing club (an insane thing that was established last episode) and then Sam asks a question. Did y’all mention something about a photo of me going viral? Everyone’s like yeah, but don’t worry, you looked super hot. That’s not the part Sam was worried about. What she’s worried about and what all the girls except Zelda don’t really seem to know is that Sam doesn’t really have a social media presence. So like, 180k and climbing views (as decided by a dice roll) isn’t really what she wants. She scrolls through the comments really quick and sees that they’re not awful but one person is like, “Hey that girl looks a lot like that character from that old show”. Which Sam doesn’t love. She says that she’s fine but also that, even without an Insight check, she’s obviously not. 

Sam kind of looks to Zelda to bail her out and Zelda is like, “Hey, I’m gonna delete this video.” The other girls follow suit, even though they don’t quite know what’s happening. When they have to split up to investigate, Sam has Zelda kind of bail her out again and they split up to go check a nest outside--Zelda waving off Danielle when she wants to go with. Ant and Yelle decide to check out a cache of some treasure they saw earlier and Ost and Katja stay with the horses to keep fixing the temple up. Penny initially goes with Ant and Yelle but rushes back to be with Ost and Kat when Ost discovers a hidden lock while she’s fixing a wall.

So, the girls are split up, let’s run all these scenes.

Antiope and Yelle

Ant and Yelle go see the pile of treasure (near the statue of dwarven paladin Yvonna) which they learn is like a “take a penny leave a penny” situation for weapons and items. They were left by adventures who were similarly chased here and you can take what you need as long as you leave something to help others. Like, “Oh no I only have an ice sword and I need flaming arrows.” It doesn’t have to be equivalent exchange, you just need to leave something useful.

In this space, Yelle feels a weird melancholy and like they’re within the watch of something vast and powerful. She tries to check for TK’s presence but rolls low. Antiope leaves her Kalvaxus killing shortsword and takes some really nice, white feather fledged arrows with mirror tips and an ax Kat wants as a present for her dad. Danielle takes a bandolier of potions (3 healing and 2 mystery I believe) and leaves a bunch of mushrooms. Some of them are psychedelic and Ant takes one because this is probably a good time to be high, right?

It’s not messing with her competence obviously though because she rolls a 25 on Primeval Awareness and gets a weird sense, like something is closing in on this place. And like something very powerful is bleeding, which combined with the chaos of the mountains might explain the weird harpies and the cat/dogs. But she’s high so she explains this is a very spacey, stoner way. Probably a good thing she’s with Yelle.

Sam and Zelda

Sam can fly and Zelda can basically walk vertically with her goat legs so they check out the nest. Well, ostensibly that’s what they’re doing. Really they’re just having a heart to heart. Sam thanks Zelda for saving her ass and apologizes profusely for being so short with her. Zelda gives her a huge mid-air hug and says it’s not a big deal because she knows Sam is just lashing out because she’s hurting but Sam says it’s not a good enough excuse and she’s truly sorry. It’s been her coping mechanism for so long but she doesn’t want to be that way. She tells Zelda that the Everpetals are divorcing and that she’s living alone and Zelda says that any one of the girls would be happy to have her stay with them. Sam further explains that this is a big part of the reason she’s been so broken up about the possibility of their group splitting up and Zelda immediately takes out her crystal and texts her “I’m in” in the thread, breaking Sam again. 

Since they’re in heart to heart mode, Sam tells her that she talked to her bio-mom and an agent and she’s not sure what to do. Zelda says that she’s gonna be spectacular no matter what she does and she doesn’t have to do any of them but it’s cool doors are opening for her but also Antiope and Penny are gonna be PISSED that she’s out here making side plans after she gave them so much shit for theirs. Lol, well it’s a nice moment in the meantime and we cut to…

Penny, Ost, and Katja 

While Penny is lockpicking (and also trying to teach one of the horses to lockpick because sure) Katja and Ost go talk to the statue of Asha Hammerheart. It seems to be animated with at least some level of her true consciousness from beyond the grave and that she can kind of woge into her statue when she wants, which is cool. She’s been there for like 250 years so that’s a lot of history to see. 

Ost is maybe the most polite we’ve ever seen her talking to Asha (at least to begin with lol) and they ask her about TK. Asha says she saw TK show up 12 years ago but she never left, at least not through the front door. And then about 2 years ago (right around when they were in the crystals) that’s when the harpy queen showed up. At first they were normal and then they started mutating. Also, recently, Korra (one of the other statues/heroes) saw a woman in the mountains--not TK. 

Ost then takes a page from the book of one St. Kristen Applebees and asks, “Hey. What’s the deal with our god? He never talks to us, does he just suck?” Asha--who has never talked to him even though she’s a martyred hero and literally in dwarf heaven makes some excuses for the guy but Katja scoffs at them. “If people wanna take care of you, they do.” Ost then straight up asks if Logran Soulforger is even real which sets Asha off but Ost isn’t mad AT her, she’s mad FOR her. You go and do all this cool shit to the point where you have this cool ass statue, you fully DIE for him and he doesn’t even say hi? With a 21 Persuasion check, Asha admits that yeah, she would have liked some recognition. She decides she’s gonna go do some talking to some people and leaves after getting Ost’s number but before they can ask more about the woman Korra saw (who they think is Charity). 

OK, that’s all the small group stuff! Everyone comes back as Penny finishes up with the lock and they go down into this room that’s full of polished, precious stones. This is probably where people who were upkeeping the temple stayed. While everyone else is going down, Sam feels some powerful magical pull--much like her episode 1 Lightning Lure--calling her from the top of the stairs so she goes back up. We’ll get back to her in a bit. 

Penny rolls a high check to clock what’s going on down here. First off, she finds flintlock bullets and airship uniform scraps which makes it seem like there was a battle here involving some airship guys from the Baronies. Which is not just the place of origin of Riz’s imaginary Romance Partner. It’s a cluster of nations known for high rates of monarchical turnover and renaissance style intrigue. I’m picturing just a nation of [REDACTED]s from Crown of Candy. 

With all of this stuff, Penny finds an emblem of a billionaire airship mogul named Lord Talcidimir Tallbreeze who is a friend of her dad’s. Yelle is immediately like FUCK billionaires which isn’t plot relevant but it’s nice to know she’s always on brand. 

Oh also, Penny just casually finds the Legendarium so that’s neat. 

To be safe, Ost casts Protection from Energy on Ant (who is the one who knows how to use it) and brings out her Spirit Guardian (who is a combo of her mom, nona, and Asha, with her dad’s rings). Ant checks it out and sees that there are currently no A, B, or C quests in all of Spyre. While Penny cross references the bylaws to see if there’s a way to get around this, Yelle does some druid BS that I still do not understand to use the crystals in the cave to jailbreak this super powerful magical Artifact so they can just have copies on their crystals. While that’s happening, let’s check on Sam. 

Sam goes back up the staircase where she sees Ending who doesn’t look menacing at all, just extremely sad. She’s looking out the mouth of the cave and, when she turns, Sam can see she’s crying blood. 

“What’s wrong?” asks Sam, the acid-tongued but good-hearted. “Can I help you?”

With a 25 Persuasion check to get her to talk, Ending apologizes for scaring her and her friends before. She didn’t mean to. She sometimes forgets that her very nature can be frightening and dangerous to others. She says that when she escaped, she tried to rejoin her sisters but found their mirrors shattered and them gone. Sam thought they escaped but that doesn’t make sense to Ending. If they had, why wouldn’t they have freed her as well?

Sam asks who her sisters were and we finally get true names for Ending and her sisters:

Chrona, Terra, Pyrria, Nira, Zefira, Anima, and herself, Talura (which is what I’ll be calling her now that we know). Talura is the baby, the youngest. Sam realizes she’s talking about the Eidolons and Talura seems surprised and a bit pleased that Sam recognizes them. 

Sam asks if she can hug her and Talura hugs her tightly in a very cold embrace that doesn’t hurt. Downstairs, she hears her friends (Penny specifically) freaking about about the lack of quests but she doesn’t break the hug. 

“My own sisters are struggling right now but I’m gonna stay with you because you don’t know where yours are. But maybe we can find them.”

Talura clocks that the way that Sam is being is her true nature, not the bitchiness she often uses as a shield. Then she starts to talk about her history. That she and her sisters were sealed away when the gods were done with them (Sam can relate to being used and set aside) and the only way out was death. Talura has been crying and looking for her sisters to no avail. Her tears of blood leaking seems to be what caused the monsters to mutate which is in line with what Yelle and Ant were sensing. 

Talura doesn’t think anything could have destroyed her sisters so she’s very confused. Sam offers Talura her Mirror of the Past because it almost knocked out Sam to get god-tier information but Talura presumably won’t have that problem. Talura offers her a boon in exchange for this great kindness but Sam says she doesn’t need any quid pro quo. “This is just because you’re hurting.”

Talura is supremely touched and still wants to do something for her new...friend? Sam accepts the title and says that what she needs is some help on her GED quest. Once she explains what she means, Talura again recognizes Aguefort and is like, Oh, you need a quest? I can totally help with that! As we learned earlier, these guys are kinda genie connected so it’s not super surprising when Talura very happily goes full your wish is my command.

Downstairs, a Class A quest suddenly appears in Spyre on the screen. 

Back upstairs, Talura says that it’s been too long since she got to grant a wish and seems really happy about it. Sam gives her the mirror so she can check what happened to her sisters but when she does, she totally flips out and gets super angry--not at Sam, just at whatever she’s looking at. She can hardly believe it. Sam tries to figure out what’s wrong but she just gets super big and then disappears into a puff of smoke, leaving Sam's mirror on the ground, covered in frost. 

Downstairs, the Class A quest expands across the entire globe and then the Legendarium cracks. Ost’s spirit guardian disappears because of alarm bells ringing in the afterlife. And the girls learn that a Class A quest is a quest that affects the whole MULTIVERSE. Yikes!

So anyway, they girls go upstairs to check on Sam (on a bear that Penny makes because sure) and they see that something clearly just happened with Sam. Yelle asks if she’s good and Sam is like yeahhhh I don’t think ANYONE is good right now. Sam seems like she’s about to cry and Antiope instantly forgets all the petty bullshit going on between them and rushes to make sure she’s not hurt. 

Sam gives the girls a rundown of what happened and Yelle concretely puts together what I said earlier about Talura’s tears messing with nature. 

Sam wants to check her mirror to see what Talura saw and Brennan says she can do it the safe way with risk of failure of the surefire way with risk of personal harm. She, of course, picks door 2 and rolls a 13 on her con save which means she rises into the air like Storm from X-Men, eyes wide, and then instantly passes out and goes into shock. Antiope is there to catch her as she does. 

Also, she looks SUPER hot while falling on a 31. Honestly, it’s a shame she doesn’t allow herself a social media presence. 

Anyway, we’ll get to what she sees in a bit. Yelle and Ant make sure she’s OK (she is, but the has to be knocked out for this or she won’t be able to handle it). 

Penny tells them what she knows about each Eidolon from her earlier research which is what element each goes with:

Chrona: Time (Related to astral and elemental planes) 

Terra: Earth

Pyrria: Fire

Nira: Water

Zefira: Air

Anima: Life

Talura: Death 

They also talk about TK never leaving via the front door and all this airship stuff being around. Maybe she left out the top of the mountain on an airship? Katja has the hookup with this Tal guy (she’s met him when she was younger) so they decide they need to check it out once Sam is good. 

The girls fix the Legendarium and Ost, when she goes to pray for her spells for the night, doesn’t pray to her usual god. She prays to Asha. And not only does she get her spells, she also gets a new one--Commune. 

And now let’s get to what Sam is seeing in her Vision Coma. 

She was told by Talura that the only way out of the mirrors given to them by the gods was death. And what Talura saw that drove her to do whatever multiverse threatening thing that she did was every one of her sisters walking out of their mirrors and choosing death. I will specifically highlight that the oldest sister leaves almost immediately with a small, “Oh,” of realization and Anima, the closest sister to her seems terrified before coming to a joyful realization and leaving.

And that’s the end of the episode! Join us next week when apparently there is talk of a masquerade ball?????? Brennan, you shouldn’t have!   

Superlatives 

Sam: Most Likely to Accidently Snag a Brand Deal

Did you guys ever read the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche? Where Psyche was born so hot that it was basically a curse and she was miserable because she was so hot that Aphrodite hated her? That’s Sam. She is incapable of almost dying in a non-aesthetic way. It’s like a Pantene commercial every time. This is my favorite running gag.

Random Thoughts

Man, I have so many feelings about Sam. She’s such a BITCH in so many ways but it’s so obvious that she has a good heart. Every time she has an opportunity to be nice with no gain--helping Lola find her dog, magically turning the pages for the horses during book club, fully refusing a boon from Talura--she does. And I’m glad she gave Zelda such a sincere apology and didn’t let the extenuating circumstances absolve her because she said some pretty uncalled for things. But at her core she’s so kind and I want only good things for her. 

Also those of you who know me from my FH recaps know I’m a messy bitch for sister stuff so Talura and Sam both referring to the other maidens as her sister had me dead. You can tell when something in this show is f’ing me up when I just start directly quoting instead of paraphrasing. 

Katja being richer than Helio but having no idea what any of the brands Ost is mentioning are is peak comedy.  

As is Ant’s response to the take and penny leave a penny translation from Ost, “No, Penny didn’t come with us.”

Ost: I get service in the afterlife.

You could really tell which of the players watched Sophomore Year because the Baronies came up and all of them went into fight or flight immediately. 

Very Elsa vibes from Sam during the top of the scene with Talura. (Sam is, of course, a better sister but we simply do not have time to get into my feelings on Frozen 2 right now).

I was wondering why this season was called just “The Seven” when it dropped initially. Like, was it snappier? Did they not want to use the word “maiden”? But they still call themselves the Seven Maidens in the show so it’s probably not that. Now I’m wondering if it’s just to parallel the 7 of them w/ the 7 Eidolons. 

So it seems clear based on the reactions of the first and sixth sisters that they didn’t just “go gently into that good night” as Ant would say and ditch Talura. It seems like they figured something out. Also Brennan isn’t really a “and then they all died, the end” kind of DM, you know? Credit to my friend @camwritery for getting here before I did but the gods said the only way out was death and she is death so you know? Those def seem like puzzle pieces that go together. 

The only crit rolled this episode is a 1 by Penny which she gets to reroll as a halfling. 

[murphystartedthefire]

Conageddon - Richard & Luisa Panel

This is all out of order but finally sharing some notes and memories from the GLORIOUS Memori panel. I got my people. <3

UPDATE: The panel is now online! 

Firstly, they used this Memori fanvid as the intro, giving us all the feels - glad I was able to track down the song and video!

- My general thing that I said to @doortotomorrow is that honestly the whole vibe of their panel was so sincere and supportive and sweet. A lot of people commented what a switch it was from earlier in the day when Richard was being really silly with Bob and Zach, all messing around and could barely give a straight answer to a question on their panel -- which was enjoyable for other reasons! (a.k.a. Richard had just been handed a bubble maker and just spent 2/3 of the panel releasing a steady stream of bubbles and distracting Bob with it until he ran out.) But here they were talking really thoughtfully about their characters while still having funny moments. GET YOU A MAN WHO CAN DO BOTH etc.

- Re: The beer pong games from the party the night before, he was so proud of her for winning with him and she credited him for teaching her. Richard calls her his “masterpiece” lol.

- In season three when Murphy was "courting" Emori, Richard would be cute between takes and give her things like a little leaf as a gift. And then she threw it away when she thought he wasn't looking, and Richard was acting all offended. (Confirmed Soft Boy Murphy.)

- They share Memori songs with each other and listen in one earbud each while preparing for scenes. Before the rocket scene in "God Complex" they were listening to "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie, she ran to him like you *have* to listen to this. Another one Luisa introduced him to was ”Scared” by The Tragically Hip ... Richard started singing it softly. I apparently willed this panel into existence with my mind. (sobs) EDIT: Thank you to @dailymemori for pointing out, Richard’s Memori song recently was “Here I Am” by The Boxer Rebellion.

- At one point Richard started talking about how he has such a close relationship with her but never felt like there was a danger of fiction blurring with reality... like Luisa is so beautiful and smart and kind and yet they never think about each other that way (romantically) and would be like "god no" if someone suggested it, she's just Lu to him. <3

- They talked about how Murphy and Emori saw something in each other immediately, that they were kindred spirits, Richard: "I get your crazy and I like it." Their first episode together, Richard said it was a test, they didn't know if a love interest could ever work for him. He emailed Jason to say how great she was and that they had to bring her back. Luisa remembers the moment where she has the knife to his neck and he looks up at her, she saw the look in his eyes like "damn."

- They were asked a question about how they come down from doing intense emotional scenes, Richard said it’s easier for him when he knows he did a good job, he’s amped up and feels good about it. Luisa said that Richard is hard on himself and his own worst critic when he thinks he's not doing well in a scene. "He can give 100% and be upset he didn't hit 101%." He was jokingly like "Well yeah, that's just one more percent, I could've done it!"

- On that note, one scene they struggled with at first was the rocket/shock collar scene in 5x06 "Exit Wounds", because they knew how important it was to the season, it's basically the time when they actually do communicate about their breakup and the reasons for it. Their timing felt off, and the people on set knew to leave them alone and let them figure it out together.

- It was just... super validating to hear them talk from their perspective about Memori's S5 arc centering on that scene. Richard placed a lot of it on Murphy’s demons and headspace and with her thriving in space it felt to him like she was pulling away so he had to faster and harder.

- I’m cheating and editing this in because I’d forgotten about it, but there was a question about Emori and Raven’s relationship and Luisa tied that into talking about Emori’s disability and how she doesn’t really sit in her feelings about it; it’s actually their abilities that drew them together, them both being really capable and Emori being so amazed with what she could do with tech.

- I believe this also came up at the meet & greet but Richard is so sick of Murphy being called a cockroach, heh. It's not the animal HE associates with him... to him from the very beginning, Murphy has been a feral dog who was kicked and abused too many times, and is one who will snap back at everyone because of it rather than cowering.

- In the same/opposite way, Luisa saw Emori as a cat. (She talked with me about this a little bit at the autograph table too!) She has a workbook of things that inspire her and help her get into character, and in it she had a picture of a black jaguar or panther. It's alone and skittish and colored dark like her soul -- and now next to it, she has another picture of a lioness with her pride and that's Emori now. <3

- There was one particularly hilarious callback to the boys’ panel earlier. The guys were asked an odd question about which 3 animals they'd put together to make the most dangerous animal. Bob, Richard, and Zach were getting *extremely invested* in the question and arguing with each other & defending their animal choices. Richard had centered his answer on a hippo and kept going on a rant about how scary hippos are, even bringing it up after they moved on to the next question....

- So fast forward to the Richard/Luisa panel. I forget how it was brought up exacty, maybe moderator Jo was like "at least we're not talking about hippos anymore" or something to that effect. And Luisa immediately reacted like "oh no, hippos are the worst. They're so scary." and talking about a violent hippo video she saw. And Richard just STOOD UP, so shocked and vindicated, like, YES. THANK YOU. This is why he loves her! Lmao.

- Luisa mentioned the backstories that they come up with for their characters but nothing is canon until it's canon. Richard echoed this and said before the reveal of what Murphy's crime was, he always used to say he peed on the last tree. He figured Murphy was just a pee-er because of the scene in S1 where he peed on that kid. Luisa being snarky: "When I met him I thought, that's the man for me. A pee-er."

- One audience member brought up the point that Murphy & Emori mirror each other, like he did better as a Grounder and Emori did better in space, the places they were always banished in. They were like "whoa!" and marvelling at that idea, Luisa said she thinks they may have talked about that parallel before but forgot about it. After that insightful comment came a surprisingly simple "what superhero duo would you be" question. Richard to Luisa: "I'd be Robin to your Batman any day."

- Question: Octavia used Lincoln's tattoo as her war paint, would Murphy ever wear war paint based on Emori's tattoo? Richard whispered with her as if worried he might give away a spoiler, then cryptically said "wait and see". O_o

- Luisa said she would’ve liked to see Emori and Pike interact with her distrust of authority. Richard would’ve liked Murphy to meet Lexa since the only time they did was her death scene. Jo said Emori and Lexa would’ve been interesting too; Luisa thinks if she had reached out to bringing the mutated Grounders back Emori would be wary and not want to trust her.

- Another audience question that I *have* to give a shout-out to for its creativity, someone pointed out that if Emori had been given the nightblood & survived, it could have led to Commander Emori & Flamekeeper Murphy. Again they had no real answer because it was just like "huh I have no idea what they would do with that power, that sounds like a bad idea for Murphy." :p But I am very into this AU idea.

- What would Murphy and Emori do if they switched bodies in a Freaky Friday situation. Richard: "I'd go find me. Emori's got a cute boyfriend." XD Luisa said very innocently she'd challenge someone to a race, she wants to see what this body can do.

[not-all-that-chic]

A Summer With You

Yoongi x Reader [Hybrid!AU]

“ Nearing my graduation, the stress of being alone when the time comes forces me to make a decision: befriending a hybrid. ”

trans. | I want this one to last forever.

genre | Angst, Fluff

wordcount | 10.8k

warnings | language, sexual themes, implied rape, abuse, character death

rec. track | ♫ ♩

The phone rang a few times. I chuckle at my friend; she never picks up. Finally, she answers and she breaths into the line.

"Did you run to the phone again?"

"Okay. Let me explain."

I laugh.

"So, I was jamming to my ringtone hella hard. Cause you know how Skyway is my favorite song."

"It is. Uh-huh."

"So then I realized, wait, that's my phone ringing! So I ran— but I picked up!"

"It's okay," I sigh into the phone. Typical of her. "I actually wanted to ask where you got Peanut from."

"My dog?"

"Yeah, your dog Peanut."

"It's on the Gangju and Huanghe intersection. It's a really nice pet store-"

And I wince.

"—Okay I know you hate pet stores, but I'm just saying that's where I got Peanut from. My dad came and bought him for me as a birthday gift."

"I wanted to go to a shelter to get a pet. Not a pet store."

"I totally understand that! But recently, with all the hybrids being thrown into shelters, full-blown animals are getting less frequent in shelters."

"That's horrible. Both the fact they're euthanizing innocent animals for space and the fact they have humanoids in animal shelters." I frown.

Ever since scientists discovered a way to cross humans and animals, hybrid pets have become the norm. And the problem with that is that although they don't have the intelligence of humans, they shouldn't be treated so horribly.

On top of that, over half of the hybrids are born with defects and live about as long as their animal counterparts. It's disgusting. I would go as far as to say that they shouldn't exist, for their own sake.

"I think you should get a pet. You've been stressed right?"

"Yeah. I'm close to graduating and I'm really panicking over my thesis."

"Maybe you should just get a boyfriend. Bet that would help."

I blush.

"Okayyyy. Bye." I hold the phone in front of my face.

"Bye~"

After hanging up, I look around my decorated and furnished apartment, but then realize despite its fullness, it feels empty. Maybe I should check out that pet store she talked about. With that in mind, I grab my keys, lock the door and go to my car.

As I drive to the store, I ponder. Who exactly gave scientists the bright idea to create hybrids? Humans and animals have evolved differently, so why combine them? The hybrids are entirely dependent on humans, like dogs or cats, but much more pricey and difficult to care for.

Not to mention how fetishized they are in the media or fiction. Why on Earth would someone want to have sex with a hybrid? It's just...unethical.

And that's not even the worst of it.

Before I know it, I've arrived at the store. The Flower Pot. A name much more fitting for a floral shop than a pet store.

I'm greeted at the entrance: "Welcome to the Flower Pot! Where friendship grows!" A boy with a boxy grin practically screams at me.

I suppose that's where they get the name. Not resisting my curiosity, I explore the well kept and cute store. The floors have a cute, sparkly confetti pattern and each section is labeled with a scripted, pink sign. It's cute. I find myself smiling at the fish tanks with soft pink sand beds.

I tap a glass with a bright yellow fish. It swims away, kicking up little bubbles. In another tank, there's a small, lime-green salamander.

"Need some help?" I jump at the voice. When I turn around, I'm greeted by a tall and kind looking boy. His name tag reads 'Jungkook'. He's smiling, looking like a bunny himself.

"Oh. I'm looking for a companion."

"Okay! Follow me then please!" He walks quickly and I'm almost left behind. I speed past a few cat cages until we reach the back of the store. There are at least ten glass containers lining the walls.

All of which holding hybrids. I nearly vomit. I feel sick just watching them. Jungkook motions me forward. One of the hybrids jumps forward, his cute, black kitty ears standing up.

"Hello! I'm Jimin!" Surprisingly, he talks! Why are such intelligent...creatures being held captive in enclosed spaces?!

"I'm sorry, Jungkook, but I'm not interested in a hybrid."

"What?" He asks, eyes wide. "Why not?"

"I don't think a hybrid should be enclosed in a space barely big enough to fit a dog. I also think it's wrong to have them as pets. It's inhumane." He smiles.

"I completely agree, but my friend told me something once. Uhhh," he pauses, trying to remember.

"Oh right! "If you take one and treat it how it should be, then that's one less hybrid being treated badly." Or something like that." He rubs his neck and chuckles.

That's an incredible point. If everyone were to take that initiative, maybe hybrids could begin to live well. Or at least better than they are currently.

"Jungkook!"

"Oh! Sorry. Taehyung is calling me. I'll be right back, okay, Miss?" He doesn't wait for me to respond as he runs to the front of the store.

As soon as I return my attention back to the wall, Jimin is smiling at me patiently.

"Your name is Jimin, right?"

"Yes. You're really pretty and smart. Can you please take me home?" His eyes are wide and sparkly. That's too cute. And really shocking. Something slams against the glass on the container to Jimin's left.

"No! Take me home! Please please please please please-" I walk in front of the container, and the dog hybrid's tail wags wildly. His face and smile instantly brighten.

"Hello. What's-"

"I'm Hoseok! It's so nice to meet you! You're so nice! And your hands look soft! Can I touch your hand please?!" His energy catches me by surprise, but I smile and reach a hand forward into one of the little holes in front of him.

The Golden Retriever hybrid eagerly shoves his head under my hand. I giggle at his reaction.

"Wow wow wow! I'm right! Please take me home! I hate being in this box! I wanna run around and lay down on your bed so you can pet me some more—PLEEEAASEEE?!"

The reality hits me once again. These hybrids are captive. They want to leave so badly. I step back and remove my hand. Hoseok whines, but eventually just sits down. They're probably used to being rejected.

On Hoseok's left is an empty box. Beside Jimin there is a sleeping dog hybrid of a larger breed. German Shepard by the looks of it. For the most part, the containers are empty. I assume it's because people have already adopted them. To a good home, I hope.

A furry tail at the very end catches my attention. I walk to it and notice this container is far away from the others. Inside, the hybrid flinches upon seeing me and backs deeper into the corner.

His build is significantly smaller than the others. He's as skinny as a stick. Now I see his tail is patchy and missing fur in some areas, where the skin looks more like a human's skin than an animal's skin. The ears are huge— almost as big as his head — and split at the tip. While the inside of the ears is furless and an angry red color. And his eyes are black and beady, to the point I can't see the pupil.

A mutated hybrid, no doubt. He looks frail and he knows it. I hold back my angry tears and kneel down, to appear less scary.

"Hi," I tell him my name and make my voice as small as possible. He watches me, silent and cautious.

"Hi," he responds. The smile on my face is warm and I'm sure he can feel it.

"What's your name?"

"...Yoongi."

"It's nice to meet you, Yoongi." His body relaxes and he uncurls his legs. The clothing on his body are clean, but they look old. And he doesn't have shoes on.

I scoot closer to him and reach my hand out. He quickly gets defensive, eyes wide, as his back tries to swallow the wall.

"I promise I won't hurt you, Yoongi." He blinks multiple times and furrows his brows.

Finally, he creeps forward, just enough for me to brush the tip of my fingers against his ears. They're the softest thing I've ever touched. He shivers and his eyes are wide in wonder. Despite his weird appearance and mutated genes, he's cute. Someone like Yoongi doesn't belong here. None of these hybrids do.

"Can I ask what you are?"

"...Chinchilla." My mouth gapes in shock. I've never heard of a Chinchilla hybrid. He notices my expression. "Is that...bad?"

"No!" He flinches at my pitch and I quickly apologize. "It's not bad at all. You're really special." His eyes take me in as if I'm the greatest thing to exist. I blush. He raises his hand toward the glass, but before he does—

—Yoongi backs away from my hand.

"Find any you want to adopt?" Jungkook comes running back, his Timberland's stomping with each step. Once I look back to Yoongi, he's back to his corner, as if nothing happened.

"I-"

"Yoongi? Did you like Yoongi?" The employee sounds like he's going to burst. I look back to Yoongi. His eyes have changed as we share eye contact.

"Yes."

"W-wow! That's great! Did you hear that Yoongi?! Someone's taking you home!"

"Why do you sound so excited?" His expression changes as he motions me away from Yoongi's cage.

He whispers, "Yoongi has been here for a very long time."

"How long?" Jungkook's sad smile tells me everything.

"Since he's a mutated and frail hybrid, no one has wanted to adopt him. He's very quiet, too."

It makes tears gather in my eyes. People are so cruel. Yoongi may have some defects, but he's never had contact with anyone outside of that cage. His shyness is a result of his lack of interaction. How could he possibly be at fault?!

"What about the other hybrids?"

"NamJoon is that sleeping hybrid-" he points to the dark-haired dog hybrid "-Is scheduled for an adoption tomorrow."

"How long has he been here?"

"About a month. It takes longer for hybrids to get adopted. As for Hobi and Jimin, they've been here for two weeks. But they're so friendly, they could be adopted any time soon."

Frowning, I look back to Yoongi, whose eyes haven't left mine. I don't understand animals— or even humans —much, but I can tell Yoongi doesn't want to be here anymore.

"Can I adopt him?"

"Yoongi? Of course! He's $1,000." My jaw drops at the price.

"What?"

"That's extremely cheap for a hybrid. Most average hybrids go for around $5,000. The rare ones anywhere from $10,000 and up."

"Is it because he's mutated?" Jungkook looks melancholic when he nods.

"He's also very old for a Chinchilla. After all, hybrids take the lifespans of the animal." Clenching my teeth, I grip my shirt angrily.

"I'm a college student. I can't afford that..."

"...It's okay. Don't feel bad. You can come to visit him anytime. Just... don't tell my boss I let you, okay? She would have my ass." After he finishes whispering, he goes over to Jimin's cage and pets the cat hybrid.

I sigh and stuff my hands in my pockets. I'm so sorry Yoongi. Checking the time, I realize it's time for me to go study. Giving Yoongi one last look, I wave.

He jumps— cute —and waves back.

"I'll be back, Yoongi. I promise."

My day consisted of boring lectures and an empty evening shift. Time seemed to have passed at a snail's pace. I— for some reason beyond my own consciousness —was anxious to see Yoongi again. Maybe I pitied him, for having lived so long in those glass containers. Alone. Never played with. And in his final years of life. I can't be certain the other hybrids were adopted into good families.

But something is better than nothing.

I grip the steering wheel tightly and sigh. Yoongi was not ugly. He was cheap. Maybe soft-spoken, but he is bound to make someone happy.

My feet tap on the wet concrete. The door jingles from the rusted bells above. The Flower Pot. Sad in its name, as if hiding the fact it kept hybrids. At the counter was Taehyung again.

"Oh! Welcome back! Are you here to see Yoongi?"

"Yes." His face softens.

"That's so nice of you. What's your name?" I tell him my name and smile.

"I'm Taehyung, but you could just read my name tag to find that out. Thanks for coming back. You're welcome here any time." Nodding, I stuff my keys into my pocket and walk to the back where the hybrids are.

Jimin is gone. Did someone adopt him? Hoseok greets me happily, letting out a bark-like sound.

"Oh oh oh oh! You're back! I'm so happy! Welcome back! Can you pet me?! Please? I missed you!" It's fascinating how animal-like hybrids are. But so much more intelligent.

"Sure, Hoseok." I pet his soft hair and his leg hits the wall.

"I'm okay! I do that by accident. Sorry."

"It's okay. And can I ask you something?"

"Of course, but please keep petting me!" He closes his eyes, his huge tail thumping against the wall and his leg shaking.

"What happened to Jimin?" His tail falters and his eyes open, reflecting something sad.

"He got adopted yesterday..."

"What's wrong?" I ask, sympathetic. Seeing this bright pup so upset squeezes something inside me. His ears flatten on his head.

"The man that adopted him kept pulling on his collar. And his d-daughter..." tears prickle his eyes.

"Shh, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anything." I gently run my fingers through his hair. He shakes his head and leans toward my hand.

"N-no. I can do it. His daughter, she was grabbing him."

"How so?"

"Grabbing his...pee pee." I feel bile in my throat.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault. Jimin... he was so sad. I don't want him to be used like a... sex doll." Before I know it, a tear trickles down my cheek.

"I wish I could have done something." Hoseok smiles up at me with hope.

"I know you would have. I can tell." Hoseok touches his chest. "You have a big heart."

Choking on a sob, I lean my head against the glass. Hoseok does the same.

"I wish it could be better. Hybrids are people too. You don't deserve this..." Hoseok starts making a strange rumbling noise. Not a purr, but like a soft growl. It's not comforting, but it's his effort that counts.

"Bonding with Hobi, huh?" I jump and turn around. Jungkook. Embarrassed, I stand up and look anywhere except him. "Hey! No need to be shy. Me and Tae talk to them, too."

"Oh. That's good of you guys."

"I'm really really happy you came back to see Yoongi. And Hobi, too, now since Jimin and NamJoon are gone." When I look back at the containers, only Hobi and Yoongi are left. The latter of which I hadn't noticed. But he's watching me, awe written all over his face, hands pressed against the glass.

It's as if he couldn't believe I would come back.

"I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Where do you guys find the hybrids?" Jungkook brings his finger to his chin in thought.

"I'm not sure. Only my boss knows that. But by the end of the month, these containers are occupied again. Well, except the hybrids that aren't adopted." Frowning, I think back to Yoongi.

"How long has Yoongi been here, exactly?"

"Sorry. Confidential. My boss tells me I can't tell the customers Yoongi's age." He rubs his neck with an awkward smile.

I shift my weight on my leg and cross my arms. This boss of his must be a horrible person.

"Why?"

"It makes him more appealing to buy, not that it has ever worked. When I tell you Yoongi has been here a long time, I mean a long time. You can't imagine." Tears prick at the corner of my eyes. There's no way no one has never shown interest in Yoongi. It's unfathomable. I look back at the hybrid who is sitting there fiddling with some hairs on his tail— cute.

"Sorry. I just-"

"It's okay. It's okay. I was like that, too, when I got hired." He sighs and turns around. "Listen, I gotta go restock the shelves. You have a good night."

"Thank you. You, too." When he leaves, I turn toward Yoongi. His eyes widen when I look at him. Smiling, I go to sit in front of his container. He curls into himself, making himself smaller.

"Hi, Yoongi."

"Hi..." I come closer to the glass and he looks down.

"How are you?"

He blinks, mouth opening and closing before giving me a simple, "Okay."

"Really? Tell me about your day?" He vigorously shakes his head and brushes his tail. "No? How about I'll tell you about mine, then you tell me about yours?" Yoongi considers it a while and eventually nods.

"I had a really boring day. I sat in a class all day and then my work was empty. There weren't any customers."

"Was it...big?" His question caught me off guard.

"The class?" He nods. "Yeah! It's like the size of five of this store."

His mouth opens wide, a cute sound of awe escaping. It makes me smile.

When I first met Yoongi, I thought he would be more aggressive, but he's so gentle and adorable.

"So what about you, Yoongi?" He jumps, probably still thinking about how big the class was.

"Me?"

"Yeah. Tell me about your day."

The hybrid looks down. Something unintelligible is said under his breath. If my ears don't deceive me, he just whispered, "It's not important..."

"Of course it's important. Your day was really important. I think it's important." He grips his tail again.

"I slept."

"What did you dream about?" Yoongi whips his head up toward me. His eyes blow out and suddenly he squirms. I see his Adam's apple bob as he places his hand on the glass. I put mine on the glass above his hand.

"Oh. Ah... I can't tell you."

"Why not?" I put my hands on my hips playfully. He leans against the glass.

"C-can you..." his words trail off shyly.

"Hm?"

He shifts around and quickly blurts, "Can you pet me like you pet Hoseok?" It takes me a moment to understand what he's asking, but when I do, I smile softly.

"Yoongi, you're really cute." And unexpectedly, he sputters in embarrassment.

"W-why?" Once I pet his head, he starts shaking.

"Because you're so sweet and well-mannered. And physically, you're cute." He leans into my hand further and finally, I can really feel the softness of his hair and ears. Chinchillas really are soft. His face is practically pressed against the glass. And his whole body seems to react to my touch. It's fascinating to watch him slowly warm up to me.

My watch ruins the moment as it beeps loudly. Yoongi jumps away with a small squeak— so darn cute —as I look down. I frown when I realize it's time for me to leave.

"Sorry, Yoongi. I have to leave." As I begin standing up, his hand reaches out of the hole to grab my sleeve. But I suppose it was a thing of the moment since he retracted it as soon as it came. Judging by his uncertain expression, I know what is worrying him.

"I promise I'll be back again tomorrow," I say as I rub behind his ears. This time a little smile appears on his face.

The next day when I return, it's a bit earlier in the day since I would be working late night. I skipped my free period to come and spend a while with Yoongi.

When I arrive, Jungkook is at the counter instead of Taehyung. He smiles and waves.

"Welcome! You're here at a different time today." Leaning against the counter, he places his head on his palms.

"Yeah. I work late today. I didn't want to miss seeing the hybrids though." Jungkook stands up straight.

"Oh! I think Tae is in the back with a customer. I think Hoseok might get adopted."

"Okay. Thanks, Jungkook." At what he said, I don't know if I should be happy or worried. Who knows who will adopt Hoseok.

When I reach the back of the store, there's a thin, gangly looking man in a pinstripe suit. His beard is patchy and his eyes are thin, bags underneath. Hoseok is outside of his cage, a leash around his neck. Once I get over his height, I notice the sad look in his eyes. His whole body seems to sag.

"-Here are the papers, sir." Taehyung hands the man a folder as the man frowns.

"Why this mutt got so many papers?" The man's Chicago accent is thick as he tugs on Hoseok's leash. The Golden Retriever hybrid flinches and comes down. I step forward more. Gosh, I want to stab this man.

"It's policy when adopting a hybrid to have all their information. They are part human." Taehyung's voice is tight, although his expression betrays nothing.

"Human? This mutt's about as smart as an acorn!" The man laughs.

"Actually, dog hybrids are among the smartest, especially a Golden Retriever like Hoseok-"

"This thing ain't good for nothing except sex and killing. That's why they were created, kid. Don't be giving me none of that pretty shit." Hoseok whimpers at his words. The man pulls on Hoseok's leash harshly, making the poor pup cough and bend over. Taehyung sighs and clenches his fist.

I see red and can't bear to watch a second longer. Stomping over to the man, he sees my approach.

"What you-" I sock him in the eye and hit his pressure point. He falls to the ground. Heaving, my lips pulled in a snarl, I bend over my knees. My anger made me breathless. How can this man be so stupid and heartless and just horrible to treat a kind hybrid like Hoseok like that?! Hybrids should have never been created, to avoid suffering like this. I can't recall a hybrid ever being treated well.

"Thank you," Taehyung tells me once I've calmed down. I'm shocked.

"What?"

Hoseok jumps me, whimpering and whining and tears staining my shirt.

"I would have done that myself, but my boss would have fired me. I hate people like that."

"Why are you and Jungkook working here if you know what goes on?" I ask, outraged. Hobi's buries his head into my shirt.

"I trust you, so I'll let you in on a secret."

"Okay?"

"We've actually been freeing hybrids secretly. You remember how I told you about NamJoon?" I nod. "Me and Jungkook and a few other friends have been combining money to buy the hybrids and release them to hybrid sanctuaries."

My mouth is agape. So is this store... is a front? No way. They can't afford to release every hybrid. And Hoseok was just about to get purchased.

"What about the hybrids that don't get freed?"

"Well..." he smiles sadly, regret swimming in his eyes. "We can't save them all."

"I see..."

"That's why I'm glad you knocked out that guy. Hoseok can stay longer and that buys us time." Upon hearing his name, Hoseok parts from me and asks me to take his leash off.

"What about Yoongi?" The words pour out like vomit: uncontrolled and with a bitter taste.

"The owner...keeps him." My mouth is agape in horror. I can't stop myself from dry heaving. Why is there something so horrible going on behind the scenes? Where does this person get the hybrids? Do they abuse the others?

"The only reason we told you the price is that we thought you might actually take him. People don't even glance his way anymo-"

"What does your boss do with him?!" Taehyung shushes me to keep my voice down.

"I don't know. But I've stayed overnight a few times. I can hear things." I can't believe my friend bought a dog from this store. It makes my stomach lurch at the thought.

“What kind of things?”

“...Moaning-” Taehyung winces as soon as he says it. I cover my mouth in shock and disgust. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. That’s so horrible.”

"Every time I see Yoongi in that thing pressed against that corner, I feel so sorry. I feel sorry for his existence." Hoseok notices my distress and envelops me in a hug, rocking me back and forth.

"I won't stop visiting. I'll save up money. I want to take Yoongi away from here," I tell Taehyung with determination.

"Please do. I'm sure Yoongi would be so happy to hear that." Hoseok yawns and Taehyung chuckles.

"Wanna know something? He stares at the door every time that bell jingles. Yoongi."

"Really? I'm glad he's so fond of me." I grin and go to sit in front of Yoongi's cage. He comes up to me quickly and leans his head on the glass. Taehyung tells Hoseok to get back into his container and the hybrid falls asleep as soon as his head hits the blanket. He leaves Yoongi and me alone.

"Yoongi." He smiles. Just smiles. Can hearing his name make him that happy?

"Hi." He sounds less shy today. "You know what I dreamt about?" It visibly shocks me to hear him initiating the conversation.

"Sorry, sir. You probably were drunk."

"Damn. Can't remember anything."

"Shall I escort you to the door?"

"Yeah whatever."

"What did you dream about?"

"...You." His face is buried deep into his hands and I find myself blushing. That was...cute. For lack of better words.

"What about me?" I press him. He shakes his head, shy again. It probably already took so much for him to say that. "What if I say please?"

"Maybe..."

"Fine. Yoongi, will you please tell me what your dream about me was about?" Reaching toward his ears, I pet the soft, but slightly mangled appendages. Despite his mutations— no, because of his mutations —I find him so beautiful.

"I dreamt that I was holding your hand..." It makes my heart feel so weak. My whole body is warm and happy at hearing it.

"Do you want to hold my hand?" He looks back at me as his beady eyes search mine.

"...Can I?" His question is so innocent.

"Of course!" I stop petting him and hold my hand out. And for a while, Yoongi stares at it, as if he has never seen a hand before. As if my hand is sculpted by God himself. For Yoongi, it might just be that way.

Finally, his fingers brush mine and I feel my whole body alight. It was strange. His hand awkwardly wraps around mine. I laugh. He looks at me in confusion, eyebrows furrowed.

"Did I...do it right?"

"Mm. Sort of. Like this-" I interlace my fingers with his, feeling his digits slide with mine perfectly. His hands are warm and sweaty, a product of his high body temperature and nervousness.

He looks at our hands and moves them around, awestruck. Smiling, I come closer to be more comfortable. Yoongi closes his eyes and pets his tail with his free hand. A soft smile forms on his lips.

"I like it."

"Me, too." We sit in silence as he eventually leans against the glass. This makes me so happy. I've had so many friends, boyfriends, pets and yet none make me feel quite like this. So utterly complete. I want to know Yoongi more, but for now, this is enough.

"Thank you." Laughing, I watch the smile on his face transform into a gum-filled grin. He looks content.

"For what?"

"Coming to see me." I lean against the glass and he does the same.

A whole week passes. My semester finals had me staying up night after night and I didn't even have time in the day to eat. Day in and day out: studying. But I couldn't contain my joy— and guilt for not being able to see the hybrids —once I heard those familiar rusty bells jingle.

"Woah. You look worse for wear." Languidly, I turn to Taehyung at the counter.

"Thanks. Finals have not been gentle on me."

"I'm sure seeing Yoongi and Hoseok will brighten you up. I heard that animals and hybrids can reduce stress."

I yawn and send him a lazy thumbs up. He laughs.

"He missed you!" He yells at me once I'm past the entrance. It puts a smile on my face. I missed Yoongi, too. How has he been without me here to talk to him? Despite the guilt, I couldn't put aside my health and future for Yoongi. But now I was wholeheartedly his.

"Hi hi hi hi!" Something big and warm tackles me. And licks my neck? I wiggle in discomfort at being attacked. The person latched onto me eventually removes himself. I'm greeted by a beautiful heart-shaped smile.

"Hey, Hoseok," I say as I pinch his cheek. The hybrid gets off quickly and runs around excitedly.

"Oh boy! We should play! Let's play!" He runs somewhere in the store, effectively leaving my sight. My eyes drift and I see Yoongi on the floor, legs criss-cross and with a bowl of soup on his lap. When we lock eyes, he jumps and looks away.

Was he...mad at me?

I finally hear Jungkook chuckle. He was probably hearing the commotion.

"Nice to see you back. You came at a good time."

"Yeah. I was about to ask."

"For about thirty minutes three times a day, we take the hybrids out to eat and play-"

"Kookie, can I please use this ball?!" Hoseok rams into Jungkook. The employee laughs but shakes his head.

"Sorry, Hobi. You know I can't let you play with merchandise." And even as Hoseok whines, Jungkook stays strong. The Golden Retriever pouts and sits down to chow down on his food, making a huge mess. I laugh.

"How have they been?"

"Hoseok missed you a little, but fine. Yoongi, though, he asked for you every day."

"Be quiet!" Said boy protests, his cheeks big and lips pressed into a pout.

I walk over to him and grab his empty hand. He gasps and looks our hands.

"Sorry I didn't visit. I was really busy. I missed you, too."

His face softens and he smiles, but he decides to be stubborn as he looks away from me.

"Prove it."

"I will." With that, I gently bring him into my arms and press his head to my shoulder, treating him like fragile glass. He tenses up and I see his fists clench. I shush him to make him calm down.

His body feels warm and soft like a blanket. I pet his head and play with the hair around his neck.

He squeaks. I giggle. Eventually, he returns the hug and nuzzles into my shoulder, shaking and squeaking. We relax as I hum softly near his ear.

"Wow. I knew Chinchillas could squeak and shake, but I've never seen Yoongi do it. He wayyyy likes you," Jungkook explains as he begins picking up the food dishes.

Yoongi— for such a small hybrid —is still strong, since his iron grip doesn't want to let go.

"Come on, Yoongi. It's time for you to get back in your container-" I hear something gets knocked over. "-You, too, Hoseok!"

"Nooooo. I'm not tired yet!" Hoseok jumps up and down like a spoiled kid.

Patting Yoongi's back, he finally let's go. We both stand up. Yoongi looks so small and frail curled inside his cage, but he's still taller than me.

Jungkook unlocks the boys' containers and he practically forces Hoseok inside. Before going to crawl into his container, Yoongi turns around and smiles at me. He places on my head.

"You're small."

.

.

.

Was that him playing around with me? For some reason, it sends a flutter in my stomach and straight to my soul.

"You're not that tall, either!" Yoongi grins and hugs me again, placing his chin on my head.

He let's go and says, "It's okay. I like it." For once, it's me blushing furiously and not him. Crawling into his own, Jungkook comes to lock it, but Yoongi puts his hand up to stop him. Reaching his hand out to me, I interlace my fingers with his.

"Come back. Please." And as commanding as it sounds, it's accompanied by a shy smile and a Yoongi blush.

"Of course. I really promise to come every day from now on, okay?"

"Okay." He sits against the wall as Jungkook finally locks him up.

His gummy smile is on his face again, I send him my own. Shyly, he asks, "...Pinky promise?"

Giggling, I reach through the hole and interlace my pinky with his.

And at that moment, I made a decision. I would save up and buy Yoongi. Somehow I would save up those $1,000.

"Anatomy is canceled for the day. You're all about to graduate. Enjoy some freedom. I have to go somewhere." The whole auditorium erupts in cheers. People quickly disperse and those that don't, talk to their friends.

"Hey," my friend grabs my attention. "Let's get outta here?"

"Alright." We grab our bags and walk down the steps and out of the door. The hallways are mostly vacant. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the pet shop."

"Oh yeah! I've been so busy I forgot to ask."

I rub my forehead. How typical of her. Jennie is either ditsy or cold, there is no in between.

"I actually didn't adopt anything."

"What? Why not?"

"To be honest, the moment I got there, this guy led me to the hybrid cages." When I finish saying this, Jennie looks sad.

We make it outside to the park near the labs.

"Hybrids are so cool and cute, but have you heard the news?" We settle down on a bench.

"What?"

"Since hybrid anatomy is so close to humans, they've been experimenting on them. And the government for some reason is totally okay with it."

"It's sad, but at this point, what can we do." I shake my head.

"Sorry for interrupting. What were you saying?"

I cross my arms and start, "When I went, I saw a mutated hybrid. He's been there for so long that the employees don't even want to tell me."

"Aww. Poor guy."

"Yeah. I was really considering buying him, but even with all those issues he's still $1,000." Jennie frowns and leans her head on my shoulder.

"Hybrids shouldn't be bought and sold. That's so...wrong!" Nodding, I sigh.

"About a week ago, I've started taking extra shifts. I want to get him out of there."

"Seriously?!" Jennie gets off my shoulder and watches me. I lock eyes with her and furrow my brows. "Holy shit! You're serious!"

"Yes," I whisper, as I smile at the thought of the hybrid I met a month ago. He's really so sweet, although he has some sassy moments. And of course, he's always so excited to see me. Yoongi is also handsome, a great bonus. I've grown to care for him beyond an owner and pet— not that it was ever like that anyway.

"Hey. What's with that face?" Jennie pokes my side with a dumb grin. "You looooveee him?"

"...I actually haven't thought about that. Maybe."

"Wait what?! I was joking! But if you do, then go for it. Hybrid and human relationships are..."

"Well, I hope in the future, it will be accepted." Jennie goes back to her side.

Silence passes over us.

If I can adopt Yoongi, will I be able to support both of us? What does he eat? How does he sleep? Bathe? What does he like? Can he work?

Is he interested in me how I'm interested in him?

"What's his name? And what is he? Like, hybrid."

"Yoongi. And he's Chinchilla." She squeals in my ear when she hears that.

"Cute! And soft. But don't they live for like five years?"

The one thing I didn't want to think about. The thing I keep pushing to the back of my mind. If Yoongi is old and Chinchillas only live for ten years, then how long would I have with him? Even if he was young, ten years is nothing for a human. A distressed expression appears on my face.

"Sorry for asking about it. It's probably not something you want to think about."

"Don't worry about it. I already knew; I was just in denial."

"Hey! Don't look so glum! Enjoy Yoongi a lot and don't worry too much, okay?"

"Alright, Jennie. I will," I say to pacify her as I force a smile to my lips.

But now, I can't help worrying.

Jingle. The bells sound really loud. When I look up, they're not rusty. I guess they bought some new ones.

"Good morning! You're here bright and early! I think Yoongi's eating breakfast," Taehyung tells me. I smile and go up to the counter.

"I actually am saving up to buy him. I'm really close!"

"O-oh really?" Taehyung is shocked and his expression morphs into melancholy and some shade of regret. But I brush it off.

"Yeah. I can't wait. I think next week is my big bonus."

"That's...good. The new hybrids are also coming next week. That container of his will be for another hybrid..."

Grinning, I chirp, "Yep! See you, Tae!" I quickly walk to the back.

I've been meaning to ask Yoongi his age, but Jungkook or Taehyung have been present and I know they won't let him answer. I'm hoping that today, Jungkook will be busy.

To my surprise, Jungkook is cleaning out Hoseok's container. It makes me explode in joy.

"Did you guys buy Hoseok?" Jungkook jumps and hits his head on the top of the container.

"Ouch."

"Oh. Sorry, Kook!" I walk over and rub his head.

"No worries," he waves me off as he leaves the container. "And actually, Hoseok got adopted by a really nice guy. I think his name was Jackson. He was about as energetic as Hoseok. I'm sure he's in a good place."

Jungkook locks the container.

"Wow... That's amazing. I'm so happy."

"We are, too. This month was pretty good with the exception of Jimin. Poor guy." We stand in silence for a bit as if sending Jimin our prayers.

"It's okay. You guys are doing great."

"Thanks. I'm glad you're here to keep them company. We can't be here all day. We have other animals to take care of and other things to do— Speaking of which-" He starts gathering his rag and broom. "I have to clean up!"

"Huh?"

"The inspectors are coming tomorrow and this place has to be spotless!" Jungkook runs off.

I send my thanks to the heavens.

"Hey. I'm here, too." The sarcastic remark reminds me of Yoongi's presence.

"Hey, Yoongi!" I sit beside his container later that week.

"Hello." He smiles and scoots forward. Yoongi pokes his hand outside of his enclosure and interlaces our hands. My blush appears.

I cough awkwardly.

"Um, I hope this isn't a strange question, but how old are you?" Yoongi tilts his head and looks around, trying to remember.

"I think...ten years old." My stomach drops.

"W-what? Are you sure?" I can feel myself shaking.

He doesn't have very long...

"Yes. I remember celebrating my birthdays. They put those number candles. In March I turned ten."

My grip on his hand tightens. I look down to avoid his eyes.

"And...h-how long have you been here?"

"Ten years." Tears stream down my cheeks.

"I-I'm so so sorry, Yoongi!" The sobs I've been holding in can't be controlled anymore. I cough as my throat feels like there's a golf ball lodged inside.

Why has he been suffering for so long? Having to watch hybrids adopted right next to him every day, watching and progressively losing his own hope of being taken home. The owner of this shop does God knows what to him when the store closes. How much has he gone through? And for this to have been the short, miserable existence he has had.

He'll die having experienced nothing that makes him happy.

Instead of telling me it would be okay, he places his hand on my head and pets me. I look up, surely a mess.

"You pet me like this when we first met. It made me feel better." He runs his fingers through my hair and hums. I sob harder and lean against the glass.

"Y-Yoon-gi."

"Don't cry. I like you happy."

My sobs reduce to hiccups and I stop crying. It does work, shockingly. When I look up, Yoongi looks drowsy.

"Better?" He yawns. "I'm tired. If I sleep and you're still here, wake me up."

His eyes slowly drift closed as he slows his petting.

I can't help wondering: Is he actually tired, or...is this something else?

Tomorrow is my bonus paycheck. I can adopt Yoongi and at least give him the best I can in the limited time he has. I can't wait. Practically running into the store, I yell a quick, "Hi, Taehyung!" and run to the back. Jungkook is on his phone waiting for Yoongi to finish his food.

Yoongi hears me approach and his scraggly Chinchilla ears perk up. He grins his typical, gum-filled grin. I see a few pieces of stray food between his teeth— the poor baby was probably starving —, but instead of being disgusted, I feel even more endeared.

"Hey, guys!" Jungkook looks up and jumps out of his chair.

"Great! You're here! Watch Yoongi, okay? I really gotta poo!" Scrunching my nose, I look Jungkook up and down with feigned disgust.

"Eww. Didn't need to know that, Kook."

"Yeah yeah. Okay, Mom," he sighs with an eye roll. He leaves us alone.

I grab his chair and come closer to Yoongi.

"Hewwo," he says through a mouthful of spinach. It's so cute that he loves spinach so much.

"Hey, Yoongi. I actually wanted to talk to you about my plans for tomorrow." He nods, accidentally dropping a piece of food, pouting. Gosh, he's so cute it melts my heart and insides.

"I've saved up enough money to adopt you. So I get a direct deposit tomorrow and with all the money I can come and take you home! I've been thinking about it for a long time and I've always wanted to adopt you. How does that-"

Yoongi crushes me into his body. He's shaking and his fingers clench the back of my shirt as if I'll leave him. His knees buckle and we end up on the floor. I can hear and feel his near hummingbird speed heart rate. And by God, is his breathing hard.

"T-thank you! Thank you so much!" When I hear his voice straining and the first tear touches my thin t-shirt, I near cry, too.

"Whatever for? I've always wanted to adopt you. I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner." He shakes his head.

"For showing me that not all humans are bad."

"Yoongi, you don't have to thank me fo-"

"I want to. You're my favorite person."

A burning chill runs up my back, arms, head— my whole body. I can't believe my ears.

"What?" He removes himself and searches my eyes, his own red and sparkling with tears.

"Can I say that?" Blushing, I take him in. I'm happy I could give him this simple, but rare joy.

"Of course. You're my favorite person, too." Yoongi's eyes widen, but he grins. Then, he blushes, hesitant.

Evidently, he catches me off guard when he presses his lips against mine.

I melt all over again. Of course, I press against him. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and I watch his eyes flutter shut. My own follow. Bunching up the fabric at his chest with my hands, I smile into the kiss. It doesn't last very long, but it's so soft and so full of love that it's better than any kiss I've had in the past. It has meaning.

He leans his forehead against mine.

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah. I did." He grins looking a bit more confident.

"Can I do it again?" Not a second elapses before he presses his lips to mine again.

This time, he's taken the experience from the first time and kisses me with more force. His lips move and dance with mine. I sigh, feeling content just like this. Something pokes my bottom lip, and I blush, realizing it's his tongue. Yoongi's chest is heaving against mine and he forces himself against me, pressing his body impossibly close.

"Woah! Didn't expect this after doing my business!"

We push away from each other upon hearing Jungkook's voice. I recover quickly, but Yoongi is red like a tomato and furiously picking at some skin patch on his tail. He looks like a kindergartener who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Cute.

Everything he does is so cute, who am I kidding.

"Wow. You weren't joking. All in cash, too!"

I woke up early the next morning— well I actually stayed awake until my deposit came in at midnight —to come to adopt Yoongi. None of my classes were this early, so I wanted to bring Yoongi home to help him get acquainted with my home. He just woke up and was rather confused why Jungkook woke him up so early.

But as soon as he saw me, he came and leaned his head on mine and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"All in cash, too, sir!" Taehyung laughs at my response.

"Alright, well, everything is all set. I'm happy you finally could take Yoongi home..." his voice drifts off as he glances over to hybrid. I notice this.

"Tae?"

"Actually, could I talk to you outside?" Nodding, I follow, but then adds, "Without Yoongi." Yoongi shrugs and tiredly leans against the counter.

The bell jingles.

The door shuts.

We walk a little away from the store.

Taehyung runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "Yesterday when you told me you were going to adopt Yoongi, I was so nervous." He hesitates.

I urge him to continue.

"Yoongi is ten years old. And Chinchillas don't live long. I think you've already noticed how tired he is recently."

Something heavy drops in the pit of my stomach. This again. Frowning, I look at Yoongi inside. He's almost asleep again, just leaning against that counter.

"As an employee, it's my obligation to tell you this."

"Okay, Tae. Please- just- just go on."

"He's going to die soon."

I swallow. Hard.

I've been avoiding that word. To put that word and Yoongi in the same sentence together, it's making me distraught.

"...I know. I still want to adopt him."

"I'm happy his last... months, weeks, days— who knows, are with you. He's been happier than ever-"

"It's nothing. He deserves better. Even much better than what I could give him." Taehyung nods and smiles, placing a hand on my shoulder. He can tell I don't want to discuss it anymore.

"Oh!" He reaches into his pocket for his phone. "Tell me your number. I'll text you mine and Jungkook's numbers. We are like this-" He crosses his index and middle finger. "-Now."

I giggle and roll my eyes. "Sure. I'll come by a few times. Maybe we can hang out like actual, normal friends."

"Eh. Maybe don't count on that. Anyway!" He pushes me back into the store, the jingling bells waking up Yoongi. "Take care of Yoongi! He's fragile!" Said hybrid rolls his eyes and follows me out of the store.

"Bye, Tae! Tell Jungkook I said hi and bye!"

We walk to the parking lot and Yoongi takes in everything with wide eyes. He touches my car and presses his face against the glass. I laugh.

"Get in, Yoongi!"

He looks overwhelmed, eventually asking, "You can go inside?" It makes me slightly sad, remembering how he's never gone anywhere except inside that store.

"Yes. Just pull on that handle." Once he sits inside, he finds more shocking revelations.

"There's so many buttons..."

"Don't touch them, okay? I don't want anything to happen." He obeys as I lean across the dash to buckle him in. Yoongi presses a kiss to my cheek. Sputtering and fighting a blush, I return to my seat to find a smirking hybrid.

"Okay. What kind of music do you like?"

"I can choose?"

"Of course!"

"Hip-hop."

"Oooooh. So cool, Yoongi." He nods and crosses his arms, feigning coolness.

But as soon as the car actually goes on the road, he's pressed to the window. He points at places through his window, in awe. All of which I promise to take him. By the end of the trip, my smile almost hurts, having never left.

Once we get home, Yoongi is so happily talking his head off about hip-hop that I don't dare to interrupt. Not that I want to; he's so cute when he's passionate. Plus, he never talks this much. I shove my key inside.

"Welcome home!" Yoongi cautiously steps inside. He slowly sits on the couch.

He looks up at me like a kid on Christmas. I've never seen Yoongi so happy.

"Like it?"

"Do you live here?"

"Huh? Well, yes," I respond, perplexed by his question. He yawns and lies down on the couch.

"Then I like it."

His simple words make my heart pump and toes tingle. The little smile on his lips as he rests on my couch has me like putty in his presence. Although his sudden tiredness worries me, I ignore it; he has had an eventful morning after all.

I check my phone for the time. He could nap for an hour before I had to go to class.

Tomorrow was the weekend. As I check the weather, I realize it would be absolutely perfect to go to the beach. Maybe Yoongi could use some sunlight. I laugh to myself.

I giggle at Yoongi's struggling to put the t-shirt on, his cute, pale belly wiggling. He eventually gets it on, a perfect fit.

"Sorry if it's old. It's one of my sleeping shirts. It was the only thing I could find that would fit you."

He brings it up to his nose and inhales deeply. Then, he shakes his head and smiles.

"It's fine. I like how it smells like you."

Damn. I clench the fabric around my chest dramatically.

"So-! Cute-!" He grabs my keys and hands them to me. By the awkward body language, I can tell I've embarrassed him.

I give him a once over and can't help the smile on my face. His cute little board shorts. It takes a lot of willpower to forego the trip and just cuddle him on the couch.

"Let's go."

Despite how many times I had to tell Yoongi to keep his seatbelt on, the trip was fun and quiet. Also, the fact Yoongi wanted to hold my hand made driving more difficult.

The beach is empty, probably since it's so early in the morning. Yoongi pulls on my bag.

Brows furrowing, he tells me, "Let me hold your bag."

"Why?"

"Taehyung used to put on movies for us to watch. Isn't it romantic for the boy to take the bag?" I look around, mentally looking for a spot to settle down before turning my attention back to him.

"Okay. Thank you, Yoongi." The bag slips from my fingers, but he does something unexpected.

He switches the bag to his other hand and holds my hand. We both blush furiously, but Yoongi can't seem to look me in the eye, so he looks away. Being careful of the dry seaweed, I lead him over to an empty spot.

"Sit here while I set up the umbrella." I remove my towel. Then I kneel down and prepare everything for us.

"You..."

"Me?"

"You look beautiful."

When I turn to Yoongi, he seems sincere.

"Poetic aren't you? Oh! Yoongi! We should build a sandcastle!" Upon finishing, I noticed the bucket and shovel.

"What is that?"

"I'll show you." The hybrid comes beside me, ears twitching with curiosity.

"Help me put sand in this bucket."

We work together until I carefully place the bucket upside down. When I remove it, the sand stays. Yoongi is in awe.

"I'm not done yet," I say as I begin drawing little decorations. Then I make a door. He gets the idea and carefully uses his fingers to carve little divots and ornate designs.

"Me and mom used to build sandcastles all the time when I was little." He smiles.

"What is she like?"

"Really nice. And she never gets mad at me. She's really smart, too. She is pretty even now. She's like an angel."

"You are just like her then. An angel." Our fingers touch and I look up at him. Next to me, Yoongi has a tender look in his eyes. He leans forward, planting a kiss on my temple.

My hand gets engulfed in sand and Yoongi flinches.

"Sorry. I ruined it."

"It's okay. Sandcastles are really great, but they're bound to go down."

"Oh," he whispers. And for some reason, he starts building it again.

"Do you want to do something else?" He numbly shakes his head.

"I want to build it again. I want this one to last forever," he explains, then turns to me. "It's the first one I made with you. It's more special."

Blinking, taken aback, I nod and help him.

Standing up once we finish, I grab his hand and help him up, but he nearly falls over. I panic and bring him close to support him.

"Yoongi?"

"It's okay." His eyes glaze over and I only now notice how weak and out of it he seems. Like a newborn dear, taking clumsy steps. He takes a few breaths and eventually rights himself.

He's weak. He's old. He's going to-

I stop the thought as I blurt, "Want to go get some ice cream?"

"What is ice cream?"

"It's difficult to explain, it's better to just try it." I grab my bag— which he takes out my hand in order to hold my hand —and very nearly drag him to an ice cream stand.

The man at the stand regards us with a fond grin.

"Pretty girlfriend." Yoongi blushes and I sneakily squeeze his hand.

"Thank you..."

"What can I get you?"

"One scoop of sea salt vanilla for him and a strawberry for me." Yoongi mentally notes what I said. I'm too scared to get him any other flavor for fear of his stomach not being able to digest it.

"Here you are! Three ninety-five."

Once I pay and we get seated on a bench, I eagerly start eating the dessert. But Yoongi, on the other hand, stares at it like it's an alien.

"Lick it." He observes how I do it before giving a cute, kitten-lick. His expression lights up, now devouring it like he won't ever eat again.

"Wow. I take it you like it?" He looks up from his treat, mouth stained with ice cream. Laughing, I grab a napkin and wipe his mouth.

He nods and struggles to say, "Gants." I laugh at his poor thank you.

After we both finish and our bellies are full of ice cream, I lean my head on Yoongi's shoulder. He follows and leans on mine, exhaling deeply. I can hear him yawn above me.

"I'm glad we could spend time like this, Yoongi. I really like you and I'm so thankful to have met you."

"Me, too..." His voice is quiet, and his body seems to sag. Maybe we can go home and relax after this.

Yoongi suddenly touches his chest. And he shakes. He takes a deep breath and doesn't breathe for a while.

"Hey, weirdo, what are you doing?" When he exhales, his heart starts pounding loudly. Yoongi sighs and grabs my hand, squeezing it.

"Nothing. I'm okay. It's nothing." Despite how strange it sounds, I ignore it.

"Can we come again tonight?"

"Tonight?" I look up at him, and he looks down at me with a pained expression.

"Yes. Please."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm okay. I just really want to come again." Nodding, I oblige to his wishes, but I can't help but worry about his odd behavior.

Just as I promised, when we finish eating dinner, I take him back down to the coast. I don't quite understand why he wants to come. As far as I can tell, he looks more ready for a long nap. But I still humor him and bring him down to the same spot.

The sandcastle was still halfway up, although the wind has definitely eroded it. Yoongi practically plops onto the ground. I don't bother setting up an umbrella and just get out a soft blanket and some cushions. After we get comfortable, Yoongi uses my lap as a pillow.

He takes a deep, shaky breath and touches his chest.

"What do you want to do?"

"Nothing. I just want to sit with you here a while."

"Oh," I mumble. For a while, I just run my fingers through his hair and watching his peaceful face. He looks like he's about to sleep.

"Are you tired, Yoongi?" When his eyes open, there are some unshed tears. My heart clenches, worried as to why he is so upset.

"I...yes."

"Why are you crying?"

"I am?" He wipes his eyes and forces a smile on his face, but I can't tell it's fake.

"You can tell me what's wrong."

"I'm sorry." Now confused, I watch as he grabs my hand and lays a kiss on the palm.

"Why?"

"Because... You've given me everything and I left you with nothing."

Frowning, I insist, "That's not true. You've given me a lot. Plus, I don't need material things. You're very precious to me. You've become the most person in my life."

He flinches hard when he hears that.

"Don't let me be that. It makes me feel so sad."

"Yoongi, you've been acting so strange today. As soon as we got home, you went to sleep. Then, when I asked you if you wanted to watch a movie, you told me you were too tired." Yoongi rolls over toward me and hugs my midriff.

I feel his tears on my shirt.

"I'm sorry."

"Yoongi. It's okay." I push him back so I can face him, and his eyes are swimming with a lot of things I can't place.

"Oh, Yoongi..." He clutches his chest.

Yoongi closes his eyes and breathes a few times. We sit there for a few minutes. I pet his head. The waves crash especially hard and our little sandcastle finally falls over. I smile at the memory from this morning. Yoongi was so happy to just be with me.

"Sorry. I have some thoughts really eating at me right now."

"It's okay. But never hesitate to tell me okay?" And for seemingly forever, Yoongi stares at me.

Then blurts, "I love you. I wanted to say it before I regret not saying it."

My heart beats out of my chest and if a human body could smile, every cell in my body would be smiling.

"I love you, too." He smiles his gummy smile. Again, he touches his chest. Closing his eyes, he grabs my hand again and squeezes it close to him.

"I'm going to...take a nap, okay?"

"Sure. We can go home after."

"...Yeah. And... Thank you so much for everything. My last— Uh. I'm glad you could take care of me for..."

He can't finish his sentence, as if something is holding him back. A little tear slips down the corner of his eye, but I don't catch it.

"I was in that place for so long. My entire life. Thank you for showing me love and happiness."

"Of course."

"And. I love you. A lot."

"Me, too."

"Can you say it? Please?" His voice cracks.

"I love you."

He smiles, still with an iron hold on my hand. His chest slows down. I can hear his heartbeat slowing, too. Such a calm, gentle thing. The waves crashing are the opposite. I didn't think I would get so attached to someone so fast like I did with Yoongi.

Sighing, I look down at him and squeeze his hand.

And I notice how oddly cold he is.

"Should have asked for a blanket, dummy." I drape it over him.

And then I notice that his chest isn't moving.

I furrow my eyebrows.

And then I realize I can't hear his heartbeat.

I gulp.

"Yoongi?" Lightly, I shake him.

He's as still as a rock.

Oh no no no no. Not now.

"Yoongi? This better be a joke!" I choke. Shaking him more vigorously, I start heaving.

Why now? Why?

I lean against his chest and can't hear or feel anything.

"Yoongi! Stop it right now!" My voice cracks. Before I know it I'm sobbing. I place my finger under his nose: no breath. His face is cold. I lean against his chest again, hoping for something.

The only thing I hear is my own heart.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" I grip his shirt, throat tightening, and stomach twisting. "I didn't know it would be so soon!" The tears running down my face are relentless.

How could he look so content and happy while my whole world is crumbling?! Why does time keep going, when I feel like it just stopped?!

"I'm so-so sorry. A month wasn't e-nough!"

He spent ten years of his life suffering and alone. It's not fair. Not fair for him or for me.

"I'm- I'm sorry I didn't do- do enough for you!" I hiccup. "You do-n't deserve th-this!" Bringing him toward me, I bury my face into his shoulder and squeeze him to me.

My tears reverberate:

Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap.

If only his heart sounded like that.

"I'm sorry, Yoongi."

[poppyknitt]

Adaptability- A JSE Egos Fanfic

Recap: Marvin and Jackieboyman were trying out a spell Marvin had been studying for a few months, trying to make a few plants large enough to be stable perches for Jackie’s new sidekick, Ferris, a juvenile Peregrine Falcon. Something backfired, however, and they found themselves with two new, plant-like additions to the family- Chomp, a comically large and mutated purple lily, which looks a bit like the Piranha plants from the Mario game series, and Thorn, a slightly oversized Venus Flytrap with a personality and smarts similar, if not slightly greater than, a cat’s (which is saying something, given its size and dopey, yet cute, appearance). Chomp is clearly more mouth and stomach than intelligence and beauty, while Thorn seems to be the smarter of the two, and refuses to leave Marvin’s side... er, rather, shoulder.

Previous Fic

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[November 3rd, 2016, our time]

Henrik hummed quietly to himself as he walked along the street, wearing a grey hoodie because he’d been off work for the day, and didn’t need to wear the typical uniform he was seen in during videos. He was keeping his eyes peeled for any wounded animals on the streets, because, even though they weren’t all that common, he still somehow managed to find one every now and then. One of his favorite hobbies was helping injured stray or feral animals get back to full health, and return to the streets. Of course, there were obviously a few that would never be able to survive out on the loose again, so those ones were the ones he usually gave away to a center made specifically to help them, or to a person looking to adopt an animal in need. The most common cases of animals that wouldn’t be able to go back to the wild were usually birds or bats that broke or lost a wing. Their wings were fundamental to their survival, so without the ability to use both, they would probably starve, if they didn’t get eaten right away. Recently, he’d given a fox with three and a half legs to the local zoo, since he knew it wasn’t going to be able to adjust very well to being returned to the streets. It had apparently been ran over by a car, but was lucky enough to only have to have one of its legs amputated. The other front leg was broken when he got to it, but it healed back stronger than it originally was, with his and the local veterinarian’s help. Since he worked with humans, he always made sure to get regular checkups with a veterinarian for the animals he was helping, because they knew more about helping animals heal than he did.

He arrived home, having found no injured animals, unsurprisingly. He went upstairs, and into his bedroom, where he sat down at his desk and started working through paperwork of some kind.

A few hours passed, and nothing special happened. The sun had begun to set, and Henrik was taking a break from his work, knowing Seán would nag him if he saw that he hadn’t done anything but work since he got home. And then, it happened.

th-kSSSH!

The sound of something crashing into a glass window erupted throughout his room, making his hands instinctively shoot up to cover his ears. He removed them, eyes wide, as he stared at the wide trail of glass draped from the window to a small, dark lump on the floor, and his eyes widened, as he realized what it was.

A bat? Why on earth would a bat be out so early? The sun’s barely gone down! He blinked, as he studied it more carefully, looking for injuries. He immediately jolted from his chair when he saw a small pool of blood around it, scooping the little creature up, and bolting downstairs.

“Hey! Schneep! Wait! What’s going on?!” Jackie yelped when he saw the doctor running past him.

“No time! Must get this little one to the vet, soon as possible!” He responded. Jackie let out a partly audible “oh shit”, and vaulted over the chair he was in, helping Schneep get the bat safely to the car. They got there fairly quickly, and Jackie nearly had to hold Schneep back to keep him from crashing into the veterinarian’s office in almost the same way the bat had crashed into the doctor’s room.

As soon as Schneep managed to explain what happened to the clerk at the desk, which, admittedly, took a few tries, because he was speaking quickly, and he wasn’t exactly fluent in English just yet, the vet that usually came to help with whatever animal Schneep had with him, Doctor Lewis, was rushed in, and took the little bat into their emergency care room. Schneep opted to come with, but was told it would probably be best if he just stayed in the waiting room.

~~~

Henrik thanked the doctor once he paid the bill, and left, the bat gently cradled in his arms as he went back to the car, where Jackie was already waiting for him. The drive back home was much calmer, since they didn’t have to worry about a potentially dead or dying fruit bat this time. Schneep made sure to memorize the instructions he’d been given on how to help the bat heal as best it could, his heart still a little heavy, knowing that with its wing broken, it wouldn’t be able to survive out in the wild ever again.

“... So, Jackie, you mentioned a fiancé earlier, yes?” Henrik finally decided to fill the awkward silence with a conversation.

“Oh! Uh, heh... Y-Yeah. I... I proposed to my girlfriend, Ava, on the 28th of October... It was our four-year anniversary, so I-I figured it was time I, uh, sealed the deal, y’know?” He laughed nervously, his cheeks a little bit red as he spoke about it. Henrik couldn’t help but to feel happy for his brother; He would be starting a family soon, right?

“Yes, it would be a good time for that, wouldn’t it? Any plans for what will happen afterwards?” He didn’t want to push the topic of kids on his brother, knowing firsthand how annoying it was to have people constantly bothering you about such things.

“Yeah... A-Ava’s due to give birth soon... I’m really excited for it. The doc we’ve been seeing for things like ultrasounds and prenatal care thinks it’s gonna be a boy.” Jackie’s eyes lit up as he spoke, the hero obviously being excited for fatherhood.

“What? And why have I not heard of this until now, dear brother?” Schneep’s eyes also lit up at the news, and he sat up straight in his seat.

“Well... we were gonna keep it a secret... But, I-I just can’t help myself! I’m... I’m really excited for this, and, well, you know me! I-I can’t keep a secret for six months, let alone nine!”

Henrik smiled, laughing a bit as he spoke, “Ah, that, you cannot, my friend.”

~~~~

[January 2nd, 2017, our time]

Jackie held up a little slice of an apple to their new bat friend, hoping to get him to eat some. The little creature just shrunk back from him, obviously not wanting to eat.

“Schneeeeeppp!” Jackie whined, giving up, “Your dumb winged rat won’t- Ow!” He dropped the apple slice as his hand snapped to cradle the back of his head, after Schneep socked it pretty hard.

“Do not insult him for refusing to eat, Simon!” He snapped, his tone making Jackie shrink back in surprise. Jackie was well aware of what it meant if Henrik were to address him with his secret identity instead of his hero name, but that didn’t mean the tone was any less shocking.

“Sheesh! Calm down, will ya? I was just joking! Listen, can you just... do the thing?? I can practically hear the little guy’s stomach rumbling from all the way in the living room!” He complained, earning a glare from his brother.

He picked up the slice of apple Jackie dropped, and held it out to the little bat, “Fine. Is about time he got his third meal of the day, anyways.”

The bat squeaked quietly as the apple was held out to him, and happily grabbed onto it, using his good arm to nibble on it.

“See, brother? Is not that hard.”

“Yeah, well, you have a knack for this kind of thing. I don’t.”

~~~~

[April 14th, 2017, our time]

Chase, the newest addition to the family, stared at the little bat with intrigue, his eyes almost unblinking as he stared back.

“You know you can ask me whatever questions you have about him.” He stated flatly.

The younger ego turned and looked at him, eyes still a bit wider than normal, “What’s its name?”

Henrik blinked, having not considered naming it before, “... What?”

“Name, doc. What’s the lil’ guy’s name? He is your pet, right?”

“Well, at this point, I suppose is only fitting to call him my ‘pet’...”

“Okay, so, name, then?”

“He... does not have a name. We were not aware that he would stay very long.”

“Man, you guys are boring. If none of you are gonna name ‘im, I guess it’s up’ta me, then.” Chase had a big grin on his face now.

“Wait, what-?” Chase interrupted him before he could say any more.

Chase turned to look back at the bat in front of him, “You, my friend, will be called Nectar, from here on out.”

“Why?”

“‘Cuz he’s a fruit bat, and fruit bats like nectar.” Jackie could be heard muffling a bit of laughter.

“... Do not laugh at me, Jackie. Is surely not so funny that you have to cover your mouth.”

“Sorry.” The hero grinned, holding back more laughter, and earning another glare from his brother. Rogers, the cat that Henrik had been nursing back to health for a few days, which lost its eyesight to a fight with another cat, jumped up onto the table, purring, and affectionately pressed its head into Chase’s shoulder, making the young ego laugh, and ruffle its fluffy fur.

——————————————————

WorldView AU Prologue: Part Two

Last Fic

Next Fic

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blind kitty may or may not somehow have the mind of a dog :v

@antis-loyal-puppet

@tiny-septic-puppet

@septic-dr-schneep

@chaoticcrimsonrose

[simkjrs]

msa ch3 asks

Anonymous said: I love how msa Izuku comes across as an honest to god cryptid: can't see his face, absolutely the kind of person you'd find at a gas station at 3 am, doesn't want attention, most likely distant cousins with Mothman

msa au is just me fulfilling all of my ‘protagonist is a cryptid’ dreams by making msa izuku as cryptid as possible. favorite character archetype: cryptid 

Anonymous said: so the msa au is my life right now thank u for that & I just read through the update twice so thank you for that x2 and I had to go back and look for Izuku and Kirishima's deal when it came up again and realized oh hey Kirishima agreed not to try and stop Izuku from leaving after 3 minutes and they didn't put a time limit on that i wonder if that'll come up again (& then my brain jumped to Izuku using that Forever. "we had a deal" every time it comes up. he cannot be stopped bc kiri promised)

got it in one!! izuku will abuse the wording of that deal forever if he can. good eye! 

Anonymous said: relatability of msa izuku: trying, doesnt trust feds, inability to sleep, ready to jump out 4th story window at a moments notice, anti-attention-

that’s msa izuku living the cryptid life of his dreams

Anonymous said: So wait you don't have to answer this if it's a spoiler but the collarbone blood tattoo™ is what's making deku's existence confusing to electronics, maybe?

yep, you got it! normally izuku is able to keep his presence from overtly affecting the electronics around him but scripting really starts messing with them. 

Anonymous said: quirkless msa deku anon and can i just say that deku looking eraserhead straight in the eye with lie detector policeman there and him saying "i don't have a quirk" and said policeman not detecting a lie is arguably the best thing i have thought of today.

tsukauchi:  tsukauchi: wh  tsukuachi: how did you even do all of [gestures at ch2 events] that without a quirk?  izuku: it’s a special talent of mine.

Anonymous said: I just read chapter 3 and oh my god oh my god oh my god. Your Izuku is who i aspire to be 24:7. Like everything he says makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time. You did good. <3

haha we are all aspiring to izuku’s levels of impromptu sass. im glad you liked the new chapter! 

Anonymous said: I'm probs rlly late cuz I Love in GMT+1 which means 9 HOURS of difference but I love your writing. Man, dude, being from beyond time and space, you always manage to create the perfect harmony between comedy and suspense that has you giggling while trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe. Just. OH BOI.

this ask is so funny and sweet at the same time. i love you 

@arinrowan said: it's kind of ironic that msa!izuku is exactly the kind of person who would benefit from friendship with/interacting with canon izuku.

msa izuku would benefit from friendship in general but you’re right. he needs the kind of quiet but aggressive support that canon izuku gives 

Anonymous said: Cuz I'm trying to see if I can figure this out, by "told me about Kamino Ward", does that mean that Izuku tipped kirishima that that was where bakugou was? How did he know tho, did baku's spirit go to him and tell him that? Did izuku actually play a part in the rescue???? So many questions

THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THESE... [spoiler alert] is actually ‘yes.’ more soon...

Anonymous said: when they start asking questions abt kamino ward at some point he just gets fed up and says "I JUST DID IT BECAUSE THE GODDAMN CAT WOULDNT LEAVE ME ALONE. I DONT EVEN LIKE BAKUGOU" and the heroes are like :0? what if, we brought bakugou here?

izuku doesn’t even acknowledge that the kamino ward incident happens it’s like theyre just talking to a brick wall 

Anonymous said: Izuku has no control over his own sass anymore and it's glorious?? Says "that'll be 500 yen" and looks surprised at himslef, says "now it's 600 yen" and looks downright mortified, the sass is too much for his smol body, sassmaster izuku ftw

to quote @salvainterra, “i love the fact that izuku never stops even when he himself thinks he should stop.” izuku listens to every nonviolent intrusive thought that crosses his mind and it both incredible and unfortunate. izuku is no longer bound by human limits 

Anonymous said: msa izuku is the living embodiment of the "fuck this shit im out" song

ABSOLUTELY

Anonymous said: tbh when msa chapter 3 said that izuku slept 12 hours at nighteye's office, i was guessing that he would just passive aggressively sleep as much as possible for as long as they had him. won't give them the satisfaction of watching him wander around in his holding cell. hes in the middle of the interrogation and he puts his head down and goes to sleep (btw love your work!)

haha no he was just so exhausted he passed out for 12 hours. he hasn’t had a good nights sleep in weeks, as soon as all [gestures at ch2] this was over he just crashed 

Anonymous said: Wow the new chapter is great!! Stellar as always. I can't help but imagine what's going on from Izuku's point of view with the spirits. Am I the only one who thinks Aizawa's spirit was trying to apologize or something when Izuku talked about not being forced into anything?

there was definitely some spirit stuff happening... i will say that aizawa’s fox spirit is the one who asked/persuaded izuku to tell aizawa what was Up with his quirk 

Anonymous said: tbh i want to see them question izuku with a lie-detector quirk or something. like he'll say something positively ridiculous and everyone's gonna go "wait wtf he's telling the truth??!!?!!?!?!?!?"

hoho... well... buddy im not gonna say anything... 

Anonymous said: Hello! I found your works recently and have an insane amount of time in the past few days going through it all, cause is all beautiful. I want to scream at you about all of them but you only get so many words with this so I'll focus on msa rn and I read chapter 3 of msa last night and since then I've been switching laughing at Izuku's sass, crying cause Izuku has so much angst involved him and I just wanna hug him, and screaming cause whAT WAS THAT CLIFFHANGER?!! Just what. Thanks for ur works-A

THANKS, thats the kind of reaction i aim for when i write something. im super happy you liked it!! <3 

Anonymous said: Technically his quirk is "Being alive" or "Having a functioning body" but saying that would probably end with the same blank stares. As a side note, in the manga (and canon in general) they mentioned quirks are activated by the 'quirk factor energy' or whatever... Do you think that might mean that people who are quirkless just don't naturally have enough quirk energy to activate their latent quirks? it would also make some sense from an evolutionary standpoint, the glowing baby is from the first

generation that had enough of the qfe to actually manifest their quirk and after that generation the lowering number of quirkless could be attributed to those that have a deficit in the production of said energy and they might actually have latent quirks. The pinky toe missing could be the final mutation that causes them to have enough energy for their quirks to work.. The only issue with the theory I see is OFA not awakening latent quirks with it's energy jumpstart...

i think that’s a pretty good theory! it lines up pretty well w/ the worldbuilding in msa. as for afo, :3c

Anonymous said: Hey uh.. I know this is probably 100% non canon in your AU but I was re-reading your MSA fic and I misread something that made me think that Izuku is actually dead and his body is actually being run by his guardian spirit who possessed his body/took his place when he died... *sweats* Its a really weird.. dark idea but I thought it was sorta cool and you might like it..? um.. I'll just let myself out now

god yeah that would be so dark and everything in msa would actually be even worse than it was before 

Anonymous said: When deku explains nighteye's quirk i can only think of that's so raven.

theyre valid questions... 

Anonymous said: I spent my break reading the asks sent to you RE: chapter 3 of msa and I cannot stop fucking laughing over "look eraserhead dead in the eyes and tell him you don't have a quirk" thank GOD I'm supposed to be happy and smiley to everyone

honestly, this is conceptually such a powerful moment that i can’t not put it in the fic now 

Anonymous said: msa izuka finally get set free but kiri has started following him around. States its official hero business but really just wants to see what other "cool shit" izuka will do.

izuku pulls an Official Cryptid Move (tm) and disappears while walking thru a liminal space 

Anonymous said: i love that when aizawa starts asking about deku's quirk he's like, 'screw this i'm answering in riddles now'. this is such a great fic!!

Anonymous said: “It’s a secret,” he says. “A secret that no one knows, that one will suffer, and one-half loathes. Who knows if it’s true or not? The only thing we can confidently say is that it’s one thing that should not be.” Okay, so this is probably one of my favourite little scenes from your fic, partially because it sounds so ominous and badass and makes pretty much no sense. I loved your update, I was so tense the entire time I was reading it, but also giggling hysterically because /Izuku/ just - Izukus

hmm i sure do wonder where izuku got that riddle from... and what it means... 

this riddle is just izuku complaining about everything because as long as he’s in this situation, he might as well make it perfectly clear how unhappy he is about EVERYTHING. when else is he going to have an audience for him complaining about his various maladies 

Anonymous said: I think that a part thats particularly true to izuku's character is when kirishima makes the observation "damn maybe it IS good we arrested him so he can sleep" & izuku goes into a miniature coma for 12 hours bc being arrested presented the perfect opportunity for him to finally be able to sleep

nfdfsljndslfnjdf YEAH, everyone please stop this child it’s for his own good 

Anonymous said: Reading know what i've made by the marks on my hands is really terrifying when not in Izuku's pov because you now know how scary?? it is for some other characters and Izuku looks crazy-- but you know he's not because cheesus???? This kid???????? Honestly I love it so much, thanks for your amazing writing and I want you to know that I enjoy it a LOT.

that’s the goal... showing how weird and strange and bizarre izuku is from everyone else’s point of view... i loved the outside pov bc i got the chance to show how much of a cryptid izuku is, something that izuku himself isn’t even aware of and thus would not make it into his pov

Anonymous said: anon who ((still)) hasn't read bnha here. chapter 3 of msa is amazing. i cannot get over the sheer amount of sass found in such a smol boy. also kirishima is quickly becoming my favorite character because of how supportive and caring he is. kirishima/deku is apparently now something to add to my armada of ships. for that i thank you. also i cannot wait for deku to meet spirit!one for all. it will either be glorious or horrible.

haha im always happy to introduce someone to the wonders of kiri/deku!! its an extremely good friendship... and in my professional opinion everyone should get on it and make it the Hot New Thing. as for ofa, ;3c

Anonymous said: I just thought of this but during Aizawa's interrogation I could totally see his spirit just blatantly looking away from Izuku while Aizawa is asking about his benefactor.

HAHA YUP, i love izuku saying all kinds of stuff about spirits and no one can make any sense of it and meanwhile the spirits are trying to tell him to stop. but izuku cannot and will not be stopped from passive aggressively vaguing about them. he WILL get his complaints in if its the last thing he does 

Anonymous said: “I just fixed your entire Quirk, you cabbage.” I'm sorry but this. This is beautiful. I'M GOING TO GO AROUND CALLING PEOPLE CABBAGE NOW

i was worried it was a bit of an overused classic internet insult but this is reassuring :p 

Anonymous said: every word that comes out of MSA Izuku's mouth is a blessing

but not to our three heroes and their intrepid intern sidekick... 

Anonymous said: Shit after the msa chapter i've got so many questions about Kamino. Did the rescue occur the same with minor variations? Is AfO still down? Did All Might fckin die? Has OfA been passed down yet? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS

im uncreative and unoriginal with canon events so we’ll see.... we’ll see. 

Anonymous said: MSA CHAPTER 4! I just found it today and I'm already rereading it. I did not know how much I needed sassy dead inside izuku. I Love this fic so much! That cliff hanger was so good! I'm so exciting to see more of izuku's pov. I love kiri but like I can't get enough of this izuku and his thoughts and reactions to things. This is so well written. The pacing in chapter 2 was so good. It felt like a heist and then keeping the readers guessing with not knowing if he was gonna get away was so good!

thank you so much!! im really glad you enjoyed the story that much <3 <3 sassy izuku is a pleasure to write honestly, can’t wait to see him more in future chapters 

Anonymous said: Ohhhhhh you should update msa! It's so unbelievably good! I love the interaction between kirishima and izuku! Like I'm so excited to learn more about kamino ward and how that's gonna affect izuku going free and keeping his identy safe

:3c 

Anonymous said: In chalter 2 of the msa au, did Kirishima think anything about how Deku said "I swear to every spirit I know"?

he dismissed it as a kind of weird, niche turn of phrase. like oh, guess this guy believes in spirits and junk, but im more worried about literally every other weird thing he’s done today 

Anonymous said: So does MSA!Izuku always mess with attempts to record his presence? I feel like this would be kind of a major problem when it comes to getting himself a school ID or the like. (He's going to school somewhere, so he must have a school ID stashed somewhere). You know, they could potentially use this to track his identity down. They can try contacting schools to see if any had issues with one student needing to have an excessive number of photo retakes.

nope, usually izuku can keep it under control! the blood sigil on his collarbone is what really let him passively affect the electronics.

Anonymous said: Ok so msa!Izuku says "he shouldn't" exists, and when I first read that I was really confused, do you mean he shouldn't exist in the way that he sees things he shouldn't, or that he literally should not exists and Inko has no freaking clue where he came from/he was not a planned child?

yes to the first proposal. other than that, spoilers... 

[thenerdytomboynewb96]

Samantha Allan Park Ch. #12

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC’s.

Chapter #12

*Late Friday Night*

Sam and Mikey were both laying across the couch, Sam’s back up against the left arm and Mikey’s up against the right. Their legs laid out across the couch as the two faced each other. They both held their own white boards and markers. Mikey had learned Japanese while learning the ways of ninjutsu with his family, and Sam had learned some Korean from her adopted siblings, so the two were slowly teaching some words and phrases from the language they knew to the friend sitting across from them. 

Sam picked up a card from the table. 

“The next word-phrase is…hello.”

The two then began writing what they believed should have been the correct words of the language they were learning on their white boards. Sam lifted hers first. The board read:

* こんにちは   Konnichiwa *

Mikey looked at the board and gave her a thumbs up. Sam had started lightly studying the language since she would be taking the AP Japanese test during her senior year of high school, so she was doing a pretty good job at correctly spelling words, both the kanji for the words and in their Romanized forms. Sam nodded towards Mikey. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” Mikey’s board read:

*여보세요   Yeoboseyo*

Sam tapped her fingers against each other which made Mikey confused. “Did I get it wrong? I could have sworn I had this one right.” Sam tilted her head some. “Well technically this is correct since the card didn’t specify the situation. Usually people say yeoboseyo when they’re on the phone. Do you know how people greet each other face to face?” Mikey froze for a second and then began writing on his white board. He then flipped the board around, it now read:

*안녕  Annyeong*

Sam leaned her fist forward and the two fist bumped. “Well look at you, only studying for a week and you’ve already learned so much.” “Heh, don’t tell my brothers. They’ll literally make the biggest deal out of me learning anything within a week.” “Speaking of your brothers…” she turned her head and looked all around the room for any sign of the others and Mikey searched as well. “I think we’re free to go.” He nodded and the two stood up.

Without hesitation they both got out their boards, ran over toward the nearest exit, and took off. The rockets on both boards activated and sent the two of them speeding down the tunnels of the sewers. Throughout that week the two had mapped out various escape routes for moments like this where they needed to meet quickly. They would never tell the other three, or anyone for that matter, but Mikey hadn’t just been training Sam so that she could defend herself, he wanted her as a teammate when kicking bad guy butt as well. He had been teaching her different tactics to use both to defend herself in one-on-one and in group battles. He had also helped her learn to maintain control of her skateboard for quick getaways.

Once they reached the intended manhole cover, they both climbed up the ladder that lead to the surface and then traveled on up to the top of the building in front of them. They both started setting up for that night as they talked.

“Not gonna lie, moving at that speed makes me feel like a total badass” Sam said as she checked all the devices that she had brought with her in her back pack. “You’re welcome for that!” Mikey replied as he pat down his pockets, making sure that all weapons he brought with him were secure. “I hate your man shorts” she said playfully, putting her brown hair back into a ponytail and clipping back what little of the side bangs that she had. “Hey, what did my man shorts ever do to you?” “They have hella pockets! It’s not fair, guys get tons of pockets on their pants, and I’m stuck with this!” she said as she tugged at the fake stitched on pockets of her black jeggings. “Like who came up with this?” “The people that make bags?” She pointed at him in approval. “Exactly! And it sucks! They make it so that woman purposefully have to buy designer bags. But I don’t like their bags, so instead I got this beauty!” She said as she turned around and pointed to her amazing back pack that could hold almost any and everything in it. “You still didn’t have to hate on my man shorts though” he pouted. She turned around and smiled. “Alright, I apologize for hating on your man shorts. Your man shorts are alright, everyone else’s man shorts can kiss my ass. Better?” “Better! Alright, so where are we going? Anyone ready to meet our fists yet?”

Sam pulled out her fixed phone and began typing away. “Watcha doin?” “I’m trying to connect my device to police phones, radios, cameras, things like that within their building. If they’re talking about a possible robbery or that someone’s cat got stuck in a tree, we’ll know about it before they can even officially send a team out to go help. I’m sure we can get there sooner than they would anyway. Here, you can watch video footage from this” she said as she handed him a small tablet. “Once I play around with this for a few minutes, you’ll be able to view any conversations being held at police headquarters.”

It was about 11:00 at night when the two began listening in for any information on local crimes and finally around 11:45 the two heard some interesting information.

“Hey Sam, you might want to check this out.” Sam looked over her friends shoulder and watched what was happening on the tablet. The two watched as some officers were at a display board as they talked about the recent crimes that had been caused by the Foot clan. They mentioned that the Foot had been stealing records on famous scientists and had also been breaking into their houses, but they weren’t sure exactly what the point of these crimes were. As the officers talked, Mikey noticed something on the evidence board behind the officers.

“Hey, does that white board mention something about the Sachs estate?” Sam paused the screen and then zoomed in on the section that Mikey had been talking about. “Yeah, it’s talking about scientists, doctors, different people that worked on location at the estate. Sachs is the guy who worked under Shredder right? The one who attacked you guys a few months back?” “Yeah that’s him, still can’t believe the Foot helped him escape before the police could get to him.” “Well according to the notes on the board, he’s back in action and he’s been helping Shredder track down and locate where all his past employees have been hiding. Looks like he’s not done with them. They’re all in hiding after what he forced them into in the past, and it seems that he’s trying to have the past repeat itself.” “I wonder what he wants them for this time.” “Well, it looks like he’s targeting this one guy in specific.” Sam moved the screen over a bit and zoomed in on a profile that had a huge star next to it. “Professor Jordon Perry. He worked at TCRI until he was recruited by Sachs to work at his estate, which at the time was seen as a huge honor. It says he was one of the top scientists and almost recreated his own mutagen that, based on what I read from Donnie’s files that I sort of stole from you guys, would have closely matched the mutagen that was used to mutate you guys, but just as they were about to start testing it is when Sachs reunited with April and instantly he went after you guys instead.” “Do you think that’s he going after this dude so that he can get that old mutagen back?” “I have a strong feeling that that’s what Shredder wants. Oh, look at this! This part of the board shows a few different places that Perry has been moved around to hide at.” “Why is that place circled though? Does it says what’s so special about it?” “…I wonder if that’s where they’re going to attack next…” “Does that meannnnnnn?” She looked over and smiled at him. “It means we’re going to go and check it out.” She put her fist out in front of her. “Cowabunga.” He bumped his fist against hers. “Booyakasha.” The two packed up all the devices, Sam put her face mask on, and the two began running along the roof tops.

Mikey began to laugh as he noticed the cute teddy bear mouth on his friends surgical mask. “A bear, really? You couldn’t use something more tough and scary?” “Hey! When they see this, they won’t be prepared for me to kick their butts!...Plus its cute…” “What happened to being a tomboy?” “I’m still a girl you dork, and regardless of gender I’m still allowed to like cute things. Being a tomboy means that I’m just not as feminine and girly as most women, not that I have to be a stereotypical man.” “Heh, it’s so easy to set you off. Like you make it incredibly easy.” “Yeah, yeah. Keep attacking my style and I’ll start insulting your man shorts again.” “Oh no not the shorts!” he shouted sarcastically.

After about twenty minutes or so, the two reached their destination. Perry was currently staying in a hotel room, and Sam and Mikey were hiding out in the parking garage below said hotel.

“Okay, I know the board said Perry was staying here…but why are we so far down below?” Mikey asked. Sam was getting her weapons ready. “As we were looking at the evidence board, I overheard the officers saying that Perry was going to be moved to another hotel again tonight. If the professor is in hiding then he would be moved somewhere down here where nobody would see him. I think there’s a good chance the Foot soldiers are going to try and capture the professor down here. And right on time, there he is.”

The two watched as a couple of officers got off an elevator with Perry right by their side. As they walked over to a cop car that was parked nearby, about 10 Foot soldiers appeared, 5 being actual Foot and the other 5 being Huns men. They were so fast that it literally seemed like they had all appeared out of thin air. “Come on, let’s go this way.” Mikey motioned for Sam to follow him. As the soldiers all circled the officers and the professor, the two ninjas carefully and quietly traveled around the garage without being seen. Within seconds the soldiers knocked the officers unconscious. Just as they were about to grab a hold of the professor, they heard multiple swishing sounds. Before they could do anything, multiple shuriken knifes were being thrown at them. The trained Foot soldiers easily dodged them and fell back so that they could figure out what was going on. The remaining soldiers however just started shooting in the direction that the shuriken had been thrown from. Just after Sam had thrown the shuriken, she and Mikey had begun charging the standing soldiers. Sam aimed at knocking the weapons out of their hands as Mikey aimed using his nunchucks to knock out the soldiers. “Yeah bruh, like shadows in the night!” “Yeah, but these shadows aren’t done yet. We need to guard the professor as we take out those five.” “Can you get those elevators open?” Mikey asked as he pointed towards the wall behind the soldiers. “I still have a ways to go, but I think my aim is decent enough that I could get them open. You take three and I take two?” “What about the professor?” “Oh he passed out already. Unless Shredder has more guys around, then he’s not going anywhere.” “Alright, game on!”

The two charged towards the remaining Foot soldiers. Sam threw two kunai knifes and both landed on the buttons to the hotel elevators, and immediately both sets of doors opened. Due to how fast he had been running, Mikey’s charged attack made backing the soldiers into the elevator quite easy. Since Sam was obviously much shorter and thinner than her mutated friend, she used her speed to help her leap over the soldiers, who then chased and followed her into the elevator. The two did so assuming that they would easily be able to take out this girl, but to their surprise she kept up with them the entire time they were in the small room. The two swung their swords, but every time they swung, Sam quickly dodged. Using the techniques Mikey taught her about maintaining balance and stamina, Sam was able to move swiftly while dodging attacks from the two soldiers, waiting for the right moment to attack. Finally, one of the soldiers had lost his balance for a split second, and that fast Sam had rolled over his body, and when doing so she swung one of her tonfa under his stomach where it connected with her other hand. Using both hands, she stood up and pulled back on the tonfa, pulling the man into an upright position. She successfully used him as a shield to block a solid kick from the other soldier. As the shield soldier collapsed to the floor in pain, the doors opened. Sam sprinted out of the elevator and ran to the staircase. As she ran up, she pulled a small walkie talkie out of the side of her bag.

��Genos to Saitama, where are you?” She said in a rushed voice as she ran. The two had decided days previous that they needed a quick way to communicate when in battle, so Sam had bought two small round walkies that the two could easily carry around with them. “Saitama has taken out the enemy and is heading back down in the elevator, where are you Genos?” “Ironically heading in the opposite direction. I still have one guy left.” “Alright, heading back in your direction!”

Sam reached the top of the staircase and ran to the center of the roof of the building. Not long after, the soldier had caught up to her and was charging at her. The two continued their fight on the top of the building. They kept up with each other very well, making it hard for either to find a weak moment from the other, so all they could do was attack, dodge, and block, with no real damage being done. Sam was the first to lose her balance for a split second, and the soldier knocked one of her tonfa out of her hand. It flew far enough back behind Sam that it would be impossible to turn back now and reach for it. Instead, she grasped onto the remaining tonfa like it was a baseball bat and swung at the soldiers head in his open moment. Her weapon connected with the side of his face and he stumbled back some. Sam leaped backwards, creating more space between the two. She then got out a few more shuriken and threw them towards the soldier. He dodged all of them with ease, but wasn’t able to move away in time. Sam threw her knifes so fast as she charged towards the man that he could dodge, but he couldn’t move away from where he was standing. Sam took advantage of this and instead of throwing her final shuriken, which the man was expecting, she shoved a kunai knife into his shoulder as she pushed him back. She pushed him back far enough that his shoulder was now pinned up against the wall. As the man was pinned, Sam brought her foot up and connected it first with the man’s stomach, and then her fist with his face, knocking him unconscious.

“Wow, now that was truly incredible” Mikey said as he slowly clapped. “How long have you been up there?” “I got up here a little bit before that got knocked away from you” he said as he pointed back towards the fallen tonfa. “…I meant to do that by the way” Sam said as she walked back to pick up her weapon. “Oh sure, and Saitama isn’t actually bald, he’s just wearing a clear cap.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever” She said playfully. “But I thought for a first time out I wasn’t that bad.” Mikey smiled at his friend as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Powerful you have become, more training I sense for you.” Sam rolled her eyes. “And what happened to your guys?” she asked as she gave him a quizzical look. “PATIENCE YOU MUST HAVE YOUNG PADAWAN!” he said as he walked over and picked up the injured soldier. “Oh god what did you do?” “Well” he started timidly as the two began walking down the stairs of the building, “let’s just say that after you contacted me, one of the soldiers decided to get back up and fight some more, and he accidentally hit a button that stalls the elevator. So now the three soldiers are kind of bloody and bruised…and someone is going to awkwardly come across them once the elevator begins working again. Hehe.” “Looks like we should get ready for a quick getaway soon” she said with a playfully sneaky look.

Once they reached the lowest level, the two tied up all the remaining soldiers. “Sam, what do we do with the professor?” “Hmmm, I guess it would be best to at leave him back at his room. Let’s do that and get out of here.”

The two secretly dropped the professor off outside his hotel room, and made their way back up to the top of the building. They were too high up for Sam’s liking. She had done a great job of mastering how to use her new board, but she wasn’t anywhere near as skilled as Mikey was, so he let her jump onto his back until they reached a lower level. Once she was secured tightly, Mikey hopped onto his board and glided down to a nearby building that was much lower than the one they were on. Once they were both back on their feet, they ran along the roof tops of the nearby buildings until they found a manhole cover in one of the alleys. They climbed down and then hid out in the sewers.

Once they were hidden below the surface, Sam got her phone and tablet out again to see if the police had been notified about anything. From what it seemed, they knew nothing about what had gone down that night. Just to be safe, she hacked into the hotels security camera footage to delete any evidence of their presence. Sam looked up at Mikey and put her fist out for a fist bump, signaling to her friend that all footage had been wiped and that there was no visual evidence of them being there that night.

Mikey returned the gesture and helped his friend pack up. “Dang, you progress quickly Sam. That was incredible what you did back there. You’re now able to hold your own against two soldiers, something you struggled with only about a week ago.” “Well hey, that’s what happens when you have a great teacher” she said as she gently nudged his shoulder. Mikey rubbed the back of his head feeling a bit bashful from her comment. “You really think so?” “Are you kidding?! You’re the one that helped me with speed training, maintaining balance and stamina, everything that went through my head as I fought those two was advice and techniques you taught me this past week. You’re literally the reason I was able to win that fight! It’s like, you’re L and I’m Near!” “So, I’m a dead guy?” “Ugh, noooo!” she said, playfully rolling her eyes. “Haha I know, I know. Even though I wasn’t the one fighting, because of my training I still won the battle through my student. Just like how L technically defeated Kira through his protégé Near.” “That…that was a beautiful explanation” she teased as she pretended to wipe a tear away from fake crying eyes. Mikey smiled as he lightly shoved her, to which Sam put her hands up in defense. “Okay, I’m joking! But seriously I’m glad you got that reference. Thanks.” “Don’t worry I got you. So, what should our code names be next time?” “How about No Pockets and Man Shorts?” “Pfft! Okay, sounds great” Mikey said as he burst out laughing.

The two continued to walk throughout the sewers. As Mikey went to turn one way, Sam turned the other way. “Oh, you heading home?” he asked. “Aren’t you coming with me?” He tilted his head to the side. “Why aren’t we heading back to my place?” “Because then your brothers would ask where we went. If we both stay at my place, then they’ll assume we were there the whole time.” Mikey nodded his head in approval. “Having a genius as a best friend definitely comes in handy.” “You’re welcome” she said as she mockingly bowed in front of him. He playfully shoved her, but accidentally did so with a little more force than he intended. As he laughed hysterically, Mikey pulled out his board and took off towards Sam’s house, knowing that she would easily get her revenge if she caught up to him. Sam followed him on her board, and without realizing it, the two had spent about an hour just chasing each other around the sewers.

Their mission had been a success, so now they decided to kick back and just have some fun for the rest of the night. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Sunday May 25th/ early morning around 4a.m.*

 Leo and his father were just ending their late night/early morning meditation session. They both had had some trouble when trying to fall asleep during the night, so they decided that now might be a good time to meditate since it was so peaceful and quiet. Usually by the end of late night meditation sessions, the two would be ready for bed, and once again it had worked.

The two had been meditating in Splinter’s room underneath the central piece of the living room of the lair. They both wanted to go get a quick drink of water before they officially went to bed that night, but as they walked up the small stairs to exit the small space, they saw something that surprised them both. As they turned around to head towards the kitchen area, there was Sam with multiple bags of groceries. She was stocking their fridge and cabinets with multiple different foods. 90% of the time it was Mikey who did all the cooking, so no one had really realized that there were now new foods in the kitchen, until now that was. Sam was carefully putting the food away so that she wouldn’t wake anyone, that and she didn’t want anyone knowing that she had been doing this ever since she had been allowed to visit the lair. She had done a good job at moving gracefully as she quietly put the food away, until her spectators surprised the heck out of her.

“Is this all for a late night snack, young one?” Splinter asked. Sam quickly spun around and threw the last plastic bag of food over her shoulder, attempting to hide it, only to have burst open. She smiled as she faced them, pretending to ignore that she had basically just chucked a few containers of flavorful spices and things of that such behind her. “Heyyyyyy, you guys. You’re awake…Why?” Leo had to look away in order to keep himself from laughing at the epic fail he just witnessed. Splinter sincerely smiled back at the girl. “We’ve been known to meditate when we have trouble sleeping. You’re awake. Why?” Sam’s eyebrows went up. “I left something here.” The two responded with quizzical expressions. “You left something?” asked Leo. “Yup.” “And that is?” “My comic book.” Splinter sat down at the table in the kitchen, he just had to continue listening in on where this silly conversation was going. Leo continued to question the girl. “You think you left your comic book in the kitchen cabinets?” “Yeah, maybe when I went to get a snack.” “From the snacks that you brought that is.” She looked at him inscrutably, making it hard to tell what she was thinking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You mean you didn’t put all that extra food in our cabinets and fridge, the food that none of us can go up to the surface and buy ourselves?” “No.” “Then where did it come from?” “…it was already there.” Splinter had to fight hard not to laugh at this nonsense. “And what about the containers behind you?” Leo asked. “They were like that when I got here.” “Ah, right. I must have missed them, you know, the entire time I’ve been in the lair, all day.” “Well, maybe someone snuck in here when you were meditating” she said as she turned to start picking up the containers. “Oh someone entered the lair alright” he said amusingly. Sam froze and turned to glare at him, but Leo could tell that she did so in a chipper manner. Sam stood up and laid the containers on the counter and began to walk away towards Mikey’s room. “Whelp this was fun but I’m gonna go join my friend we were watching a movie anyway it was one of the Avengers films you should totally check it out its part of a great series mkay bye” she said within one breath.

Once she had exited the room and the two heard a door shut, they tried to stay quiet as they let out their laughter. “I can see why she has become such good friends with Michelangelo, she acts just like him” Splinter chuckled. “I knew it had to be her, since everything Mikey makes has extra toppings or flavors that we never tasted until she showed up, yet she still tried to play it off like she didn’t know anything. It’s literally like talking to a female Mikey” Leo replied. “How have things been with our new guest around?” the rat asked his oldest son. Leo paused for a few seconds. “Not bad, but not good either.” Splinter sent him a disheartened look. “How so my son?” “*sigh* I think we’re all still a little on edge with her around. Obviously Mikey trusts her, but she still seems suspicious to the rest of us, especially Raph. He’s still set on the idea that she’s secretly plotting against us and that eventually she’s going to lead the Foot to our hideout.” Splinter nodded. “I understand why you all feel that way, I felt that way when Donatello grew worried about what she had stolen from him. But I still sense an overall peaceful aura from her.” “Overall, sensei?” “I feel that she has some skeletons hiding in her closet, but besides that, she seems to be a sweet girl who is just looking for something unique to change her life. It seems that Michelangelo was the answer to her prayer.” Leo smiled lightly. “Yeah, it seems so. I just hope that she stays true to this peaceful aura. Hopefully Mikey ends up being the one to prove us wrong, and not Raph who ends up being the one to claim that he was right.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

­­­­­­­­­­­*Later that day/Sunday afternoon*

The four brothers had made their way into the dojo, kneeling in a line in front of their sensei. They listened to Splinter discuss what they were going to practice that day. He had all of their attentions, except for Raph who was easily distracted by someone who wasn’t even in the dojo. Sam was sitting crisscross in one of the four circular openings that lead into the dojo. She was sitting in the top left opening while she had her headphones on and listened to some music as she worked away, but only Mikey knew what she was working on since it was related to their secret outings. Even though she was higher up, Raph could only focus on the music he heard coming from her headphones. The music wasn’t blaring throughout the room or anything, but because Raph still loathed having the girl around, every little thing she did ticked him off. Without realizing that he was completely ignoring and disrespecting his father, Raph stood up and threw a kunai knife so that so that it hit the edge of the opening. He knew it would miss her face, but that it would also travel so fast that it would catch her attention. He knew his plan worked when he saw her lean her head over the edge and call out “you rang?”

“RAPHAEL!” Splinter yelled to his son, only for the teen to continue ignoring and disrespecting him. “Turn your shitty music down! How am I supposed to concentrate when I can hear it from all the way down here?” he shouted as he glared up at her. “Shitty? I wasn’t listening to your mixtape” she said with a wry smile. She stood up and walked over to a pole along the edge of the opening and slid down to where everyone else was standing. “Heh, it’s like you want me to kick your ass again.” “With you gardening tools? Or your chubby arms?” “With these guns” Raph said as he clenched his fists, resulting in his muscles flexing and his veins popping all the way from his wrists to his shoulders. “You know” Sam said as she crossed her arms and responded with a mocking smile, “they say that guys with huge egos, are really small in other places.” “I’m gonna kick your-” “ENOUGH” Splinter shouted. Both heads turned toward him as their faces went a bit red.

“Pffftt!” Mikey and Donnie had to cover their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing. Leo closed his eyes tight, trying not to laugh and to act mature throughout this whole situation. Splinter just sighed in frustration. “I see there is still some tension between you two?” he asked. “No there’s not-” “YEAH!” Sam excitedly said with a smile as she cut the hot headed turtle off, purposefully messing with his head even more. Splinter closed his eyes, wondering how he could try to settle things. After a few seconds, he came up with a solution. “Alright” he said with a wicked smile, “how about a little competition between you two?” Raph gave his father a confused look. “Why the heck would we do that?” “Because the loser will be sent to the hashi” he said wickedly. “Oooooh” the other brothers replied. “The what?” Sam asked. “The hashi” Raph replied, with a huge wicked grin spreading across his face. “That would be the perfect way to teach you not to mess with me and to keep your bratty mouth shut.” “Um hey, hi, you’re not the only one with skills. Depending on the type of challenge, there’s still a chance I can kick your butt.” “Pft, doubt it.” Sam turned towards Mikey. “Soooo, I still don’t know what the hashi is.” “Welllll, it’s a room where you basically push your body to limits that are extremely uncomfortable and it makes you feel like you’re being tortured. But, good luck!” he said as he apologetically shrugged his shoulders. Sam smiled as she rubbed her hands together. “When do we start?”

Donnie and Leo sat along the edge of the dojo where it dipped down and created a ledge. They would have just walked away and wouldn’t have given this competition a second glance, but after seeing how the girl held up against Raph the other day, the two decided to get comfy and watch the battle that was about to unfold. Mikey walked over and sat next to his brothers, hoping that his best friend would be able to hold her own in whatever the challenge was.

“Alright Samantha, what are your interests and hobbies?” Splinter asked the girl. “Soccer and dance” she said beaming with pride. “How often do you train for each?” “Combined, 8 hours a week. That’s not including practice at home, actual games and performances, regular work out sessions, gym class, or other random or daily physical activities.” The old rat nodded his head. “Alright, you two are going to race each other.” Both competitors gave him a disturbed look. “That’s it?” they asked in unison. “Heh, this will be a race to see who has the most physical strength and stamina. You must complete: 100 crunches, pull-ups, push-ups, and then laps from one wall to the other.” “QUESTION!” Sam shouted as she waved her hand in the air, Raph grunting in response to the girl’s childish antics. “Yes?” Splinter replied with a blank expression. “When you say 100 laps, does that mean running from left to right is one lap, or is running from left to right then back to left is one lap?” “Hmmm, let’s go with the latter.” Sam nodded. “Alright, let’s do this.”

*Some time later* “There’s no way she can beat him, right Donnie?” asked Leo. “Well, where Raph wins in muscle, Sam wins in speed. She may actually have a chance.” “What do you mean a chance? She’s right behind him!” Mikey shouted.

The two were now coming to a close on the pull-ups section of their race, and Raph was in the lead by about 10 pull-ups. Because of his large muscles, he had the advantage in moving quicker when it came to the portion of the competition that relied solely on muscle, however, Sam still wasn’t that far behind. She continued to fight on, knowing that once she got to the speed section of the challenge that she would have the upper hand. Raph finished his final pull-up and dropped to the ground, starting his first push-ups as soon as he could. After a few minutes had passed, he noticed that the girl had yet to drop down next to him. “Hmph, you give up already toothpick?” “Think again cotton ball.” Raph looked behind him as he continued his push-ups and his eyes went wide in shock. Rather than her dropping down to begin her push-ups, Sam had swung herself forward and up so that her feet were in the air and she had started her push-ups while holding the pole and facing downwards. “Isn’t that cheating?” Raph called out. “I’ll allow it” Splinter replied. Thanks to this tactic, Sam’s momentum never broke, whereas Raph’s had broken for a few seconds as he stopped and started up again when moving from the pole to the ground. Even so, Raph still stayed ahead by about five push-ups. After some time, Raph finished first and began his laps. He thought he had a pretty decent head start, until he felt a quick breeze go past him. “She’s running already?!” he thought to himself. He was even more shocked when he looked up and saw that she was quickly closing in on him.

Donnie had an electric score board, and every time the two completed whatever their task was correctly, he upped the number by one. Each time the two touched the other wall, their number went up by one, and Sam was very close to Raph. He was able to stay in the lead with a well maintained speed for the most past, but about halfway through his laps, he was only about a few steps ahead of Sam. At lap 55, the two were neck and neck with each other. Raph couldn’t believe how fast this girl was, and not only that, but the fact that she didn’t seem that tired out. Obviously both were sweating like crazy and both were also starting to slow down bit by bit, but overall they both still had a lot of power within them. For the rest of the race the two were always right next to each other.

“This is incredible” Leo stated with wide eyes. “This is nothing to her” Mikey replied, “When it comes to speed and strength, Sam trains like this weekly, I mean she needs to if she plans on going pro.” Leo nodded. “Still, this is the second time that she has proven that can keep up with Raph, it’s just hard comprehending that an everyday human can do that.” “Not to mention her technological skills,” Donnie cut in. “I mean, is there anything this girl can’t do?” “Kill bugs” Mikey said bluntly. His two brothers slowly turned towards him. “Are…are you being serious?” Donnie asked. “Dead serious. She HATES bugs. Like whenever one comes near her she freaks out. That and she has a fear of heights.”

“DUDE SHUT UP!” She shouted. The three turned back towards Raph and Sam who were just about to end the race.

“Wow, it’s really going to be a photo finish” Donnie claimed. They were at lap 97…98…99…and just as they were about to end in a tie, the most random thing happened. Because of all the non-stop movement, Sam’s laces became loser and loser, and since she couldn’t stop to tie them back up, there was nothing she could do to save herself from tripping over her completely untied shoelaces during the last lap.

Raph would have been celebrating and rubbing it in in Sam’s face that he won, and Sam would have been yelling about how this wasn’t fair, but the two were too out of breath to say a single word. “Ahhh Samantha, you held up a good fight, but I’m afraid it’s time to head…TO THE HASHI!” Splinter shouted.

Sam laid on her back and held up the one minute sign to Splinter as she tried to catch her breath, terrified of what exactly it was that she would have to do next.

*About ten minutes later* Leo lead Sam out from the exit by the living room and down another hallway to the right. Splinter decided to let Leo come up with a punishment for the girl because he knew he would choose something reasonable that would test the girl’s limits and be some form of actual training, rather than Raph who would just pick something that would put a serious physical strain on her body. There were two rooms in front of her. The right room was a little brighter than the one on the left. She headed towards the brighter room only for Leo to put his arm out to stop her. “Nope, that’s what will eventually be the med wing. You’re heading to that room” he said as he pointed towards the darker room on the left. As they entered the room, Sam observed a wide variety of different objects scattered along the walls. There were swivels chairs, tricycles, ping pong paddles, a carton of eggs, literally the most random things covering each section of wall space. Leo walked over and set up two large concrete blocks. “Since I don’t know what your specific strengths and weaknesses are, I’m just going to have you complete my usual punishment when I’m sent to the hashi.” “The fearless leader has a usual punishment?” she asked mockingly. “We all do” he said sourly. “Alright, start by getting into a split with one ankle on each block.” Sam did as she was told, but she only straightened one leg. “I said to do a split.” “This is a split.” “No, it’s only half. Both legs need to be straight.” “…I can only do splits when I’m alone.” Leo rolled his eyes. “Just do it.” “…I can’t…” “*sigh* and why not?” “Because I’m not flexible enough” she admitted in defeat. Leo’s expression softened some as he realized that the girl wasn’t joking. “You…you’re being dead serious, right?” “Yup” Sam replied, a bit of annoyance in her voice. “After years of sports and dance I’ve just never been that flexible. I can’t even touch my toes.” “No way” Leo shook his head in disbelief. Sam gave him an agonized look as she bent over and failed at touching her toes. No matter how far she stretched, her arms came nowhere close to her feet. “Well, I guess I’ll have to tell Mikey to add this to your list of weaknesses then. You still have to do a split though.” “Dude come on!” Sam pouted. “I know you hate me and all but can’t you pick anything else, literally anything else?”

Leo’s face went blank as he saw how much this truly bothered the girl in front of him. He still didn’t really trust her, but that’s also because he didn’t really know her that well. This little bit of information was one of the few things he did know about her, but he knew that was also because he had been keeping his distance from her. He then remembered last week how she had tricked him and Raph into conversing with her because of how much he and his brothers had been avoiding her and that this demonstrated how much she was really trying to get on their good side and make amends with them. He then thought about what his father had told him early that morning about sensing a peaceful aura about the girl. Leo decided that maybe it was time to slowly start trusting the girl and not treating her like an outsider anymore.

“Okay, there are some tricks that aide one’s ability to be more flexible. It takes time and may even hurt at first, but if need be, that will be your punishment for the hashi. Deal?” he said with a small smile. Sam looked at the floor and shrugged. “Deal” she said with a sigh.

For about an hour, Leo helped Sam in being able to get her legs to stay straight without it hurting too much. Once she could finally hold the position, Leo backed off and let her stay put.

“See, was that so hard?” “I hate my life” Sam replied dryly. Leo chuckled. “Well my work is done, see you in two hours” he said as he started to walk off. “Hey you” Sam called out as Leo paused and looked over his shoulder, “thanks for helping me and not just straight up torturing me” she said with a small smile. Leo gave her a small nod and continued on his way. As he walked, he couldn’t get the images of her keeping up with Raph so quickly out of his head. Once again, her performance didn’t help her in his questioning of whether she could be a Foot clan member in disguise, but he did continue to see her be playful and fair throughout the entire experience. She never physically threatened Raph, and she never tried cheating either, and then after she lost she remained calm and even admitted defeat to Raph, even though it was obvious how pissed she was at herself for losing.

Leo still wasn’t exactly ready to become friends with the girl, but he did think that maybe it was time to start getting to know her a little more, but only for security reasons. If she was a Foot member, then it would be best to learn her weaknesses and things of that sort, and he needed to get to know her on a more personal level in order to do that. So yes, he would start talking to her, but only for the safety of his family. Well, that was the excuse that he continued to repeat over and over again in his head.