#please please come talk to me if you are considering going to vet school

[wormgremlin]

Hi! I do not have a large following on tumblr (other than pornbots I have not had the spoons to block), but a little about me:

I am a queer, minority poc student at a vet school in the USA and I McFucking hate it here. I am from the deep south and moved cross-country two years ago and experienced very tumultuous housing for my first several months. I have a lot of my experience is in working with low income populations due to the demographics of where I worked. I am pursuing mixed animal rural/livestock medicine and have an interest in access to care. If my username was not enough of an indicator, my Special Interest is parasites.

If you would like to hear about my experience at Vet School Not To Be Named, or have me answer some questions about vet school (or if you just want whack ass stories), hmu!

[lamponellatempesta]

Mayblade 2023 Day 3: Pets

It was a bit of a cold morning on that September day, and even though it was only dawn you could see a purple-haired boy, hair tied in a small pony-tail, running down the avenue by the sea, with his huge headphones, strictly black and definitely pop music blasting in to give him charge while running. He wasn’t a sports freak... or fan of playing sports with people, but he needed to vent his constant anxiety somehow, and running worked, so who was he to deprive himself of it. That day dawn was particularly gorgeous, made of beautiful pastel colors tinting the sky, surrounded by clouds that made them even more spectacular; there was only him, the dawn, the music and the adrenaline of the running that flowed in him. He needed it very much, it had been quite a restless study night; it was a bit complicated at school and things were not going very well. Apart from his musical practice, piano and bass, where he excelled without any problem, the rest of the subjects were giving him some anxiety. He was proud to be a Hiwatari, but apparently that created expectations of excellence in other people and it was starting to upset him, despite the fact that his father reassured him to not give a shit and that he should not be conditioned, but it was difficult, considering how much troubles he had from people at only 16 years just to be himself. He didn’t notice he had started to run faster, fueled with anxiety, and was forced to stop and take a breath. That's when he heard some meowing coming from... behind him? Gou took off his headphones and turned his head, realizing that he was being followed by two small balls of fur that meowed even more as they came close and started rubbing against his legs.

Gou smiled and lowered himself to their level to pet them.

"Mhm... they seem to be a bit thin... they are probably left without mom and are alone... I can’t leave them here... they are so adorable." He thought while the two small kittens had already climbed over him to ask even more pampering and looking for food as he smiled even more. "What harm can this do, old Twist will be pleased to have someone to keep him company, well. You little buggers come with me. And I’ll give you so so much good milk." The little ones meowed even louder at the words and the boy laughed "Yes, okay ahaha, calm down."

Gou reversed and ran home again, making sure that the two kittens did not risk falling during the run, but actually it seemed like it had a soporific effect and the two fell asleep.

A couple of hours later, a still half-asleep Kai found himself looking at the scene of his son giving milk to two kittens in the middle of their living room, without any warning. It was Saturday, he had thought he was still sleeping, but instead he was in his running clothes and with two kittens that would have been as big as his own hands in his arms.

"What can I tell him? Should I scold him? If he brought them I think he made sure they were alone and without a mother. Aaah... he’s my son..." Kai smiled,going to have a coffee before joining his son; Twist, their family cat, was still in bed sleeping with Takao, so there was no danger of a meeting with the small new guests for now.

"How adorable are you... yes,yes, it’s really good milk, mm? You are just two little gluttons. This is the best milk of Spa-" Gou interrupted his talking to the kittens when his father sit next to him with his usual cup of coffee and observed the little ones, stroking them with a finger, and then looked at him and he swallowed. "Dad I swear they were following me while I ran and I mean I couldn’t leave them alone they seemed very hungry and were alone so I took them home." Kai tried to talk. "I already called the vet, I asked them how much milk and everything else and later II take them to get checked if they’re okay, I know I shoul-"

"Gou, it’s okay, don’t get upset, if you decided to bring them here it’s because you’ve already considered all the options and besides they seem to love you already. You didn’t have to ask our permission if you thought it was the right thing. Later I’ll accompany you to the vet, however, two little pests are difficult to manage."

The boy smiled even more "Thanks Dad! I will take super care of them, they will have a super happy life I promise you! I will make them be accepted even byTwist!! Thank you thank you!!" He hugged his father and Kai hugged him back. "Come on, go take a shower and then let’s go, run up" Gou did not let it be repeated twice and ran upstairs, leaving Kai to take care of the two kittens with an already loving smile for the two little ones, he would explain later to Takao, Makoto and Dafne as of that day would have been two more members in the family, but not now. Now he just wanted to enjoy his morning peace, his coffee, and two kittens, which unfortunately for him, as with Gou, had already conquered his heart as the total cat-person that he was. He would have explained, but definitely not now.

[reidgraygubler]

sweet creature (wes/reader) pt 23

Title: Sweet Creature part 23 Couple: Wes/Fem!Reader Category: slowburn (will contain 18+ content) Content Warning: D/s dynamic, kissing, lmk if I missed anything bc i can’t think of anything that needs to be tagged. Word Count: 1725 Summary: Puppy considers what her mom had said about school and Jessica finds out about Puppy and Wes’ relationship. Puppy receives important information regarding her future at Westview Veterinary Clinic. A/N: apologizes for the short part. Just needed to progress the plot and get things rolling for the last parts :) thanks for reading and enjoying the series :D

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It was a slow day. It was painfully slow. Usually, when I say it was a slow day, I meant that there was a couple 20-minute breaks between pets but we could still maintain something to keep us busy. But today was so slow. The 20-minute break turned into 40 minutes, and then 40 minutes turned into 60. Half the staff left and went home. And I was still here because Wes had to stay and do more work.

I took this as time to mess around on my laptop since I had no real work to do at the moment. My dad’s voice was still in the back of my head, asking me about school and telling me I should consider going back to become a real vet. And that’s how I found myself researching schools and which ones had good veterinary courses. Of course, I was just looking. Nothing was in stone. It was just looking.

“What’re you looking at?” Jessica asked, her voice coming from behind me. I jumped slightly the moment I saw her hair in the corner of my eye. I quickly minimized out of the tab for colleges that were all over the country, and even some in other countries. Jessica was one of the last people I wanted to know that I was even considering going back to school.

“What?! Nothing!” I shouted as I turned to face her. She looked back at me with a raised brow before pushing my chair away from the desk. Before I even got the chance to fight back, she clicked the tabs back open and was met with all the school options I had.

“Are you… Are you going back to school?” she asked as she turned back around to look at me. I stared at her with wide eyes. The way she was instantly about confronting me about this before she even heard my excuse. Because that’s really what it is… It’s an excuse.

“No… Yes? I don’t know. I was just looking. Wes and I went out to dinner with my mom and dad the other day and my dad mentioned going back to school. He wants me to be an actual vet,” I explained as I sat back in my chair. Jessica looked at me, a deep crease growing between her brows.

“Woah, wait. Back up… I’m missing a lot of steps here. Why would Wes get dinner with you and your parents?” she asked as she placed a hand on her hip. I stared at her, watching as she cocked her hip out at me. The expression she wore on her face was silently telling me that she wanted me to talk and give her answers now. There truly was no escape from Jessica at that point.

Fuck! I froze when our eyes met. Her face slowly fell when I wasn’t speaking. My silence ultimately gave her the answer she sought. I could see the realization settle in her eyes.

“Wait…” Jessica whispered as she stared at me. Her eyes flicked down to my necklace, then to my laptop, then back to my necklace.

“Please don’t hate me,” I quietly begged.

“Are you guys… Are you guys dating?” she asked, even though she really did already have her answer. She just wanted to hear me say yeah, me and Wes are dating and have been for a couple months now.

“Y-yeah, we are,” I mumbled as I looked away from my friend. I swallowed roughly when she didn’t respond right away.

“WHAT?! How long?” Jessica basically yelled. I jumped, nearly falling out of my chair. My eyes went back to her and I could see a mixture of annoyance and excitement on her face.

“Like… Just a couple months. Not too long. We’ve been keeping it on the DL because, well… It’s honestly kinda weird for a person to be dating their boss,” I explained. She stared at me as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“That night we went to the bar and you were late… Were you at-”

“Yeah, I was at Wes’... He had to show me something and I… I almost didn’t show up,” I muttered as I looked away. The brief moment of before that night came back to me. And I really wished I had stayed instead of going out. "I wasn't totally lying when I said I was at my secret boyfriend's house..."

“And the guy you said you loved but didn’t love you back? Was-”

“It was Wes.”

“I take it he loves you back, right?”

“I mean, I sure hope he does,” I said with a small laugh. "That'd make our whole relationship kinda awkward if he didn't..."

“Sooooo, this means that Wes is the secret boyfriend that has fucked you?”

“Jessica-”

“This also means that Wes took your sacred v-card?” Jessica cooed as she stepped closer to me. I looked up at her with wide eyes. Thank God that there wasn't a family member with their pet in the waiting room and that we were really the only ones out here.

“Jessica!” I shouted. The blaze that grew across my face was impossible to stop. I quickly looked away from her, forcing a frown on my lips. It was so hard to not think about that first time though. God and she has no idea, and never will have an idea, that we fucked three rooms away from here…

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she hummed before lowering to press a kiss to my cheeks. “You should go get some water,” she teased before standing upright. I glared at her as she walked away, leaving me alone in the waiting room. I rolled my eyes and stood up, grabbing my belongings and stepping out of the room.

Instead of going to the break room or locker room to get water, I found myself walking towards Wes’ office. I stayed quiet as I entered the room and placed my stuff on one of the armchairs. Wes was working on his laptop so he didn’t notice me at first. He only noticed me when I took a seat in the other armchair, the one that was in his line of vision.

He looked over at me, peaking over his glasses (the ones that he really only wore when he was backed up with work or when he has a migraine or both. I wondered which it was.). I hated that I was bothering him while he worked. To be fair, I could help him. But he always sort of gave me special treatment (even outside of our relationship). I just needed an escape from the other people in the clinic and the world on my laptop or phone.

“Is it okay if I just… Hang out in here for a minute?” I asked as he looked back at his computer. He silently nodded as he kept his eyes on his work. I took a deep breath and slouched back in my seat. I was grateful for the quiet room, the only noise being Wes typing away on his laptop. I wanted to know what it was he was working on, but I knew if I asked he’d probably want my help on it. And that was honestly the last thing I wanted to do right now.

“I heard shouting?” Wes asked as soon as I sat down across from him. I looked at him, watching as he closed his laptop and focused on me. I swallowed roughly and nodded.

Great, now I have to explain to him.

“Jessica found out… Mostly my fault…” I started to explain before dropping my gaze away from him. Wes hummed lightly and when I didn’t look up at him, he hummed again. “I was telling her that we had gone to dinner with my parents and there was really no way around explaining to her the reason why you would be having dinner with them, with me. So I just told her. So, now she knows,” I spoke a touch too fast. Wes looked at me with a small smile and shrugged.

“I did tell you that you could tell her.”

“Wait, you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad? It’s not like you told her everything we do… Right?”

“NO! I didn’t! She doesn’t need to know all of it. I just told her that we’ve been dating for the last… couple of months. I mean that’s not exactly true. But it’s not a total lie either,” I laughed as I looked down at the ground.

“Well, you know what the deal was. Just don’t tell her the other stuff. It’s fine. I don’t see any real issue with her knowing about us benign together,” he said with a shrug. I stared at him, feeling a small smile grow across my lips. It wasn’t an embarrassed or annoyed smile. It was actually a purely-joyful smile.

“Now I got two people teasing me about drinking more water,” I said with an eye roll. Wes laughed and shook my head.

“On second thought, maybe we should tell her who your owner is. Don’t you think so?” he joked as he started to stand. My eyes widened as I stared at him, terrified that he was actually about to tell her.

“No! Please don’t! I was just… joking,” I half-shouted. He looked at me as he continued to walk around his desk and lean against the front of it. A small smile grew across his lips as he moved closer to me.

“So was I,” he whispered before pressing his lips to mine.

“I hate you,” I muttered softly. He smiled and shrugged.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time you come over,” he said cooly as he pushed off the chair and went back to his seat. I swallowed roughly and watched as he quietly went back to work.

“I love you,” I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear me say something, but not loud enough for him to know what I said.

“What was that?” Wes asked as he looked over his glasses and at me. I smiled at him and shrugged.

“Nothing,” I said as I stood up.

“No, it’s never not just nothing with you, Pups,” he said as I walked around to him. He looked up at me as I leaned over to press my lips to his.

“I love you,” I repeated a little softer. He smiled at me before kissing me again.

“That’s what I thought.”

Thinking about going back to school has probably been one of my biggest secrets in a while. Jessica is the only person who knows I was even thinking about it. When I filled out those applications a couple weeks ago, I wasn’t expecting to actually hear back from any of them, let alone the one that I wanted to get into the most. And it was the one that was on the complete opposite side of the country too. It’s fine, really. It’ll be an exciting change. That’s if I decide to actually go or not. 

That definitely gave me the excitement I needed to get through the day. Maybe when we’re done working, I’ll tell Wes about my acceptance in a good school. Granted, he knows nothing about the whole school thing. Maybe he’ll be excited. Probably not about that possible long distance relationship. We’d make it work.

“Whatcha looking at?” a familiar voice asked from behind my shoulder. I took a deep breath and quickly dropped my phone to the counter. When I turned around, I was met with Wes. He was looking at me with a soft smile. 

“My-My emails,” I said, telling the truth. I mean, it wasn’t a lie. I was looking at my emails. “I know I shouldn’t be on my phone while at work. I was just-”

“Babes, it's okay. When have I ever gotten mad about you being on your phone? You actually know time and place and don’t mess with your phone when there’s people around. And today seems like another slow one,” Wes laughed lightly as he looked around the waiting room. I copied his action and noted that there wasn’t a single person here. I hated slow days.

“Okay, that’s true.”

“Plus, I’m not Kurt. I know Kurt would’ve whipped you a new one,” he laughed as he looked down at me. I stared at him with wide eyes and shrugged lightly. “I’ll just do that at home later,” he added in a whisper.

“Wes!” I exclaimed as I tried to push away from him. He laughed again before pulling me closer. I stared at him and shook my head. “You’re lucky I love you,” I muttered as he moved slightly closer to me. 

“Why? What would you do if you didn’t love me?” he asked as he sat on the counter. I found myself moving closer and honestly without an answer. Of course he knew I was just trying to be mean. But as he would say I don’t have a mean bone in my body. Only when I’m pissed. 

“Shut up and just kiss me already,” I muttered before grabbing his shift. Wes laughed lightly before pressing his lips to mine. He probably didn’t care about how public this was. I mean, this isn’t the worst thing we’ve done. Considering the first time we had sex was in room 8 of the clinic. 

“Okay, lovebirds, get a room,” Jessica’s voice came from the hall to our left. I begrudgingly pulled away from Wes and looked over at my friend. She was staring at both of us with a smug grin before shrugging. “Of course, only if you don’t have any real work to do. Because if you don’t, by all means, keep going. Pretend that I’m not even here!” she said as she clapped her hands together. I stared at her, watching her lean against the wall beside her. 

“Perv!” I accused as I stood up. Wes grabbed my arm and then my hand.

“I’m just saying… I’m not the one making out with my boss in the waiting room,” she coyly said as she stepped closer to the front desk. I stared at her and shook my head.

“Speaking of work, aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?” Wes asked as he turned slightly to face Jessica. She looked at him with a smug smile and shrugged.

“Just another slow day, what can I say?” she mused as she leaned over the counter. I stared at the two people in front of me, noting that they were having a silent argument with the death stare down.

“I better get to my office and finish up stuff in there. Bit behind,” Wes explained as he dropped his gaze to his legs before standing up. I looked back at him with a small smile before picking his lips.

“Beep me if you need help,” I whispered.

“God just have sex in the utility closet already,” Jessica groaned as she dramatically fell over the counter. I looked at her then back at Wes. 

“I will. Love you,” he whispered before pecking my lips. With that, it was just Jessica and me in the waiting room.

“We’ve fucked in the utility closet… And room 8,” I mumbled as I sat back down. She stood up right and looked right down at me. 

“What was that?”

“In fact, the first time we had sex togheter was in room 8,” I quickly added. I really had to push away that memory. But it was really hard because it was a good night, despite it happening after an argument.

“THAT’S OUR MAIN ROOM!” she shouted the moment she realized what it was that I said. I looked at her and shrugged.

“Oh, calm down, we don’t do it here anymore,” I said with a smile. She stared at me and shook my head. “You’re the one curious about my sex life with Wes.”

“And I don’t regret it for one moment,” she hummed as she leaned over the counter again. I stared at her and shook my head.

“I got accepted at a college in New Hampshire,” I whispered as I looked down at my phone. She stared at me for a moment, taking in what I said.

“When you said you were thinking about going back to school, I didn’t think you were being serious. I thought you were just looking,” she said softly. I looked back at her and hated that she looked betrayed. 

“I didn’t think I was being serious either. But then I filled out a couple of applications for shits and giggles and… The one school I wanted to go to… They just sent me an email letting me know I’m accepted and to let them know if I’m being serious.”

“Does Wes know?” 

“No, he doesn’t. I was gonna tell him tonight when we got home,” I nervously replied back. I looked down at my fingers before I began pulling at them.

“Do you want to go?”

“Yeah, kinda. I mean. I could go to school and learn more and become an actual vet,” I explained, almost saying exactly what my dad said weeks ago at this point. “But at the same time… That means moving and leaving everything behind.” 

“You should do what you think you should do. And if you think you should move to New Hampshire, then you should do that. I’m not gonna hate you or be mad at you for wanting to further your education. But you should talk to Wes about it. He’ll probably give you some old man advice about all this.”

“He’s not that old, Jess,” I scowled as I looked at her. She looked back at me with a smile and shrugged.

“Okay, fine. I’m just saying. Talk to him about it. If anyone can convince you to do the right thing, it’s gotta be Wes.”

part twenty-four

[henryobsessed]

The Veterinarian and the Werewolf - Chapter 1

Summary: Jessie has completed Veterinarian school, after the death of her aunt has moved back to her home town.

word Count: 2013

A/N hello How are you all doing? we are in lockdown again here in Victoria Australia, I hope that means more time to write :)

Prologue

Chapter 1

Jessie sank into her plush foe leather couch; it had been a month since she had returned to her hometown and surprisingly her business was thriving. Even though she had yet to treat any wildlife she had a steady stream of cats, dogs, birds, ferrets, and other assortments of domestic animals heading through her doors. A big surprise to her was the number of cattle ranchers who on her arrival had asked her to make house calls to assess their cattle. Normally they paid for someone to come out to their co-op from the neighbouring bigger city. Now she was here if she could gain their trust, she would be set.

She looked around at her aunt’s old house, so many beautiful memories, Bet had been her best friend apart from the animals and had encouraged her to follow her dreams, she had even pitched in to her college fund when her parents’ life insurances had not been quite enough. She pictured her aunt standing at the stove, cooking her pancakes, grey hair piled atop her head, apron wrapped around her tall slender body, excited to cook for “The Vet” as she had lovingly called her even before she started her degree.

The last time they had spent time together she had sat on the couch, pancakes in hand. Her honey brown eyes pinning Jessie to her seat as her age roughened voice pleaded, “You can’t keep shutting people out Jessie, you have to open yourself to the possibility that you might find love, or even a good friend. You’re an adult now, and I won’t be around forever.” Her eyes misting as she whispered, “I worry about you honey, I don’t want you living your life alone like I did.”

Jessie had hugged her aunt pulling her in tight as she felt her sweet Bet’s distress. She had never asked why she was on her own, caught up in her own dramas. She had loved that it was just the two of them. But now she wondered if she had been too selfish. Once she was at college, her aunt was alone again. As if validating her aunt’s concern’s, she had received a call, a week after returning back to her last month of college. Her Aunt had suffered a major heart attack at work. Even though she was in the hospital when it had occurred, they were unable to save her. It had been a hard few months no one had come by the house for the funeral, it had just been the two of them. The local lawyer had encouraged her to sell up and move to a more populated area saying they had no need for a vet, and she had considered it. But a part of her still felt connected to the land, connected to those buried deep within the woods around their house.

He phone buzzed bringing her out of her musings, shaking the tired fog from her head she peeked at the antique gold clock above the mantel 11pm, Picking up the phone she heard a timid voice answer “Is this the vet, the one that came to our ranch last week?” mind pulled into action she answered “ yes this is the Vet what can I do for you?” a shaky breath let out as the young man responded, “I’m sorry for calling so late, My name is Thomas, my dad owns Ride em ranch. I was out checking traps around the property line, I hate them so much but dad insists we have them, a wolf has been caught. If I don’t get him out of here soon my Dad or one of the hands will come and kill him. Please what do I do?” sitting up Jessie talked in a calm voice to the boy, “First thing how is the wolf behaving?” getting up Jessie pulled her coat on whilst heading for the car, “He’s growling and whimpering at the same time ma’am, I think he would bite me if I got to close, but I can see he is in a lot of pain.” Opening the door to her pickup she jumped in glad her veterinarian bag was already in the back. “Ok Thomas tell me where you are, I am on my way”

Jessie was focused looking for the a boy in a red checked shirt and dark blue jeans, a part of her was excited, she was finally able to help a wolf, but another part of her was worried she was too late. There waving his arms illuminated by the high beams of her truck she saw Thomas, he had blond hair, brown eyes, and stood around 6 ft 3 although he had not filled out yes so even with his height looked like a young man.

Pulling up she could see his obvious fretting as he didn’t stop to talk but rather, as soon as she had her bag, started moving back into the forest. The boy was so intent on getting her there he didn’t say a word, however the closer they got the more evident it was the animal was in great distress. Long lone howls could be heard along with whimpers, when Thomas broke into the area where the wolf was his whimpers changed to savage snapping of his teeth and loud growls interrupted by his whines. The was until Jessie stepped into the opening, She could have sworn the wolf looked right at her with shock before it laid its head down and quietened. Jessie was amazed, its behaviour was one of submission and in its current state was highly unusual. She walked closer, slowly talking to the animal, “Hey boy, your ok, I’m here to help ok. Will you let me help you?”

She knelt just outside of the range where the wolf could reach her and reached into the bag, the majestic creature watched her closely but gone was the snarls and defensive growling. All that was left was his pain filled whimper, quickly assessing his weight she pulled a small tranquilizer gun out along with some prefilled darts. On seeing the gun he let out a long mournful howl that tore at her heart, “I’m sorry, but this will make you feel better I promise.” Taking aim she shot into his flank. He let out a soft yelp, they kept eye contact as he slowly lowered his eye lids.

Ok Thomas we need to move fast, I had to guess his weight and even though I am sure I’ve have put him out for the night I can’t guarantee that.” Together they moved to the brown black creature, jessie made note as they together removed the trap from its leg that the creature had seen better days. His hair was matted in places and there were other areas where the fur was missing showing signs of fights that it had been in. Carefully after assessing the rest of its body, Thomas and Jessie lifted the creature which from tail to muzzle would have been 6 ft 5 however it showed malnutrition and was much lighter that she would have expected for a creature of its size and age. In fact had Thomas not been there to help she would have been able to lift the wolf herself which said a lot for its condition. Sadness filled her as they carefully placed it in the back of the truck. Once he was securely placed in the back she turned to the young man “Thank you Thomas, I appreciate your help and your kindness” Thomas looked down at his feet for a moment before signing, “Please don’t tell my pa, he would think I was a pansy for doing this. What he fails to understand is we need to work with the wolves without them….. well we need them. Thank you for coming, I hope he survives.”

Jessie watched the tall young man in her rear vision as she dove away, there was something special about him.

On reaching her clinic she bought out a trolley and carefully picked up the wolf playing him down and wheeled him into the treatment rooms. Her first priority was x-ray the leg and make sure it wasn’t broken, as she moved around the room her other patients called out to her. A small Tibetan spaniel who was in for cherry eye surgery whimpered at her before settling down in it’s cage, along with a tabby who was recovering from a broken leg, who at all the noise hissed at her. “ohh come now calm down, we have to help this poor creature ok. I expect you both to keep him company as he recovers.” She quickly took the x-rays dismayed to see that the trap had indeed crushed his ulna and radius on the right leg. The night was long as she reset the leg and applied a cast. The sun was coming up, and her young assistant joe was walking in the front door as she finished setting the wolf up in a special cage.

Joe taken aback walked around to peer into the cage, “OMG Jessie, where did you find this boy? He is gorgeous and yet has seen better days.” Exhausted she just stood wiping her hands on her apron and started cleaning, “you look like you need a break Jessie, why don’t you go home, I’ll reschedule your non important appointments and push the urgent ones back to this afternoon so you can get some sleep.” Grateful she nodded her thanks and left the Joe to care for the grumpy cat, and Tibbey.

Jessie’s dreams were plagued with images of the wolf, his eyes that held so much pain caused her heart to constrict. The resemblance to the those she had buried so many years ago could not have been a coincidence. As she tossed and turned the images grew bolder, the wolfs from long ago circled her, she felt no fear only curiousness as they sniffed at her before one by one they laid at her feet. She knelt and stroked each one, reassuring them that she would take care of him. A loud sound broke into the now peaceful dream, her mind now fussy she picked up the phone, “Jessie” the frantic voice of her assistant invaded her calm “Jessie you have to get down here, the wolf woke up and is tearing at the cage. I can’t even get close enough to change the fluid bag. I’m scared he is going to break out.” Jumping out of bed she ran to grab her bag, not even worried that she was still in her pajamas she ran to her truck. The clinic was only 5 mins by car, but she was the only one authorised to use the tranqu gun.

Running into the clinic she could hear the panicked snarls and snaps of the wolf, the sound of the metal clanging and it tried to escape. Gun in hand she ran into the room, as Joe opened the door and her eyes met that of the wolf the strangest thing happened. Just as it had in the forest, the wolf calmed, whined and laid its head down. “well I never!!” Joe breathed in exasperation, “Teach me Obi wan, Tell me your secrets” if she hadn’t been so socked herself she would have laughed at Joe’s comment. However this was not normal wolf behaviour. Taking a risk she moved forward and sat before the creature, an odd feeling settling in her stomach as joe handed her the new bag. Talking in a calm voice she addressed the canine, “This will help you feel better ok” his eyes locked with hers as he whimpered. Risking everything she hooked up the new bag then opened the cage, going against her training she reached in and caressed him. She felt his body relax the more she stroked his neck and flank until he was once again asleep. Replacing the latch on the door she looked back a Joe both confused and amazed.

Chapter 2

I have tagged people from my last story if you wish to be removed please let me know 😊

@legendarywizarddetective @blakerogue @ladamari68 @witcherfan @sillyrabbit81 @littlefreya

@stephartrave @angelcavill66 @fatefuldestinies @bageracat

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[teecupangel]

(The start of this idea can be found in the comments of this post)

Okay, my initial thought is that Kyuubi asked Desmond that while the entire fight is going. But then I remember that this is probably turn 0. That Kyuubi isn’t talking to Desmond…

He’s talking to Homura.

And Desmond tries to keep her safe. She was one of his sister’s friends and, from the looks of it, the only one still alive. By then, Homura had said her wish.

And Desmond is caught in the ‘blast’ of her wish coming true. .

Normally, this meant that Desmond would lose his memories. Kyuubi was closer and he lost his memories as well so it seemed natural that Desmond, a normal human, would be caught as well.

But Desmond wasn’t a normal human, was he? What if Desmond's 'The Calculations' Chosen One' attribute has some kind of ‘time and space manipulation protection. He was the Cypher, the number 0. He was created to exist as the way he was, the blood singing in his veins a record of every choice made by the Isus and his ancestors. In some ways, he is offered a bit of protection from time manipulations.

So he returns to the past, already a part of Mami’s family, living a normal life as an older brother to a sweet girl and parents who care but had to leave for work.

But he has this feeling.

A sense of deja vu?

It keeps appearing at times, almost random.

But Desmond tries to consider it logically.

He was living a civilian life.

Doing the same thing over and over again, mostly so he would have money to buy Mami something nice and have his own funds even though their parents send enough for their living expenses and a bit more that they can save up so they can whatever they wish later on.

Then…

Mami introduces Madoka and Sayaka to him. He’s just glad Mami has new friends after Kyoko… changed.

He meets Akemi Homura.

A big storm approached Mita-

.

.

“You got anything you need?” Desmond said with a smile on his face, placing a plate of bacon and scrambled egg on Mami’s side of the table while he held his phone with his other hand, checking the text his boss sent him an hour ago while he had been cooking.

“Of course.” Mami smiles at him as she held her bowl of rice and proceeded to eat breakfast.

He sat across from her, ignoring his own breakfast as he said, “This is your last year in middle school. I know you think you’re no longer a child but, please, Mami, promise me you won’t fall for any sweet nothings and get a boyfriend this year.”

Desmond laughed at the glare Mami gave him, all the while her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

“Very funny.” Mami rolled her eyes before smiling at him as she said “Don’t worry. I don’t think any boys in my school will ever be enough in my big brother’s eyes.”

He felt a pain in his chest, like he had been stabbed.

He ignored it.

It was just his past life… the tragedy of his ancestors… reminding him of the pain of loneliness he had lived before being adopted.

It was fine.

Everything was fine.

“Of course.” He reached across the table and ruffled Mami’s hair, making her let out a surprised yelp and whine about how he’s messing her hair. His smile grew softer as he said, “I have to vet every guy who even tries to think they’re good enough for my little sister.”

Yes.

He wasn’t Desmond Miles anymore.

This was a new life.

A good life.

.

.

Okay, so in canon, Mami’s parents died in a car accident and Desmond has been adopted for a few years by then and is also legally an adult so he got custody over Mami. Mami’s been hiding her magical girl extracurricular activities for years now and Desmond knows something is up but he assumes it’s Mami dealing with the things that happens when a girl is going through puberty.

The timeloop starts during the start of the school year (this is to give Homura enough time to stock up on stolen military goods and such as well as to give Desmond multiple instances of deja vu without Homura in the scene to make it hard for Desmond to realize Homura is connected to his sense of deja vu)

Puella Magi Desmond Magica (well what else am I supposed to call this?)

A discussion between myself and @teecupangel with everyone’s favorite Ultimate Isekai Protagonist Desmond Miles in the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series.

(Aka two of my biggest hyperfixations)

OHH THE ANGST POTENTIAL! YES LETS THROW HIM WITH MAMI. She asks him to keep an eye out for Kyouko too, along with any “strange occurrences”. He takes the night shift at a bar (can’t help it tbh) but during the day he’s on his own sort of “patrol” while Mami is in school, keeping an eye on Kyouko and helping her out on the streets. She may be stubborn but so is he, and he does sometimes give her a sample of Mami’s latest cake creation. It’s like this up until the timeline starts, Homura’s first day out of the hospital in Mitakihara.

Mami’s recently met a junior of hers, Madoka Kaname, and has taken to bringing her over for tea and cake. Desmond likes her and is glad Mami has someone to really connect with other than him. After Kyouko’s family died in that fire, Mami and Kyouko’s friendship changed. So Desmond is happy to see her bringing another person around the apartment again.

A few days pass and then Mami’s bringing another junior home, a shy girl named Akemi Homura. Desmond makes note of this and continues his days as normal.

A big storm is approaching Mitakihara. Desmond and Mami head to the closest shelter but Mami somehow slips away from him. So he activates his Eagle Vision and tracks her to the storm’s center, where he sees an upside down clock thing with a grinning face.

Desmond’s eyes are drawn to two figures leaping and darting and sending bolts of color at the thing. He lets the world bleed gray and there are three figures shining blue-gold.

One of them is on the ground, looking like she’s been crying.

A piece of debris hits one of the leaping figures and oh fuck oh fuck that’s his little sister. He recognizes the gold hair. Although her outfit is strange.

Desmond had promised himself he wouldn’t use his Assassin skills in this new life he was given. He would keep his family away from his old life.

He broke his promise as he flew towards the body hurtling towards the ground. Every free running skill pushed to its limit as he ran, leaped, and dodged.

He cradled his sister’s body as she smiled at him. As Desmond held her, a voice entered his mind.

Do you want to make a wish?

[fridayfirefly]

Retirement

Read Retirement on AO3

Masterlist

For Maribat March Day 21 - Domestic Bliss

The first time Marinette and Garfield ever discussed retirement was before they even started dating. For superheroes, retirement was just a fact of life. One day, if you make it long enough, you'll put down the suit and you'll never pick it up again. Maybe someone will take your place. Hopefully, no one will need to. But no matter how strong you are, not even if you're Superman in his prime, the simple fact was that someday you would retire.

"What do you think you'll do after you retire?" Marinette mused to Garfield. Out of all the Titans, Marinette spent the most time around Gar, simply because the two of them spent a lot of time in the living room. Marinette liked the ambient noise that his video games provided when she worked on her projects, and Gar liked to have someone to talk to while he played. Most of Marinette's current focus was on the embroidery in her hands, as she stitched vines running down the sleeves of her shirt, but she still took the time to start a conversation with Gar.

"I dunno..." Gar glanced up from the game he was playing. "What'll you do once you give up being Ladybug."

"That's a tough question. I used to think that I wanted to run a big fashion company, like Agreste Fashion, but now I think I want something a little more low-key. In my ideal future, I own a little boutique where I make custom clothing. There would be a fabric store and a café on the same block as me, and I would never have to leave the neighborhood."

"That sounds nice. I think I might try going to college and see where that takes me. I applied to Jump City University right before Christmas, and they accepted me. If I went, I would start classes in the fall.”

Marinette’s head jerked up as she gave Gar her full, undivided attention. “I��m going to JCU next fall!” she exclaimed excitedly. “We might have classes together. What are you planning on majoring in?”

Gar shrugged, “JCU has a veterinary program that I'm interested in. I'd be taking animal behavior, biology, chemistry, and a whole bunch of other science classes.”

“That’s so cool!”

“It’s nothing much. I didn’t expect them to accept me, anyway.”

Gar seemed oddly subdued about the idea of going to college. He was a naturally enthusiastic person, which made it very out of character for him to be so dismissive. It worried Marinette. “No, you deserve praise for your accomplishment. Jump City University is a very selective school.”

“I’m not a genius. I’m just me.”

“You’re smart, Gar, I know you are. Getting accepted to JCU is just one of the many reasons why you are brilliant.”

“Are you gonna name them all for me?” joked Gar.

His question was rhetorical, just a joke, but Marinette wasn't finished convincing Gar that he deserved all the praise in the world. “For starters, you can finish any video game in less than a day. Even the ones where you need logic and strategy, you fly right through them. Secondly, you’re a genius when it comes to animals. And it’s not just because of your superpower. You taught yourself animal behavior so that you could blend in with the animals you’re imitating. Thirdly, you pretend not to be invested in politics, but I’ve seen how you keep yourself informed about environmental policies and activism. You really care about the planet. Fourthly-“

"Alright, Buginette,” laughed Gar, a slight blush on his cheeks. “You’ve proven your point.”

Marinette set her embroidery down on the coffee table and moved to Gar's couch. "Is this game multiplayer?"

"Yep. Do you want to play a few rounds?"

"Hmm... I think I could spare a few minutes to kick your butt."

"Please. I'm going to squash you like the little bug you are."

"You wish!"

----------

The next time Marinette and Gar discussed retirement was well after they started dating. They got together in their Junior year at JCU after spending two years in relationship limbo, with both too nervous to make the first move. They finally confessed their feelings for each other after Dick and Starfire locked them in a closet together until they admitted that they liked each other. They graduated college as a couple, with Gar planning on attending veterinary school and Marinette planning on starting up her fashion business. That summer they spent a lot of time talking about the future.

"I've been thinking of recruiting someone to take over as Ladybug," remarked Marinette as she cuddled up next to Gar on the couch.

"Really? Who do you have your eye on?" asked Gar.

"Wonder Woman recently took on a new protege, Cassie Sandsmark. The Ladybug Miraculous already has some connections to Wonder Woman and her home of Themyscira. Her mother, Queen Hippolyta, was a wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous for quite some time."

"If you gave up the Miraculous would you still fight crime?"

Marinette shook her head. "I think it might be time to give up crimefighting. It's been ten years since I took up the Ladybug Miraculous to fight Hawkmoth, and six years since Hawkmoth was defeated. I wasn't ready to give up that responsibility then, but I think I'm ready now."

"When would you give up the Miraculous?"

"Soon. I talked to Wonder Woman about it last week and she's enthusiastic about the idea. I would need to spend some time getting to know Cassie, just to make sure she's a good fit, and Tikki would need to vet her as well, but I have a good feeling that she'll pass any tests of character we put her through." Marinette turned to face Gar. "I didn't want to make any concrete decisions before I talked to you. I know that we've always fought crime together, but I'm ready to move on with my life. I'm ready to retire."

Gar nodded. "I understand and I fully support your decision. I've been considering leaving the Titans as well. I know I could continue living in the Tower and attend veterinary school at JCU, but last week I got an acceptance letter from UC Davis for their School of Veterinary Medicine."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Gar, that's amazing! I remember looking into UC Davis when you were applying, and their program is nationally ranked."

Gar grinned. "The best in the country. It's too good to pass up."

"You have to go!" exclaimed Marinette. "This is your dream!"

"I think I'll send in my acceptance tomorrow," decided Gar. "Maybe we can go to Davis this weekend and scout out an apartment."

"And fabric stores," chimed in Marinette.

Gar laughed. "Anything for you, Buginette."

----------

The final time Marinette and Gar discussed retirement was years later. Marinette and Gar had gotten married and had moved back to Jump City. Marinette opened her fashion boutique, which had very quickly exploded in popularity. Gar started working for a non-profit veterinary clinic, which provided free veterinary services to lower-income neighborhoods. They had both achieved their dreams, and yet neither seemed content with their lives.

"Maybe we just need a change of scenery," suggested Marinette, leaning her head against Gar as they both sat on the beach watching the sunset. "I'm so tired of the city."

"Maybe," said Gar. "It would be nice to have a house with a backyard, rather than just an apartment."

Marinette sighed. "I know that I always said that I wanted to be the owner of a successful boutique, but this wasn't really what I had in mind. I'm so busy that I feel like I never get to spend any time with you anymore. Every day my inbox is filled with emails asking me to sell my company or expand to more locations. I'm tired of it. My passion is for making clothes, not running a business."

"I know how you feel. Every day I encounter another neglectful pet owner who brings their animal to the clinic for help but refuses to listen to me when I tell them that they need to change the way they treat their animal. It's exhausting."

"We could both just quit our jobs and move into the woods," joked Marinette.

Gar nodded, but he wasn't joking. "I've actually been thinking about that. There are a lot of remote regions with a real need for veterinary practices to provide medical assistance for the farm animals out there. I would feel a lot more useful taking care of animals that don't have anyone else."

Marinette turned to face Gar. "I wouldn't mind moving. I've been sending all of the offers to buy my boutique straight to my email archive, but I'm sure if I looked through them all I could find someone who would be able to take care of the business aspect of Ladybug Designs. I could retire from the business and design on my own time, when the inspiration strikes, instead of forcing myself to churn out design after design."

"You really wouldn't mind?" asked Gar, a hopeful look on his face.

Marinette shook her head. "I was serious about moving out of the city. There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I've been waiting for the right moment. I think that moment is now. Gar, I'm pregnant."

The deer-in-the-headlights look on Gar's face was comical, to say the least. Marinette giggled, "Well?"

Gar snapped back to reality, transforming into an elephant, trumpeting his joy. He turned back into himself and wrapped his arms around Marinette. "I'm so happy! This is the best news I could have ever heard, Buginette. Now we have to move. I want our kid to have a backyard and a dog and a big driveway where I can teach them how to ride a bike and a pond where they can swim in the summer-"

Marinette cut Gar off with a kiss. "One thing at a time," she giggled.

"I think this will be the best decision we have ever made," declared Gar.

Marinette agreed. "I think that partial retirement will be good for us."

----------

This was bliss. The feeling of grass under Marinette’s bare feet as she walked back to the house from the lake, hand in hand with Gar. The sound of their daughter's laughter as she danced around them, catching fireflies. The taste of homemade apple pie and vanilla ice cream, eaten rebelliously early as Gar proclaimed, "Dessert before dinner!" The sight of the stars up above them, no light pollution to mask the beauty of the heavens. The sound of Gar's voice, whispering, "I love you, Buginette," into Marinette's ear. And as Marinette settled into her husband's arms, she knew for certain that retirement was the best decision she had ever made.

@maribatmarch-2k21

[nerdynuala]

Reading all the hogwarts aus is my therapy and what I have to propose is spicy 😏.... Kinda lol

One day, long after their graduation and teaching at the school Hange found her old uniform from the last year and decides to surprise Levi. So she goes to his office and drapes herself on the desk - tie unbound, enough buttons undone, skirt too small - waiting for him. Once she hears the door open she starts: "oh professor ackerman, I'm here for detention. I've been a very naughty girl and you simply must punish me...." In the most seductive voice she can muster, not noticing that behind Levi stand Eren and Jean, black eyed and cuts all over because they got into a fight and Levi had to step in. The man just wanted to grab something from his office before heading to the headmaster, not getting exposed like that haha.

Eren and Jean are wide eyed, jaws to the flour and clearly traumatised because their most eccentric teacher can't possibly stand in the office of their most uptight teacher, looking like that saying that stuff and bathed for once??

Levi gives them back the point he confiscated and double that and promising to forget the incident if they keep their bloody mouths shut.

Next day everyone and their mother knows, barely escaped an article on the daily prophet and eren and Jean spend quite some time cleaning the toilets and shoving hippogryph dung...

Lol this was too long but you're such a rad person with hcs I just had to share. All the love to the vets own meme-mom❤️!!!

ASHHJakdjfk I'm wheezing anon are you a disguised genius? I loved this!

You know what? While reading the first part I clearly pictured in my mind @wingz-of-shit 's drawing of hot Hange in her uniform lol it fits so perfectly with this hc!

Let me contribute with a sketch:

Also, I can't help but put the vets into this so here's some more hcs xD

Moblit is mortified, the students know he's been friends with Hange since their school years and he helped her behaving properly. They ask him questions he really doesn't want to answer. He just yells "back to mandrakes please, back to mandrakes!" and considers misplacing his earmuffs so he can just pass out.

Mike is delighted. He laughs every time he sees Levi. He literally throws himself on the floor and rolls over. He fetched Peeves and made up a song for Hange and Levi with him. Now all the students know the song, but only Peeves dares to sing it in front of Levi.

Nanaba tries not to laugh in their faces. She really tries. She even reprimanded Mike for consorting with Peeves. But she can't help it, every single time she sees Levi blushing she just bursts out laughing.

Erwin is the Headmaster. To say he's not pleased is an understatement. He's happy his friends are together, he's unhappy Mike is taunting him to give him the money of their bet, he's pissed at the Daily Prophet trying to make a fuss out of this, and he's extremely annoyed at the Howlers that keep coming from parents ("Headmaster Smith! Once this School was UK's pride, now the place is sinking and rotting and it's all your fault!").

He's also extremely embarassed around Levi and Hange. The meeting in his office was hell for him.

"So, uhm, I'm happy you guys are...having fun together. But I really must ask you to keep your, ahem, kinkiness to yourselves"

Levi just stared at the floor, ears flushed. While Hange, well, Hange was Hange.

"Oh Erwin come on, these are hormonal teens, you know perfectly well they go around snogging each other all the time and think they'll be traumatized by me wearing an old school uniform?"

Erwin was horrified. "We'll talk about that. And I'll have you know discipline is strict here, they don't do that in my school!"

"You really don't want to have a look at the Marauder's Map then. Ignorance is bliss, Erwin".

[3pirouette]

Fic: Virtual Insanity: Career Opportunities (1/1)

Title: Virtual Insanity: Career Opportunities By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette Disclaimer: They're not mine. Word Count: Distribution: AO3 Anyone else please ask first :)

Story Summary: It’s career day on Mr. Roger’s Zoom class, and Peggy needs to come up with something, quick. Sequel to Virtual Insanity.

Chapter A/N: I needed to write something fluffy and I’ve been DYING to find a way to get back to this little universe. This satisfies the “Sharon Carter” square for my Steggy Bingo. (We’re not talking about FATWS/CAATWS right now. I can’t. I just can’t.)

~*~

Don’t be mad at me.

The text itself was fairly innocuous, but her brain started to race, anyway. Peggy’s fingers flew over the keyboard, texting back: Is there a reason I should be?

She stared at the phone screen, waiting while the three little dots that meant he was typing appeared and disappeared twice over. Now she was worried.

“Aunt Peggy?” Sharon’s voice carried through her small apartment.

Peggy hummed a question in her closed mouth as the girl took off her headphones and bounded towards her, but the phone vibrated in her hands and pulled her attention back.

The Principal decided to observe me today instead of Thursday. Said he wanted to see a more interactive lesson plan, so I had to switch things up on short notice. I swear I was going to give you a heads up.

Before she could ask him anything else, Sharon sat herself next to Peggy at the tiny kitchen table, her notebook and pencil in hand. “Mr. Rogers gave us an assignment and I have thirty minutes to do it before I have to go back to my class and talk to them about it.”

Peggy smiled tight, the girl missing the tension in her sigh. “Oh? And what is the assignment?”

Sharon smiled. “I need to ask you questions about what you do for work.”

Peggy nodded, her mind racing as she tried to come up with what she was going to tell her niece. Not sure how you’ll do with the principal, she texted Steve, but that promotion to boyfriend you were looking for might be in serious jeopardy.

She waited a second then sent him a winking emoji, just to lighten up the mood. Having gotten to know Steve as well as she had over the last few weeks, she knew he might think her serious.

“Alright,” Peggy turned and faced Sharon, “how can I help?”

Sharon smiled and wiggled herself around in the chair, picking up her pencil before turning seriously to Peggy. “What do you do for a job?”

The honest answer would have been that she was making an obscene amount of money online by bouncing around her house doing chores in lingerie. That was not, however, the answer she could give to Sharon. “Well,” she bit the corner of her thumbnail and turned her phone over, not wanting to read the text that had just popped up from Steve, “I used to work for a company that helped other companies…” Peggy sighed, she wasn’t sure how to explain corporate espionage to Sharon, either.

Sharon looked up. “What did you do there? How did you help other companies?”

Peggy tapped her nails on the counter nervously, trying to come up with a good example. “Well, the company I worked for helped businesses keep secrets. For instance, you know how that chicken you like always says there are eleven secret herbs and spices?”

Sharon nodded. “Kentucky Fried Chicken!”

Peggy laughed a little. “Yes, well, those eleven are a secret for a reason. It’s what makes the chicken taste good to you.” Peggy leaned in dramatically and Sharon’s eyes widened. “But if everyone knew the secret, anyone who wanted to could make their chicken taste like that, and then that man with the silly bowtie—”

“Colonel Sanders,” Sharon interjected as she made some notes.

“Yes, he would have a hard time making money from the recipe he developed because it wasn’t a secret anymore. I helped other companies keep their secrets.” Peggy smiled to herself as the girl wrote furiously, satisfied. She wasn’t sure if she’d managed to make her job understandable to an 8-year-old, but it was close enough for now.

Sharon stared at her seriously. “And did you get to know the secrets or do you just have to stop other people from finding out?”

“Sometimes I got to know them, but most of the time I just had to help hide them, or help the company have enough security.”

Peggy’s stress melted away as Sharon asked her question after question and she was able to answer honestly, if not a little vaguely, for the next fifteen minutes. When she ran out of questions, Peggy cut her up an apple and put that and a spoonful of peanut butter on a plate for her at the table, where she waited for her class to start again with her snack.

Finally, she picked up her phone again.

I am so, so sorry. Really, I am. It was planned for Friday. I was going to tell you on Facetime tomorrow. I’ll have her go last. Billy Ryan can TALK. I’ll just let that kid go and maybe we’ll run out of time. Principal Clark won’t know the difference.

Peggy smiled, letting her fingers fly over the keyboard. Did you not see the ;)? It’s fine, and I’m not upset. Good luck on your evaluation and call me when it’s over. She paused for a second, watching Sharon put on her headphones and knowing her texts wouldn’t get an answer until their next break.

Peggy pulled out her own laptop and reviewed her e-mails. She was, in point of fact, looking for a new job. While the Only Fans was a surprising source of a lot of income, she was missing the excitement of her old field. There still weren’t many jobs to go around, but she found new ones each day and applied. Talking to Sharon, however coded, made her miss the day to day of corporate espionage: finding new ways to secure and protect trade secrets, while simultaneously trying to extract others. It had been challenging and thrilling work, and she missed it. While there was something to be said for the ease of her newest endeavors, it wasn’t the challenge she wanted or needed.

She smiled over the edge of her laptop as Sharon asked a question about dogs. Seemed a parent was a trainer or a vet of some sort. She could just barely see the screen from where she was, the Brady Bunch like squares filled with smiling little faces as they talked and asked questions. Steve was sitting in his own square in the upper right corner, smiling away as he listened intently and there was a fairly neutral man in the bottom left she assumed was Mr. Clark. She’d heard a bit about the administrator, but not enough to have an opinion on the man.

She posted her resume on a job-hunting site and crossed her fingers yet again. Six months of getting dressed up for a camera was enough for her. She wanted more.

More from a job, and more from Steve.  

They’d been talking nearly every night, facetiming, too, and had met just once, socially distanced, in the park in the fall for lunch. His mother, who lived in the apartment next to him and that he took care of, was considered high risk. He’d been apologetic, but careful about how and when he went out, and it was something she appreciated about him. She’d asked him, quite seriously, to be her steady significant other, but he’d flat out refused until he could take her out on a proper date. It was a conversation that had both made her fall a little more in love with him and completely frustrated her at the same time.

He was getting his second dose of the vaccine next week, and she was scheduled for a week after that. She already knew exactly which dress she was going to wear when that fourteen-day waiting period was up.

It was red and tight and screamed anything but staying socially distant.

She was daydreaming, one she had often, about pushing him back on that desk of his and straddling him, her dress riding up her thighs as his hands followed, kissing him and laying him down and taking him right there, when Sharon’s voice rang out loudly in the room.

“Ok. So, my Mom and Dad are at work, but I do school with my Aunt Peggy so I asked her the questions.” Peggy looked down at her watch. They had only ten minutes left in the morning session before lunch, but apparently that was enough for one more kid. Stupid Billy Ryan. Peggy closed her email and moved her laptop, listening. “So, my Aunt Peggy lost her job, which is why she can watch me, but before that she had a job she was really good at and she really liked. She worked for a company that I’m not allowed to tell you the name of, but for her job…”

Sharon took a deep breath and leaned into the screen. “For her job, she protects the recipe for KFC chicken.”

Peggy’s head fell in her hands as she heard the gasps of excitement from the kids. She couldn’t believe, after twenty minutes of questions, that was what the girl had understood.

“Sometimes, she protects the chickens. And sometimes, she tries to get the recipes from other places. She didn’t tell me exactly, but I think I guessed it and she just couldn’t say.”

~*~

Peggy laid back against the pillows, wine in hand, waiting for Steve to pick up his facetime. She’d just finished a short online session. Her heart hadn’t been in it, but she’d needed something to do while Steve was finishing his review with the principal after Sharon had been picked up.

His face popped on the screen and he wasted no time, slyly smiling. “So, you protect the KFC recipe?” She just shook her head, but he laughed. “I mean, I gave you a solid five minutes, you couldn’t come up with anything better?”

Peggy laughed loudly at that, leaning back into the pillows. “I swear, I did not tell that child I protected the KFC recipe.”

Steve lifted his phone and moved around his apartment, pulling a beer out of the fridge and sitting heavily on his couch before he set his phone on the table. “So, what did you tell her, exactly?”

“The truth!” Peggy sat up, pulling her robe tight around her. “I mean, how do you describe corporate espionage to an eight-year-old?”

“Corporate espionage?” Steve almost choked on his mouthful of beer. He sat up, eyes still wide with surprise. “You went from corporate espionage to an Only Fans?”

Peggy shrugged. “I wasn’t in IT. When everyone started working from home the demand was in IT because they had to lock down computer systems and access codes.” She sat up and took a long drink of her wine. “Quite frankly it was a move that was coming, anyway. More and more information is just digital.”

“So, uh,” Steve’s fingers played with the label on his bottle, “So you did what, exactly?”

Peggy bit her bottom lip and bent towards the camera. “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” she purred out.

Steve feigned getting hit, grabbing his chest and falling back. “Ouch, Aunt Peggy.”

She hummed at him, humoring his silliness while she played with her glass. She sighed. “I think my favorite part was where she literally told the children I protect the chickens. As if I were a farmer out there with a pitch fork keeping coyotes away!”

Steve started laughing far harder than was necessary. “Oh, I am getting the best mental image.”

Peggy rolled her eyes and laid back in the bed. “Oh? Do tell.”

“I’m thinking…” He smiled, took a deep breath and leaned back, his eyes sparkling. Little Daisy Duke short shorts, maybe a tied up plaid shirt, some dirty cowboy boots…” Steve drifted off closing his eyes, his smile growing wider.

Peggy laughed. “Oh really? Should I put my hair in pigtails, too?”

His head popped up, a guilty look crossing his features. “Well, I mean…”

She bit her lip at his stammering. “Your image of me protecting chickens and my image of me protecting chickens are vastly different images.”

Steve could only shrug.

~*~

The link that she texted him wasn’t familiar, but he trusted her by now. He clicked it, ready for anything.

When the video connected his jaw dropped.  

Peggy, in her shortest jean shorts and a tied up red gingham shirt he was sure was so small it must have been a handkerchief in a previous life, was standing in front of a green screened video of chickens in a chicken coop.

She smiled widely at him, putting on her best American accent. “Howdy, Partner!”

He laughed so hard he dropped his phone.

[zeppelin-and-unicorns]

Yesterday I introduced you guys to the Hyde family, and now it’s time to introduce you to the new generation of the Forman family!

Again, click on the thingy if you want to know more about them!

On the top row, we see Eric and Donna, and on the bottom row, we see their two children, Lucas and Hannah (there’s no hearing aid option on picrew so just imagine Hannah’s wearing one, okay?).

Eric and Donna have overall a nice marriage. I tend not to focus much on them in my stories mostly because I’m indifferent to their relationship. After s5 I completely lost interest in them, and there was a point where I didn’t even want them to end up together anymore on s7. But I do believe that they love each other and that they can end up together if given a nice storyline, which is what I tried to do.

TSG is mostly focused on Jackie and Hyde, so we don’t get a lot of details about Donna and Eric other than they’re together, married, and have children, so I’m going to give you guys a brief summary of what happened between them after the season finale.

Eric and Donna talked about everything when he came back for the New Year’s, and they decided to try again. Eric went back to Africa to finish the program, and Donna went to college. When Eric came back, he went to the same college as she did and they started living together. Donna became a journalist, Eric became a teacher, and they moved back to Point Place when they graduated.

As soon as they moved back, Donna got pregnant with Lucas. They lived in a small apartment for a while, until Lucas started running around everywhere and they bought a house across the street from Jackie and Hyde.

They did not plan on having other children until Lucas was older, but well... Accidents happen and Donna had Hannah in 1987, when Lucas was 3 years old.

About their children... they are something else, I love them so much.

Lucas, just like Dylan, has a lot of pent-up energy, but he’s also an introvert and not a prankster at all, so he uses most of his energy in sports (for Red’s delight lol). He’s really into hockey, like, really into it, and he starts taking hockey lessons from a young age.

When he’s older, Lucas joins the school’s track and field team, mostly because there’s no hockey team in Point Place High and he absolutely hates football and wrestling.

Lucas is a bulky guy, but he’s also geeky and he and his father are addicted to video games. They spend countless hours every week playing Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros on his Nintendo 64 (Eric loses every single time lol).

He’s smart, not only is he great with numbers, but he’s also great at chess. Seriously, he won countless chess matches against his uncle Hyde (who’s half-proud and half-bitter about it), and he was like, 10.

His dream job is to be a video game developer, and considering how he’s a math whiz and how he’s a great athlete, he gets a scholarship to study computer science at college.

He never gets into trouble, mostly because people are smart enough not to fuck with him. He’s quiet and not prone to violence at all, but he’s also huge and he could probably kill someone if he wanted to.

When Lucas graduates from high school and goes to college, some bullies start to mess with his little sister Hannah, but Dylan quickly puts an end to that.

Hannah is a sweetheart, she’s an animal lover and she’s probably the sweetest person from the series.

Oh, and Hannah is also hearing impaired.

One of the things that bother me a lot in the fanfiction world (actually in the whole entertainment industry), is the lack of representativity of people with disabilities. I live with people who have disabilities, it’s something I literally see every day, and sometimes I am genuinely shocked by the lack of information (and empathy) people have when it comes to that subject.

So I decided I wanted to include a person with a disability in my story, and I am going to make you guys love her.

Hannah was born healthy, she learned how to talk and she listened to things normally up until she was 5. But as she grew older, she started developing some behaviors that concerned Eric and Donna, like watching the TV too loud and not replying to them when they called her. They took her to the doctor, they found out she had severe hearing loss and would need to use a hearing aid probably for the rest of her life.

Eric and Donna were crushed (it even causes some problems in their marriage in the future), but Hannah never cared much about it, because she was too young and she could hear just fine whenever she had her hearing aids on. She’s overall a happy kid who loves playing outside and is completely in love with everything related to nature.

The Forman family has three cats, all of them were cats that Hannah rescued from the streets and begged them to adopt. Hannah’s also responsible for bringing Zeppelin into the Hyde’s lives.

She was playing outside with Dylan and Jordan when they found a cute little black puppy all alone, searching for food in the garbage. Hannah took the puppy and begged for her parents to keep him, but they already had three cats and they couldn’t keep him. Jackie and Hyde were in the same room when she arrived with the cute little puppy, and they decided to adopt him (for Hannah’s delight). The puppy was named Zeppelin (Hyde was the one who named him, by the way), and Hannah visits the Hyde’s almost every day just to play with their dog.

Hannah loves picnics and walks at the park, she loves watching the trees changing according to the seasons, she loves to stargaze with her aunt Jackie, she loves hearing Layla’s romantic stories, she loves babysitting the younger kids, and she loves spending time with her grandma Kitty, learning how to bake and how to sew.

When she grows older, Hannah becomes a vet and opens her own animal shelter.

Hannah never let her disability stop her, she’s incredible.

And again, I got way too excited, sorry.

If you have any questions about this universe please don’t hesitate on sending them to me.

Posting the Kelso’s picrews soon :)

[doyelikehaggis]

Twelve Days of Rarepairs: Scanny | Scott McCall x Danny Mahealani (Teen Wolf)

Requested by @childofsquidward

The collie laying on the table is patient and docile as Scott finishes slotting the cone into place around her neck. She just stares up at him with big eyes, nudging against his hand with her nose.

Laughing, Scott rubs her head. Her tail gives a little wiggle in response.

"You know, you're the only one I've seen who isn't bothered by this thing," he tells her, scratching behind her ear. 

She just gives a playful yip in response. 

The bell rings over the front door, alerting Scott to someone entering the animal clinic. Somewhat pointless considering he heard the heartbeat first. But Lola's ears immediately perk up, and her tail bangs against the table.

Scott grins at Danny when he appears in the doorway, holding two festive coffee cups.

"You've been missed," he says.

Lola's already standing on the table, barking fondly at Danny. He laughs, and moves towards her, fuelling her excitement.

"By which one of you?" Danny jokes.

Scott's eyes widen. He opens his mouth, but he falters, and Danny's already focused on Lola again anyway. Heat rushes to his face. He quickly tries to regain some composure. 

"Hey, girl! Oh, you look so good!" Danny coos. "Did Dr. McCall take good care of you?"

Scott tries to bite back a smile and fails. He's getting used to hearing his friends call him Dr. McCall, more as a joke, but something about the way Danny says it gives him this fluttering in his chest.

So, when he first saw him at the start of December, it was a surprise. He'd practically disappeared off the face of the earth for two years, and then suddenly he was back in town for the holidays, to see his family and friends. 

But not only that, Scott hadn't quite realized just how attractive Danny is. Was he always that good-looking while they were at school together? Of course he was, everyone knew it. But Scott hadn't exactly been out to himself at that point, so seeing Danny back from New Orleans, even more tanned, with even more defined muscles—yeah, Scott might get a little nervous whenever he sees him now.

And it doesn't help that they seem to be seeing more of each other now than they did while at school. They run into each other in town. When Scott went back to fill in for Coach while he was away towards the end of the year, Danny just kept showing up, saying he was visiting a teacher to discuss something (he is, after all, in computer programming now, so it makes some semblance of sense), and they'd talk out on the field. He bmped into him while bringing his mom lunch at the hospital. 

Scott even saw him while out with Lydia two weeks ago. He was catching up with Jackson, who was also back in town for the holidays, like everyone else. 

And now at work, too. The universe seems to be playing some joke on him. He doesn't mind all that much, for once. As long as this isn't going to lead to him finding out that Danny's actually been turned into a vampire, or has been possessed by some new, evil spirit.

"Thank you," Danny says, lifting his eyes to Scott. Of course, Scott's still the one looking up at him, because it would appear Danny has had another growth spurt as well as everything else. 

Scott realizes he isn't answering. Just gazing. He grins, and hastily tries to not be totally obvious.

"Just doing my job," he says with a shrug. 

Danny rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but I know for a fact that this clinic should have been shut for the rest of the holidays. So, thank you for seeing her anyway."

Scott hesitates at that. "Well… you're a friend. And I had to come in today anyway. And—" he looks down at Lola, who's settled back down on the table, and gives her head another rub "—I couldn't just leave this one stranded on Christmas Eve."

"We both thank you, then." Danny then holds out one of the coffee cups. "A gesture to prove it."

"God, thank you," Scott says, gratefully accepting the cup and taking a drink. "I haven't had anything all day. Or since last night. Including sleep. I might be running on three Mountain Dews and a kitkat."

Danny raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "That… can't be good for you."

Scott just shrugs again. He'll probably feel the effects later on today, since it's currently only one-thirty in the afternoon. As long as he makes it to four to head to the station to see Stiles, then he can head back home and have a nap. And maybe food.

"I didn't know the life of a vet was so demanding."

"It's the holidays," Scott explains, taking another drink before continuing. The gingerbread-cinnamon-whatever is in this latte is the best thing he's ever had right now. "Lots of people want their pets better before Christmas and New Year. A lot of strays get found with bad injuries. Currently I have—"

Barking starts up from the dog room in the back. Scott smiles, gesturing towards the door as Lola once again perks up.

"—them. Eight labrador puppies. They're under a year old. Deaton and I were trying to get them rehomed before the holidays, but it didn't work out. That's why I was coming in to work anyway, since Deaton's out of town."

"Never mind, your job is clearly far more demanding than I thought." Danny smiles, glances down at Lola, then pauses. "Do you need a hand with them at all? They sound pretty eager for attention."

"Yeah, I was gonna take them out for a walk once I was finished up here," Scott says.

Danny's grin widens. "You planned to walk eight hyperactive labrador puppies by yourself? In the snow?"

Scott just gives another shrug. "They're not too hard to handle once they're outside."

The look Danny is giving him only intensifies the fluttery feeling in his chest. It's like something's tickling him from the inside. He can feel the heat beneath his skin, in his cheeks.

"Guess that whole Alpha thing really does give you an advantage, huh," Danny says, a certain teasing twinkle in his eyes but his grin sincere.

Scott has barely gotten used to the idea of Danny knowing about the supernatural at all, never mind him making casual comments about it. And especially not while he's looking at him like that.

"I don't know if it's anything to do with that," Scott says, shaking his head. "But… sometimes, yeah. It comes in handy."

Danny nods. The puppies are still barking in the back, trying to get Scott's attention.

"Well, I think Lola could use a walk after being so good about this," Danny says. He looks at Scott, smiling. "Mind if we join you? I can be pretty good with dogs, might help to take a couple off your hands for an hour."

Scott's eyebrows raise in surprise, and his heartbeat raises itself as well. 

"You… but—" he frowns, his head tilting with a confused smile "—it's Christmas Eve. Don't you wanna get back to your family?"

"They won't miss me for a little while," Danny says, brushing it off. Then, because he seems to be catching on, he rolls his eyes, and says, "Please? You helped me with Lola when you clearly already had your hands full. I wanna do more than get you coffee."

Scott's heart drops into his stomach and lurches right back up. He swallows, and tries to keep his mind on one track, biting his lip. 

"Uh… yeah," he breathes out before he can think twice. "You know what? That would be great. Thank you."

"No problem," Danny says, sincerely.

They get Lola to hop off the table, and head into the back room to get the others ready. Danny just laughs when he sees the little christmas hats Scott put on the ones that were happy to wear them.

As they're getting them all on their leashes, Danny casually adds, with a glance at Scott, "And if you were up for it, I'd like to get coffee with you sometime."

Scott accidentally clips the leash to his hand instead of the collar. He winces, quickly undoing it and fixing it to its right place instead. Then he looks over at Danny and his amused grin, his heart racing.

"Like—like a date?" he asks, hardly daring to believe that's what he means. Danny was never interested in him. Was he? 

Scott's quickly going through every interaction he's ever had with him.

"Exactly a date," Danny corrects. 

Scott's eyes are wide. His mouth opens, then closes. He wasn't prepared for this. Sure, the thought of Danny liking him back crosses his mind after Stiles and Lydia both insisted that he did after he told them about running into him all those times. But that doesn't mean he was prepared for it.

"You can say no," Danny says, giving another casual shrug as clips the last lead on to the last excited puppy. "I just thought I might as well ask. Waiting three years to do it was bad enough, I didn't want to seem totally pathetic by waiting four to at least know what you'd say."

"Three—what?" Scott asks in disbelief, sure that he must have somehow misheard. "You've wanted to ask me out for… three years?" 

"Like I said, it was starting to seem pathetic." Danny looks at him, holding his stare with a soft gaze. "But, Lydia told me that you came out last year, and after seeing you, I figured I should at least ask."

"Wow. Uh…" Scott's mind is a mess, and he can't sort his thoughts out. Except for one. "I'd love to."

Danny blinks, thrown off his own guard now. Apparently even he wasn't prepared. But he quickly recovers, as does Scott, smiles forming across both their faces.

"Go on a date with you, I mean," Scott says, as if it needs further elaboration. 

"Really?" Danny asks. "Uh… today?"

Scott's breath is knocked out of him, but he's already nodding again. "Yeah, absolutely."

He didn't think anything could make the fluttery feeling in his chest worse. Turns out, Danny smiling at him like he is right now is the thing that can. 

"Okay, great," he says. "Then let's get these guys out of here."

Scott happily agrees. They head out of the back door after making sure the front is locked up. It has to be an hour or more that passes as they walk the dogs through town, taking an open path into the woods, through the snow. The whole way, Scott and Danny are talking, and laughing, catching up on the years they missed and in between. 

[alexiessan]

Never alone - Chapter Sixteen - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

Hi! Today I just wanted to share a French song with you just because I like sharing French things :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jabih9mV6RQ

When Marinette saw Damian waiting for her the next morning, it made her so happy that she wanted to smile all day. She’s been dreaming about this ever since she met him as Robin, and she couldn’t be happier. She gave him a kiss as a good morning, lingering a little, not surprised when he took advantage of it to kiss her again.

“Ready to meet my friends?” she asked, laughing a little.

The fashion designer knew that Robin — Damian, she corrected herself. She still wasn’t used to calling him by his real name — wasn’t a people person. He had very few friends, and he was happy with them. So she didn’t have much hope that he would get along with her friends. Knowing Damian, and knowing her friends, she was pretty sure that her soulmate would be more annoyed by her friends than anything else.

As long as they all could be civil with each other, she won’t force them to be friends.

Damian winced as she answered her.

“I’m not promising you anything.”

She smiled at his honesty.

“And I’m not asking you anything, except to be civil?”

She looked at him, laughing as he stayed silent.

“You can be civil and be your sarcastic, blunt self.”

“Most people would say that it’s not being civil.”

“Well, my friends can take it.”

She linked her arm with his.

“Come on, let’s go. I promise not to let you alone in the lion’s den.”

Claude, Allan, and Allegra were delighted when she introduced Damian as her soulmate. They gave them their congratulations, made small talk with Damian, but didn’t insist too much. Those three — she loved them to death, even though she hasn’t known them as long as her other friends —were very good at reading people and could tell that the Wayne — or Grayson, as they knew him — wasn’t at ease, and so, chose to back off.

She would have hugged them here and there, for being so friendly and understanding.

Now, to introduce him to Nino, Kim, Adrien, and Alya.

Nino and Kim would probably try to be noble and all and give Damian the brother talk, but she had hoped that she could prevent that. Knowing them since they were children meant that she had a lot of blackmails for both of them, and one word could make them rethink anything.

Adrien, sweet, sunshine child but also oblivious Adrien would probably just smile, congratulate them and move on to something else.

As for Alya…

She didn’t want to think about it.

“Already getting cozy with the new guy, girl?”

She should have known that her best friend would run her mouth like that. And she could say that Damian did not get a good first impression of the reporter if the tightening of his hand on hers were any saying.

Nino and Adrien were with the journalist, the blond with his sunshine smile on his face as usual, happy to be introduced to a potential new friend.

“Hi! You’re Damian, right? Nino told me you were new here, I’m Adrien!”

Damian nodded, lips pursed.

Well, here went her hope.

As little as it was in the first place.

“Speaking of Damian.” she started, gathering all their attention.

“You sure make friends fast, Mari.” observed Alya.

Marinette rolled her eyes. Yeah, she liked to be friendly with everyone, but she wouldn’t go as far as to say that she made friends with everyone either.

“Actually, Damian is my soulmate.”

Just as she predicted, Adrien’s smile became even more blinding, hugging her in his happiness, and nodding at Damian, not at ease with hugging someone he didn’t know. Which was good, because Damian would not have appreciated such a gesture from the model.

As Nino opened his mouth with a smirk, he caught sight of Marinette’s glare and how she mimicked a knife to the throat. She almost laughed as the bespectacled boy gulped and looked away, his words for her boyfriend dying in his throat.

Crisis prevented.

But she couldn’t say so for the Ladyblogger.

Alya started asking a lot of questions, questions that even Marinette never asked, and some that she didn’t even want the answers to. As the journalist was not stopping, she could see that her boyfriend’s patience was running thin, and was seconds away from snapping at Alya.

Thankfully, Nino noticed and took his girlfriend by the arm.

“Alya, stop. You shouldn’t ask all these questions, it’s none of our business and it concerns no one but Damian and Marinette, ok?”

Alya looked chastised but nodded, knowing she went too far.

“I’m sorry.”

Damian nodded in acknowledgment, not offering an answer. Marinette smiled at her best friend, squeezing her arm.

“We should head to class anyway.”

The introductions didn’t go as she had hoped, but at least, no one was rude, so she supposed that it went well, all things considered.

It was November and Marinette was happy.

Maybe it was stupid to focus on something like that, but she felt happy. She had a boyfriend she loved from the bottom of her heart — even if she still had to say those three words —, friends that she loved and loved her, a loving family, and partners in fighting the evil that she could call friends.

She was even civil with Lila. Sometimes, friendly even.

After three months at Françoise-Dupont, Damian still called everyone by their last name. No one really cared, as he was always polite and cordial with everyone, but it annoyed Alya to no end.

Those two didn’t get along at all. It made Marinette sad a little, but she knew she couldn’t force them to be friends. Plus, when the Eurasian girl organized outings with all her friends, they always make an effort to not argue.

And that’s all she could ask for, really.

Even if it meant that they just ignored each other, but, what could she do?

Damian got along best with Claude, Allan, and Allegra. She wouldn’t go as far as saying that he was friends with them, but he tolerated them more than anyone else in the class.

The youngest Wayne didn’t see Adrien often, as he was in another class and wasn’t allowed to go to a lot of outings, but she could see that the model was grating on his nerves.

She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly annoyed Damian about Adrien, but he didn’t snap at the blonde yet, so it was a victory in her eyes.

As for the others, he was cordial and polite, so she assumed that he didn’t despise them.

Now, she was in class with Ms. Bustier and Damian was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned. It wasn’t like Damian to be late, he was always very punctual and hated when others were late. She experienced it herself when she was late once on one of their dates. She shivered. She always made sure to be early, now.

Finally, Damian arrived, apologizing to the professor and making a beeline for his seat.

He still spared her a smile as she passed her, that she returned immediately before giving her attention back to the lecture.

Ten minutes after her boyfriend’s arrival, there was a whining behind her.

In synchronization, Claude and she turned, looking at Damian. A quick glance around the classroom showed her that they were the only ones to hear the noise.

Damian just stared at them, offering no explanation.

So they just turned around, focusing on the lecture once more.

When the whining came back, she just looked at Claude, who was also looking at her.

“What’s that noise?” he whispered.

She shrugged, not knowing the answer to that question.

When they heard it for the third time, they both turned around again, only to see Damian trying to hide a dog, whose head was on her boyfriend’s desk, demanding his attention.

She gasped at the cute scene in front of her.

“Claude, Marinette, is there a problem?” Ms. Bustier asked, hand on her hip, ready to scold them for not paying attention in class.

They turned back, facing the board.

“Nothing, Miss!” exclaimed Claude.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

The redhead teacher narrowed her eyes at them.

“Please, pay more attention.”

They nodded and she turned back to the board.

As soon as the bell rang for the morning break, Claude and Marinette turned for the nth time, facing Damian.

The dog’s head was resting on her boyfriend’s arm, dozing off.

As she observed the little dog more, she noticed that it was just a puppy, a few weeks old, with white, fluffy fur.

A Samoyed, she recognized.

And it was the cutest little thing ever.

She squealed.

“What the fuck are you doing with a puppy in school?” asked Claude in a whisper, his face showing how much he wanted to pet the puppy.

“I found her abandoned in an alley. What was I supposed to do, leave her there?”

So it was a she.

“No, of course not,” she agreed. “But school is, maybe, not the best place to bring her.”

The puppy opened her eyes and yawned, and both she and Claude cooed at the sight. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to them, so no one saw the little dog.

The teenage girl extended her hand to the dog, letting her sniff her and cooed once more when she licked her hand. Taking that as an invitation, she softly petted her head.

“What are you going to do with her?”

“I’ll take her to the vet after school and then I’ll take her home.”

She knew that he missed his dog back in Gotham, so she shouldn’t be surprised that he was so eager to adopt this little one.

“What is Dick going to say?”

“He doesn’t really have a choice.”

She laughed.

“No, I suppose he doesn’t.”

When she stopped petting the puppy, Claude extended his own hand to her and started petting her back when she allowed him too.

“Damn, this dog is too cute, I want to cry.” He made kissing noises at the dog. “So, what, you’re just going to hide it with you all day in school.”

“It’s Wednesday, a half-day, so I just have to keep her hidden for two more hours. I can manage. I did it before.”

The fashion designer smiled.

“You often save animals from the street like that?” she asked.

“More than you know.” He answered and bent over his desk to give her a soft kiss.

“Ugh, you guys are so cute, you make me want to puke.” Joked Claude.

“Call me cute one more time and you can say goodbye to your teeth.”

Claude just laughed, not taking his threat seriously at all.

It was surprising, really, when at the end of the morning — Wednesdays were only a half-day of classes, so they were done by 12:30— Damian did manage to not get caught with the dog.

He was the first one out of class and was waiting for Marinette outside.

She accompanied him to the vet, who took them between two clients, thankfully.

The puppy was fine, all things considered. She was a bit underweight though, probably that she’s been on the streets for a week or two with nothing to eat. It was a good thing that Damian found her when he did.

They then went to a store to buy all the necessities for the little dog, gave her something to eat, and bought sandwiches as lunch before they went to a park so the dog could spend his energy.

“She’s so small right now, I can’t believe she’s going to get so big in a few months,” she said as she took a hundred pictures of the dog. She was already in love with her.

She knew that her soulmate was an animal lover, that he was more at ease with them than with humans, so she had no doubt that he would take really good care of this little one. She just hoped that she would get along with his cat.

“It shouldn’t be an issue. Alfred the cat is used to be around other animals,” he answered her when she voiced her thoughts.

The dog came back to them, tired, and she lifted her to put her on her laps. She took a few selfies with the puppy and even got Damian to take some with her.

She also changed her unlock screen with one of the pictures they just took.

“What are you going to name her?” she asked as she petted the now sleeping dog.

“Hmm… I don’t know. What do you think I should name her?”

The blue-eyed girl beamed, happy that he was asking about her opinion. It meant a lot to her and she could say that it meant a lot to him too.

“Well, all this white fluff makes me think of a cloud, so why not Cloud?”

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek in affection.

It always made her blush when Damian did something like that in public, but she has learned that he just did whatever he felt like doing at the moment, so she didn’t mind it, as long as it stayed G rated.

“Cloud it is, then.”

Tag List:

@bigpicklebananatree​ @animegirlweeb​ @crazylittlemunchkin​ @northernbluetongue​ @cutechip​ @justafanwarrior​ @iloontjeboontje​ @resignedcatservant @maribat-is-lifeblood​ @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff​ @toodaloo-kangaroo​ @mikantsume​ @dast218​ @amayakans​ @zestyzealot​ @lunarwolfspn​ @corabeth11​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @olynix​ @aestheticnpoetic​ @hot-neighbour-nextdoor​ @thehufflepuffranger-blog @k-poplunardreams​ @tis-i-beanbandit​ @bluesimani​

[catzula]

A promise worth catching a cold.

Vet Shinsou x (fem)Reader

Synopsis: you saved a cat and took it to the vet. You weren't expecting the vet to be an indigo haired man, who made your heart beat faster every time you looked at him.

Ahem, first fic ever, ahem.

Warnings: swearing (just a little)

Shinsou was bored. He was bored and tired and hungry and was about to lose it. It was past midnight and he was still waiting for that one customer that was a little too late. He knew he shouldn't have accepted when Aizawa asked him to fill in just this once. He was waiting for almost 3 hours now, but no one even stopped by.

There was a storm outside, a really big one too, but if the customer couldn't make it because of the storm, they should have just called in! But no, Shinsou had to wait because one person just couldn't bother to call to let them know, that they were going to be late and/or weren't going to come. If that would have been the case, Shinsou would have at least ordered some food.

This is stupid, he thought, I shouldn't have to wait 3 fucking hours just for one customer! It wasn't even an emergency, he was supposed to do a monthly check-up for a puppy but he just couldn't take it anymore, he wanted to go home and sleep.

He stood up in his chair, his legs were sore due to sitting in one position, a really uncomfortable one may I add, for so long. It was raining heavily, and a flash of occasional lightning brightened the darkroom. He grabbed his jacket and his backpack, and just when he was walking towards the exit the door opened.

Shinsou couldn't help but roll his eyes. Really? Now? Did they decide to come in now? But to his surprise, it wasn't a middle-aged woman with a toy poodle in her Louis Vuitton bag, it was a girl who stood in the entrance.

A girl about his age, who was so wet that there was already a puddle where she stood, his indigo eyes wandered on your figure. You had a shoebox clutched to your chest, wet hair sticking to your face and you were shivering.

"I-'m so sorry are you still open?" You were wet and really cold, shivering uncontrollably so it was normal your voice cracked.

"I was just leaving," Shinsou answered, not even bothering to hide the annoyed look in his face.

You noticed his expression but decided not to say anything about it. Though it was at that moment when you realized how handsome he was. Your eyes lingered on his face a little longer than necessary and you bit your lip, trying to concentrate.

You handed him the now wet shoebox, which made him look at you, waiting for an explanation. "The neighbors were complaining about some cat noises so when I went to see the source, I realized it was a kitten that was stuck in a car so-"

When he looked in the box, he wasn't expecting to see a kitty that was so small that probably wasn't even a week old.

"What do you mean in a car?"

You shrugged, not sure how to really explain it, but you tried nonetheless. "In a car. She was stuck in the engine so I took her out." You did the same hand motion you did to save the cat, and this made Shinsou realize how your left arm was injured, up till your elbow. You had hundreds of little cuts on your left arm, and one deep cut that seemed like it was still bleeding.

Shinsou's eyes wandered over you once again, this time a little more closely. You were wearing an oversized shirt and pajama shorts that had bunny prints on them, your yellow Crocs were wet and making annoying noises with your every move. Your shirt was wet and it was clinging on you, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Shinsou realized you weren't wearing a bra and this realization made his cheeks burn a little.

When you noticed where he was looking at, and saw how you were practically naked you crossed your arms in front of your chest with an embarrassed look on your face that almost made Shinsou laugh out loud.

He faked a cough to at least get rid of this awkward silence but it didn't really help. "I'm going to do everything I can. There is a heater right there so you could wait there and dry a little."

"And just...try not to move your left arm please." He added before he left.

When you sat next to the heater, you couldn't hold back a little moan of relief. Warm. You thought to yourself, not being able to hold back the smile on your lips.

Your eyes were on the indigo haired guy, who was a little too handsome for your sanity. His eyes looked annoyed and really sleep deprived, dark circles under his eyes, but even that added to how handsome he was. Even though he had a cold gaze while talking to you, looking at him now, you noticed how soft and compassionate his eyes were, looking at the injured kitty.

You couldn't help yourself but watch him, you just couldn't tear your eyes from this guy who had the most beautiful eyes you had ever seen, but because you didn't want him to think that you were a creep, you took your phone out of your pocket, -thank God it was still working- and checked your messages.

Shinsou was more than aware of the (e/c) eyes watching him. The eyes that made his heart beat a little too fast, his skin a little too hot. You were pretty, even though you were as wet as a mouse, Shinsou wasn't blind.

When he did everything he could, for now, he left the cat to sleep and went in to check up on you.

You were curled next to the heater, legs exposed because of your shorts, (h/c) locks dry and messy. He tried not to think about how you reminded him of a cat. Your eyes were closed and Shinsou wondered if you were sleeping.

He got a little closer to you, walking softly so you wouldn't wake up if you were sleeping but you opened your eyes nonetheless. Shifting your position, you rubbed your eyes and smiled softly at him. A smile so sweet that made him hold his breath. "How is the...umm... Cat?"

"He's okay. I'm here to look at your arm."

The look on your pretty face told him that you forgot all about your injured arm and he felt a little tingly feeling in his stomach, not knowing why.

"Oh, okay." You looked a little uncomfortable. "Thanks, a lot."

He didn't say anything but the little smile on his lips made your heart beat faster. His smile was soft, along with his dark purple eyes, and it made you wonder how his lips would feel like, which made your cheeks burn bright red.

He cleaned your wounds and bandaged them. You didn't talk during the process, but you just couldn't tear your eyes away from him. He was even hotter up close. His indigo hair looked soft, yet it was defying gravity in a way you had never seen before. You wondered how it would feel like under her fingers and that image led to another-

When Shinsou looked up from your arm to your face he noticed how red you were but decided not to say anything about it, and honestly, you couldn't ask for anything else.

Your shirt was dry at last, fucking finally, he thought to himself, it was almost impossible not to look at your... well erm... Shirt.

Although you were now fully dry, he couldn't help but notice how cold your hands still were, or how you still shivered a bit, even though you were trying to hide it. He stood up and grabbed his sweatshirt, it was his high school's sweatshirt but he didn't really care.

"Here."

You looked at him and his sweatshirt for a few seconds but took the sweatshirt without arguing. Your eyes widened when you saw the logo on the sweatshirt. "You gotta be kidding me."

He tried not to think about how good his sweatshirt looked on you.

You tried not to think about how the sweatshirt smelled like lavender.

"You go to UA? The UA? The highschool only the smartest people in the whole fucking country go to?"

"Well, uh-"

"Actually, if the answer is positive please don't answer that." You said jokingly. Shinsou couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I'm Shinsou." He held out his hand, you did the same only to remember your hand was injured and gasped a little because of the sudden pain.

"I'm Y/N." You said, stretching out your other hand because you wanted to know how he felt like. His hand was warm and soft, and when you pulled your hand back, you felt a tingling sensation lingering on your fingers.

You looked at each other's eyes for a little too long. "I think the cat should stay with me for a few days or a week or so. If you could leave your phone number, I can call you."

When your eyes widened he felt his cheeks burn a little. "I mean to call you- because of the cat... I didn't mean it that way."

You knew what he meant, but couldn't help but feel a little hurt by his words. You still forced a smile on your face. "Yeah, sure! Umm, if you could give me your phone I'll type it in."

You typed her number in awkward silence, without realizing how Shinsou was internally beating the shit out of himself.

You gave the phone back to him and he couldn't help but smile at the cat emoji next to your name. When the awkward silence continued you sighed.

"I'll leave now."

"Hey, umm, wait a second!" He said before he could prevent himself from doing so. "I- I mean, I could give you a ride, it's still raining outside and you're..."

He stopped mid-sentence but you realized what he meant by the look he sent at your clothes. You stayed silent for a second or two, considering his offer than a smile graced your lips.

"Thank you." You could feel your heart beating faster, even though he already made it pretty clear that he wasn't interested in you, he was a little too handsome for you not to be excited. The lavender smell coming from his sweatshirt didn't help either.

You stepped out into the ongoing storm, you could feel his eyes watching your every move.

Both of you walked to his car in silence, when you reached the car, both of you were -once again- wet. His sweatshirt was the only thing that protected your body and your hair from getting wet, but he wasn't as lucky. Indigo locks now sticking to his face, his thin shirt wet and heavy, showing everything underneath- how was he still so handsome?

You couldn't help but let your eyes wander on his figure, his muscles now on display, and feel your face burn despite the cold weather. He smirked but didn't comment, a smile that made you both embarrassed and excited. You opened the car door and practically threw yourself on the seat.

When he got in, he ran his hand through his hair, something you thought of doing since the first second you saw him and combed his now wet locks away from his face.

He looked at you like he was waiting for something, but you weren't sure what exactly, so you looked right back at him. When you both looked at each other's eyes for at least 20 seconds, he started to laugh.

His laugh was infectious, you couldn't help but laugh yourself too. The tired look and his cold gaze vanished when he laughed, you caught yourself staring, but didn't do anything to stop it.

"I was hoping you could tell me where you live?" He said when he stopped laughing. "Oooh-" now that made much more sense. "But you could always crash at my place too." This sentence said with that smirk of his was enough to make your heart stop.

Surely he wasn't... Flirting with you? But what other explanation was there?

"How generous, a true gentleman. But I think I'm going to stick with the first plan." You said mockingly. "I live near the library."

A few seconds of silence past. "So, now you know which school I go to, it's only fair if you tell me yours too." He said with a little smile on his face. Did he want to know more about you? That idea made you feel tingly all over your body.

"Well, my school isn't the most well-known high school in the country, it's ****." You said teasingly. He laughed softly and you realized how hot he looked driving the car, concentrated on the road.

He opened the radio and you sang along softly, earning a smile from him. He drew the car according to your directions and when the car stopped you felt a little sad.

You were about to open the door when you remembered you still had his sweatshirt on. "Oh- your sweatshirt." You made a move to take it off but he stopped you by touching your arm softly. "It's okay, you can give it to me next time."

Next time?

"Oh, you mean next week, when I come to take the cat."

He shrugged, "If you want to wait till then, sure." Your eyes widened and the tingly feeling ran through your whole body. "I-" you weren't sure how to answer but he seemed to find it funny, how speechless you were, so he laughed.

"I'll text you?"

You felt a smile tugging on your lips. "Sure."

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, hazelestelle!

For @hazelestelle <3

Read On AO3

*****

It's Always Something, Even at Christmas

Chapter 1

“I need you to be my date.”

Stiles turned so quickly he fell out of his chair and cursed as he hit the floor and landed directly on his elbow. He glared up at Derek from the floor and gave him a look as he rolled his eyes and said, “Could you at least try to come in through the front door like a normal person?” while Derek stood there just inside his window, hands inside his leather coat, looking entirely undisturbed at the fact that he’d scared the crap out of his emissary.

“I need you to be my date,” he repeated, looking thoroughly annoyed, but Stiles, being far too attuned to the Alpha’s moods, noticed the slight hint of desperation in his tone. “The stupid firm I’m working for is having a Christmas party and if I don’t come with a date, specifically you, then that woman who works across from me is going to jump me.”

Stiles snorted as he got to his feet, rubbing his elbow, tossing the man a look as he went back to his laptop and said, “You could just not go to the party, you know that, right?”

Derek let out an exasperated sigh and threw himself onto Stiles’ bed and uncharacteristically rubbed his hands over his face and said, “God, I wish it were that easy. This stupid architecture degree was supposed to make my job easier, not harder,” he complained, and then said, “The thing is, I just finished helping the partners with a big project and they personally invited me to their private Christmas party. At their house,” he explained. “If I say no, I’ll look like the world’s biggest asshole…”

“As opposed to…?”

Derek shot him a bitch face and Stiles couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Seriously, dude. I still don’t know how you convinced them that you were a nice guy,” he commented, turning his attention back to the research that he’d been doing before Derek had so rudely interrupted him.

Something had been hunting the local pets in the area and Stiles had narrowed it down to a few supernatural beings. Being the Hale pack’s emissary wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The pack still had him pulling all nighters to help them out, on top of his normal job, which was working out of the new local FBI offices. When he’d finally finished his training, he’d put in a request and they had gladly let him set up a new office just outside of Beacon Hills. Anything for the new wunderkid agent who was making the agents back in D.C. look bad.

When he’d finally gotten back home, however, he discovered that Derek had returned back, as well, and with a degree in architecture, which was downright baffling to him because he had assumed that when the man had disappeared back in the Mexican desert that he’d gone off to do werewolf stuff…apparently, not so much. From what he had gleaned through secondhand information, Derek had gone off to New York and settled in and gotten his degree at NYU.

To think that they had both been on the east coast at the same time, only an hour and a half train ride away from each other for nearly five years…Stiles sometimes wondered if Derek had known that he was in D.C. but hadn’t cared enough to do anything about it.

And then Stiles had found out that the man was an alpha again. That had thrown him for a loop.

When he’d gotten back, he’d found out that Deaton was planning on leaving, so Stiles had used up all of his spare time picking his brain about what it meant to be an emissary, and suddenly found himself with a second job when Derek had asked him in the most formal way possible if he was willing to be the pack’s emissary.

He’d said yes.

And then Erica and Boyd had rolled back into town after hearing that Derek was back and an alpha, yet again, despite having left back in junior year when things had gone to hell in a handbasket around Beacon Hills. And Derek had himself a little pack consisting of those two, Isaac, and a new kid named Liam, who Isaac was incredibly protective over.

So now Stiles was living back at home in his old room with his dad, just like in high school, and Derek was still breaking in through his window.

Considering that they were both adults, it was more than a little bit weird. But, at the same time, it was familiar and safe, so he kind of enjoyed it. Despite being twenty-four years old and still living at home, his dad let him keep whatever hours he wanted and he and came and went as he pleased…and Derek still couldn’t use the front door.

“Look,” Derek said, sounding tired, “They said I could bring a date and I told them that I would bring you, and they all…”

When his voice suddenly dropped off, Stiles looked over at him, trying to figure out why the heck Derek looked guilty as hell. He was now looking at the floor and had shoved his hands so deep into his pockets that Stiles was certain that they were about to rip at the seams.

“They what, Derek?” he prompted him.

He finally looked back up at him.

“They’ve apparently all assumed that you’re my boyfriend because I’ve talked about you so much.” Stiles’ eyebrow shot up and he opened his mouth to say something, but then Derek cut him off with an eyeroll and said, “Look, I talk about you because you’re our pack’s emissary, but I can’t tell them that, so they get a highly edited version of my weekend events and your name comes up a lot, and they all just assumed, and please don’t make this any harder than this is for me.”

He was sorely tempted to make fun of him, but he instead withheld the impulse and licked his lips and said, “If I say yes, what will I be expected to do at this party?”

Derek huffed, but then answered, “I don’t know…act…boyfriend-like. Do whatever it is couples do, I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders and Stiles took some perverse pleasure at seeing how uncomfortable he was, but also felt a faint twinge of regret. “Hold hands, kisses on the cheek, pet names…stuff like that.”

The picture he gave him was one that Stiles had secretly wanted for years. He’d fallen for him back in high school but had known that someone as gorgeous and amazing as Derek was way out of his league, even more so considering his werewolf status and all of his abilities. He consistently attracted older women to him and so Stiles knew that he would never have a chance, but it was nice to know that Derek had talked about him enough at work and in such a way that his coworkers thought that Stiles was his boyfriend.

He thought about torturing him a bit longer, but instead capitulated and said, “Sure, why not. When and where is it?”

Derek’s shoulders slumped in relief.

“Next weekend. I’ll pick you up Saturday night, don’t worry about it.”

“Dress code?”

Derek gave him another look.

“Uh…don’t know. I’ll find out. Just…thank you, Stiles,” he said, and the emissary nodded, keeping his emotions in check, even though he kinda wanted to shout from the rooftops that he was going on a date with Derek Hale. So, what if it was a fake date, it was better than nothing.

Derek moved to leave through the window, and Stiles couldn’t help but say, “Does that mean I can call you Der Bear?”

He heard him growl as he dropped to the ground and he laughed.

Yeah, this was gonna be fun.

--

“So, I hear you and Derek are going out on a date,” said Erica as she sprawled out on his office couch, kicking her legs out behind her as she lay on her stomach, staring intently at her nails as Stiles finished up a report for the head office, thoroughly entrenched in getting through it before he called it quits and went to lunch, which was the reason why she was there.

“It’s not a real date, it’s just to keep his coworkers off his back,” he said, still staring at his screen as he typed.

She let out a snort, rolled over to her back and shot him a look.

“Yeah, fake, right. You do know that Mr. Grumpycat has been pining after you for years, now, right?” she shot back at him and Stiles shook his head, knowing better than to take anything of what she said as serious. “He’s been all broody and serious ever since you came back to Beacon Hills,” she complained.

Stiles rolled his eyes.

“So, no different than usual, then?” he couldn’t help but retort, flipping a page on the papers that he was referencing as he wrote his report.

But at that, Erica sat back up, her hair spilling around her shoulders in that effortless way that most models would kill for and gave him a look and said, “Actually, before you showed up, he seemed to have really changed. He was wearing more normal clothes, like sweaters and stuff, not a leather jacket to be seen. He was even smiling more, acting like a person, you know?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “It was like seeing the human side of him for once. But then you showed up and he becomes all Broody McBrooderson again…”

Stiles sighed, though slightly amused at her description of the alpha, but ignored her just long enough so that he could finish his report, and then stood up, reached over and grabbed his coat and said, “Can we just go to lunch?”

She rolled her eyes at him a second time, but then smiled.

“Fine. Lunch it is.”

And with that they walked out arm in arm from his office, and Stiles smirked when he saw a few of the other agents sneak glances at her, most of them unaware of the fact that she was taken. He was fairly certain that quite a few of them thought that Erica was his girlfriend, but he didn’t really care.

She wore her skinny jeans, thigh high black boots, and her usual too-tight low-cut top with a leather jacket thrown over it for good measure. Stiles looked like a worn-out door to door salesman next to her in his rumpled suit, but he didn’t mind. Ever since he had come back, the two of them had bonded in a way that Stiles had always wished they had and now she was like the best friend that he’d never had…she had even beat out his old best friend, Scott. Scott had left Beacon Hills to go to vet school and, according to his mom, he wasn’t coming back.

He still kept in touch with him, but it was sort of an unspoken understanding between the two of them that Scott wanted nothing more to do with the goings-on of Beacon Hills and the supernatural drama that came with it. Stiles was fine with that, and still kept in close contact with Melissa…who had been spending a suspicious amount of time with his dad, recently.

He didn’t want to think about it too much, so he turned his attention to Erica as they sat down in the booth at the diner and ordered their usual. As soon as their food arrived, he changed the subject.

“So…how’s Boyd doing?”

At the question, she lit up and Stiles smiled as she began to jabber away.

“Oh my god, he’s doing so good. Ever since he found that job at the hospital as an orderly, he’s been doing so good. He really loves helping people, you know?” she said with a bright smile, dipping one of her fries into her milkshake and taking a bite. “I’m still working on trying to finish my GED, which is a serious pain in the ass, but as soon as I get it, I’m looking into becoming a volunteer counselor at the youth center,” she admitted, sounding a bit shy as she did, and Stiles smiled.

She was amazing with teenagers, especially the girls, and Stiles thought it was a perfect fit for her.

“I’m happy for the two of you,” he said, completely sincere. He didn’t have any romantic prospects, male or female, but he was okay with it. He was just happy to see his friends finally happy.

Erica gave him another blinding smile…but then it turned devious as she said, “So…this ‘fake’ date that you and Derek are having. I hear it’s for the private Christmas party that he was invited to, right?” Stiles groaned, but she didn’t let up. “I bet there’s gonna be mistletoe there. I don’t care what it takes, you need to drag that boy under it and get it on with him already!”

He threw a french fry at her, but she caught it between her teeth and continued to grin at him.

Finally, he said, “I’m not dragging him anywhere, let alone towards something that could potentially kill him. Look, I know you think that he likes me, too, but trust me when I say that it’s barely concealed annoyance. At best.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious! I mean, when he asked me to be emissary, of course I said yes, but that’s all I am to him. I am a tool that helps keep the pack safe and that’s it, Erica. That’s all it’s ever going to be. And I’m fine with that, seriously. I love being someone that can help the pack, the person that you guys can turn to when the going gets rough. Hell, that’s why I joined the FBI,” he added, eating one of his own fries.

She arched an eyebrow at him, and he could see the look all over her face.

“Stiles. He likes you. As in, he likes likes you.”

He gave her a look right back and said, “Oh, so we’re reverting to middle school terms, now? What next? You gonna hand me note from him that says, ‘do you like me? Check yes or no’?”

She rolled her eyes and practically pouted as she said, “Look, he’s my alpha and I can tell when he’s not acting right and ever since you came back his scent gets all weird whenever you’re around or any time that he’s thought that you might be in trouble, and Isaac and Liam have both been worried about him, too,” she admitted, and Stiles was taken off guard by the naked honesty in her tone.

He licked his lips, put down the burger that he was about to take a bite of and said, “You…you’re serious?”

She nodded.

“Yeah. So…don’t fuck this up, okay? He may act like you’re just doing him a favor, going to the Christmas party and all, but I know that this means a lot to him,” she muttered, picking at the edge of the table, chipping off a piece of the flaking formica with one perfectly manicured fingernail. “He acts all tough around you, and only you, and I may not know why…but I know that he has feelings for you, Stiles. So, don’t fuck this up.”

He took a deep breath…but then nodded. At that, she seemed to relax, and they went back to their lunch, him talking about his research on the creature that was going after the local pets (most likely a lamia, though he had no idea how it had made its way to Beacon Hills), and Erica chiming it about the online college classes that both Isaac and Liam were taking, and how the additions onto the Hale house were coming. According to Erica, both of the boys wanted their own rooms, but Derek was insisting that they share because he was not adding two bedrooms.

By the time they were done, and Erica was walking him back to his office, he was feeling a bit better.

She lightly squeezed his waist before she left and whispered into his ear right before lightly pecking his cheek, “Don’t fuck it up.”

He snorted and hugged her right back and returned the gesture.

“I’ll try not to,” he replied with a fake put-upon look, and she gave him a wry smile in return before turning around and heading back down the street.

--

It was the day before the Christmas party, and Stiles was running through the backyard of Mrs. Newton’s house in the middle of the night, trying his hardest to not get caught by the nosy old lady who had a tendency to spy on her neighbors through her back windows. He had found the lamia. Which wasn’t a lamia. Instead, it was a rogue were-coyote, and Stiles was looking like an idiot with dirt-stained jeans with the left leg completely soaked through. He had almost cornered it a few houses down, near a bird bath in someone else’s backyard, but then it had bolted at the last second and he now had a ruined pair of pants.

He panted, trying to catch his breath. Sure, he was fitter than he used to be, but he’d been chasing it for over an hour at that point.

Bent over at the waist, still catching his breath, Stiles begrudgingly pulled out his small pouch of mountain ash, hating that he had to use it, but knowing that it was necessary.

“Okay, you little fucker,” he muttered, pulling out the smallest amount needed because he hated wasting it. “I’m going to track you properly and find your goddamn den if it’s the last thing I do, because you are seriously ruining my night.”

He closed his eyes, concentrated, and then let out a trickle of it from between his first finger and thumb…and let out a sigh of relief as it glowed slightly and drifted in a straight line back through the backyards until it headed for the woods. He followed it, letting out small amounts each time he ran out of glowing ash to follow, and was grateful that he’d decided to wear his boots as he ended up going deep into the woods just beyond the Hale property.

He followed it to a small den where he found a young boy, no more than ten, curled up back in the corner of his roughshod den. He was wearing only a small pair of blue shorts, the rest of his body covered in dirt and grime, and small bones littered the ground around him; what was left of the pets.

He seemed to be shaking, so Stiles gently reached out with one hand and said, “Hey, kid, I’m not here to hurt you…are you just hungry?” he asked and was taken aback when bright gold eyes snapped up to meet his.

The boy then nodded.

Making a quick decision, Stiles helped him out of his den and put his own jacket around the boy’s shoulders and walked him back to his house.

As soon as he’d settled him down, gotten him into some clean clothes and gotten him some food, he started to feel less anxious. However, just as the kid (Lance, he had told him in a voice barely above a whisper) was finally settled, he heard the front door open, so he quickly went to cut off whoever it was…and his eyes went wide when he saw that it was Derek.

“Where is he?” the alpha growled, his eyes flashing red, and Stiles stopped him with a hand on his chest, and said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, big guy! It’s not what you think! It’s a kid!” he hissed, glancing over his shoulder, trying to keep his voice down, unsure of how much the young were-coyote could hear. “His name’s Lance and he’s only around ten and he was only going after people’s pets because it was easier for him to hunt and get food…I think he’s been abandoned…”

Stiles watched as Derek went from full-metal-alpha to suddenly looking worried, his brow furrowed and his eyes glancing back towards where he could obviously smell the kid was, back in the kitchen.

“Abandoned? Who would do that to a kid?”

“Some pretty shitty people, that’s who,” Stiles replied, noticing how Derek’s entire body language had shifted from attack-mode to protective-alpha mode.

He went silent and watched as Derek seemed to be listening in on the kid and then couldn’t help but ask, “So…sense anything wrong with him?” and Derek shook his head and answered, “No, just…he smells like anxiety. I think he’s been alone a long time. But he only just got here. He doesn’t smell like the preserve,” he commented. “More like…diesel.”

At that, Stiles nodded and said, “Probably sneaking onto long-distance hauling trucks. Easy to hide on and gets you plenty of miles away from a previous hunting ground. Smart kid.”

Derek nodded as well, and they stood there for a moment in the front foyer, Stiles’ hand still on Derek’s chest. He seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled it back, rubbing it on the thighs of his jeans, and then Derek looked at him, gave him a once over, and he snorted.

“What happened to you?”

Stiles rolled his eyes.

“I was chasing after a were-coyote in the middle of the night and a birdbath accosted me, that’s what happened,” he quipped, just remembering the clinging wetness of the left side of his jeans. He absently tugged at it and said, “Gotta say, that kid is fast. Faster than you, that’s for sure,” he added, knowing it would irritate the alpha.

True to form, Derek gave him a look, his equivalent of a bitch-face, and Stiles smirked, but then asked him on a more serious note, “Hey, can you watch after him? I’ll introduce you two, but I need to go upstairs and change because this is starting to seriously chafe…”

Derek nodded, and Stiles walked back into the kitchen with the alpha right behind his shoulder and cautiously approached the table, silently grateful that his dad was on the night shift.

“Hey, Lance…this is Derek. He’s a werewolf, he’s an alpha, and he’s my friend,” he softly explained, putting his hand carefully in front of the bowl of cereal that he was eating. “I don’t want to leave you alone, just yet, so would it be okay if he spends some time with you while I go and change out of these wet and dirty clothes?”

Lance looked back up at him with his now hazel eyes, his gaze slightly confused, and nodded.

“Okay, then.”

He motioned for Derek to sit down across from him and went upstairs and quickly stripped out of his ruined clothes and hopped into the shower. He cleaned out the grime, rinsed off as best he could, and as soon as he was out of the shower, before he had even put on any clothes, he threw a towel around his waist and went and checked the missing persons database on his work laptop, putting in the first name Lance and looking for kids around his age. He couldn’t have come from nowhere.

While it searched, he threw on sweats, an academy shirt, and ran his fingers through his hair, drying it as best he could, ignoring the fact that his stomach had flipped when he’d seen Derek look at the kid with such soft affection that it had made his heart ache.

God, he’d be a great dad.

His computer dinged, and he hopped over on one foot, pulling a sock over the other one, and squinted as he looked at the information that had popped up onto the screen.

Lance Santiago. Thirteen years old, missing for the last nine months ago from Ogunquit, Maine. Parents murdered in a home invasion, no other living relatives.

Swallowing around the knot that had formed in his throat, Stiles pulled up the police report from the home invasion and closed his eyes for a brief second at what he saw on the screen in front of him…and then opened them again and made himself look at the crime scene photos in the way that the academy had trained him to.

Each of their necks had been viciously ripped open, and the coroner’s report had said that the intruders had used several different tools to make the marks, but he knew what they really were: they were from the claws of a werewolf. And the kid had apparently witnessed the whole thing, but then had inexplicably escaped from the foster home that they had put him in. They had tried to find him for the first three months, but then had given up, and now he was here, in Beacon Hills.

He let out a long sigh and headed back downstairs and stilled in the doorway to the kitchen…

Derek was flicking pieces of cereal in Lance’s face and Lance was smiling and laughing and throwing cereal right back at him while Lance was talking in rapid-fire Spanish and Stiles was baffled when Derek was speaking fluently right back at him, grinning almost the entire time. The alpha had taken off his jacket and thrown it over the back of his chair and sat there in just a dark red sweater with the sleeves rolled up, eyes sparkling, lips effortlessly wrapping around the foreign syllables, while Sam chattered excitedly right back at him.

It was like something out of a movie.

He watched them for a moment longer and then said, “Hey, you two, quit making a mess,” and Lance looked up, wide-eyed, but Derek just shook his head and said, “It’s no worse than what you do.”

The kid still seemed scared for a moment, but then Derek reached out his hand and put it on his shoulder and said, “Está bien, Lance. Está bien.”

He then stood up and walked over to Stiles and said in a low voice as they both moved closer to the fridge, away from the table, “He knows some English, but not much. I can speak with him, fine, and he seems to trust me. So, if it’s easier for you and your dad, he can stay with me and the pack, if you’d like.”

Okay, so maybe Stiles just fell a little bit more in love with the man.

He nodded.

“It’s a good idea but be careful. I found him on file, and he’s gone through a pretty bad trauma. If anyone can help, though, it’d be you guys,” he conceded, though a little wary to have him out of his sight for too long, the kid’s dark brown hair flopping into his eyes and reminding Stiles of just how young and vulnerable he was.

He then looked at Derek and said, “Uh, when did you learn Spanish, by the way?”

Derek ducked his eyes, not quite meeting them, and said, “Uh, I, uh…I started to learn as a kid. Mom and dad insisted. I kept up with it over the years, mainly because of the other packs down south, but…yeah. It comes in handy a lot.”

He seemed thoroughly embarrassed at being put on the spot, so Stiles dragged his eyes away from him, looked back over at Lance who was finally finishing his cereal, and asked, “Think the pack will like him?”

The alpha smiled.

“When we were talking, I found out he loves Star Wars. I think he and Isaac and Liam will get along really well. Boyd is more of a Trekkie, but they’ll get along,” he said, looking at the kid with a soft, almost find look. “It seems we’ve got another mouth to feed for Christmas.” As he said that, however, his eyes went wide and he said, “Oh, shit. The party. Tomorrow night.”

“Well, tonight, really,” Stiles supplied, looking at the time on the microwave. Two-thirty-six in the morning.

Derek rolled his head on his neck and said, “I don’t want the kid to have his first night with the pack all alone, I shouldn’t do that to him. I can call Erik and tell him that I can’t come to the--”

“Hold up there, big guy,” Stiles interjected, putting a hand to his shoulder. “You have to go to that thing, and you know it. They personally invited you, and, as much as even I hate to say it, you need to make good with these guys so that they can see just how valuable you are. You’ve got a pack to feed, buddy, and even if you do already have a shit ton of money, I know you care about this job, and I think Lance can handle one night alone with the pack. It’s a Friday night, right? They can order in a few pizzas, watch some movies…he’ll probably feel more comfortable around some weres closer to his own age, anyway,” he added, trying to make Derek see sense.

Derek looked at the kid and then back at Stiles. And then back at the kid, who was now looking at the two of them with those wide, hazel eyes of his, his brow slightly furrowed as if he was trying to understand what they were saying about him. Derek looked at Stiles one last time.

He then walked over to Lance and said something in Spanish that Stiles didn’t catch, Lance said something back to him, and then they both smiled.

Derek grabbed his jacket from where he left it and then said, “Okay, that settles it. I’m taking him back to the house for the night, he’s going to spend the day with the pack…and then I am coming over to pick you up at seven, Stiles.”

He then threw him a smile and said, “By the way, it’s dressy casual…but don’t wear the reindeer tie, please, I beg of you,” and Stiles grinned.

“But it goes with everything, Derek!”

He rolled his eyes and lightly tugged on Lance’s shoulder, who followed him to the front door. Stiles gave the kid’s shoulder one last squeeze and then watched as the two of them walked down the road, heading off in the direction of the Hale house. It was a good fit for him, Stiles thought to himself, wondering how he was going to deal with the fact that Derek was obviously already attached to the kid. Lance needed to not have anyone looking for him…and Stiles might have a solution for that.

Chapter 2

After getting four hours of sleep, Stiles was back down in the kitchen rifling through the cabinets, this time with his dad giving him judgmental looks over the edge of his newspaper.

“You’re telling me you went after a were-coyote on your own last night?” he said in a tone that Stiles was all too familiar with.

“Yes, but I wasn’t in any danger, pops,” he griped, finally finding the pop-tarts, ignoring the second judgmental look that he got as he pulled one out of the foil and took a bite out of it. “This kid is thirteen years old and no danger to people, he was just hungry, alright? The pets were easy hunting.”

The sheriff put down the paper, reached for his coffee and asked, “You say he’s been missing for nine months?”

Stiles nodded as he dropped into the chair across from him.

“Yeah. No family to speak of, just…a lot of horrible trauma.” His dad nodded. “I’m just glad that we found him first before anyone else did. Derek and his pack are a good fit for him, right now,” he thought out loud. “If anyone’s going to be able to help Lance figure out how to deal with it all, it’ll be those four and Derek.”

His dad nodded, took a long sip of his coffee and then said, “So, he’s staying with Derek and the pack. That’s good, I guess, but it’s not a permanent solution, you know that, right?”

Stiles gave his dad a look and reached across and stole a sip of his dad’s coffee, ignoring the glare that he gave him as he did.

“Yeah, I know it’s not a solution, but don’t worry about it, I’m already looking into what I can do,” he explained, handing his father’s coffee back to him, pushing it across the table. “I looked into the criminal file of what happened to his parents and it looks like they never even had any suspects for the murders, and if I let him go back, he’ll just end up with a foster family who doesn’t know about the supernatural and I can’t do that to the kid. I figure both of his parents were just like he is, and so the attack was most likely something personal, which means that there’s a werewolf out there looking to hunt this kid down and kill him. Lance most likely only got away because of how fast he is. I don’t think even Derek could keep up with him, even if he wanted to,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling worn out and wishing he could figure out how to help him.

They shared a look, both of them aware of just how hard it was going to be for the kid unless they could make sure that he was safe. So, Stiles came to decision that he would warn the pack that someone might be tracking the kid, even with everything that he’d done to get away from the werewolf that had killed his parents.

Stiles pulled another pop-tart out of the packet and took a bite, and then said, with his mouth full, “By the way, going to a Christmas party with Derek tonight, so don’t wait up,” and at that, his dad’s brow shot up and he threw him a smirk.

“You and Derek, huh?” he drawled, taking another sip of his coffee, and Stiles rolled his eyes and stood back up, saying, “Oh, don’t you start, pops. It’s not like that. Derek’s coworkers are convinced that I’m his boyfriend because he’s always talking about me because of the time we spend together on the weekends with my emissary duties. Complaining, mostly. He can’t exactly tell them the truth, so he’s been dragged into taking me to the party as his date. It’s not real, it’s just to keep the higher ups happy.”

His dad nodded, not saying anything more, but Stiles could see the faint humor that still lingered on the corner of his lips and he knew that his dad was probably going to be laughing about the situation for a long time, getting a kick out of his seeing his son like this.

He shrugged it off and went and got dressed and headed off to the office.

As soon as walked inside, Agent Katherine Richards greeted him with a coffee and a cheery, “Morning, Agent Stilinski!”

“For the last time, Katie, if you don’t start calling me Stiles, I’m going to put you on filing duty for the next two weeks,” he playfully griped, grabbing the coffee that she gave to him every single morning without fail. He then yawned as he asked, “Now, did you get me a copy of that file that I e-mailed you about this morning?”

She gave him a look and said, “You mean that e-mail that you sent me at five am? Yeah, I did, and you’re welcome,” she said with an arch tone, tossing it onto his desk as they both walked into his office. “Let’s just say that the local authorities in Maine don’t like it when someone from the FBI wants their files for a case that they couldn’t solve. Something about it making them look bad, I guess,” she mused, leaning her hip against his desk and throwing him a knowing grin. “Why’d you want it?”

Knowing he could trust her, he said, “I found the kid.”

Her eyes went wide.

“You mean the kid who saw who killed his parents? He’s the only witness, Stiles! Where did you find him?”

He trusted her, but not that much, so he avoided answering by instead saying, “That’s not important, what’s important is that he’s safe and secured and we don’t have to worry about him right now. Now, I need to make sure that I am out of here by five today, because I have to go and be a fake boyfriend for a friend of mine,” he explained and was amused when Katie’s eyes lit up.

“Fake boyfriend?” she repeated, her tone sounding all too eager. “Oooh, is it for that girl that you have lunch with a couple of times a week? The stunning blonde with legs for days that looks like she should be walking a Victoria’s Secret runway?”

Stiles chuckled at that apt description of Erica, knowing she would love it, but shook his head.

“No, no, not her. She’s already got a boyfriend,” he quickly said. “This is for my friend, Derek. He got dragged into it and so I’m trying to help make it a little easier on him,” he explained, already turning his attention to the file that she’d given him.

Katie gave him a look…and then said in a carefully measured tone, “Is this the Derek that you mentioned before?”

Stiles glared up at her, annoyed with himself for forgetting that he’d mentioned the alpha more than a few times to his own coworkers, and said, “Yes, it’s that Derek. No, we’re not actually dating, and no, it’s not anything serious. I’m just covering his ass for his bosses,” to which she retorted, “Yeah, I bet you’re covering his ass.”

“Excuse me?”

She laughed and the patted the file that she put on his desk and said, “As fun as this conversation has been, don’t think you’ve distracted me from this, Stiles. While I am incredibly curious about this Derek guy, I am not forgetting that you just found the key witness in a brutal murder that has yet to be solved. You’ll bring me in if you need help, right?” she asked, looking and sounding genuinely concerned, and Stiles nodded and patted her hand.

“I promise, Agent Richards.”

With that, she left the room, and Stiles went back to his work. He dug through the file to figure out exactly who to contact and how to keep everything intact so that they wouldn’t find out…while also keeping a close eye on the time, making sure that he didn’t work too hard. He needed to be able to leave by five so that he would be ready to go by seven.

Of course, things didn’t go as planned. He shot off a quick message to the pack, did some paperwork, and then the next thing he knew, he was looking at the clock and it said six thirty and he was twenty minutes from home.

Shit.

Slipping the file into his bag, he ran out of the building, shouting a quick, “See you tomorrow!” over his shoulder as he did, and probably broke a couple of laws as he raced home, trying to figure out how many he could get away with breaking to make sure that he had enough time to shower.

He ran into his house as quickly as he could, grateful that his dad had already left for his night shift about an hour before, and then scrambled up the stairs and threw his bag onto his desk and looked into his closet helplessly, trying to figure just what the hell dressy casual was.

However, before he could even look in his closet, let alone get a shower like he’d originally planned, he heard a knock at the front door.

Shit.

He turned and ran back down the stairs and as he swung the door open, the first words out of his mouth were, “Please, please, please don’t be mad, but I am not dressed, yet, I only just got home, and…why are you looking at me like that?”

Derek was staring at him, mouth slightly open, looking like he was struggling to catch his breath. Stiles looked down at himself, trying to see what was wrong, wondering if he had dropped food or coffee on himself earlier in the day without noticing, but only saw his usual work clothes: a white dress shirt, the top couple of buttons undone, his rumpled black pants and jacket, military issued FBI boots, along with his shoulder holster, which was slightly askew because he’d already removed his weapon, and he was baffled as to why Derek was staring at him.

“Uh, Derek?” he said, snapping his fingers, and the alpha shook his head and said, “Yeah, I’m…you’re fine. What you’re wearing is just fine.”

Stiles looked back down at himself a second time, baffled, and then looked at what Derek was wearing and couldn’t help but smile and say as he noticed his outfit, “And you are looking like a dad going to a PTA meeting, oh my god, are you wearing loafers?” he exclaimed, unable to stifle a giggle as he saw the black leather on the man’s feet. Derek rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, Stiles kept going.

“Not only loafers, but you’re wearing a belt that matches them, and is that a tailored sport coat that doesn’t quite match your pants with a pink shirt? Dude,” he put his hand on his shoulder, “I thought someone like you with a ton of money would be wearing Armani or something. But this…?”

He gestured up and down at his outfit and Derek glared at him, no longer staring at Stiles’ clothes and bit out, “I’m not Peter, I don’t care about expensive clothes. Now, get your ass in my car so we can go already. Like I said, what you’re wearing is fine. Though you might want to lose the shoulder holster,” he added, looking at his shoulder distractedly.

Stiles glanced down and shrugged, stepped back into the hallway to take off the holster and grab his phone and house keys, and then followed Derek out to his car. He still had the Camaro.

As soon as they had pulled out onto the main road, he asked, “So…Erik’s your boss, right?”

Derek nodded, eyes focused on the road.

“Yep. Good man, great architect. His partner’s name is Geoff, and they’ve been running the architecture firm for over fifteen years now. And they’re looking to take on a third partner,” he added lightly, and Stiles knew exactly what he meant.

“So, tonight is about showing off how amazing you are?” he said, trying to ease the tension that he could feel coming from him, but then saw his hands tighten on the wheel, so he quickly backpedaled with, “I’m not going to make fun of you tonight, Derek, I promise. I mean, I knew this was kind of serious, but I had no idea that you were trying to make partner. Now that I know, I will make sure to be on my best behavior, no matter what. Only good things, I promise.”

Derek’s fingers released their death grip on the wheel and Stiles breathed out a sigh of relief. Now that he knew just how serious he was about the evening, he quickly put aside any thoughts that he had of telling some of the man’s more embarrassing stories, instead focused on how he could show his bosses just how amazing he was.

When they pulled up the driveway to the house, Stiles let out a low whistle.

“Holy shit, they got money,” he said, slightly awed at the large, A-frame cabin that stretched out into one of those cabin McMansions that he’d only ever seen on Hallmark movies.

Derek nodded, pulled up behind a black Rolls Royce, and put the Camaro in park and then let out a long, nervous breath, glancing up at the windows of the house apprehensively. From where they sat, Stiles could hear the faint strains of holiday music on piano and could see the glimmer of Christmas lights in the windows. He watched as Derek swallowed, looking more nervous than he’d ever seen him before, so Stiles reached out and put his hand over his, trying to calm him down.

Derek’s eyes suddenly dropped to where Stiles had his fingers wrapped around his…and then took another breath and lightly squeezed his hand.

“Okay. I can do this,” he said, still sounding nervous, and Stiles corrected him, “We can do this, Der. Trust me. I’m going to be the best fake boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

At that, the tension was broken and the alpha chuckled and shook his head and said, “Yeah, well you better, or else I’m gonna make your life a living hell. Now,” he squeezed his hand a second time, “How about we go on inside? Honey.”

Stiles let out a sound that was close to a laugh and gave him a fake, sweet look and said, “Of course, Der Bear.”

Derek groaned and Stiles grinned.

They pulled apart long enough to get out of the car, and then Stiles plastered himself to Derek’s side, tucking his right arm through Derek’s left and leaned into him as much as he could, enjoying every single second of being able to touch Derek as much as he’d always wanted to.

Just before they walked through the front door, though, Derek turned his head just enough to look Stiles in the eye and said, “You ready to be affectionate with me? ‘Cause as soon as we walk in there, they are going to be expecting us to act like a couple. So…you going to be okay with that?” and Stiles scoffed, arched an eyebrow at him and said, “Dude, listen to my heartbeat as I say these words: this is the best idea that you’ve ever come up and I can’t wait to pretend to be your boyfriend.”

He watched in amusement as Derek’s eyes widened at hearing the honesty and Stiles grinned and said, “Now take me inside, honeybuns.”

Derek laughed and pulled the door open, moving out of Stiles’ grip so that he could put his hand on his lower back to usher him through the door ahead of him, and Stiles preened under the intimate touch, wishing with all of his heart that it was real.

Erica’s words echoed in his head… I know he has feelings for you, Stiles. So, don’t fuck this up.

He swallowed, feeling his first twinge of nervousness.

He could do this.

The foyer alone was intimidating. The ceilings were, of course, vaulted, and swept up nearly twenty feet. He let Derek move him to the main room, where a whole lot of people in dressy clothes mingled. Before Stiles could take it all in, however, a man in a dark blue sport coat with a nicely trimmed beard walked over to them and said in a loud, friendly voice, “Hale! So glad you made it!” and then reached out and pulled Derek into a half hug.

Stiles watched in amusement as Derek tried to return it, though it was obvious to him that he was uncomfortable with it, patting him on the shoulder and saying, “Thanks for inviting me, Erik.”

Suddenly, Erik pulled back and said, “Oh, right, I forgot…no hugs. Sorry about that, just caught up in the holiday cheer. Is this the boyfriend we’ve heard so much about?” he asked, pointing at Stiles with the glass in his hand, looking curious.

Before Derek could say a word, Stiles stepped forward and said, “Stiles Stilinski, pleased to meet you.”

Erik gave him a solid handshake, looked him up and down and then looked back over at Derek and said, “You have good taste, Hale. Also,” he turned his attention back to Stiles, “Pleased to meet you. Feel free to tell us as many embarrassing stories about this man as possible. He’s so closed-lipped around the office, it’s a miracle that we even knew that he had a boyfriend. Of course,” he said giving a short chuckle, “That wasn’t too hard to figure out considering how much he talked about you.”

He lifted his glass to him in acknowledgement and Stiles couldn’t help but share a smile and say, “Yeah, well, not too surprised. I am a big part of his life, after all,” and gave Derek a shit-eating grin.

Derek just shook his head and reached over and gently tugged at his hand and Stiles found it remarkably easy to fall in next to him and let him lead him into the rest of the room, where he was introduced to at least twenty different people in under ten minutes, and he was pretty proud of the fact that he could remember all of their names.

Part of his training as an FBI agent was to be able to hold onto a lot of information in a short amount of time, and it was finally coming in handy.

Eventually, he let himself be split off from Derek and watched with a fond smile as Erik and Geoff flanked him on either side and started to talk with him in hushed tones, both of them smiling, while Derek attempted to smile, though he still looked like he had just been thrown into the lion’s den.

Stiles stifled a laugh at the sight, took a sip of the apple cider in his hand, and was taken off guard when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You must be Stiles, the boyfriend,” a feminine voice said, turning him around, and he found himself levelling his eyes at a lovely woman wearing a dark violet dress, and thick blonde hair spilled over shapely shoulders, showing off her stunning warm complexion and blue eyes. “I’m Jane Caruso, I work in Interior Design at the firm. My desk is right across from Derek’s,” she said, and Stiles could see the way that she was assessing him, a sharp glint in her eye as she looked him up and down.

He took another sip of his drink, making her wait for his response, putting her on the defensive (using his FBI training, yet again) and saw her shift uncomfortably as she waited for him to speak.

Finally, he said, “Yeah, I’m the boyfriend,” and extended his hand and gave her a polite handshake.

Not missing a beat, she held his hand for a moment longer than necessary and then leaned in and, glancing at him and then shooting a look over at Derek as she asked conspiratorially, “So, how the hell did someone like you snag a specimen like him?”

Without hesitation, he pulled his hand back and replied, “Oh, we’ve known each other since high school,” and then looked down at his drink, smirked, and the looked back up at her and said, as if he was embarrassed (though far from it), “Actually, I was the one in high school. I was sixteen, he was twenty…things really didn’t start until after I graduated, of course, but…you know how these things go,” he finished, taking another sip of the cider, enjoying the way her eyes widened and she leaned slightly away from him.

He had to withhold a laugh when Jane then said, sounding completely off-balance, “Oh, that’s…so you two have known each other a long time, then.”

He nodded.

“Yeah. I mean, when we first met, we hated each other. I even got him arrested for something he didn’t do,” he said, laughing, looking over at Derek, knowing that the werewolf could hear every word of his conversation, and could see his jaw twitch, even from a distance, and he bit his lip, wondering how much he could get away with.

“You got him arrested?”

Stiles chuckled and then quickly amended, “Yeah, but I didn’t mean to. My dad can tell you what happened better than I can, anyway,” he said, knowing exactly what she was going to ask next.

“Your dad?” she asked predictably, and Stiles answered, “Yeah, the Sheriff. Noah Stilinski.” He threw her an easy smile, once more pleased at seeing her even more wary of him.

She then took a sip of her own cider and bit her lip…and after a moment she asked, “Son of the sheriff. That sounds like you had a lot of pressure on you growing up in Beacon Hills,” and he nodded, and then she said, obviously trying to throw him off balance once more, “What career path did you follow? Are you a deputy, on your way to follow in your dad’s footsteps?”

Jane then gave him a smug look and Stiles saw her once more eyeing Derek discreetly from the corner of her eye, and he withheld his idiotic grin and managed to maintain an almost bored tone as he answered, “Oh, no, local law enforcement wasn’t for me.” She smirked, looking like she’d won…and then he knocked her down with, “I’m a special agent for the FBI. We just started a new office right outside of Beacon Hills, and I run it with a few select agents. We cover mostly federal cases, but we help out the local law enforcement when they need it.”

He swore she went three shades paler and saw her almost choke on her sip and he shot a glance in his fake boyfriend’s direction and saw him roll his eyes up towards the ceiling, and Stiles knew that Derek was on the edge of coming over and pulling him away from her.

She managed to recover and then say, “You seem rather young for an FBI agent, let alone a special agent.”

He nodded, understanding, and explained, “I got into a training program right out of high school, so I did my schooling and training out at Quantico. Lot of work, but Derek was only a couple of hours away by train at NYU, so we made it work.”

He knew that Derek was still listening and felt a bit bad about saying it, but also thought it was a good reminder to the werewolf that he could have visited him and let him know he was alive.

Sure, it was petty, but ever since Stiles had found out, he’d felt like Derek had deliberately chosen to not contact him and it hurt.

He turned all of his attention to Jane, and gave her a smile as he said, “He’s kind of the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know? I feel really lucky that we found each other when we did. I don’t think I would have gone into the FBI if I’d never met him,” he admitted, knowing that even from that distance, Derek could hear his heartbeat and how steady it was. “After getting him into so much trouble when I was in high school, like, so many times, I realized that I wanted to help innocent people stay out of trouble, so…I became a bit ambitious.”

At that, Jane seemed to soften a bit, giving him a hint of a smile, and then she commented, tapping her finger on the edge of her glass, “He does seem to bring the best out in people.”

Stiles nodded and smiled widely and said, unable to keep the pride from his tone, “He’s a hell of a great guy, and one of the best men I’ve ever known in my life.”

From where he stood, he could see Derek go a bit pink, and he smiled. Jane gave him one last look, said a polite goodbye, and then walked away back into the crowd, leaving Stiles to mingle with everyone else. He felt that he’d done a good job at keeping her at bay, so he turned up his charm as he mingled with the rest of Derek’s coworkers, finding out that a few of them knew Danny through a tech firm that the architects worked with.

Soon, he wasn’t even putting on any airs and was joking back and forth with a guy named Adam who worked security at the building, finding out that they were both die hard fans of DC and Marvel.

Right while they were in the middle of a discussion over the chemistry of Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck (which they both agreed was more than just platonic), Derek was right up behind him slipping an arm around his waist as if he’d done it a thousand times before, saying, “Please don’t tell me you’re talking about how Superman and Batman are gay for each other, again,” and Stiles grinned.

“Oh, we totally were, and we agree that Superman is definitely a bottom,” he admitted, and shared a laughing smile with Adam, who politely tipped his cup towards him and nodded in agreement.

Derek groaned and shook his head.

Stiles then asked, before he forgot, “So, how was it talking with Erik and Geoff?” and Derek let out a long sigh and Adam gave them both a knowing look, nodded and said, “Yeah, those two are intense. Amazingly brilliant, but intense. I’ll leave you two lovebirds, alone. See you at D&D night next Wednesday?” Adam asked as he stepped away, and Stiles nodded.

“Count on it, man!”

Derek shot him a look.

“D&D night? Do I want to know?”

Stiles gently nudged him with is elbow and said, “Dungeons and dragons, you plebe. Found out that they have a group that meets every week on Wednesdays, from seven to ten in the evening, and Danny is a part of it, too, so they invited me. It sounded like fun, so I said yes. Is, uh…is that a bad thing? Me making friends with people at your work?”

Derek opened his mouth as if to say something…but then he closed it.

And then he said, “No, not at all.”

There was a long moment of silence and then Stiles observed, “Uh, you still have your arm around my waist, Der…”

Derek’s eyes went wide, and it seemed that he was about to move, but then he just lightly squeezed Stiles’ hip and muttered, looking down at the cider in his hand, “Yeah, well…people are still here. Watching,” he added unnecessarily, unconsciously moving Stiles closer to him. He bit his lip, making sure not to point out what Derek was doing as he really didn’t want to stop it and wanted to savor the closeness for as long as he could, basking in the physical affection, even if it was fake.

Derek then said, “I noticed that you dealt with Jane. You handled that pretty well,” he said with a grin teasing at the corner of his lips.

Stiles chuckled.

“I totally got your back, Derek. She won’t be bothering you, anymore. Promise.”

He looked across the room, easily spotting her blonde hair and violet dress in the crowd…and made a sound of disbelief in the back of his throat as he saw her flirting with a pretty brunette in a blue dress. He nudged Derek a second time and discreetly pointed her out and snorted at the expression on Derek’s face.

And then he said, “Well…looks like I don’t have to worry about her, after all.”

Stiles laughed and let himself a little bit closer into Derek’s side, knowing that it wasn’t going to last forever. He saw several looks sent in their direction, but all of them were approving, as if they all liked Derek’s choice of boyfriend, and that made Stiles feel warm in his chest and wish even more that it was all real. Even though it wasn’t.

Still, as the evening progressed he became more and more comfortable with the way that he was allowed to reach out and touch the usually taciturn alpha, and he got to see Derek actually smile, and the first few times it was completely disorienting, but then he started to get used to it and was now determined to make sure that he was the one who was always making Derek smile, even if it was only as a friend, because it was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.

It was really nice to see that most of the people that Derek worked with all seemed to like him, and they all seemed to like Stiles along with him, and it was rather refreshing to not have the usual side-eye that Stiles had seen in the past from people who looked down on ‘alternative’ lifestyles.

Eventually, the evening started to wind down and Stiles was grateful that Erik and Geoff had kept the gathering non-alcoholic, which meant that no one was stumbling outside, and everyone was safe to drive home.

He and Derek were the last two to leave, as it was nearly thirteen thirty, Erik and Geoff leading them to the front door, thanking them both for coming. When Geoff pulled the door open for them, however, Stiles was surprised to see that it was snowing, and that a good inch was already on the ground.

Derek didn’t seem the least bit phased and so Stiles quickly deduced that he’d been aware of it because of his werewolf senses.

“Oh, wow, it’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?” said Geoff, the tall, burly man leaning out the front door and looking up at the snow as it heavily fell, some of it landing on his head. He ducked back in, brushed it off his salt and pepper hair, and then remarked, sounding concerned, “Maybe it’s not all that safe to drive back. Derek, you have a Camaro, right?”

Stiles smiled when Derek nodded and then said politely, “Yes, but don’t worry, I have the snow tires on. I checked the weather before I came over tonight and knew what to expect.”

He then turned to Stiles and leaned in and pressed his lips to his temple and his left hand skated over Stiles’ hip, his thumb absently tracing the inside of his hipbone, an intimate gesture if he’d ever felt one, Stiles thought to himself.

“I’ll go get the car, you wait here,” Derek muttered, giving him a soft smile, and then he disappeared out into the snow-covered blackness, leaving Stiles to wait in the foyer with his two bosses, feeling even more off-kilter than before, butterflies suddenly flapping hard against the inside of his ribs.

Geoff chuckled at him and said, “Oh, I know that look. Totally besotted, am I right?”

Stiles shook his head, ducked his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, and then responded with, “Oh, you know…can’t get enough of him, right?”

Erik smiled and said, “Considering you guys have been together for a while, it’s rather refreshing to see that the spark still seems to be there. Hale’s a great guy, and I can easily see him becoming a more important part of the company down the road.” Stiles heard what he was implying, and he couldn’t help but feel excited for Derek. Erik then added, “He really came through on our last project. He thinks outside of the box and we need that kind of mindset to keep us from getting too stagnant in our work.”

Stiles couldn’t help but comment, “Yeah, that’s Derek, alright. He’s good at seeing new perspectives.”

They both nodded back at him.

Before anything else could be said, Derek had pulled up to the front door and Stiles couldn’t help but grin as he bolted out of the car and jogged up the steps to where Stiles stood and offered him his arm. Stiles felt his cheeks warm, and so he quickly followed after him, relieved when he settled warm and only slightly damp into the passenger’s seat.

Derek shifted the car into gear and as he navigated the roads that were just starting to get slippery, Stiles said, “Hey, so, Erik and Geoff pretty much told me without telling me that they’re definitely going to make you a partner at some point,” and was confused when Derek just simply hummed, “Oh, that’s nice,” his gaze still focused on the snow dusted road in front of him, and Stiles did a double take at his reaction, wondering what was going on with him.

What the heck? The whole point of Stiles going with him was to make sure that they made a good impression on the partners, and Derek was acting like he didn’t care.

Trying to get his attention, he reached out and squeezed Derek’s knee, and was amused when all Derek did was take one hand off the wheel to reach down and link his fingers with Stiles’.

He tried to brush it off like it was nothing, even though his heartrate had just jumped up to twice its normal speed, and said, “Not that the hand-holding isn’t great, Der, but…you do realize that we’re not back at the party anymore, right?” and it was rather amusing to see Derek glance down at his leg and then suddenly try to decide whether or not he should let go, and then finally say as he unlinked his fingers and patted Stiles on the back of the hand, “Sorry, just…habit already, I guess.”

At that, Stiles chuckled and couldn’t help but quip, “Aww, only one night and you’re addicted to me? Not that I blame you,” he drawled. “I was an amazing boyfriend, tonight. In fact, according to most of the people I talked to at the party, I am certifiably the best boyfriend ever,” he added, discreetly drawing his hand back over to his side.

Derek rolled his eyes and looked annoyed, but Stiles saw the smile at the corner of his mouth.

Deciding to push it a little bit further, he said, “Doug, the guy who helped with the electrical on your last project, said that you talked about me just a few days ago, saying something about my amazing test scores at the Academy?”

The alpha immediately countered with, “Hey, no, I was talking about how it was a freakin’ miracle that you even got into the Academy! Let’s clarify that,” he added, pointing a finger in the air.

Stiles just shook his head.

“Nah, you like me too much to complain about me,” and Derek bantered back, “Correction: you annoy me enough that I complain about you enough at work that they all think that I’m dating you.”

He laughed a second time and knocked his knee into his door and said, “They probably just think that you sound like an irritated boyfriend. Like, you complain all the time about me, but the way that you complain implies that you actually still really like me…”

His voice drifted, and then Derek said after a long moment, “I was ready to kill you tonight when I heard you tell Jane that you once got me arrested.” Stiles quickly went to defend himself, but then Derek cut him off with, “If I wasn’t so scared of her, I would have walked over there and dragged you out by the back your neck and tossed you out into the snow.”

Stiles snorted.

“I’m sorry, but I just find it hilarious that you, mister werewolf alpha, someone who has stared down an alpha pack and just about all of the scariest creatures that have ever gone bump in the night…are scared of a woman.”

Derek gave him a look, but turned his attention back to the road as he said, “You met Jane, right? She’s worse than an alpha pack all on her own,” and Stiles made a noise of agreement and said, “Okay, okay, no argument there. She was pretty terrifying…but I think I handled her pretty well, if I do say so myself.”

Derek nodded.

“Sure did. Thanks for that, by the way.”

Stiles waved his hand and said, “Ah, don’t mention it. It was kinda fun, actually. Never seen someone go pale so fast in my life, and I’ve intimidated wanted criminals in holding cells. This was definitely more fun,” he said with a grin.

He leaned further back in his seat and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as Derek drove the rest of the way to his house. Stiles, though still a little bit worried about the snow, found his thoughts drifting to the young were-coyote staying with Derek’s pack, and wondered what they were going to be doing for Christmas, since it was only two days away. He thought about asking, but one glance at Derek’s profile had him questioning himself, so he said nothing.

The Camaro pulled up in front of the house and Stiles glanced at his phone and couldn’t help but say, “Hey, you even got me home before midnight. Such a gentleman.”

Derek rolled his eyes, but the effect was ruined by the way his lips twisted up into a fond smile as he did.

Stiles grinned, feeling smug, but then Derek reached across the seat, his shoulder and upper back pressed firmly into Stiles’ chest as he opened his door for him, and said, “Get out before I toss you and your glass slippers out into the snow, Stilinski.”

Once he felt his heartbeat pick back up (because he was positive that it had stopped when Derek was pressed up against him), he nodded and got out of the car. Before he closed the door, however, he braced his hands against and leaned down and said, “In all honesty, I had a great time tonight, Derek. I’ll gladly be your fake boyfriend anytime you need it, man. Just give me at least a few days’ notice and I’ll be the best fake boyfriend ever.”

Derek gave him a look, using just his eyebrows, and Stiles quickly pulled back.

“Alright, alright! I’m going! Drive safe!”

He slammed the door and then jogged up the front walk and sighed in equal parts relief and disappointment when he closed the front door behind him, leaning against it as soon as he stepped inside.

It had been both the best and worst night of his life. He had been surrounded by Derek’s scent the entire evening, as well as his touch, and the memories of those soft, intimate touches would linger with him for a long time afterwards…but at the same time, it had been a living hell, knowing that the alpha was only doing it because he had made a promise to his bosses.

“God, you royally fucked up this time, didn’t you, Stiles?” he muttered to himself, dragging himself up the stairs to his room.

Just as he stepped inside, however, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Who the hell was texting him at midnight?

He looked at his glowing screen and groaned.

Erica.

He swiped the screen and looked at her message and smiled, despite his annoyance, when he read, did u kiss him under the mistletoe? if u didn’t, I will totally kill u and blame it on Liam. bdubs, the new kid, Lance, is a total sweetheart, but super scared of me…, and in a second text, he likes everyone else, tho, and Stiles’ finger hovered over the screen as he thought about how to answer her.

Finally, he texted back, didn’t kiss him, but there was groping of a sort. glad Lance is getting along with everyone. give him time, he’ll love you, too, I’m sure of it.

He then put his phone down long enough for him to strip down and then flopped on top of his covers in his boxers and the undershirt that he’d worn under his dress shirt all day and that entire evening, settling in for at least a half hour of texting. He could have showered, and probably should have, but he didn’t want to remove the smell of Derek’s cologne, just yet, and he knew that made him come across as weird and possibly slightly creepy, but he didn’t care. He lifted part of the shirt to his face and took a deep breath.

It smelled like pine and woodsmoke, with just a faint hint of spearmint and apple cider. The scent was permanently etched into his memory.

A minute or so later, Erica texted back.

how could u not kiss him??? r u mentally ill?? he dressed up for u!!! he even wore nice smelling stuff, and Stiles snorted at the way she texted. She was a year older than him, and still texted like a thirteen-year-old girl and he found it simultaneously annoying yet endearing.

He waited a moment, trying to figure out what to say, and then typed back, can you just not push it? he was a total gentleman and I helped with a couple of problems. but he doesn’t see me that way, woman, my life is not a hallmark christmas movie, and he smiled at his witty response. He made himself more comfortable on the bed and started to flip through a couple of other apps as he waited for her reply, knowing she would probably blow up at him in spectacular fashion, as she usually did when he pushed her buttons like that.

So, he wasn’t all too surprised when she texted back a few minutes later with, but it *could* be a hallmark christmas movie! just a little nudge and u 2 could be fucking like bunnies in ur childhood bedroom on christmas morning!

Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Seriously, Erica?” he muttered to himself as he finished off the conversation with, thank you so much for that disturbing image of my childhood bed, with that, i am going to bed. night.

His phoned dinged one more time.

Coward.

He rolled his eyes again, but then turned off his phone and settled in to go to sleep. He didn’t have work in the morning, and so he was going to sleep in as late he wanted to.

Chapter 3

He slogged down to breakfast at nearly eleven and his dad shot him an amused look as he poured him a cup of coffee, and then said as he handed it to him, “Late night?”

Stiles heard the tone in his voice and rolled his eyes and said, “For your information, I was back by midnight, and I went to bed shortly after. There was no drinking, just a lot of socializing,” he explained, and then yelped as his dad suddenly took the mug away from him.

“What the hell was that for?” he said, his voice far too high-pitched for his liking, and his dad shot him yet another look and replied, “I only gave it to you because I thought that you were hungover. Since you’re not, you can pour your own coffee,” and then went and sat down at the table with a plate loaded with food that he definitely shouldn’t be eating, but Stiles couldn’t find the energy within himself to argue about it, so he decided to simply ignore it and get on with what was left of his morning.

Just as he was finishing breakfast, his dad asked, “Have you figured out what to do with the kid?”

Stiles let out an aggrieved sigh.

“More or less, yeah.”

He pushed his mug to the side and explained what he had gotten done the day before.

“Instead of trying to go through official channels, I dug through the werewolf leads and think I found who the werewolf was that killed Lance’s parents,” he said, and he saw his dad’s eyes widen in shock that he’d found it out so quickly. Stiles really didn’t want to explain the dirty details, so he waved a hand and said, “Yeah, I know, it’s freaky that I found it out so quick, but let’s just say that emissaries keep track of that sort of thing, and there aren’t that many packs left east of the Rockies, so it wasn’t all that hard to find out.”

He rolled his head on his neck and added, “Ever since Deaton left, he left me a list of emissaries around the country that I could contact should the need arise, and I managed to find out that there isn’t a pack in the northeast…but that there is one just over the border in Canada. So, I did a little bit of searching and think I found the rogue werewolf. His name’s Reynault.”

His dad simply gave him a long look and then said, sounding nervous, “Please don’t tell me you’re going after him yourself,” and Stiles quickly shook his head.

“Oh, hell no. Don’t worry about me, pops. He’s already being tracked by the pack in Tennessee. Talked to Heather, their emissary,” he said, picking at the edge of the table with his thumb, “And she said that they’re closing in on him. Apparently, Reynault is a rogue from a Canadian pack that used to have land that went down into the northeastern part of the U.S. and he is determined to keep it as part of the original land, though no one else from his previous pack approved of it.”

His dad then leaned forward, wrapping his hands around his coffee mug, and said, “Aren’t territory disputes meant for emissaries? Like, what you’re supposed to be doing? I mean, why go after a couple and their kid? They weren’t even werewolves. What’s the logic behind that?”

Stiles let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Werecoyotes’ territory constantly shifts from place to place, unlike werewolves, who settle and put down roots.” He began to motion with his hands, and said, “Usually the packs ignore them because they’re so transitory, nomadic, and tolerate them being on their land without any issues…but Reynault has it in his head that they were infringing on land that belonged to his pack. Apparently, the Quebec pack found out what he did and kicked him out. He didn’t care.”

The silence that stretched between them was tense, and Stiles knew that his dad was about to say something about staying safe.

He wasn’t disappointed.

“Kid, I know that you’re an agent in the FBI and an emissary and all that amazing stuff that makes me incredibly proud to be your father, but this…this sounds really, really dangerous.”

Without missing a beat, Stiles said, “That’s why I’m handing it off to the Tennessee pack. Heather, their emissary, is going to help them take care of it. She’s an old hand at this sort of thing, and I trust that she can catch him and put him in his place. They have a good alpha, too. Rachel Heartwood. They’ll find him.”

His dad nodded, and then stood and moved to walk out of the kitchen, but then paused and stood next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, and then squeezed it tightly.

“You’re doing good, kid,” he murmured, and then walked out, leaving Stiles with a faint smile on his lips.

They weren’t huge on affection, but Stiles knew how his father showed how much he loved him and that was more than enough. He smiled to himself and then got up and put together a plate from the leftovers of what his dad had already cooked. It was nearly noon, so he considered it a brunch, so he purposely decided to finish off the rest of the bacon so that there was nothing left for his dad. He didn’t need to clog his arteries anymore and Stiles wasn’t going to let him put himself in an early grave.

Just as he was finishing up his food, his mind still flashing back to the night before, remembering every touch on his skin…his phone buzzed.

He checked the screen.

Erica.

Oh, boy, he wasn’t sure if he had the energy for her on the Eve before Christmas…but he answered it, anyway, immediately regretting saying hello when the first words out of her mouth were, “Stiles! You have everything you need to make cookies, right?” Dear god, what was it now? “Oh, who am I talking to, of course you have cookie mix. Right, well, Derek, Lance, and I are coming over! See you in a few minutes!” she rambled out before he could get in a word edgewise.

Just as he was about to reply, she hung up and Stiles groaned.

He leaned back in his chair and yelled up to his dad, who had gone upstairs, “Yo, pops! Erica and Derek are coming over, along with the kid, and, apparently, we’re baking cookies. You don’t mind us taking over the kitchen for a few hours, right?”

“As long as you clean up after yourselves and save me a few!” he yelled back down to him, and Stiles nodded.

Fair enough.

He ambled back into the kitchen and checked the pantry and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that they had everything they needed to make cookies from scratch. Rubbing a hand over his face, he started to pull it all out and had only just started to set it up when he heard the front door open and close, and couldn’t help but yell out, “Erica, you have to learn how to knock!”

She appeared in the kitchen doorway, hanging off the frame with a shit-eating grin on her face and said, “Aw, but what would be the fun in that? Oooh, is that the stuff for the cookies?”

Lance was right behind her, sticking close to Derek’s side and he gave the kid a reassuring smile before looking up at Derek and giving him a smile, as well. The alpha returned his look and patted Lance on the shoulder as they shuffled into the kitchen, Derek then saying, “I apologize for her. But it’s not like I really have any control over her,” he said sounding genuinely frustrated, giving her a slight glare, to which she replied with sticking her tongue out at him and Lance giggled at her.

Stiles smiled at seeing the kid already relaxing and then showed him where the baking sheets were and had him help with making the cookie dough.

As they started pulling everything out for the cookies, Stiles couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a reason why you aren’t doing this back at the house?”

Derek and Erica shared a look over Lance’s head, and then Derek explained, irritation in his voice, “Well, we would have, but it seems that Isaac and Liam got into the frozen cookie dough in the freezer two nights ago and ate it all. So, we had nothing left to make the Christmas cookies with, and I didn’t have the ingredients to make them from scratch. When we went out for ingredients, we found that most of the grocery stores are closed already, so Erica suggested that we call you. Next thing I know,” he added, sounding thoroughly annoyed, “She’s making me drive over to your house.”

He then shrugged and apologized.

“Sorry for crashing in on you like this,” and Stiles quickly brushed it off and said, “Hey, don’t worry ‘bout it, sourwolf.”

He then looked back down at Lance, who had finished mixing the ingredients and was looking up at Stiles questioningly, as if asking him what he was supposed to do next. With a smile, Stiles showed him how to roll out the dough and then cut out the different shapes with the cookie cutters.

Pretty soon, Erica and Derek were helping the kid, as well, and Stiles pulled back slightly so that the three of them could spend more time bonding with the young werecoyote.

He found it amusing that every time that Lance said something, or Erica did, Derek was translating for each of them, and Stiles tried very hard to tamp down on his reaction to hearing him speak Spanish so fluently. He never knew he had a thing for other languages. Or maybe it wasn’t languages, but Derek. Watching the alpha gently reprimand Erica as she tried to steal a bite from the batter and then gently say something to Lance in Spanish…well, it was definitely doing something to him, somewhere in the vicinity of his chest.

His dad poked his head in at once point to tell him he was going to do a couple of hours of paperwork back at the station, and Stiles nodded him off.

By that point, they had the first batch in the oven and had already started making the next batch. They had to make enough for the entire pack, of course, so Stiles estimated that they would be making at least three more batches, because he knew what the wolves’ appetites were like.

He eventually pulled out a couple of phrases he remembered from a Spanish class that he had taken way back in his freshman year of high school and laughed when Lance had to correct his pronunciation.

At some point while they were making cookies, Stiles ended up between Derek at Lance at the kitchen island, while Erica stood on the other side of Lance, getting Spanish lessons.

“Una galleta,” Lance said, pointing at one of the cookies on the tray and Stiles chuckled when he heard Erica try to repeat the word, not even coming close to rolling the double L sound correctly, and Lance laughed, and then Erica said, “Cookie.”

They were surprised when Lance smiled, picked it up and looked at her and said, “Good cookie?”

She smiled and nodded.

Without thinking about it, Stiles leaned slightly into Derek’s shoulder, forgetting that the closeness that they had shared last night at the party wasn’t allowed anymore, and he was just about to apologize and pull back, but then Derek’s hand reached up and stroked his lower back, so he took a risk and stayed where he was. Derek didn’t seem to notice that anything was amiss, so Stiles said nothing, just soaking it in as much as he could until the alpha came to his senses.

And then Erica looked over at them and shot a smirk in Stiles’ direction. He felt his cheeks heat up, and so he ducked his eyes and quickly pulled away from the casual embrace under the guise of going to the fridge to get something to drink, and then offered everyone else something as well in order to keep himself occupied.

Eventually, they had done five batches in total. Stiles threw them all into two large tupperware containers (with a few set aside for him and his dad), with the promise that they would be returned to him.

Just as they left, Stiles held Derek back for a moment and asked, “Is he doing okay? I mean, is the pack treating him right?”

Derek nodded.

“Yeah, they really seem to like him. Apparently last night was a huge success because when I got home, I found them all sprawled over the couch in a massive pile, Lance right in the middle, watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He seems to like Liam the most,” he added with a soft smile. “I’m just glad he feels safe with us.”

Stiles nodded back at him and then lightly punched him on the shoulder and said, “Now get out of here and go celebrate the holiday with your pack. I’ll bring by your present sometime tomorrow, after dad and I open up our own presents, okay?”

Derek nodded and then quickly headed back to the Camaro, where Stiles could hear Erica and Lance arguing, Lance going off in rapid Spanish while she just shook her head and yelled back at him in English.

Yeah, he was going to be just fine.

--

Stiles had thought about telling Derek about what he’d found out but had then decided that it could wait until after Christmas. Besides, he wanted to get a confirmation from Heather before telling him what he knew, because he knew that if he told the alpha about Reynault then he wouldn’t care whether or not it was Christmas, he would leave to go and hunt him down himself, and Stiles didn’t want to take away from their well-deserved holiday cheer.

Instead, he finished putting the last couple of presents for his dad under the tree, and then made up a batch of eggnog that would appeal to both of them.

At around four, his dad was back home, and Stiles managed to convince him to sit down for a while to relax and have some eggnog and a couple of cookies.

When the sheriff coughed at the first sip, he smirked, knowing that he’d made it just right.

They then did their usual tradition and ordered a meat lovers pizza and put Die Hard into the blu-ray player, which they both firmly believed was definitely a Christmas movie. It had become a tradition back when Stiles was only twelve, and it was something that they enjoyed doing together every single Christmas Eve. Their biggest meal of the holiday, though, was always lunch on Christmas day.

They always piled up with heavy foods and it was the one time of year where Stiles didn’t get on his dad’s case about his diet. Instead, he let him indulge, and though they had never invited anyone to their exclusive Christmas lunch, Stiles had the faint inkling that this year his dad wanted to invite Melissa over. He knew that it should bother him a little bit, but the truth was that he was thrilled that his dad had found someone special in his life, and he couldn’t think of anyone better than Melissa. She had practically been a second mother to him over the years, after all.

Just as they had completely settled and were more than halfway through the movie, Bruce Willis giving his famous line from the vents, Stiles phone buzzed insistently in his pocket, and he looked at the number and recognized the Tennessee area code and quickly stood up and said, “Dad, I have to take this.”

He quickly ducked into the kitchen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Stiles, this is Heather. I thought about e-mailing or texting you, but I then I realized that a phone call would be best. We’ve got him.”

Suddenly his shoulders dropped, and tension that Stiles didn’t even realized he was holding fell from him almost instantly and he let out a sigh of relief and slumped against the fridge, resting his forehead on the cool metal, and breathed out, “Oh, thank god. You have him contained?” he couldn’t help but ask.

She quickly answered, “Inside a room made from mountain ash, inside of a mountain ash circle, with mistletoe vines in the ground. Reynault isn’t going anywhere, Emissary Stiles,” she added with a smile in her tone, and he chuckled at the way she so formally addressed him, and he smiled and replied, “You have no idea how good this makes me feel. Knowing that he’s locked up and not getting out is the best Christmas present you could have given me. By the way, did you contact--?”

“Yes, we contacted him. He says he’s taking care of everything back in Maine and in D.C., and that it should all be taken care of before tomorrow morning.”

Stiles let out another sigh of relief and slowly stood back up, lightly tapping the palm of his hand to the counter, and then he said, “I’ll tell Derek and Lance tomorrow. They’ll be so relieved. I mean, he only just got here, but I think Derek really likes this kid. And he really likes Derek, too.”

He could hear the smile in her voice as she said, “Well, like I said. It’ll all be taken care of. Have a Merry Christmas, Emissary Stiles.”

“Please, call me Stiles. You keep calling me by my title and it’ll go straight to my head, just ask my fellow FBI agents,” and at that, she laughed and politely replied, “Fine, then. Stiles. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”

And with that, they hung up, and Stiles felt a lightness that he hadn’t felt in a couple of days…except perhaps at the party the night before. He couldn’t wait to tell Derek, but he didn’t want to ruin their pack Christmas, so he would wait until he dropped by later tomorrow with his presents. They deserved to at least have a little bit more time together. He wasn’t sure how Lance would react to hearing the Reynault was no longer a problem, so he decided to play it safe for now.

He walked back into the living room and was surprised to see that his dad had paused the movie. He looked up at him curiously when he walked back in and asked, “Who was that? Sounded serious.”

Stiles nodded and then sat back down.

“Yeah, that was Heather, the emissary for that Tennessee pack I told you about. They, uh…they caught him. They have Reynault completely secure and he will face charges properly in werewolf style law,” he answered, knowing that that most likely meant that he was either going to be killed or permanently contained, though it all depended on him.

The sheriff arched an eyebrow, but instead of saying anything about it, he nodded and started the movie back up. Traditions had to be upheld, after all.

--

Stiles was startled out of his sleep at three am on Christmas morning, his phone buzzing insistently on the nightstand, and he blearily reached for it, silently praying that it wasn’t Erica calling. He could probably deal with anyone but Erica at that point. He loved her, but she was a menace.

“’lo?” he said, rubbing the heel of his hand over his eyes, rolling back over to his back.

“Hey, Stilinski. Have some good news for you.”

Oh, he knew that voice.

He blinked a couple of times, and then said, “Agent Davis? Is that you?”

“Yeah, sorry for waking you up at…oh, god, three am, I’m sorry, I totally forgot how early it is back in California,” his friend back at Quantico said, sounding genuinely apologetic. “But I took care of handling the information about Reynault. According to the FBI, he no longer exists and the attack on the parents was an animal attack, and the child has been declared dead. How does Lance Hale, sound?”

At that, Stiles shot up in his bed and stared straight ahead in shock, not quite sure that he had heard what he’d just heard. He knew that Agent Connor Davis was good, but this was far above and beyond what he had expected.

He gaped for a moment, and then finally got out, “Oh my god, Connor, I don’t know how the hell you did this, but this…this is freakin’ amazing, man! He’s, he’s…he’s already connecting with Derek and the pack and now he has a place if he wants it, and…seriously! How the hell did you pull this off so fast?” he asked a second time, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his emissary friend at the FBI had just pulled off the biggest Christmas miracle of all time.

Connor answered, “Well, let’s just say that I friends that owe me quite a few favors and I cashed them in because this seemed like a good time for it. Lance deserves to have someplace where he can feel safe. No one deserves to go through that kind of trauma…”

His voiced drifted and Stiles couldn’t help but say, “Yeah, tell me about it.”

The line went quiet for a moment, taking it all in, and suddenly he felt like he needed to tell Derek at that very moment…but it was still just after three in the morning, and he had the feeling that the werewolf wouldn’t appreciate being woken up in the dead of night right before Christmas morning. He bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth, trying to figure out just what to do.

Before he could get too worked up about it, however, Connor said, “I’m sure that he’s exactly where he needs to be, Stiles. I know you and I trust your judgment. Besides,” he drawled, sounding far too smug, “From what I’ve heard about the Hale pack and from what you’ve told me about Derek, I bet Lance is making friends quickly. As are you.”

He heard the intonation in his voice and groaned and wondered if nearly everyone he knew was aware of the fact that he had a crush on Derek Hale.

Finally, he said, “Okay, look, yes, I like Derek but it’s not like that. I don’t know how many times I’ve told people this, but he doesn’t like me that way, so if you could just--”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stilinski, just chill. I just think that you’re a little bit close minded and that it might not all just be on your side, you know? I keep in touch with other packs and other leaders, and quite a few of them have met Derek and have heard the way that he talks about you, and I’m just, you know…putting the pieces together,” Connor finished, and Stiles’ hackles lowered.

Oh. Wait…Derek talked about him? To other packs? How was he not aware of that?

Deciding he’d had enough emotional turmoil, he said, “Well, thanks for calling me. This is the best news, and I can’t wait to tell him. Thanks again, Connor.”

“No problem, Stilinski. By the way, don’t forget to check your e-mail.”

They hung up, and Stiles knew that he should go back to sleep, but he was suddenly wide awake and wired, and so he threw off his blanket and pulled on his old lacrosse hoodie and wandered over to his work laptop, pulling it out and flipping it open. He skimmed through his work e-mails, ignoring all of them except for the one that Agent Davis had just sent him.

He smiled as he read it, realizing that he needed to do something especially nice for the man because he had just somehow pulled off the impossible. He drafted a reply, trying to put as much gratitude into it as he could, needing Connor to know just how amazing he was. He’d met Agent Davis when he’d first gotten his job and the guy had immediately recognized a fellow emissary. Stiles had been startled to discover that there was someone else in the supernatural world that had chosen a job in law enforcement, but they’d quickly become friends.

He now had connections with the few packs that were out east because of the man and he was grateful for it, because they had all been far more helpful that Deaton had ever been and he stayed in touch with them through secure channels and used them as resources when things went weird in Beacon Hills, which happened more often than not.

After going through a few personal e-mails to a couple of emissaries, one in North Carolina and one in Ohio, he glanced at his phone to check the time.

It was just after six am. Too late to try and get more sleep, he knew, because his dad typically woke him up at around seven on Christmas morning, every year, without fail.

Letting out a long sigh, he leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes, wondering what his dad had gotten for him that year. Last year had been a set of leather holsters that he had ordered from a professional leather worker up in Wyoming, and he still used them. He wouldn’t be surprised if he got another gift that was in the same vein as the one before. Though his dad didn’t say it, he knew that he was proud of him getting into the FBI, and show tried to show it through the gifts he got him throughout the year.

Just as he felt himself starting to drift, though, he heard from his window--

“Hey, I need to talk to you--”

He opened his eyes just in time to reach out and catch the edge of his desk with his fingertips to keep himself from falling over, and then swung accusing eyes over in the direction of the voice, wondering what the hell Derek was doing there in his room at six fifteen in the morning. On Christmas morning. When he was supposed to be with his pack.

“Dude, what the hell, man?” he hissed out, keeping in mind that his dad was still asleep only a couple of doors down from his room. “How many times do I have to tell you that we have a front door and that you should use it? Also…what the hell?? It’s Christmas morning! Is there a reason why you’re over here scaring me out of my skin instead of back with your pack, dealing with sugary, hyped-up pups tearing into their stockings and presents and driving you up the wall??”

He evened out his breathing as much as he could as he brought the chair back to the floor, once more level, but he knew that he couldn’t hide from Derek just how fast his heart was racing. Normally, he would have been embarrassed, but considering what the alpha had just done, he felt it was entirely Derek’s fault.

Derek just gave him a once over and said, “Like I said, I need to talk to you. I’m worried about who went after Lance’s parents, and I think I should--”

Stiles quickly cut him off, waving a hand in the air and saying, “Dude, don’t worry about it, I’ve already taken care of it,” and at that, Derek’s brow furrowed, and he gave him a curious look, and Stiles realized how it sounded, so he quickly explained.

“Look, I was worried, too, so yesterday I used department resources, as well as a few of my own, and I tracked down the werewolf that killed his parents.”

Derek’s eyebrows shot up at that.

“Turns out he was a rogue from one of the Quebec packs who was acting outside the authority of the alpha, trying to claim it as a territory dispute. I managed to track him down to Tennessee and contacted the emissary there, and she just called me this evening to say that they’ve got him contained.” He paused to yawn, and then scratched his neck and said, “Also, I got a call from an agent friend back at Quantico who cut through all the shitty red tape and made it so that Lance Santiago and the man who killed his parents no longer exist.”

Derek, still partially perched on the sill of Stiles’ window, just looked at him with wide eyes, his mouth partly open, and Stiles was fairly certain that that had been his own expression when Connor had told him the news.

Finally, Derek breathed out, sounding incredulous, “How…how did you do all of this so quickly? I mean, tracking him down means…you would need…”

Stiles rolled his eyes and couldn’t help but quip, “Dude, did you never wonder how the hell I became a full-fledged field agent with their own field office at just twenty-four? With three paid agents who work under me, all of them older than I am?”

Derek came the rest of the way into the room and sat on the edge of Stiles’ bed, his brow still furrowed, and Stiles let out a long sigh, flipped his laptop closed, and then said, “Okay, apparently you had no clue, so looks like I’m gonna have to explain it to you,” and went and joined Derek on his bed, trying not to pay too close attention to the fact that all he wore was his boxers and that he hadn’t showered since the night that they had gone to the party.

“As soon as I started the internship, one of the agents took an interest in me and I quickly found out that he was an emissary.” Derek gave him a wide-eyed look and Stiles chuckled and said, “Yeah, I know, it totally took me off guard, too, but because he recognized my spark, don’t ask me how,” he quickly said, throwing a hand up to stop the alpha’s inevitable question, “I still don’t get it, myself. But he recognized it and immediately put me on the fast track to becoming an agent. Luckily, I passed most of the tests simply because I had the experience thanks to my dad and all of my adventurous teenage years in Beacon Hills.”

Derek then finally said, “Is he the same agent that you just mentioned? The one who cut through all the red tape?”

Stiles nodded.

“Yep. Connor’s a great guy,” he said, smiling fondly. “It’s because of him that I got this amazing job in the first place. It’s because of him I was able to come back home to work, instead of spending ten to twelve years back in D.C., trying to work my way up the daisy chain of bureaucrats to get to a job where I could finally choose where I wanted to work.”

Derek looked up at him at that, drawing his gaze away from the floor, and said a low tone, “I didn’t know that. I just…I guess I just thought you were that good, I guess.”

At that, Stiles laughed, though tried to still keep his voice down, remembering his dad was asleep, and said, “Wow, that’s, uh…super flattering, I guess, but no, sourwolf. Just got really lucky with the right person who got me where I could do the most good for the Agency. Not gonna lie, a lot of the cases I take I have to run supernatural interference, so my agents don’t wise up and find out what’s really going on out here near Beacon Hills.”

Derek’s brow softened and he gave Stiles a look that he couldn’t quite nail down.

Feeling a bit exposed, he quickly stood back up and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and said, “So, yeah. Lance is officially off the grid, so if you want to take him in, you can. In fact, how does Lance Hale, sound?”

At that, Derek looked up at him in shock.

“Lance…Hale? Do you mean…?”

Stiles shrugged, a bit nervous as he admitted, “Connor managed to change some records so that you have a baby brother who was adopted right before the fire.” He quickly told him everything that he’d read in the detailed e-mail that Connor had sent him right after their conversation. “He lives with you here in Beacon Hills and is now currently registered at Beacon Hills Middle School.”

Derek gaped up at him, and Stiles was even more confused when he suddenly surged to his feet in front of him and said in a breathless voice, “I don’t know how to thank you, or him, but I need to find a way…”

Stiles felt completely off-balance as Derek leaned into his personal space, their mouths shockingly close.

“Stiles…” Derek then suddenly stopped and took a deep breath, and then he leaned his head down and took another long deep breath through his nose, practically nuzzling into his neck, and then murmured into Stiles’ ear, “You’re still wearing the shirt that you wore under what you wore to the party,” and Stiles swallowed, unsure of what to do, so he remained stock still as Derek proceeded to do whatever he was doing. He then said, his lips brushing against Stiles’ jaw, “I wanted it to be real…”

What was he talking about? What did he meant that he wanted it to be real? He wanted what to be real--oh. Oh.

Oh.

As if he was acting on instinct, he brought his hands up and slipped them around the back of Derek’s neck and said, “Oh, god, so did I, but I thought that was probably pretty damn obvious, by now.” He heard Derek swallow and the alpha said in a voice barely above a whisper, “I wasn’t sure if it was real or if I was just imagining it, you know? I thought maybe because I wanted you to want me in the same way so bad, that I was imagining things…”

Stiles shook his head and slipped his fingers into the hair at the base of Derek’s neck and murmured right back at him, “You weren’t imagining things…”

That seemed to be the trigger, because suddenly Derek had pulled his head back and was pressing his lips to Stiles and he was melting under the sheer heat of him, turning his entire body so that he was pressed up against him from shoulder to thigh, and he didn’t think that he’d ever felt more comforted yet turned on at the exact same time.

And then, through a series of events that quickly became a blur, Stiles found himself on his back on his bed with Derek on top of him, hands sliding under his sweater to pull it over his head, and then was nuzzling his mouth and nose into his neck and down the center of the shirt, letting out these small little sounds that made Stiles think that he was fully embracing his wolf side and scenting him up and down like a wolf trying to claim its territory on a mate.

He was more than a little bit turned on, and then just about lost it when Derek’s tongue darted out and licked at his nipple through the shirt, and then sharply nipped at it, causing Stiles to yelp and squirm.

“Ah, Derek! What are you, what are doing,” he breathed out as he slid further down and traced his tongue across his exposed hip bone.

“I’m claiming you as mine,” he muttered into his skin. “I’m gonna mark you up and make you the prettiest present I’ve ever had in my life,” and Stiles’ eyes rolled up in the back of his head at the sheer amount of desire in his words. God, the threat of being bitten into and marked up by claws and teeth should not be that hot, Stiles thought to himself as Derek then lightly tugged on his boxers, exposing even more skin to his ever-questing tongue.

He slid his hand under Stiles’ hips and forced his legs apart and nosed down into the crevice of his hip and then let out a low hum that sounded like he was enjoying himself.

Stiles reached down and ran his fingers through the alpha’s hair and breathed out, “This is easily the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten, but Der…you’ve got pups waiting for you back at home,” but his admonishment went unnoticed as Derek reached between them and pressed warm fingers to Stiles’ erection, causing his brain to short circuit.

He bucked up into the grip, eyes rolling towards the ceiling, and then nearly passed out when he felt Derek’s tongue trace over him through the fabric of his boxers, and he heard him inhale deeply once more, and Stiles wondered what he smelled like to the alpha wolf, because however he smelled, it seemed to be bringing out every single part of Derek’s possessive side, because he growled, “Mine,” and then lightly suckled at the tip of his cock through his boxers and Stiles was certain that he was going to die from it.

But then the pressure suddenly went away, and he looked down, wondering why Derek had changed his mind and was blown away by look in his eyes as he stared up at him from between his legs.

“God, Stiles…you have no idea how long I’ve wanted you,” he said, sounding completely breathless.

And then he moved up, his thighs still resting between Stiles’ legs, but now his chest covered Stiles’ as he reached back up for another kiss, and as he wrapped his arms around the alpha’s shoulders, he realized he never wanted to stop kissing him. Despite the promise of something more, all he really wanted to do at that moment was to continue to kiss him and hold him in his arms for as long as he could.

Derek slowly undulated against him, their cocks rubbing in just the right way, and Stiles gasped while Derek continued to kiss him, running his tongue down and over his neck, playfully nipping the entire time and he knew that he was going to end up with so many marks that it was going to look like he had barely won a fight against a very determined vampire with blunt teeth. Part of him, the part of his brain that was still working, was telling him to push Derek off and make sure he got back home, but another part of his brain, the much more selfish part, was telling him to never let him go and hold onto him as tightly as he could.

Torn between the two, he simply slid his hands down Derek’s back and then lightly squeezed when they got to their targeted destination.

Derek grunted and then thrusted hard against him when he did, causing Stiles to moan more loudly than he meant to.

He bit his lip and tried to remember that his dad was still asleep.

But then--

“Hey, kiddo, it’s time to get up for…”

They both froze and Stiles slowly turned his head to see his dad standing in the doorway of his room, one hand still raised as if he’d knocked on the door. Stiles then realized that he probably had, but he hadn’t heard it because he had been…occupied.

All three of them were frozen. And then his dad coughed, raised an eyebrow at them and said, “Uh, why don’t you come down a bit later. I’ll put some coffee on,” and he turned and left, muttering something under his breath as he walked back down the hall to the stairs, and Stiles was confused when Derek suddenly snorted then pressed his forehead to Stiles’ shoulder as his body shook with laughter, as if he was trying to contain his mirth at the whole situation.

Amused, but also annoyed, Stiles tapped his shoulder and said, “Alright, what gives? Being caught by my dad isn’t that funny, man…”

Finally, Derek caught his breath and looked back up at him and explained, “When your dad left, he said that he owed Melissa money.” Derek arched an eyebrow at him, as if trying to tell him to put the pieces together…which Stiles finally did.

“Hold up, are you telling me that…that the two of them were betting on when the two of us were going to get together?!”

Derek nodded and slowly rose up to his knees, so that his weight was no longer on top of his, and Stiles already missed it. He quickly sat up, as well, and then reached out and pulled Derek back to him with a hand around the back of his neck, stealing yet another kiss from him, and was pleased when the werewolf seemed almost breathless when they both pulled back from it what felt like ages later. He didn’t really want to stop kissing him, but he knew that he had to.

“So, uh…Merry Christmas,” he said, not sure of what else to say.

Derek gave him a long look…and then he reached over and cupped his jaw and Stiles couldn’t help but lean into the touch.

And then Derek said, “You were right, before. I need to be back with my pack. But…you’re still coming over later, though, right?” he asked, his tone unsure and Stiles quickly reassured him with, “Of course, I’m still coming over, sourwolf. I’ll just also be bringing an overnight bag,” he added with a smirk and Derek’s smile widened.

“Sounds great,” he murmured, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He then said, “By the way, I’m sorry I never told you I was okay or tried to visit you when you were at the Academy,” and Stiles felt his heart clench, and he just shook his head and said, “Hey, don’t worry about it, Derek. It wasn’t either of our faults. Just…bad timing.”

Derek nodded.

And then he moved to go back out the window, and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Seriously?” he drawled, gesturing widely with his hands. “After all this, and you’re still going to go out through the window? We are fully grown adults, Derek, you can go out through the front door like a big boy,” he said, arching an eyebrow at him, and Derek gave him a look over his shoulder and replied, “I like doing it this way. Makes me feel like I’m making for the years we lost when neither of us acted on our feelings. We have time to be adults later,” he said, completely taking Stiles off guard.

Feeling a sudden surge of affection towards him, he bolted to his window and planted a hot, wet kiss right on Derek’s mouth, feeling a rush of hormones as he then whispered against his lips, “In that case, when can we park your car on some back road and christen the back seat of the Camaro?”

Derek grinned.

“How about New Year’s Eve?”

Stiles grinned.

“It’s a date.”

And with that, Derek lightly jumped to the ground and Stiles stared for a moment, watching him take off back home, looking forward to going over later in the day to see him and the pack. This was the best Christmas ever, he thought to himself as he tugged on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers, noting the stain on the front from where Derek had…yeah.

Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of the inappropriate thoughts before he went to spend the morning with his dad, he grabbed his phone and tucked it into his hoodie and sauntered down the stairs, ignoring the smug smirk on the corner of his dad’s lips as he handed him a mug of coffee. The two of them sat on the floor next to the tree and Stiles handed over his present and eagerly ripped at the paper on his own, wondering what his dad had gotten him that year.

“Are you serious?” he said as he pulled out the matching hat and jacket, both with the Mets logo on them, and he saw the scrawl of a familiar signature on the back of the cap and the shoulder of the jacket. “How the hell did you get this?”

His dad shrugged and grinned and answered, “Let’s just say that you’re not the only one who knows people, kid.”

Stiles laughed, pulled his dad into a strong, back breaking hug, and then slid the jacket on, thrilled with how well it fit him.

He then gestured at his dad as he tugged on the cap and said, “C’mon, open up your present, don’t leave me hangin’,” and then smiled when his dad finally pulled off the wrapping on the present that Stiles had spent a total of two minutes wrapping. He smiled even wider when his dad let out a sound of surprise at what he found.

“I’m not going to ask how you got it, I’m just going to say thank you,” he said, pulling out his pocketknife and opening the box, pulling out the brand-new leather jacket with a blue and red leather stripe down the front right side. It was an exact replica of one from a tv show that he’d loved when he was younger, and Stiles was glad that he was finally able to afford to spoil his dad for once. The look on his face as he put the jacket on over his t-shirt was priceless.

But then his dad’s smile turned into a smirk and he said, “So, you and Derek…”

Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Oh, god, do we have to have this conversation right now? It’s bad enough that you saw us…you know, the way that you saw us. By the way,” he quickly added, pulling the coat and hat back off and putting them back into the box, “Derek told me what you said, about how you owe Melissa money. You two bet on us?”

He wasn’t proud of how his voice cracked slightly as he said it, but then his dad chuckled and shook his head and said, “Yeah, we did. I know you, Stiles. I’ve known for years that you’ve had a crush on the guy. Why do you think I was on your case when you and Scott first met him? I know all the signs of a repressed crush turned into fake anger. You kept on going on and on about how you hated him, and then when you came back and Derek asked you to be his emissary, well…I knew it was just a matter of time.”

Stiles smiled at that, but ducked his eyes, feeling his face go slightly warm.

And then his dad added, pointing a finger at him, “That doesn’t mean I want to walk into what I just saw earlier, again. If you’re gonna do…that…then do it somewhere else. Understood?”

Unable to help himself, Stiles said, “Oh, we’ve already got a date tonight, and for New Year’s Eve, we’re christening the Camaro,” and grinned when he saw his dad make a face and let out a disgusted sound. He may have been an adult, but that didn’t mean he had to be mature.

“Gee, thanks for that imagery, kid.”

“You’re welcome, pops,” he said, reaching out and playfully batting him on the arm.

They then shared one last smile and headed off to the kitchen for breakfast.

Yeah.

Best Christmas ever.

[bakubabes-tatakae]

Always make sure to check here to see if your request is coming up ! I’m going to update this as often as possible and it will stay pinned to my blog as well. 😊I have a LOT of requests to get though and work a full time job and go to school full time so please have patience with me. 🥺 I’ll get these out as soon as I possibly can. ❤️ If they look like this it’s because they are done and in the queue. 

Current Requests:

Inbox - 221

Drafts - 100

Naruto Headcanons

Can you write about kiba with an touch starved s/o? I bet he’s so cuddly and plus he is cuddly with akamaru too

Hi!!! Can I request a hc or imagine(either one is fine, whatever is easier☺️) on kiba with him proposing to his longtime girlfriend who trains dogs and is a high ranked ninja (forgive me, Idk the actual names it’s been so long since I’ve seen Naruto) . Like, I want FLUFF!!! Or, as fluffy as kiba gets🤣. Please and thank you!

Can I request a headcanon for Kakashi where his s/o slaps his ass out of nowhere and it turns into a spanking session for his s/o? 😂Can you write Kakashi with a big tiddy s/o? lol

Can you write hcs for Kakashi being assigned on a mission with his crush (he recently admitted to himself that he REALLY likes her) what would he think and how would he behave?

Can I have a Kakashi headcanon where his s/o decides to dye her hair silver like his hair and he sees it and is really mesmerized by it and starts kissing her because he thinks she looks really cute? 🤭

Hello 😊 Can I have a Kakashi headcanon where the reader is also a teacher and Team 7 noticed that Kakashi really likes her and they find out what the reader likes (e.g. flowers) and Kakashi gets them for her and asks her out? 🥰 

Ok I read your hcs for Kakashi simping over his so (and they were GREAT) but how would he react to his so simping over him?? Could we get some hcs for this?? I think he would melt 🥴

Black Clover Headcanons

Ryha Headcanons for S/O that sneaks into his room. 

A headcanon for Zora with a s/o who has a cum kink? Like she loves it when he cums on her face or her breasts or likes to lick it from his belly? 😬

A headcanon for Yuno when he becomes a magic knight he has to travel to Hage because the people are in danger and some guys want to kidnap the reader who is his childhood friend and Yuno saves her? 😊

Can I get a headcanon for Yami where he tries new things with bis s/o in bed like he blindfolds her and then takes a ice cube and caresses her body with it and it's just really hot? ✌🏻

Mirror sex hcs with Yami gave me life, could I request some for Fuegoleon

Can I request a headcanon for Yuno where his female childhood friend also becomes a magic knight and is in the same squad like him and he realizes he is in love with her since they were kids and is too shy to tell her and she just kisses him? 😊  

Omg you write for Yuno 😭😭😭💕💕💕 Can I have a headcanon for him and a really silly and clumsy s/o and he always needs to prevent her from getting hurt and he thinks she's really cute and gives her forehead kisses? 😭💕

A headcanon for Yuno when he becomes a magic knight he has to travel to Hage because the people are in danger and some guys want to kidnap the reader who is his childhood friend and Yuno saves her? 😊

I don't feel comfortable with sending a nsfw request for Yuno because he's only 16😅😬 but can I get a fluffy headcanon for him being silly with his girlfriend and they have their first kiss? 😊

Hello ✌🏻 Can i have a headcanon where Yami gathers the black bulls together to discuss the next mission and Zora's s/o comes in late and Zora makes a snappy comment about it and his s/o says "Sorry, I had to finish masturbating" Zora gets jealous because she touched herself and he fucks her after the meeting? 🥵

Ok idk if you're comfortable with writing these (if not then you don't have to! It's just an idea💕) but how about a threesome headcanon with Yami x Zora x s/o? I mean yes, that poor s/o getting destroyed by not one but TWO rough and kinky men but I think this would be pretty hot 😪🤭

Attack On Titan Headcanons

Omg I have such a good idea (I gues...) I hope you will write it because I love your HC's 😭 Can I have a headcanon where Erwin goes into a bar with the vets and there is a female singer and Erwin is really mesmerized by her and after her performance he meets her outside and is really flirty and he asks her out? 🥰 

Naruto Imagines/Scenarios

Tell Me What You Want || {NSFW} Obito x Reader

Post-Shippuden Obito x reader fluff or lemon

Teacher’s Apprentice || {NSFW} Madara x Reader

189 & 291 from prompt list 5 with Madara Uchiha

Don’t Be Gentle || {NSFW} Madara x Reader

Prompt 36 “don’t be gentle” with Madara Uchiha

Forbidden Soulmates || Kiba x Reader

One Shot i guess. Soulmate au with Kiba x shinobi reader from another village. But smth dark as i think in shinobi world if your soulmate is from another village (or mb even inside village) it is considered taboo. Like mission above feelings.

Growing Love || Kiba x Reader

Imagine an scenario where akamaru has a girlfriend and they have puppies and you’re al like 🥺 at them, and Kiba is just so awed at how you treat the puppies and he realizes he loves you, hope you can write this :)

The Clones || {NSFW} Kakashi x Reader

Ok but what about a threesome with kakashi and his clone? 👁👄👁

All You Had To Do Was Ask || {NSFW} Kakashi x Reader

I know everyone is a sucker for kakashi being dominant in bed but what about him being a lazy shit and letting his s/o being in control! 👀💦

Meeting Team 7 || Kakashi x Reader

Hi! I think I saw your requests open so I was thinking if you could do something where reader is Kakashi’s girlfriend/wife and invites team 7 over for dinner but Kakashi’s like ugh but inside he really enjoys it lol, and team 7 would love reader and Sakura is like obsessed with reader bc she’s so badass and asks her for training in front of kakashi and he gets a little bit jealous because they absolutely ADORE you. I hope you can do it and I’m sorry if it’s too specific💕

The Taunt || {NSFW} Neji x Reader

Hey!! Congrats on 1k!!! I would like to request a Neji hyuga one-shot for the 1k special! Prompt list choice 3 and number 4 please!!! Thank you!

The Scent || {NSFW} Kiba x Reader 

One shot where Akamaru can start to recognize the sent of Kiba's s/o getting aroused. Maybe one time they're all out and Akamaru starts whining at the sent to let Kiba know and he takes his s/o somewhere secluded to fuck em. (Preferably male?? But gender neutral is cool too) 

Pin Me To The Wall || {NSFW} Kiba x Reader

Hello darling! Can I please request some angry sex with Kiba? Maybe he and his girlfriend get into a fight and he just fucks her against the wall or something, and it's all rough and hot? asdfghjkl, I don't know. I'm horny for this man!

Double Trouble || {NSFW} Kiba x Reader x Kankuro

Could you write a fic where kiba and kankuro dp someone? Its okay if not!

Take The Reigns || {NSFW} Kiba x Reader

Hello lovely! Can I please request some smut with my baby Kiba? He let's his girlfriend ride him for the first time and he's completely blown away by her and just praises her a lot? Thank you so much ❤️  

You’re Mine || {NSFW} Kiba x Reader

Hello 😀 Can I please have a Kiba one shot where he's been very busy with work so he hasn't been paying much attention to his girlfriend so she decides to be a brat and on a night out she flirts with another guy to piss Kiba off and that leads to extremely rough, possessive sex? Thank you so much. I love your writing

Adversary Love || {NSFW} Kakashi x Reader

Can I get a nsfw headcanon for Kakashi where the female reader was an enemy but is now a good person and Kakashi used to hate her but now he fell for her (she still thinks he hates her because he doesn't talk when she's around) and during a party he grabs her and sneaks away with her and they have sex? 🙂

Black Clover Imagines/Scenarios

The Haunted House || Mimosa x Reader

A haunted house visit with Mimosa Vermillion with her s/o that’s her boyfriend.

Pleasure At The Golden Dawn || {NSFW} Yuno x Reader

Yuno's s/o teasing him in a Golden Dawn meeting with Nsfw please

Falling For You || Zora x Reader

Would it be possible to request a SUPER FLUFFY one shot with Zora?? Maybe the writing prompt of “I think I might be falling in love with you” and a cute moment? I just really love that man 🥺

Into The Flames || {NSFW} Mereoleona x Reader

Smut for Mereoleona and s/o first time. In which s/o is a virgin.

Black Butler Imagines/Scenarios

Give Me A Chance || Sebastian x Reader

Request: Prompt “Give me a chance” with Sebastian Michaelis

BNHA Imagines/Scenarios

Quit Teasing || {NSFW} Bakugou x Reader

Request: Hey babe 😊 Can I get some Bakugou x reader NSFW? Bakugou and the reader have known each other since forever and he always finds ways to tease her (her height, her neediness...). One day they're making out and reader decides to tease him in bed as payback? Thank you!

Consternation || {NSFW} Dabi x Reader

Summary: When the LOV kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy business owner for the sake of her quirk the one person they never thought would grow attached was Dabi. So when Dabi develops feelings for the girl he now has hostage will he be able control himself when it comes to them using her quirk to their advantage?

Quarantined Love || Bakugou x Reader

Can i request bakugou being all soft with his s/o when they finally see each other after being apart because of quarantine? 🥰

Bleach Imagines/Scenarios

The Meet Up || {NSFW} Ichigo x Reader

Not Requested. Just struck by inspiration.

Please, Don’t Leave || Ichigo x Reader

Not Requested. Just struck by inspiration.

Durarara!! Imagines/Scenarios

First Times || {NSFW} Shizuo x Reader

Hey! Could you do a NSFW of Shizuo’s first time, from Durarara, with his S/O. they’ve been dating for a while now & have only ever done kissing.

Fake Text Scenarios

Can you do fake text with shika, kiba, kakashi etc of jealousy? 

Naruto fake texts idea...you know the one picture of a melted cutting board in the oven and asking your mom how to fix it, but instead asking the Naruto boys how to fix it.

can i request fake text for the akatsuki? reader asks them to pick up pads/tampons. 😅😅😭😭

Pregnancy Prank: Ohhh ok 😎😎❤ Kakashi, Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, Konohamaru (adult), Iruka, Orochimaru, Izuna 🤗 Ohhh I cannot wait 😂😂 Thanks so much

Can we have some text scenarios for Kiba, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Shika and Shino where they go out drinking with the boys and they drunk text their s/o about how much they love them? 😂💕

Sends Nudes: Hey 😁 Ok, then Madara, Hashirama, Orochimaru, Yamato, Minato, Konohamaru (adult), Iruka, Shino, Izuna, and Jiraiya would be awesome and funny 😂😍❤ Thanks 🤗🤗

can you do the sending nudes thing but for akatsuki plzzz bby 😭🤲🏽❤️ 

[emachinescat]

Mac + Cheese

A MacGyver Fan-Fiction

by @emachinescat ​

@febuwhump​ day 25 / alt. 8 - allergies

Summary: Mac struggles to readjust to civilian life after the army, so Jack surprises him with a furry friend to help him out. Unfortunately, Mac's allergic to dogs. 

Characters: Mac, Jack, a dog named Cheese

Words: 5,343

TW: mentions of PTSD

Note: Okay, okay, so this might be more fluff than whump, but there is an allergic reaction, so it counts, right? :) This is another late Febuwhump entry, from when I got covid and couldn't finish it on time.  Also, a quick note – it is never a good idea to buy a pet as a surprise for anyone. As Jack realizes in this story, pets are a commitment, living creatures, and a person really needs to be prepared for the responsibility of having a pet before getting one. So in no way is this story encouraging you to surprise someone with a dog. It's just meant to be cute. Okay, PSA over. :) Hope you enjoy the story!

Keep reading here, or on AO3!

If you enjoy, please consider liking, commenting, and/or re-blogging, and you can follow me for more content like this! :)

Mac hadn't had a proper night's sleep in over four weeks. He'd tell you otherwise if you asked, of course, but the evidence was overwhelming. Every day, MacGyver's face grew paler, the darkness under his eyes deepened, and the look in his eyes became more distant. Jack had seen this happen to many soldiers – hell, it had happened to him. This tour hadn't been as bad as some of the previous ones Jack had experienced, but in the past …

Well, suffice it to say that Jack Dalton knew a thing or two about PTSD.

And as ugly of a look as it had been on him, as it was on anyone else, nothing had prepared him for how much it would hurt to see it on his little burger buddy. Shoot, when Jack had signed up for another tour to keep an eye on the kid, it was to keep him safe in the Sandbox, but now that he was home, Jack felt like Mac was in just as much danger of losing himself here as he had been of losing his life in Afghanistan. That was part of the reason Jack had found a place in L.A. instead of going straight back home to Texas. That, and a potential job for the two of them he was investigating at the DXS, but ultimately, it wouldn't have mattered where the jobs were. Jack had already decided to locate himself wherever Mac was.

Jack had tried to help the best that he could. He'd been on call all hours of the night, had had Mac over at his place when the nightmares got too bad, had crashed at Mac's place whenever his roommate was out of town and Mac couldn't be alone. He'd tried to get Mac to talk many times, but one thing he'd learned about the kid was that although he could go on and on for hours about geek squad science stuff, he was a master at talking a lot without actually saying anything important. And he didn't talk about himself at all.

Jack knew there was a lot to unpack. Hell, Mac's C.O. had been killed in front of him. The kid had screamed awake from many a nightmare about that one. He'd nearly been killed multiple times, been under fire, disarmed over a hundred IEDs in a single day, had been through hell right alongside Jack in the Sandbox, and Jack sometimes had to remind himself that the kid was still, well, a kid. Fresh out of school, hadn't even finished college before joining the army. He'd seen more violence and bloodshed than most people twice his age. His skill set put him right there in the middle of the death and danger, a twenty-year-old bomb nerd with a glowing neon target on his back.

And now he was back home, and everything was different. Jack knew this because he had been here too, once, not because Mac talked about it. He understood exactly what his friend was going through – he was home, but home wasn't the same. He smiled when he spoke to his friends, his roommate, even Jack, sometimes, but the smile was hollow and so were his eyes. The nightmares followed him wherever he went and he couldn't adjust, and he kept all the turmoil to himself, not wanting to be a bother, not thinking he deserved sympathy or whatever help his friends wanted to give him.

Finally, Jack reached the point where he had no idea what to do. What had ultimately pulled him out of his own personal hell after the worst tour of his career had been a very good friend, but no one, not Jack, not Bozer, not Mac's childhood friend Penny, seemed able to penetrate the layers of protection that Mac had built up around himself.

Maybe, he thought, as he stared pensively at the computer screen, Mac needed a friend who didn't try to get him to talk at all, one who would just be there for him and listen and drool all over his hand and take dumps in his backyard. Maybe, Jack ventured, the light bulb going off in his brain at the ad for the Battle Buddy Foundation and their service dogs for vets, Mac needed a dog.

***

Bozer was out of town at some movie convention the next weekend, so Jack put his plan into motion. He hadn't had a chance to run it by Mac's oldest friend yet, but he knew that if a dog would help Mac, then Bozer wouldn't mind a new addition to the household. Bozer would just be in for a surprise when he got home.

It had taken a lot of trips to animal shelters to find just the right fit for his partner, but Jack had been determined. He'd tried the Battle Buddy Foundation, but since he wasn't looking for a service dog for himself, that had been a no-go. Plus, there were just so many hoops to jump through and qualifications to meet and interviews to be had, and Mac needed help now. So he had scoured shelters and rescues, looking for a dog of just the right size and temperament for his buddy. The next two weeks were going to be a trial basis, and if Mac and the pup clicked, Jack would seal the deal. If not, then there was already another interested party lined up for the adoption.

The dog's name was Cheese, and he was a four-year-old golden retriever mix who loved cuddles, thrived on attention and exercise, and even looked a little like Mac with his long, flowing blonde locks. Also, Jack couldn't get past how perfectly the names synced up – how could he pass up the possibility of Mac and Cheese?

***

As Jack had predicted, Mac fell in love with Cheese the moment he laid eyes on him.

"Jack!" Mac grinned, falling to one knee right in the middle of the sidewalk. "Who's this?" Jack let Cheese wag his little tail happily over to Mac and watched with rising excitement as the pooch immediately began nuzzling and licking a laughing Mac all over. He watched as Mac scratched Cheese's furry head, found the sweet spot behind the ears, and buried his hands in the fur around the dog's neck.

"This," Jack said, "is your new best friend."

Mac looked up from having his face licked off and narrowed his eyes. "What did you do to Bozer?"

Jack tried to act like he wasn't offended that Bozer had been Mac's go-to on the "best friend" front. "Nothing."

"Then are you leaving me?" Despite the joke, a bit of uncertainty had wormed its way into Mac's voice, and Jack could have kicked himself.

"No, man, I don't mean it like that! Cheese ain't replacing anybody, he's just the newest member of the family!"

A hesitant half-smile pulled at Mac's lips. "You got me a dog?" He cocked his head. Cheese mimicked him, ears flopping as his head tilted adorably to one side. "I'm sorry – did you say his name is Cheese?"

Jack nodded proudly.

Mac kept scratching Cheese behind the ears, but he stared at Jack suspiciously. "Did you name him that?"

Jack's nod turned into a vigorous shake. "No, that's what he was called at the shelter, man. It helped me pick him out for ya. It was like fate."

"Fate?" Mac looked like he really didn't want to know.

"Mac and Cheese, hoss."

"No," Mac said shortly. "Just… no."

***

Mac ended up keeping the name.

It wasn't that he liked the lame pun or anything, but Cheese had apparently been called Cheese for a long time and refused to respond to anything else. Mac wanted to call him Fibonacci, but one look into those big brown eyes that lit up when Mac said Cheese, and one glimpse of the way his tail flopped around excitedly at the sound of his name, made Mac change his mind. Cheese obviously liked being Cheese, and who was Mac to try to change him?

"Besides," Jack pointed out no less than five times on the day he introduced them, "Mac and Cheese belong together, man. Cheese without Mac is pretty good, I'll admit, but Mac without Cheese is just a noodle." He shook his head sadly, and Mac couldn't help but grin. "Just a limp noodle."

***

Cheese slept in the bed with Mac that night, curled up close beside him, warm and big and furry. Mac didn't have nightmares, mostly because he didn't sleep. He couldn't sleep. He could feel a cold coming on, and the persistent scratch in his throat kept him firmly tethered in that awful middle ground between waking and sleeping, where sleep is the most appealing thing you can imagine, but it is also the most unattainable. It would have been a thoroughly miserable night, except Cheese was wonderful company, and his soft snores, twitchy feet, and dog dreams were a balm to Mac's sleepless jitters.

Despite how much Mac loved Cheese already, he spent a large portion of the night thinking of reasons why it wasn't practical for him to have a dog. Bozer didn't know about Cheese, for one. Jack claimed that everything was fine, that Boze would be completely on board once he got home. But Mac didn't just want to spring a pet on his roommate. Having a dog was a huge responsibility, one that wouldn't affect just Mac, but anyone he lived with as well. Of course, there was the fact that Mac himself wasn't prepared to take care of a dog at all, either, even if Jack had taken it upon himself to buy half of PetSmart on his way back from the shelter. Mac felt like he could barely take care of himself half the time; what made him think that he could keep another creature alive and healthy?

Peña had died on his watch, after all. How long until his dog got hurt because of him?

It was at that thought that Mac realized he was spiraling into very dangerous thought patterns, and he only managed to drag himself away from them by distracting himself with the snuffling noises Cheese made while he slept and by feeling the soft warmth of his fur.

Maybe Jack was right – maybe a dog would do Mac some good.

Of course, there was the one problem that Mac found himself avoiding more earnestly the more attached he found himself growing to Cheese. It was perhaps the most glaring reason for not having a dog, but it was also the one Mac was determined to ignore at all costs, and yet he knew full well that he was not getting a cold as he had told himself when the symptoms first started. He recognized that tell-tale itch at the back of the throat and the heaviness of the head all too well, though he'd held out hope he'd grow out of it someday. The truth was in the sneezes, though, which started after midnight and only got more numerous and violent as the night progressed.

No, there had been a reason that Archimedes had been an outside dog. There was a reason Mac felt like he had a head cold coming on. And there was a reason that he should have told Jack no the second his friend had made it clear that Cheese was to be his dog.

Angus MacGyver was allergic to dogs.

***

Mac finally fell asleep around four in the morning, and woke up close to noon with a warm, furry head on his chest. The front of his t-shirt was soaked through – at first, he thought it was sweat, but as he gently extricated himself from underneath his new bed buddy, he quickly realized it was, in fact, drool. A great glob of it trailed from the puddle on Mac's chest up to Cheese's slightly parted mouth. Mac wrinkled his nose. "Gross," he whispered fondly, then shuffled into the bathroom to take a shower.

He felt like crap.

His nose and sinuses were packed, his head ached, his eyes stung, and when he stripped off his shirt, he noticed a red patch of welts where the drool had bled through. The second he laid eyes on the rash, the itching started, and it took every ounce of his training and willpower not to scratch. Instead, he turned the water on hot and scrubbed, but the itching didn't go away. The steam did clear his sinuses a bit, so he counted that as a win.

The click-clack of claws on tile announced that he had a visitor. Mac had left the bathroom door slightly cracked, and Cheese must have shoved his way in. Mac, in the middle of washing his hair, peeked around the shower curtain to see the dog sitting near the shower, his furry butt parked right on Mac's towel. Mac could have sworn the towel had been hanging up – Cheese must have pulled it down.

Cheese's tail started thumping against the floor as soon as Mac made his appearance, but the retriever scrambled to his feet, backed up a few panicked steps, and let out a tiny whine when he saw Mac's hair, covered in shampoo bubbles and sticking out at every angle. Mac couldn't help but chuckle at the dog's antics, but he did his best to smooth down his unfamiliar hair. "Hey, bud, it's just me, your old pal Mac!" When Cheese still looked uncertain, Mac ducked back under the water, rinsed the suds out, and poked his head back out. His hair was now soaked through and plastered to his head, but he must have looked more like himself, because Cheese skipped forward, let out a chipper bark, and turned a full circle before flopping back down onto the towel.

"You might just be the cutest dog I've ever met," Mac observed. With his stuffy nose, though, it sounded more like, You just bight be the cutest dog I'b eber met. He grimaced, coughed at a tickle building in his throat. "Too bad I can't breathe when you're around."

Mac finished his shower and trailed water across the floor on his quest to find a new towel since the last thing he needed was to rub himself down with more dog hair after Cheese had used his as a dog bed. Though he felt fairly miserable, he and his new friend passed a pleasant enough afternoon. Mac tried to make eggs and bacon. He ended up undercooking the eggs and burning the bacon. He was going to throw away the truly inedible bits, but Cheese blinked up at him with his big, sad eyes, and Mac couldn't resist. Cheese inhaled the extra crispy bacon bits that Mac sprinkled on top of his kibble, and then devoured the dog food like he'd never eaten before in his life and had no idea if he'd ever eat again. Watching Cheese eat reminded Mac semi-fondly of Jack at that cheap pizza place he'd dragged Mac to a few days after they got back home. Very messy, lots of gross chewing noises, but with so much joy and passion that Mac couldn't help but grin.

He took Cheese out to do his business, and the sight of the dog romping around in the grass almost made him forget how awful he felt. He did laugh, long and hard, when Cheese stumbled over his own front paws in a desperate bid to snap at a butterfly. The dog took the opportunity to flop over on his back and roll around heartily in the dirt. Mac stopped laughing when his chuckles turned to wheezes.

Mac had planned to tinker with his newest project in the garage to occupy his time, but after the failed breakfast, his appetite and last reserves of energy vanished, and, chest tight, skin itchy, eyes streaming, and sinuses stuffed, he flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. A rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond was on, and he didn't feel like changing the channel, so he slumped there, sick and itching and barely able to breathe, and half-watched a show he'd never really been too crazy about in the first place.

Jack came over a few hours later. He let himself in, as he had gotten in the habit of doing. He had a couple of paper grocery bags in his arms, and a huge grin on his face as he kicked the door open and crooned in a sickly-sweet baby voice, "Where's my new buddy? Where's my Cheesey Weezy?"

Cheese, who had been curled up on top of Mac's feet at the base of the couch, sprang to life at the sound of Jack's voice. He barked enthusiastically, clamored for the door, and knocked two picture frames off of the coffee table with his wildly wagging tail. Jack dropped the bags on the table – Mac heard the squeak of a dog toy from inside – and dropped to his knees. Cheese, like a pretty girl in a cheesy rom com, threw himself into Jack's open arms and, unlike most rom coms (at least that Mac had ever seen), proceeded to lick every inch of Jack's face with his sloppy, warm tongue. To his credit, Jack just squirmed and laughed at the dog's ministrations, clearly enjoying the attention. When he glanced over at Mac, though, Jack gently scooted Cheese away and got to his feet. He made his way over to Mac and looked down at him, brow furrowed.

"You look like hell."

"It's not so bad," Mac lied.

"Oh really?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "It's 'dot' so bad, huh?"

Cheese trotted across the room with a flurry of clattering claws, and tried to jump into Mac's lap. Mac laughed, doing his best to protect himself from the clumsy paws of a dog who didn't know how big he actually was. "Down, boy! You're way too big to be a lap dog!"

Cheese didn't exactly listen, but paraded right over Mac, big paws digging painfully into his stomach and legs. The dog wedged himself in the small space between Mac and Jack, attempted to turn in a circle, realized he didn't have enough room, and then flopped down contentedly with his front half on Mac's lap and his rear end on Jack's.

"He's a heavy thing, ain't he?" Jack grinned, reaching over and giving Cheese a loving scratch between the ears. Cheese's tail went crazy with excitement. Jack chuckled and then returned his attention to Mac. "What's wrong with you, hoss? You got a cold or somethin'?"

Mac glanced down at the dog resting his head on his knee, caught a glimpse of sweet, innocent brown eyes blinking up at him, and decided against telling Jack the truth. As much as Jack adored Cheese, Mac knew that if he found out the truth, he'd insist that they find Cheese a new home. And although Mac didn't love the idea of living the rest of his life feeling like he had a constant head cold, the presence of the dog in his lap was so comforting, so warm and safe, that he didn't have the heart to give him up.

"Yeah," he fibbed. "Or something."

***

Later that afternoon, with a half-eaten box of pizza on the coffee table and Die Hard playing on the TV, Jack glanced over at his young companion, who had drifted off with Cheese snuggled up against his his side. The dog was sleeping too, the most adorable snores Jack had ever heard whistling out of the black button nose.

"A cold, huh?" Jack muttered, scooting a bit closer to his friend. Mac's response to Jack's questions earlier hadn't set right with him, but Jack hadn't pressed the issue then. Now, though, he pressed the back of his hand gently against Mac's forehead, freezing when Mac stirred, then relaxing when he stilled. No fever. Jack pulled back, then paused when he caught a glimpse of red peeking out from the collar of Mac's shirt. Frowning, Jack pulled back the collar just enough to confirm that what he was looking at was an angry rash.

"A cold, my ass," Jack groused. He was about to pull back when a peculiar sound caught his attention, something that he couldn't quite identify but that just felt wrong. He grabbed the remote, muted the movie, and listened closely. There! In the dead space between Cheese's snores, a strained, grumbling wheeze accompanied the rise and fall of MacGyver's reddened chest. "Oh, Mac," he muttered, putting two and two together. He could see the full picture now – he recognized the signs of a bad allergic reaction when he saw one. He couldn't be frustrated at Mac for lying to him, though, not when he could see, plain as day, the reason why Mac had pretended he had a cold. It lay there between them on the couch, golden fur and brown eyes and cold black nose and a tail that never quit.

"Oh, boy," Jack breathed. "What have I done?" Why the hell had he not thought to check to see if Mac had allergies before he'd gone and adopted him a damn dog? Jack vaguely remembered Mac talking about a dog he'd had as a kid, with a nerd name he couldn't remember, and supposed he'd just assumed allergies wouldn't be a problem. Clearly, he had been wrong.

"Okay, buddy," Jack said, waking Cheese up with a big kiss on the top of his head and a gentle nudge on the butt. "You're gonna have to get up now. I know, I know, you're comfy."

Once a disgruntled Cheese had clicked off to check his food bowl for the umpteenth time, Jack shook Mac awake.

It wasn't a violent awakening, like many had been since returning home, but Mac's eyes did snap open with a sense of urgency, and he stared blankly around at his surroundings like he didn't know where he was for several long moments. Then, finally, he locked eyes with Jack, took a deep, wheezing breath, and coughed. "Where's Cheese?"

Jack shot Mac a sympathetic smile. "I think he's stress eating 'cause I kicked him off the couch. Do animals do that?"

Mac shrugged miserably, seeming younger than Jack had ever seen him. The kid looked awful – his eyes were red and watery like he'd been crying, and his whole face had a concerning puffiness to it. With his raw, bright red nose, he could have been trying out for the part of Rudolph in a Christmas pageant. The rash was spreading, too; Jack could see it reaching up his neck. "Jack," he said in a resigned voice that was almost a whine.

Jack knew what was coming. "Yeah, bud?"

"I'm allergic to dogs."

Jack let out a rueful chuckle. "No kidding. Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"

Mac blinked over at Jack with big, blue, swollen eyes. "You were so excited about the surprise. And I haven't had a pet since Archimedes, when I was a kid. Besides, back then, my allergies weren't so bad. I think they've gotten worse."

Jack sighed, ran a hand over his face, and said heavily. "You know you can't keep Cheese now, right?"

A great sadness bloomed in Mac's expression. "Jack… I love that dog."

"I know you do. And I'm so sorry, man, I shouldn't have tried to surprise you with a dog. I mean, that's a whole-ass commitment, and I didn't even ask Bozer if you had any allergies first! I was just…" He trailed off, not sure how much he wanted to say. Not sure how much Mac would want to hear. MacGyver had never been one to discuss emotions.

But Mac seemed to have caught on. He offered Jack a small smile. "You were trying to help, I know. I knew it from the moment you introduced me to Cheese." A weighted pause. "Jack, I… I know I haven't been easy to be around this past month. But I promise, I'm working on it. The nightmares are easing a little, and I–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow your roll there, cowboy," Jack cut his friend off. "You think I got you a dog to make you easier to deal with? You're not a burden, Mac. You're just carryin' a lot of your own. But that's what I'm here for. To help." He swallowed, his mind wandering back to his own experiences after his worst tour. "I've been where you are. I know how difficult this transition is, and after everything you've seen, well, I – I guess I just thought you needed a friend to help you through it, that's all."

Mac frowned in confusion. "Jack… I already had a friend like that. You."

Jack twisted his hands together in a rare display of nervousness. "I… I just couldn't tell if I was doing enough. I felt helpless. And I read this article about therapy dogs, and you're basically a golden retriever yourself–"

A congested, startled laugh cut Jack off. "Excuse me? I'm basically a what?"

A genuine smile overtook the uncertainty on Jack's face. "Oh, you know. Blonde, big, innocent eyes. Loyal to a fault. Full of energy, easily distracted." He paused, felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks. "And a damn good companion."

Mac scratched the side of his face, deep in thought. He didn't speak for a few seconds. Then – "I… I genuinely don't know how to respond to that, Jack. I mean, you said some really great things, but you still called me a dog."

Jack grinned wolfishly. "At least I didn't call you a bitch."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Yeah, there's that."

A companionable silence, broken only by the sound of Mac's strained breaths and the messy slurp of a dog lapping up water in the background. Then Mac added uncomfortably, his long fingers fidgeting in his lap, "Thank you for always being there for me, man. And I do appreciate the gesture. I…" His eyes misted up, and this time, it wasn't from allergies. "I really, really wanted to keep Cheese."

Another pang of guilt twisted Jack's gut. He felt bad for Mac and for the dog that had already bonded with him. At least he knew that there was another interested party, that either way Cheese would go to a loving home. "I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, Mac. But if it helps, there's another interested family on the waiting list, if it didn't work out with you. They've got kids."

Mac nodded, but he still looked downcast.

"Hey, brother, before we deal with anything else, we need to get some drugs in you. You're wheezing pretty bad there."

Mac nodded, distractedly rubbing his chest. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to breathe."

Jack got up and walked to the bathroom, carefully stepping over Cheese who had fallen asleep in the middle of the hallway. He came back after rummaging through the medicine cabinet, armed with hydrocortisone, Benadryl, a glass of water, and a wet, warm cloth. Mac groaned when he saw the Benadryl. "I'm going to sleep for the rest of the evening," he complained.

"Yeah, well, you might get to breathe for the rest of the evening too," Jack shot back unsympathetically. He dropped two bright pink pills in Mac's reluctant palm and shoved the glass of water into his other hand. He made sure to watch closely to check that Mac didn't try to pull a fast one over on him, but the kid did actually swallow the Benadryl – a testament to how truly bad he felt. Then Jack instructed Mac to lie back and closed his eyes, and placed the warm cloth over his eyes and forehead. "I'm going to unbutton the top of your shirt, okay?" he warned, and Mac nodded sleepily. Jack undid the first few buttons, revealing the red, swollen rash beneath. "Geez, kid. You look like you got bit by a radioactive lobster." Mac snorted, but didn't dignify the joke with a further response. Jack gently spread the hydrocortisone cream across Mac's chest, rebuttoned the shirt, and stood back to admire his handiwork.

Mac was already asleep and snoring. Jack smiled indulgently at his friend, glad he was in for some uninterrupted, hopefully peaceful sleep. He also planned to keep a close watch on the kid over the next few hours, because if that rash or wheezing didn't get any better, Mac was going to a clinic for a steroid shot whether he wanted to or not.

Jack left Mac lying there and moved to the hallway, lowering himself to the floor next to Cheese. "Hey, bud," he said as the dog woke up, his tail already approaching the sound barrier. He gave the golden retriever a warm hug and got a few slimy kisses in return. "I'm sorry for putting you through this, you know," he said, petting the golden head in a show of comfort – for himself or the dog, he didn't know. "I was just trying to help my buddy. But I promise you, the family that you're going to is going to love you as much as Mac does." A pause, then a soft kiss on a furry head. "As much as I do." Thump, thump, thump went the tail. "Man," said Jack. "It really sucks this didn't work out. After all, who doesn't love Mac and Cheese?"

***

Mac and Jack dropped off Cheese at the shelter together the next day, Mac still sounding like he had a cold but looking more like himself overall. The family next in line to adopt the dog met them there, and the look in the little girl's eyes when she saw her new best friend was almost enough to outweigh the pain and guilt in Jack's heart.

Mac got down on one knee to say goodbye to his new buddy. Jack gave a nervous chuckle and tried to pull him up by the back of his shirt. "Mac," he hissed, "You're going to go into amphibian shock if you keep petting that dog."

"Anaphylactic," Mac corrected instantly. "And no, I'm not. I will, however, be taking more Benadryl when I get home." Then Mac proceeded to wrap his arms around Cheese's furry neck and bury his face in warm fur. Cheese wagged his tail and licked Mac's ears and neck and face when he resurfaced. Mac laughed jovially, and Jack grinned down on him, his worry fading at the joy he saw in his young friend. The laugh turned into a cough, then a sneeze, and Jack really did haul Mac up by his shirt. "Okay, hoss, that's enough." Mac pouted, but obeyed. His face was already looking like a tomato.

The little girl's mom stepped forward to take the leash, a sympathetic look in her eyes. She glanced over at her husband, a query in her gaze, and after a moment, he nodded. "Hey, listen," she said, reaching out and giving Mac a kind pat on the shoulder, "I'm really sorry you couldn't keep Cheese. But if your allergies can handle a visit every so often, maybe we can meet up in the park sometime, let you take him for a walk?"

Mac's miserable, beet-red face lit up with more than a terrible allergic reaction. His smile was infectious, and Jack found himself grinning like an idiot, too. "Yeah," Mac said. "I'd love that."

The woman smiled, then the family turned away, heading into the shelter to complete their paperwork. Jack nudged Mac in the side. "You ready for some Benadryl?"

"Actually," Mac said, and the wheeze had infected his voice. "I think a steroid shot might be in order."

Jack grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

Mac didn't answer, but the rash spoke for him.

"C'mon, ya limp noodle," Jack said, slinging his arm around Mac's shoulders and propelling his allergy-laden buddy toward the car. "Let's get you to a doctor."

[adellovesrowan]

RSA- you’re so right about Tonks and Tulip in a qpr! Also Cherry as a knight is so cute!! Mina would probably go as a medieval farmer so they could match. Werewolf boy’s name is Finn now. Also his friends keeping him company when he transforms 🥺 I’m considering having him be one of Cherry and Mina’s roommates.

OMGGG medieval farmer mina is super cute !! we LOVE finn the ww boy !! pleaseeee yes ofcourse his friends sit with him thru the painful transformation🥺 we love that a lot

RSA- I’m so glad you liked the gender headcanons for Tulip and Talbott. I pictured Tulip as a trans girl specifically and what about she/they Tulip? 👀 or Tulip with neo pronouns? She/they could work for the both of them. For Talbott, I thought of having their name be Thistle since it’s their favorite flower. Also I just know realized that both of them and Rowan have plant related names. You know what, every character with a plant name is queer now 😌. Wait ,how do you feel about trans Cherry?

TULIP W NEOPRONOUNS IS SO GOOD !! omgg thistle winger my beloved🥺🥺 HDHDHDH ur right plant named ppl are queer now thats just how it is😌 OHHH trans cherry is great actually ,, maybe she wouldnt be trans tho i can see her being pretty comfortable with her agab, but i do see her experimenting with pronouns !! i see a point where cherry tries out she / him pronouns

RSA- Students coming to Liz and JT for advice on their animals or when their animals are sick. Younger students bringing in their stuffed animals. Mina did that once when she was little. Speaking of Mina, her becoming a beekeeper in the future. What careers would Cherry be interested in? She seems like a very energetic person so it would probably be something where she could be active.

OH PLEASE liz and jt being the school vets bless. MINA UR SO CUTE !! we love to see her as a beekeeper. i honestly dunno what career cherry would have djdhkajd but i can see light in the culinary path for her bc she has a passion for baking. shes good in the kitchens. or maybe a quidditch player could work either ! shes also pretty ruthless in duelling but idk what to make of that

RSA- I’m thinking about Rowan and Adel during Rowan’s pregnancy decorating Cherry’s room together 🥺. Adel covered in different pastel paints like yellow and blue. Rowan putting in a bookcase full of books that she plans to read to Cherry. The books eventually passing on to younger students and their families.

SCREAMSSSS THAT IS SO CUTE HELLOOO pregnancy hcs always make me 🥺🥺😭😭 ughhhh i love the idea of adel preparing lots of things for the babys arrival bc she started out indifferent towards having children. in fact, she would rather not have any children. but rowan rly rly rly wanted to care for a child WITH adel so they talked it out and finally adel agrees ! and she actually got emotionally invested to the whole baby thing anyway HDJNDND

Hphm- hang on are you a libra as well? 👀? I don’t rlly care about star signs but I do think they’re fun. Speaking of which, Chiara absolutely believes in it. Her distracting injured students by telling them about their horoscopes (she memorizes them). Different topic but Rowan coaching quidditch!! I think I already talked about this before but just the thought of her becoming fully involved with it!! I wish nothing but the best for Rowan and his loved ones.

no im a gemini !! which i have decided cherry is as well ( decided her birthdays on june 7th ). OHHH UR RIGHT and thats so valid of chiara i lov her. QUIDDITCH COACH ROWAN !! they would be very fair !

RSA- are there any ideas for the au that you’d like to talk about more or think should be expanded upon?

hshskahdjhdndn sorry anon im jus not as creative as u😔😔 i am simply consuming whole what u give me LMAO

RSA- it’s established that the school doesn’t have houses but I’m wondering if there’s clubs like the ones that were put into hphm ( I’m playing the dragon club tlsq at the time of writing this so that’s why). Maybe that’s how they decide sports teams. One of my earlier ideas included the school having houses but the students could choose before realizing “oh wait, that’s just the clubs.” I wanted to include more about the sports teams before remembering that I have no knowledge of sports.

EHDHJAHSJEJ MOOD im not a sports person either. but yea i like the idea of there being clubs based on academics !! and NOT personalities🙄🙄

RSA- movie night at the school! Students gathering in each other’s dorms on the weekends. Ben, Tonks and Penny bringing over muggle films for them to watch (Tonks snuck in a horror movie once when it wasn’t Halloween). Wait, the school having a film club or a photography club. Adel and Rowan taking photos of each other 🥺. Badeea painting them a portrait for their wedding!! Just all of their friends showing up to the wedding bc they really do care for each other, all of them.

OMG MOVIE NIGHTS !! wouldnt it be rly funny if they watched a harry potter movie LMAOOOOO. OHH photography club !! omg thats so cute of them😭😭 they like what they see so they gotta make it last LMAOO. it would be an honor for badeea to paint them omfgg

RSA- I mentioned a film club at the school in an earlier ask, and the students in that club working together to make a movie 👀? Their first film was a documentary about the school. Cherry and Mina showed up in the backgrounds of a few of the films (Cherry waved at the camera once). Sometimes actors with longer hair will ask for help from Penny on how to braid it, specifically the younger ones. They also film special events at the school like the anniversary dance.

OHHH THATS SO FUN🥺 yessss penny hairstyling the youngins ,,, this makes me miss joining school activities and recording them LMAOO