#sibling stole a cookie right after the picture and he liked it so that’s a win too 🥳🥳💞💞

[hanafubukki]

Made heart shaped cookies for the boys this year. 💞💞💚💚🫶🫶

It’s heart shaped short bread cookies with strawberry jam in the middle and dipped in chocolate 🥰🥰🌺🌺

I’m happy the cookies came out good 🥳👏 the chocolate dipping could have been better but I think I’m getting better at it 🤔 (next time I’ll try drizzling it instead of dipping)

I’m really happy how these turned out 🥰🥹 I love baking when I have the chance. It’s so calming and you just focus on it and nothing else and the results are your rewards. 🥰🥰💞💞

I love taking nui pictures and spoiling the boys too so there’s that as well 💞💞💚💚

Happy Valentine’s Everyone, from me and the boys to you all 🥳🥳💞💞

[gryffindors-weasley]

Lover

Ron Weasley x Reader

Summary: After a day of unpacking and delving into memories, a moment of fondness is shared with your lover.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: mentions of food, fluff fluff fluff, kissing

A/N: This is my fic for @gcdric ’s Taylor Swift writing challenge! It’s based off of the song ‘Lover’. Lyrics I’ve used will be bolded and italicized!

The day was quite perfect, you must admit; almost as if it’d been just so in correspondence with your plans. The late afternoon sunshine cast warmly across your skin, beaming bright before the clouds sweep over it fleetingly only to return just as glowing as before.

It was beautiful as you stood in front of the little cottage before you. You must have gone back to do so a thousand times by that point, but it was an act all too irresistible as you gazed at it, hand enveloped in Ron’s. It was your house.

It stood much shorter than the Burrow, most anything was now that you thought about it, but it radiated the same kind of warmth nonetheless. Wildflowers sprinkled and flourished tall and bright amongst the grass in patches of blues and yellows and reds, sprouted up from around the edges of the cracked stone slab pathway leading to a very golden yellow front door. The roof bowed inward a bit at the center, a chimney standing on the far left side of the sweet little home.

Moss and vines had mingled and curled up the side of the stone house, swirling around the door and curving around the window above it on the second floor. A small set of matching yellow benches had sat on either side of the door, its paint chipped and worn with use, telling of their exposure to the elements, but you think you like them better that way. Perhaps your favorite part was the wind chimes that still remained, singing softly each time the wind had pushed them together. It was all encompassed by a wooden sage green fenced, the numbers of your address stamped on a metal oval slab fixed to the very front. You could have asked for a better place to live with the love of your life, it was entirely more perfect than you could have imagined it to be.

Even with the beauty and dream come true standing right in front of him, Ron still couldn’t manage to hold his gaze on anything but you. With the four times you had come to the very end of the walkway to admire just what your fate had been, he found himself looking at you each and every time. He always did that when you were around, and he always would. When you’d catch him doing just that, the crimson burning in his cheeks was expected and far too worth it, for your smile melted his heart when you casted it upon him.

His hand squeezed your own as he smiled, taking a moment to admire the soft smile you held as you looked at your very first home, your forever home. And the way your gaze bounced around every little detail and every little flower. He took one last look before his smile widened at his next words.

“Love, we’ll be unpacking clear into next month if we come back out here a fifth time,” he quips, your own grin widening as you turn your head and look at him.

“Be quiet, Ronald, or there just might be a sixth,” you counter with a smile so sweet his heart nearly leaped out of his chest right then and there. But rather than gushing over you he simply scrunches his nose in response to the use of his full name, in response to your lighthearted teasing he so fully loved.

He’s got no time to gaze at you a moment longer as you squeeze his hand, tugging him along the stone path to the front door and slipping inside the house as your laughter trails behind.

Box after box littered almost every surface you could think of, the only thing of use having been the mismatched furniture dotting around the living room and kitchen, and the unmade bed upstairs. Most of the boxes had been opened simply to see what was inside before they’d been left in favor of looking in another or sharing a kiss far too distracting. Some of said boxes had been dented, their corners pushed in from when Ron and Fred had dropped them, but it’d been far too amusing to hold even a drop of anger about it. Unbeknownst to you it’d been your very lover’s fault, having been so caught up and fawning over the way you’d twirled in the living room, the breeze catching in your hair and a smile on your lips—so caught up he’d stopped abruptly and promptly got run into by his brother following just behind him.

The laughter that left your lips was much too worth it for him to care about most anything else, especially Fred’s grumbling and swat to the back of his head. Okay, maybe he’d interrupted his adoration to toss a glare in his older brother’s direction.

A gasp sounded from you and pulled his attention, and he watched as you pulled something out of a box labeled ‘Miscellaneous’. In your hand was a very crooked and poorly taped wand, a thin layer of dust coated on it. He hadn’t used it in quite a while, having gotten a new one that has yet to be broken, yet to be encountered by the Whomping Willow.

“You saved it?” He asks, laughter in his words.

“Of course I did. How else would we honor the very first time you stole your dad’s car?” You tease, tapping it against the very tip of his nose. While his heart fluttered at the thought that you’d pulled it from the trash and saved it, he snatched it from your hand with a frown soon turned to a smile.

“It doesn’t really work anymore, you know,” he says, brushing his thumb over the tape he’d put there just over a decade ago.

“Maybe it’s just the user and not the wand,” you quip, his eyes narrowing at you as you stifle a laugh.

“No way!” He raises the bent wand his eyes fixed on the lamp seated on a small table by the window. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

The spell is spoken with the utmost of concentration, the lamp in question rising very wobbly off the table before clattering unceremoniously to the floor. He flinches at the dreadful noise and you couldn’t fight your laugh any longer as you stole it back from his hand.

“Reparo!” You state, watching as each broken shard had mended with its matching piece, each fitting together so perfectly it’s like it’d never been broken at all.

Ron bites the inside of his cheek at the sight of your triumphant smile. You were right, you were always right. But, with a simple movement of his hand and a glowing orange beam of light, you found yourself pulled to him with ease, Carpe Retractum falling from his lips.

“I’m quite better at magic than you think, love,” he murmurs, smiling against your lips as you kiss him.

Your laughter puffed against his lips as you kissed him once more, spinning from his embrace much to his dismay in favor of digging through more boxes. “If you insist.”

He hadn’t missed the smile that had accompanied your teasing words, and you hadn’t missed his, and he was tempted to utter that spell once more just so he could kiss you again for far longer than just a mere moment. In fact, to do so until the end of time seemed perfectly well to him.

You pulled back a flap of another cardboard box that had yet to be labeled, smiling at the sight. You tugged the tangled clump of Christmas lights out, it’s cord thoroughly, knotted and woven with itself in what surely will be a pain come time to hang them up. In that moment, the thought hadn’t bothered you quite as much as it assuredly would in three month’s time, your smile beaming and bright.

“You kept these?” You ask, mimicking his earlier tone. He chuckles, nodding as he fumbled with the end of the cord that hadn’t been so terribly mangled.

“Christmas lights are essential to the holiday season, you know,” he defends. Regardless of your playful teasing, you knew just how much he liked them when it came time for the festive spirit. Well, they came second only to the assortment of cookies made every year without fail. “I suppose we can leave them up for as long as we want to now, can’t we?”

“This is our place, we make the rules.”

He smiled at the very thought, you both shared the same smile for that matter, and you knew for a fact that you’d been thinking of the same thing. You could make the rules. You could stay up past midnight to read without complaint of the glow of the lamps light streaming through floorboards and waking one of his siblings. He could practice quidditch with you in your very own backyard without his mother worrying over you both from the sidelines, though you’d done a well enough job worrying over him when she’s not around. Ice cream can be had for breakfast and breakfast can be had for dinner, dishes can be left in the sink and you can sleep in together till however late you wanted.

“Yeah,” he smiles, “yeah, we can.”

He takes a moment to look around the small living room, at the bookshelves encompassing nearly the entirety of the far wall. You’d filled that readily with your shared books, taking little effort to fill the old wooden shelves with stories read at least two times over. Scattered amongst them sat picture frames and trinkets, photographs of the two of you so gingerly placed behind glass frames to display a moment forever captured. Some of them were polaroids labeled haphazardly with the date they’d been taken, a brief caption scrawled at the bottom. Some of them had been family pictures taken by his mother, gifted to him for the time the day had come that you two could display them in your own home and you most certainly did.

Tiny treasures sat amongst them—bookmarks still tucked in books, little gifts from hogsmeade tucked atop shelves. Even the since emptied bottle of broom oil you’d gotten him for his birthday in fifth year. You knew he’d been eagerly excited to be a part of the quidditch team, his dreams of being a keeper rapidly becoming more than just dreams. He opened that little gift and saw that little bottle, something that might have seemed so awfully simple and practical to just anyone else. But the thought behind it was something more than just simple and more than just practical, even if your shared feelings hadn’t been known just yet. So there, in front of old books and photos, sat a little glass bottle, it’s label worn and faded as dregs of broom oil sat at the bottom.

He looked to the couch, it’s fabric frayed and worn in a few spots and edges. His cherished Chudley blanket taken from his childhood bed lay strewn across the back of the checkered material. The blanket you made after you insisted you could crochet lay splayed beside it, put together in uneven squares of colors that didn’t match as much as you’d hoped. Regardless of the outcome, Molly had been quite proud of it, and she adored the time well spent with you in the making of it.

He thought of how Harry could come and stay the night, for old times sake, Hermione too. There weren’t any guest bedrooms, so the living room would have to suffice. The couch and the loveseat hadn’t been too terribly comforting for slumber, but you suppose with a few extra pillows and blankets it’d be just fine. They never seemed to be one to complain anyway, always simply happy to spend time as a group without worry of danger or life changing events anymore. That very moment was put behind you six, nearly seven years prior.

It was fine, and everything was okay.

Your gasp had pulled him from his thoughts once more, his gaze finding you as you tugged his old quidditch sweater from a box labeled ‘Important: Do Not Lose’.

It was torn at the collar and a few strings of yarn had been pulled free from their stitching, and certainly it was washed more than a few times to rid it of its smell. You loved the tattered thing to pieces, he knew that. He knew from the very first moment you’d worn it that it’d been more than just a sweater to you. He remembers the way you smiled upon slipping it over your head, and the way you let the cuffs curl over your hands. He remembers the way you nuzzled into it that very night, the smell of cinnamon and a bit of his cologne still lingering on the fabric. He knew from that very first moment that it wouldn’t be the last time you’d stolen it from him, he knew you loved it and for that very reason he’d stopped his mother from turning it into a commemorative blanket.

You pulled it over your head, that very same smile on your face as there always was when you wore it. It hung from your shoulders in heaps of maroon and golden yellow, effectively staving off the cool September breeze. He’d had plenty more quidditch sweaters and jerseys considering his once fond hobby had turned to a career, but none of them seemed to hold as much sentiment as this.

He couldn’t help the way his heart swelled with pride when you wore it, when he thought of just how proud you’d always been. Even when he hadn’t had a successful match, even when he hadn’t been at the top of his game—you still cheered for him fiercely and boasted so highly of him that his cheeks burned at the mere thought. Whether it was just the two of you on the quidditch pitch the night before a match against Slytherin or it was from the stands at a match hours from home, you had always done it.

You looked so utterly beautiful, so completely radiant he felt his heart just might burst in his chest should you be anymore ethereal. He hadn’t known how he’d gotten quite so lucky, but he had.

You look to Ron across the unfinished living room, his smile soft and beaming and focused entirely on you.

“What is it?” You ask, laughing softly as your cheeks flush under his gaze, your hands smoothing over the yarn. The look on his face then is photo worthy, but holding it in your memory will have to suffice.

“Dance with me?”

Your smile widened, heart hammering in your chest with lovestruck excitement at the mere thought of it. Not to mention the grin tugging so cutely at the corners of his mouth that made it absolutely impossible to keep from mirroring it. It was often that Ron Weasley’s actions spoke far louder than words, that a simple look could declare a thousand ‘I love you’s’. It was then, in that very moment as he stood contently amongst a dozen boxes yet to be unpacked, that the look he so lovingly held just might’ve spoken a million.

You walk to him without a second’s hesitation and take his offered hand, squealing when he pulls you close. His own laughter soon fills the room as he twirls you once, twice, the action wonderfully dizzying as you settle into a rhythm not quite in sync with each other. His smile was beaming and bright as the sun streamed into the room, everything it landed on golden and orange.

“Ron Weasley, I thought you hated dancing?” You say, your smile just as teasing as your words.

“People change, right?” He shrugs, quick to rain a flurry of kisses across your flushed cheek as his laughter presses into your skin. That is, until he’d parted from you just enough for you to see a glimpse of realization cross his face. “Don’t tell my brothers.”

Your laughter is immediate as you kiss him, his brief moment of panic simmering into a smile that’s nearly too fond for his own good. “I can’t make any guarantees.”

He groans in protest against your very kiss, lifting you up to spin you in his arms in the sweetest of retaliations. Somehow, he believes the lifetime of teasing from his brothers would be entirely worth it if only to see you smile, if only to hear you laugh.

“I’m only kidding, my love,” you giggle, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

“Yeah yeah, sure,” he grins, kissing down your cheek.

Can I go where you go?

This very moment was one that’d stick with him for the rest of his life, happily, one that he’d get to live each and every day and the thought alone was unbelievable. It was your house, your home, a place entirely the perfect fit for the two of you to flourish and thrive and spend for seasons in. It was a culmination of the very things that made the two of you who you are.

Truthfully, he’d follow you anywhere without hesitation. He’d travel to the very ends of the earth if it meant he’d be with you, and you the same. He knew since he was sixteen that he’d wanted to be wherever you were and wherever you will be. He hadn’t thought at the time that he’d wind up in a home amongst the rolling hills, tucked away to yourselves. He hadn’t thought he’d even have the nerve to tell you he loves you. His future had been far brighter than he could have ever imagined it to be.

And you, you were right where you wanted to be, right where you needed to be. Ron Weasley was the love of your life, a dull moment never shared. You felt you could do just about anything so long as he was with you, go anywhere so long as he was there. He was loving, he was kind, he was true.

Can we always be this close?

The laughter had since dulled to breathy sighs and soft smiles, a gesture you’re very aware of when you lift your gaze to look up at him once more. A smile that’s shared most tenderly in the close proximity, noses brushing and breath sweeping warmly over lips. It was then that you lean on your toes and kiss him, his very grip on your hand tightening a fraction and your swaying becoming distracted and stilled. His smile was immediate against your lips, telling of just how profoundly giddy you’d made him, how wholeheartedly he loved you.

“Bloody hell,” he whispers, his lips brushing over yours as he kisses you once more. The softness of his laughter dances across your skin, his forehead resting on yours as he makes no effort to hide his smile. “I love you. I really, really love you.”

Your nose scrunches against his and your own smile widens and soon you find yourself kissing the very tip of his nose, his cupid’s bow, his lips. The warmth blossoming in your chest is a feeling most unbeatable to all else; it was love. It lanced through you with certainty and settled permanently within your heart, a feeling so frighteningly wonderful, and so dizzying in its wake.

The two of you began to sway softly again to music unheard, hands clasped as your other rests on his chest as the sun dips lower in the sky, the long yet happy day soon to be put behind you. One more kiss is pressed to his cheek before you dip your head to rest on his shoulder, your eyes fluttering closed with all the contentment in the world. And softly, you murmur, “I love you. I really, really love you.”

You’re my, my, my, my,

Lover.

—

Tags: @anchoeritic @vogueweasley @ch0colatefr0gs @amourtentiaa @hahee154hq @snitches-at-dawn @dracosathenaeum @harrysweasleys @awritingtree @writeroutoftime

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝐴𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑧: 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝐺𝑒𝑡 𝐴 𝑃𝑒𝑡 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝐽𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑠

❥𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

Feeling bad for not being able to keep you company because he spent most of his time in the recording studio, Hongjoong decided it would be cute to get you a pet.

So on a free day, you went to the pet store and looked at all the animals.

From the beginning, you both knew you wanted a pet on the more 'exotic' side of things.

That's how you ended up taking home 2 sugar gliders.

You named them Mocha and Latte, cause they reminded you of coffee.

At first, it was difficult cause sugar gliders are nocturnal, so either they were bustling in their cage, waking you up.

Or you were pouty cause you couldn't play with them during the day.

"Have fun with them!" Hongjoong would tell you before leaving.

And you'd always respond "Yeah right".

Your sleep schedule changed because of them though.

You started staying up at odd hours of the night just to play with them.

Of course, that meant you'd sleep in till almost noon the next day.

Meaning now Hongjoong was seeing, or at least, spending less time with you.

And he was pouting.

Pouting cause he got home early but you're sleeping and can't hang out with him.

Pouting cause he wants to fall asleep next to you and cuddle you but you're too busy playing with the Mocha and Latte.

So you looked over at him, sitting up with the tiniest pout on his face.

"What?" You asked.

He whined cutely. "You're not interested in me anymore!"

You simply snorted at how cute he was when he was jealous.

You put the gliders back in their cage and settled next to your boyfriend.

"Maybe now you'll understand how I felt when you'd leave me alone for the whole day. "

Hongjoong looked at you and realized you were right.

He couldn't really complain, he got you the pets specifically cause of that reason. But still....

"That didn't mean replace me completely!"

❥𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

Seonghwa agreed to get a pet with you so you'd have someone while he was gone.

He knew you tended to get lonely while he was on tour, so maybe a pet would be nice.

"But please let's get something that won't make too much mess."

So you took his OCD into account.

That's how you ended up with Pepe, a cute green and red parrot.

He actually didn't talk at first, he was a little shy.

But after a while, he started saying words here and there.

That's when you decided to teach him a few phrases yourself.

"The possibilities are endless. I will teach him the entire dictionary."

Seonghwa just shrugged, not really paying attention.

"Ok you have fun with that. But he's a parrot, I doubt he's that smart."

Pepe was indeed smart, incredibly smart.

And if you rewarded him with crackers or berries, he learned even faster.

You spent any second free you had with him.

Literally, you got out a dictionary and made him learn at least 5 new words each day.

Surprisingly, he learned more by watching you communicate with Seonghwa, picking up phrases you used.

That's when a funny moment happened.

Seonghwa was mad that you no longer hung out with him.

And the few times you talked, you just went on and on about how smart the parrot was.

Scowling he blew up one day.

"All you ever talk about is that stupid old bird!"

Pepe, hearing some of his words, suddenly blurted out.

"Stupid angry bird Seonghwa! Stupid angry bird Seonghwa!"

He repeated what he often heard you mutter behind his back whenever Seonghwa made you mad.

"Stupid what?!" Seonghwa's eyes nearly popped out of his face while you just laughed at him.

❥𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

Yunho couldn't wait for you two to get the puppy you adopted.

He was super excited at the thought that you two would officially become parents.

So when your Welsh Corgi finally arrived, he was over the moon.

"I'm going to name you Peanut and we're going to spend so much time together!"

Meanwhile you stood behind him like "I'm his owner too! Don't I get a say?!"

Yunho and you spent so much time with the puppy.

He was a very active puppy, and at times you had to definitely scold him.

Cause he liked to chew the furniture, especially the legs of your kitchen chairs.

Yeah, one time it was so chewed up, the chair ended up breaking while you were sitting on it.

It was too much for you, you considered taking the dog back.

"No please don't! He's only a baby and doesn't know better!"

Yunho insisted he'd train him better.

That was bullshit cause he ended up having to go on tour for 6 months, leaving you to raise Peanut as a single mother for half a year.

You sighed. "Might as well get used to it."

You were amazed that without Yunho interfering, Peanut behaved a lot better and you were able to train him.

So you became even closer to him.

Soon he became your baby that you loved to pamper and cuddle with.

Yes, Peanut ended up sleeping with you in your bed.

When Yunho came back, not only was he surprised that Peanut didn't recognize him...

But Peanut actually barked at him whenever he got close to you.

"I'm just trying to give my girl/boyfriend a hug!"

And when you two were getting ready to go to bed, Yunho couldn't even join you in bed

Cause Peanut was already cuddled up next to you.

So Yunho stood there with the saddest look on his face.

"Did this dog seriously just stole my place?"

❥𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

Yeosang layed down on the couch, hoping to relax from an intense day of dance practice.

He closed his eyes, already feeling like he was going to sleep anytime soon.

He felt something tickle him on his nose and he giggled, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Baby, not right now. I'm tired. Let me rest first. Then I'll give you some cuddles and kisses."

He then felt nibbling on his nose which made him raise an eyebrow.

"What are you- Holy shit!"

He fell out of the couch after he opened his eyes and saw two large beady eyes, that were definitely not yours, staring straight into his soul.

"Yeosang? Are you ok?" You asked stepping out of your room.

"Something just tried to eat me! Do you think I'm ok?!" He exclaimed.

You looked at him on the floor and saw what was the cause.

"There you are Cookie! I've been looking all over for you."

Yeosang just watched as you picked up the rabbit that he deemed menacing.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall you having a pet?"

"Nope, but I saw him while I was shopping for groceries and thought why not? And what do you mean my pet? He's also gonna be yours"

"Uhhh come again?"

It's not that Yeosang didn't want Cookie around.

But he found him rather bothersome, especially since he liked to hide in corners and jump on his ankles.

Sometimes he'd even let out a cry of pain cause Cookie likes to bite his feet.

And through all this bullshit, you never take his side.

You're always taking that damned rabbit's side.

"Honestly, what's so great about him? I have big sparkly eyes too! And I can eat lettuce cutely. Watch."

And Yeosang legit grabbed a piece of lettuce and ate it like an actual rabbit.

Meanwhile you just cringed.

"Please don't get jealous, it doesn't suit you and please don't ever do that again."

Yeosang let the remaining lettuce fall to the ground, just like his will to compete with the big eared furry.

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷

When you told San you were planning on getting a sibling for Byeol, he was expecting another cat.

He just stood there staring at the long nosed, long eared whiskered animal on the floor.

He pointed at it. "What is that?"

"That's Tiny!" You exclaimed happily.

"It's not a cat?" He asked rather confused.

"I know! It's a fennec fox! Isn't he adorable too?!" You were just so happy.

San was wondering if it was even legal to keep it as a pet.

Spoiler: it was.

San did think Tiny was cute and he didn't really seem to be vicious, despite it being an exotic animal.

Tiny was actually very sociable and active.

Unlike Byeol, Tiny needed you to play with him almost every 2 hours or it'd get bored.

And when he get bored, he'd start snarling and eventually growling if you didn't pay attention to him.

It freaked San out the first time he heard him snarl.

"What the fuck kind of demon possessed you?!" He shouted, causing Tiny to become more agitated

You quickly ran in, with a rubber bouncy ball in your hand.

"Hey it's ok! I'm here! Now go fetch!" You said as you threw the ball to the other side of the room.

Tiny immediately ran for it and spent a good amount of time searching for it.

"That thing is possessed!" San told you.

"You get possessed when you're on stage. Tiny is just bored and wants attention." You explained.

"I want your attention but you don't see me growling at you."

You rolled your eyes. "No. You just get whiny and fussy."

San scoffed and walked away to the couch, glaring as you played with the fox.

Looking over, he saw Byeol laying next to him, just staring.

He smiled. "Hey babygirl, wanna play with me and make Y/N jealous instead?"

Byeol simply stood up and walked to another part of the room, leaving San all sad on the couch, feeling lonely.

❥𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

"Mingi, I want you to meet Coco!"

You held up the brown ferret against Mingi's face.

Being the scaredy cat he was, Mingi backed away immediately at the sight of the unusual pet.

"Relax! He's not going to eat you! You big baby." You said

"What kind of rodent is that?" He asked, inspecting the creature.

"He's a ferret! Think of him as a long and stretched out hamster." You explained as you cooed at the cutie pet.

"Well if he makes you happy, I guess ok."

He did make you happy. You had never had a pet of your own, so obviously you doted on Coco as if he was your whole world.

Your social media now was filled with pictures and videos of the ferret.

"Coco, look at the camera! I need that Instagram pic!"

Seeing your social media bombarded with nothing but the ferret made Mingi upset.

Before you used to post only pictures of him.

Now.....a long rat has invaded your relationship.

Or at least that's what he thought.

"You pay more attention to that rat than me!" He huffed.

"He's not a rat! He's a ferret!" You shouted.

Finally getting fed up, Mingi took away the ferret from you and told it to run along.

He then pulled you into the couch and wrapped his long limbs around you.

"We haven't cuddled in a long time. I want at least 20 minutes of your undivided attention each day."

You smiled and petted his hair. You couldn't blame him for feeling neglected. It had been a while.

You turned around and began kissing his face.

His frown suddenly turned into a smile and he was happy again.....

Until Coco climbed into the couch and popped out from between your bodies.

"Oh my god! You had them all day! I've only had them for 2 minutes you cockblocker!"

You started laughing at his reaction and quickly put Coco on the ground before anything else happened.

❥𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

"Babe! I'm finally home!"

Wooyoung sprinted from the couch, running up to you and wanting to see you open the portable cage you held.

"Is it here already?! Tell me is it a boy or girl?! What breed is it?!"

He was jumping for joy since he knew you decided to go buy a pet.

He immediately thought you meant a dog. He loves dogs and just wanted to start playing with it.

"Wooyoung, this is Ginger! Our new baby!" You said as you held up a tabby orange cat.

Wooyoung suddenly stopped jumping and stared at the cat for a long time.

Then he looked at you with an 'are you kidding me' expression.

"It's a cat." "No way! Really?! If you don't tell me, I wouldn't notice!" You replied sarcastically.

Wooyoung stomped his foot. "I thought you'd get a dog!"

"What? No! You know I'm a cat person."

Wooyoung clutched his chest at what you said, gasping dramatically

"I don't know you anymore! You're not my girlfriend/boyfriend! They've been replaced by some maniac cat person!"

You just rolled your eyes and decided to enjoy your new pet.

You just loved Ginger. She was so calm, so serene, well behaved and obedient.

She also seemed to know when you were stressed or feeling down since she'd then climb on your lap and nuzzle herself to your body, purring softly.

She melted your heart and you did not regret adopting her.

Wooyoung on the other hand did not like her, and started disliking her more since Ginger never listened to him.

He didn't realize she could sense his animosity and therefore proceeded to avoid him.

"Seriously what does Y/N see in you? You don't fetch, can't do tricks and you certainly don't guard the house. What are you good for?"

Ginger just continued lying on the couch, ignoring him.

"Hey don't ignore me you little butter ball!" He said as he tried moving her.

But before he could even touch her, she began hissing at him, daring him to come closer.

"What are you doing to my baby?!" You screeched from the kitchen.

"I didn't do anything!" He then turned and pointed a finger to the cat."You know... for a pussycat, you sure are one hell of a bitch!"

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

Jongho had been getting really tired of the pet raccoon you decided to get.

First of all, he kept coming to your house, making a mess outside cause it kept looking through your trash can.

Of course being the softie you were, you kept leaving food out for it.

So naturally it came coming back for more and practically lived outside your house.

"I told you if you kept doing that she'd end up staying." Jongho reminded you.

"It's actually a he. He's a boy." You corrected him.

"Geez. You already know that much, why not just bring him inside and just make him your official pet?" He said that sarcastically but wasn't expecting you to take it seriously.

"Ok!" You then went outside to bring it in.

"Wait! I wasn't being serious! It's a wild animal and could have rabies!"

Despite his protests, you ended up keeping him, taking him to the vet to get him vaccinated and checked on.

That's how Bandit was now a part of your life.

And true to his name, he stole your heart.

He was so adorable and fluffy and you just loved cuddling him.

It certainly felt nice since Jongho rarely cuddled with you, so of course you seeked affection from your raccoon.

Bandit was also pretty mischievous, but you didn't mind. You just kept thinking he was absolutely adorable.

Jongho on the other hand was having his patience tested every day by Bandit.

He'd often find his socks ripped or missing and he had a pretty good idea who it was.

He finally caught him red handed tearing apart his last pair of black socks.

"That's it! You're dead I tell you! Dead! Square up! I ain't afraid! I will fight you!"

Jongho actually began taking off his jacket and holding up his fists.

Bandit also began snarling and arched his back in a fighting position.

You walked in just in time to stop Jongho or Bandit from launching at each other.

"What is wrong with you?! Were you seriously about to go Jack Jack on a raccoon?!"

"He started it! Beneath that mask, he's evil!"

You decided to just keep them away from each other before you end up with animal control on your front door.

Gifs not mine, credit goes to their respective owners.

[bubbyleh]

Do I Know You? - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: We’ve Met Before

A strong silence falls over the two of them. Bubby’s initial electric panic has long since faded into a dull feeling worming around in their chest. Coomer has a hand on their back and leans against them, mostly in an attempt to stop Bubby from pacing around their dorm. They’re anxious, sure, but adding a little bit of movement won’t do anything but annoy their neighbors.

“What are you going to do?” Coomer finally asks, breaking the silence.

Bubby shifts slightly, resting their chin on top of Coomer’s head. “I don’t know,” he admits, clutching onto the back of his partner’s shirt.

Coomer hums lightly. “You know, he’s mentioned you before.”

“Really?” Bubby pulls back. “Like… baby me?”

Coomer nods. “He has a picture of the two of you in his locker. I asked him about it!”

Suddenly, Bubby grabs onto Coomer’s arms, eye slightly twitching. “Are you serious? What did he say?”

“Well,” Coomer thinks back, placing a finger on his chin. “It sounded to me like he loves you, and that he misses you terribly.”

Bubby’s shoulders slump, and they pretty much collapse onto Coomer’s chest. “Okay. I’m going to think about it,” he states, then lets out a long sigh. “I kinda want to keep reading. We could figure out my first surgery?”

“If you want to, darling,” Coomer smiles.

- ○ -

It takes a while, but eventually, Bubby decides how he’s going to break the news to Kleiner. Or rather, he comes up with half a plan that he’s honestly still working out the details for when he makes it to Kleiner’s dorm.

Something propels them forward, something that they don’t quite understand. Bubby wants Kleiner to know, more than they expected they would. It’s all very… foreign, the idea that he was someone. Could be someone.

There’s a moment of hesitation at the door, with their arm raised, where Bubby realizes that retreat is still an option. But they ignore it and proceed to knock as obnoxiously as they can manage.

Kleiner is, at first, confused when he opens his door, brows furrowed. But the second he sees that it’s Bubby who came to visit, though, his demeanor changes.

“Oh, Bubby!” Kleiner beams, clasping his hands together. “What a nice surprise! Would you like to come inside?”

Oh no.

Oh fuck no.

He’s being welcoming.

It hits Bubby, all at once. That’s his brother in front of him, smiling, happy to see him. Somehow, despite all the precautions Black Mesa took, they found their family again. Right here, Bubby can reclaim the life that this damned research facility stole from them! Be real! Be human!

And he panics.

Just in case, Bubby had brought a few of the papers from his file, in the off chance he felt the need to provide some proof to Kleiner. Instead, though, he just ends up shoving the first document—the one at the beginning of the file—into Kleiner’s hands.

“Uh, I-” Bubby struggles. Then, fight or flight kicks in, and he shouts, “Bye!” before running down the hall and back towards the trams.

Total success. It isn’t until he’s halfway back home that Bubby finally facepalms.

- ○ -

The next day is completely about damage control. Chemical Engineering is way closer to the couple’s dorms than Anomalous Materials is, so Bubby has a little less than an hour of a head start before Coomer gets back. Besides, if they’re lucky, they’ll be able to make sure Coomer forgets

anything

Kleiner may have told him.

Bubby hears the keys turn in the lock right on time. “Bubby-” Coomer calls out the second he’s in their dorm, but his partner is already a step ahead of him.

“Harold! Look!” Bubby gestures to the plate on the counter in front of them. “I made cookies!”

Coomer’s head tilts, finally noticing the warm, steaming pile of chocolate chip cookies. “Oh, they smell wonderful!” he exclaims. “Did you make them for a special occasion?”

Bubby shakes his head. “Have a few, if you want.”

Quickly, Coomer reaches out to snag a cookie, but just before he can grab one, he hesitates. He squints up at Bubby, who begins to nervously fidget with their hands.

“Bubby,” Coomer says slowly, “are these distraction cookies?”

“What? I-” Bubby stammers, squirming under the scrutiny of Coomer’s gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What would I even need to distract you from?” He leans a hand on the counter, tapping his foot.

“Really? There’s nothing you want to tell me?” Coomer asks, and Bubby avoids meeting his eyes. “Because Kleiner seemed awfully distraught today.”

Bubby crosses his arms, pointedly looking away.

“Darling,” Coomer sighs. He cups their cheek with his hand, brushing it with his thumb once again. Instantly, Bubby’s shoulders lose their tension, and their eyes drift back towards Coomer’s, saddened. “What happened?” he asked.

“I gave him one of the papers and ran away.” Bubby mopes. “I got scared.”

“Oh Bubby,” Coomer frowns. “You didn’t have to say anything. It’s your file.”

“But I wanted to!” Bubby insists, taking a step back. “I really want to tell him. I…” Their eyes widen in realization. “I want a brother.”

Coomer’s hand drifts down to hold their own, which Bubby grips onto as though their life depends on it.

They take a deep breath. “I thought I didn’t have any relatives for my whole life,” he explains, running his free hand through his hair. “They told me I was the only one. And finding out that they lied to me, and I have a brother, and I know him. It’s…” they sigh. “A lot.”

“Let’s take a moment,” Coomer says. “We can make use of these wonderful cookies you made-” he gestures to the plate. “-and ruin our appetites for the night!”

And just like that, Bubby smiles. “You’re the perfect man. Has anyone ever told you that?”

- ○ -

The cookies don’t last very long. Coomer’s stomach can be accurately described as a black hole, and in the time it takes Bubby to eat a single cookie, he’s practically eaten the rest. Which is fine, all things considered, they can always make more.

But there’s something that remains, still.

For the second time, Bubby knocks on the door of Kleiner’s dorm room. In the silence that follows, they’re once again tempted by a desire to flee.

Then, Kleiner answers, looking relieved to see Bubby, and their resolve hardens. Whatever thoughts they had left about abandoning the whole reveal and hiding in a vent disappear in an instant.

“Hey, Isaac-” Bubby starts, trying and failing to sound cool, but he’s quickly cut off.

“Bubby!” Kleiner shouts, and surprisingly, he doesn’t sound at all angry. He’s almost… worried? “What happened?! You ran off!”

Bubby winces. “I, uh. Panicked.” They wring their hands together. “The papers I had were… kind of heavy. I didn’t want to mess up, so I…” they drift off.

Kleiner sighs. “Well, I will say, you’re right about the heaviness.” He glances back into his apartment for a second. “I read over the one you gave me, and I have a few questions. Do you want to come inside?”

And, finally severing his last chance at escape, Bubby agrees.

- ○ -

Black Mesa’s singles’ dorms, especially for more recent hires, are only slightly better than Bubby expected. Which doesn’t say a lot, to be perfectly fair, but the couch is at least somewhat tolerable, and with a few touches of home, Kleiner seems to have turned his into a fully habitable space. Except for the disorganized messes, research notes and books left out to be cleaned later. Seriously, the whole place makes Bubby itch to do some tidying up.

When Kleiner sits down at the other end of the couch, facing them, Bubby can hear the springs squeak.

Well. This is it.

“Okay,” Kleiner says, and Bubby notices that he has the paper he gave him in his hands. “First. This document is… real?”

Bubby nods. “I got it straight from the department.”

“Alright, then I suppose my next question is… what happened after?”

In a rush, Bubby feels both warm and cold at the same time. He grits his teeth together as he thinks.

Kleiner swallows. “I just- I need to know what happened to her. We just went into her room one morning, and she was gone,” he starts to ramble. “And the window was open, and-”

“Them.”

Kleiner pauses. “Huh?”

“Sometimes they go by him, too,” Bubby offers. “But mostly them.”

“Oh…” Kleiner tilts his head. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. It’s just-” Kleiner struggles. “Strange. To think they grew up enough to figure that out.” He laughs, but not in a happy way. “I thought all these years that they were dead.”

Bubby glances down at the paper, and then back up at Kleiner. He’s still reeling from the shock of finding out his long-lost sibling is alive after almost four decades, flicking the edges of the paperclipped photos. Shit, Bubby stared at those pictures for hours, it feels like, and they kind of want another look now too.

“Where are they?” Kleiner is very obviously fighting back some tears. “I mean, would I be able to see them? Or-”

“Isaac.” Bubby says simply.

Kleiner grows silent, and their gazes meet.

“I’m B-K55.” Tears start to well up in their eyes. “I didn’t know any of this until last week, I swear, or I would’ve told you sooner. But then they shut down the project, that’s when they gave me the file. I’m sorry if I-”

And just like that, Kleiner’s on them. He wraps them in a hug so tight that Bubby wouldn’t be able to escape if they wanted to. They’re so caught off guard that for a moment, they’re unable to react.

“You’re alive,” Kleiner whispers, but his joy is still evident. “You’re okay!”

Bubby hugs Kleiner back, holding onto him as though he might disappear. For the first time they can recall, they have their brother.

“Yeah,” they smile. “I’m okay.”

[kgraces]

Surprise Siblings

A follow up to Tire Iron. Also available on Ao3!

Dick sighed, resting his forehead against the steering wheel. He really didn’t want to get out of the car, because that meant going inside the manor, which meant dealing with Bruce. He’d already had a long week at work, so a worse weekend was not something he had in mind when he clocked out this evening. His plan had been to do nothing but sleep and patrol, that is, until Alfred had called and told him it would be prudent for Dick to come back to Gotham for the weekend, which Dick took to mean: Richard John Grayson, get your ass home, now! 

So he went. The inevitable confrontation with Bruce aside, it would be nice to catch up with Alfred. Dick unbuckled his seatbelt, slung his duffel bag over one shoulder, and made his way to the front door. He stepped into the foyer, only to be greeted with the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. His brain stuttered to a halt because the sound was so out of place. Baffled, Dick wandered into the kitchen, feeling his jaw drop as he took in the scene before him. 

Two kids were sitting at the counter, watching as Alfred baked a batch of Dick’s favorite chocolate chip cookies. The smaller of the two boys chattered excitedly, hands waving around as he talked. The other boy watched him in amusement, only cutting in to make sarcastic remarks, which set the littler one into giggles every time. Every now and again, he’d try to sneak a bite of the batter, but Alfred caught him each time with a gentle admonishment. Dick stood in the doorway, frozen in place. Alfred noticed him first. 

“Ah, welcome home, Master Dick. How was the drive over?” 

“Fine,” Dick said slowly. He couldn’t stop staring, wondering if he was hallucinating. The small boy smiled shyly and waved, and Dick waved back, feeling dazed. “Alf, why are there two tiny humans in the kitchen?” 

“Meet Masters Jason and Tim,” Alfred said, eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’m afraid Master Bruce found them in a spot of trouble and decided to step in.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dick said, still a little dumbstruck. 

“We’ve actually met before,” the little one—Tim—said. “Did you know you gave me my first hug?” 

“What.” 

Tim’s face and ears turned scarlet, but it was Jason who broke the awkward tension, dragging Tim from his chair and into a hug. Tim gaped a little, startled, but he quickly melted into the hug. Dick’s heart twisted in his chest at the sight. He crossed the room and joined them, drawing the two boys into his arms. Jason shied away from the contact, but Tim leaned into it, smiling sweetly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jason. And it’s nice to meet you again, Tim. Is that a thing people say?” Tim laughed a little, wrapping his skinny arms around Dick. “So,” he said, turning to Alfred. “I haven’t visited in three weeks, and B goes and adopts two kids in the meantime.” 

“His impulse control is abysmal,” Alfred replies sagely. 

“We’re not adopted,” Jason said. “He just has custody of us because my parents are dead, and Tim’s parents suck.” Tim pouted at him, but Jason rolled his eyes. “C’mon Timbit, we’ve talked about this.” 

“At least you two are here now,” Dick said. “Wanna tell me how that happened?” Both boys nodded, and Dick noticed Tim brighten a little. 

“Jason stole the tires off the Batmobile and knocked me out with his tire iron. Then Batman kind of caught us, and I blackmailed him a little bit.” 

“You stole the tires...and blackmailed…” Dick looked at the boys, both smiling sweetly at him, and burst into laughter. “My new little brothers are amazing, oh my God.” He paused, as a thought occurred to him. “Wait, how exactly did you blackmail him?”

“Oh, I figured out yours and Batman’s identities last year,” Tim said proudly. “I didn’t actually threaten him or anything.” He wrinkled his nose. “That would’ve been mean.” 

“How’d you figure it out, Timmy? That’s really impressive,” Dick said, ruffling the kid’s hair. Tim’s blush darkened again. Jason’s grin turned a bit wicked as he nudged the other boy in the ribs.

“When we met, you promised you’d do your quadruple flip just for me, so I recognized the move when Robin performed it a while later.” Dick’s eyes lit up.

“You’re that Tim? I still have the photo of us!” He smiled broadly at the boy, but he was internally fighting back an undercurrent of sadness, thinking of the last picture of his parents, given to him by a small little boy at one of Bruce’s galas, years ago. Tim blushed to the roots of his hair, but his smile never wavered. 

“Timmy’s a genius,” Jason said, grinning widely and slinging an arm around Tim’s bony shoulders. “Ain’t that right?” He asked, and Tim, somehow, managed to get even more flustered. He sputtered out a few unintelligible syllables, and both Jason and Dick broke into a fit of laughter. 

“Hey,” Tim complained, pouting adorably. “Jason’s awesome, too!” 

“I don’t doubt it,” Dick said, grinning. Jason stuck his tongue out at Tim, who just giggled in response. These two kids were adorable, and Dick couldn’t believe Bruce didn’t tell him about them. “I’m gonna go say hi to B, okay? Then maybe we can watch a movie or something.” The boys grinned at him, and Dick wandered up to the study, where Bruce was working on some paperwork for WE.

Dick leaned against the doorframe, tapping his knuckles against the solid oak. Bruce looked up and grinned at him, eyes alight with amusement. He set down his pen and folded his arms atop his desk.

“I take it you met Jason and Tim?” He asked. Dick nodded and moved into the study. He sent an annoyed look at Bruce, but the wide grin on his face diminished the effect.

“You should’ve told me. I would’ve brought presents,” Dick said. “It’s not every day a guy finds out he’s a big brother, after all.” Bruce rolled his eyes, but the fond look on his face didn’t go away. “Seriously though, where on earth did you find those two?”

“Crime Alley,” Bruce replied. “Jason was stealing my tires. Tim tried to stop him at first, but as soon as I showed up, the two of them banded together. They’ve been inseparable since.”

“Sounds like I’m going to have to come home more often,” Dick said. “We’ll be the Terrible Trio, and you’re never going to know a moment of peace ever again.”

“You boys are going to make me go gray far too soon,” Bruce grumbled. He stood, stretching his back as he crossed the room. He patted Dick’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you, son.”

Dick hesitated. Things with Bruce hadn’t been the greatest lately, but he was willing to take the olive branch offered to him. He smiled and pulled Bruce into a hug, and he was fiercely pleased when Bruce relaxed against him. He heard the sound of footsteps bounding up the stairs and stepped back, glancing over his shoulder to see Jason and Tim peering through the doorway. 

“Alfred sent us to check on you,” Jason said. Tim nodded in agreement, like a little shadow. “He said the lack of yelling was suspicious.” 

Dick snorted a laugh, and even Bruce cracked a smile. He waved the boys into the study, and they came trotting in together. Jason flung himself onto the couch, and Tim moved over to Dick, who wrapped an arm around him and dragged him into a hug. Tim smiled up at him, leaning into the warm touch. He sighed a little, resting his cheek against Dick’s shirt.

“He needs lots of hugs,” Jason said sagely, rolling his head to look at them from his spot on the couch. “Like, all the hugs in the world.” 

“I think I can help with that,” Dick said. His heart twisted a little at the sight of the little boy clinging to him, but he resolved to do what he could to be there for him. He seemed too tiny to have such a somber look in his eyes. He hid it well, but Dick could still see the loneliness clinging to him. “Do you two troublemakers want to watch that movie now?”

Jason and Tim both nodded, and Jason leapt up, grabbing Bruce’s hand and dragging him out of the room. Dick laughed at the startled look in his eyes as he was pulled away. He glanced down at Tim, who still had his skinny arms wrapped around Dick’s torso. The boy looked up at him with a sheepish smile. Before he could move away, Dick knelt down to offer him a piggyback ride. Tim climbed up onto his back, clinging to his neck. 

Dick carried Tim down to the theater room and set the boy down on one of the plush couches. He tossed a blanket over Tim’s head, laughing as he struggled to free his arms and face. Dick sat down on Tim’s left, and Jason plopped down on his other side. Tim wrapped the blanket around himself, all but swallowed by the fluffy material. Bruce turned on one of Dick’s old childhood favorites and settled in on one of the squishy armchairs. Dick passed Jason another blanket, taking a moment to steal a corner of Tim’s for himself. Tim curled up next to him, leaning his head against Dick’s arm as the opening credits began to play.

Alfred brought them a bowl of popcorn a few minutes later, smiling fondly at the sight of all four of his boys relaxing together. Dick draped an arm around Tim, and he wasn’t surprised when he realized Jason had already looped his arms around the boy in a side-hug. He also wasn’t surprised when Tim fell asleep halfway through the movie, still draped against Dick’s side. Jason lasted three-quarters of the way through before he fell asleep, too. Bruce and Dick exchanged amused smiles over the heads of the two sleeping boys. Everything felt warm and affectionate and absolutely perfect.

Sure, he hadn’t expected to come home to two little brothers, but Dick wasn’t complaining.

[bigskydreaming]

The really great thing about allowing Dick and Jason to have a good relationship before A Death in the Family IMO, is that it opens up sooooo many more possibilities for AFTER Jason’s return.

For example:

Imagine a scenario where Bruce is gone for a week or so, the ever so useful “there was an offworld mission or something” excuse will do. And during that time, Dick and Jason are patrolling and working together....and they have an encounter with a particularly nasty villain or serial killer or whatever you want to go with. The bottom line is something happens during that particular adventure of theirs that leaves them shaken enough that they agree not to tell Bruce about it (believing the guy is dead or something), and then they try and put it behind them and never speak of it again.

Except then cut to a few years later, after Jason has come back but before he’s reconciled with the family, things are still strained and tense when their paths so much as cross, but with added angst because an actual brotherly bond torn asunder by death, trauma and lots of changes gives you way more fodder to work with IMO than the singular facet of Dick feeling guilty for not knowing Jason better - I mean, you have to at least admit that does limit your options considerably, in terms of their interactions, BUT I DIGRESS.

But anyway, Jason doesn’t have anything against Dick in the way he does against Bruce, other than accepting Tim into the fold (which he does understand in a way, because its not all that different from when Dick accepted him into the family and Robin role despite having plenty of legitimate reasons to be a lot more reticent about that).....but they avoid each other because its just kinda painful, the fact that they don’t KNOW each other anymore, not the way they used to understand each other in ways even Bruce couldn’t always follow or understand. Plus Jason’s attack on Tim, even leaning on the Pit madness as an altered state of mind mitigating circumstance....like, that’s still a hard thing to get past, one brother being like “Hey, lets do movie night tomorrow and totes just skip over the awkwardness of me just coming from hanging out with Tim who still has bandages on account of you trying to kill him the other day”.....its not the easiest thing to navigate, yeah? 

And the fact that while Jason does understand its not fair to expect Dick to have like, iced out this kid he didn’t go seeking out or anything, just for the sake of Jason’s memory.....that understanding comes and goes with how rational or not he’s feeling any particular day, because he GETS it, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it and he is after all only nineteen, and capable of bouts of pettiness, lol.

So even without Dick barely knowing Jason or Jason hating or resenting Dick, there’s still plenty of roadblocks in the way of an easy brotherly reunion, plenty of understandable and valid emotions and priorities and choices that make everything a confusing mess and create conflicts of interest and just a general miasma of uncertainty where its like, even though they miss each other and would love to get back their sibling bond, they don’t even know where to begin trying to go about that, you know? And throw in the state of affairs between Bruce and Jason still, which can be summed up as picture the Cold War, but now when you picture ‘Cold’ think ‘Ice Age’ and you’re almost there.

Like. That is the Mt. Saint Helens of roadblocks right there. A big ass volcano sitting in the middle of the road and just cuz its dormant now doesn’t mean that it couldn’t at any minute erupt and blow its top and destroy everything within a several hundred mile radius, and that’s just before Bruce and Jason REALLY get steamed, like, that’s just their warm-up.

So. Y’know. Difficulties. They abound.

But now throw in secrets from the time before Jason died that only the two of them know and they never told anyone else, and adventures they had when it was just the two of them, Jason visiting Dick in Bludhaven or Dick enabling Jason in playing hooky in Gotham because at that time Dick rotates methods of pissing Bruce off and that’s his go-to move for Tuesdays, and crimes they solved together like Dick was working on an investigation and let Jason weigh in to practice his deductive reasoning without Bruce and thus impress him with how much he’s improved. 

(My personal headcanon of brotherly advice Dick imparts to Jason on how to deal with Bruce is him telling Jason “when dealing with a man who thinks holding impossible expectations IS taking it easy on someone, he doesn’t understand the question, can you repeat it please....like, in that case there’s no shame in stacking the deck a little, whenever that’s possible.’)

Anyway, point being.....all you really need is one singular bad guy that only Dick and Jason faced, together, when they were younger. Someone particularly nasty or sadistic, enough to disturb even them despite how much they’ve seen and lived. And who for whatever reason, both of them believed to be gone for good, maybe they thought he fell off a cliff into a conveniently placed body of water where no body could be found or blah blah blah look you’re smart cookies, you get it.

Take those few simple ingredients, chuck them in a metaphorical bowl and stir them all together and then leave on low heat to simmer.....

And voila. Just like that, you have a ready-made situation that forces Dick and Jason, specifically, to work together despite how tense and fractured things are between them, and needing to find a way to repair their brotherly bond and figure out how to work together the way they used to.......thanks to everyone’s favorite Tropey McTroperson wherein a villain most foul, long believed dead, seems to be back and up to his old villainy.....and only those two who faced him before know how to stop him.....and despite all the reasons they come up with in their heads for why teaming up together now is just a recipe for disaster and doomed to failure, this is on them. 

They were the ones who stopped this guy before, they were the ones who mistakenly believed he was dead and the threat he posed was gone for good.....which makes his dastardly return....dun dun dun.....unfinished business for them. Its personal. 

All the completely valid, well-reasoned and justifiable arguments for why its absolutely bonkers for them to try and make like the Dukes of Hazzard on this case as if they’re not at least a little bit miffed at each other for various things involving killing certain people and not killing certain people and trying to kill certain people and being totally unreasonable about the trying to kill certain people.....none of that is enough to get in the way of them doing their best to put all that aside for now and team up to stop this guy for good, the way they should have the first time.

Because let’s face it. One of the definitive areas of common ground that Dick and Jason share is when things are personal....they take it VERY personally. And when they feel responsible for something, like, you could get God on the phone to personally deliver absolution and assure them it wasn’t their fault, and they’d still be like “LOL yeah, okay, that’s a good one ‘God.’ Didn’t know all-knowing deities could be super hella wrong about things but hey, everyone’s allowed an off day I guess.”

Anyway.

Two brothers estranged due to extreme circumstances, trauma, loss, grief, blame, the completely unreasonable and frankly just rude passage of time, and assorted other reasons ranging from “you stole my favorite weapon-Bruce-definitely-didnt-know-I-had-and-kept-as-a-souvenir when I was fourteen and you STILL haven’t given it back” to “you can’t just shoot someone as your way of ending an uncomfortable conversation, Jason”......

But force them together via external situations or shared goals, and you have the perfect excuse to sidestep a lot of the more impossible to navigate conflicts born of comic book writers who don’t freaking know how to CHILL when piling on the family dysfunction......and engineer a situation where they pretty much HAVE to retrace previous footsteps, comb their memories for every detail they can recall about that case and in the process remember how close they were then, fall back into old patterns and rhythms while working together....and various other things that give you everything you need to transplant them mentally and emotionally to a time before all those conflicts and problems created by other people, not them, when things were....better. 

While through the mere fact they’re successfully able to fall back into old habits and patterns of working together at all.....you can put them face to face with evidence that despite how much they’ve both changed and everything that’s come between them, they are still fundamentally the same people they always were, and the shared experiences and common ground and all of that which enabled them to become brothers in the first place....its all still there, still able to be brought back out and dusted off and then used to forge a new brother bond that takes into account the ways they’ve changed since they last truly knew each other.

And none of that erases or solves the various complications and conflicts and issues that do still exist in the present, because of everything that’s happened in the past few years and the things they’ve all done.....BUT, it allows for Dick and Jason at least to rebuild or find a new, sturdy foundation on which to stand and plant themselves before wading back into all of that.....so at least now they do so with firmer footing, and with a clear direction and goal in mind.....navigating the emotional minefield from their respect opposing sides.....and aiming to meet somewhere in the middle.

And then with one family bond rejuvenated, revitalized and consciously reaffirmed by both of them......then its that much easier to turn their attentions to the rest of the family, one by one, and repair or forge those bonds through a concerted effort....not just Jason on the outside looking in, or members of the family on the inside looking out at him like he’s a poor, lost soul they need to save (I can’t help but picture Jason upchucking at the very thought, eww, how dare they)......but rather, a mix of both. Jason making his way back into the family via walking side by side with an ally on the inside who is still keeping pace with him so they can present a united front while they work towards a common goal they both want.....a family that acts like a family instead of like.....idk, y’know, that thing they act like in the comics that’s called ‘a family’ but also, they all hate each other and wish everyone else would die except for the times when they forget the others even exist at all.

Anyway. That of course, is just one angle that can be taken with them, out of the many possibilities that arise just from letting them have a good relationship before Jason died.....and all the shared history, in-jokes, secrets, camaraderie, grief, etc that comes with that.

My point is just.....I talk a lot rant a lot about the fanon and fic tendency to paint them as having barely known each other back then and with it largely blamed on Dick having been a stand-offish asshole because he has a chip on his shoulder named Bruce and its not a chip at all its actually Mt. Everest, yup, the whole dang mountain, yetis and all.......

And then I kinda just....keep it there on that and how much it bugs, because, y’know. It bugs.

BUT.

In keeping tunnel-vision locked on that and nothing else, I’ve never really expanded on the other byproduct of this fanon tendency that I think is worth considering:

And that’s the fact that this angle, this story? The one where Dick was a douche and Jason doesn’t really like him because of that until Dick apologizes for being a douche back then and begs for a second chance to do better, etc, etc? Its been told. Literally hundreds of fic writers have written that story by this point, and in the process limited...confined themselves, to this one singular possible dynamic between Dick and Jason when the thing is, like....that’s pretty much the ONLY story and angle that can result from Dick and Jason barely having a relationship before he died.....basically just various executions of acknowledging their previous lack of a relationship, assigning blame, making apologies and granting forgiveness, and then from there building a relationship from scratch. 

Obviously, people come up with unique spins on this all the time, I’m not saying the stories that do this are all exactly the same....just that there’s an innate ceiling to that particular premise, because when that specific dynamic of ‘no relationship really existed before’ is your one and only starting point......there’s only so many places you can go from that, and wind up in the present where you then proceed to have them make a relationship for the first time.

BUT. But but but but but.

The second you allow for the possibility that Dick and Jason DID have a relationship before ADITF, and it just happened largely ‘offscreen’ due to the fact that no solo Nightwing or Robin titles existed back then so there was nowhere to showcase just the two of them together......

You open up like.....so many more possibilities and angles and avenues and directions.

Because the thing is, y’know how so many people in fandom pride themselves on not feeling constrained by canon, or better yet, speak fondly about the idea of just taking a flamethrower to the whole damn thing and cackling maniacally while shouting “This one’s for Bruce/Dick/Jason/Tim/Cass/whomever your fave fam member of choice might be”?

Well. I mean. *spreads hands*

The second you flip the switch from “Dick and Jason barely knew each other and mostly didn’t like each other, this is the only canon that exists despite the fact that we just made it up because we could and canon can suck it”.....to.....”Dick and Jason did have a relationship and were close before Jason’s death, its just we never saw it develop on the page due to logistical constraints”......

Suddenly.....you have THREE WHOLE YEARS of possible interaction that you can literally cram full of WHATEVER YOU WANT, and canon can’t say a damn thing about it because its Schrodinger’s Adventures of Nightwing and Little Wing......without any canon viewing point set up to observe these interactions and thus force them into a singular form that you either like or you hate and set on fire.....those Adventures can look like aaaaaaaaaaaanything you want, and canon can kiss your patootie if it doesn’t like it!

Its three whole years of “lost family history” just waiting to be mined for all kinds of treasure, and you can unlock it in any number of ways once Jason returns, to any number of potential end points.

They could have faced villains together just by themselves during that time, they could have teamed up on investigations. They could have had sleepovers, Dick could have helped him cram for tests or covered for him when he just needed to take a mental health day because dealing with Gotham’s upper class can be exhausting and he doesn’t know how to explain that to Bruce in a way that won’t just lead to Bruce saying “I know, I get it, I hate it too” even though the ways in which its exhausting to Bruce and the ways its exhausting to Jason are not the same and not interchangeable.....but he doesn’t have to explain that to Dick, because Dick is closer to an understanding of it, he’s been there for a version of that himself, and they were assholes to him because of his lower class and unorthodox upbringing too.

You could have Jason tagging along on various official or unofficial Titans missions or just meet-ups, the way Jason teamed up with them for the Brother Blood story without Bruce ever knowing. Dick’s kid brother that nobody minded him bringing because they all adored him, and thus just by having him and Dick get along, you open the door to Jason having established dynamics and history with any number of Dick’s friends, allowing for a wide range of potential reactions to Jason and his Red Hood persona after he comes back.

You could have Jason being really invested in his brother’s relationship in Kori because he thinks Kori is just the fucking coolest, or you can have Jason secretly shipping his brother and Babs and thinking they’d be a much better match but keeping quiet about his opinion as long as Dick’s happy with Kori. You could have Jason panicked and turning to Dick for help and advice the first time he asks a date to one of his school’s formal dances, because he’s pretty sure he’d be able to provide actual proof that spontaneous human combustion IS possible, if he had to ask Bruce for romantic advice, like, aside from the fact that he’s seen flies trapped in amber whose relationships appear to advance at a faster pace than Bruce’s does with Selina, that’s his DAD, eww, he can’t ask his DAD to fill him in on what’s normal to expect and likely to be expected of him on this kind of/level of dating, but Dick? He can go to Dick for that, and imagine the adorbs potential. 

And the likelihood of various Titans coming up with the flimsiest of excuses to keep popping into the room in order to spy on the adorbs-ness, and the literal natural disaster that is the combination of Wally, Roy, Garth, Gar and Joey all trying to be ‘helpful’ and offer their own dating tips to Jason, while Donna and Lilith kick back with some popcorn while taking shots at the various boys’ expertise and credentials in this matter, if they’re gonna be offering advice to an impressionable young teen who doesn’t deserve to be saddled with having to learn from THEIR mistakes.

And on and on and on. Three whole years you can fill with any manner of adventures, secrets, shared stories, confessed ambitions and hopes and dreams for the future, commiserating on the parts of growing up in the spotlight in Gotham that Bruce just can’t relate to, sharing things from their pasts that they’ve never even told Bruce about purely because there are some things that are just easier to tell or talk about with a sibling close to your age than to your father.

But you see what I’m saying? Rounding Dick and Jason’s early relationship down to the barest bones until its practically being non-existent......that makes for a paragraph or at most a chapter dedicated to covering that ground, something that everyone pretty much expects to pop up in a story in order to address that history they have, or lack there of. And thus its never really a surprise to see it, there’s not a ton to take away from it, and it oftentimes ends up kinda just being filler despite even the best writers’ best attempts to make it engaging.....because there’s just not a lot to say about a relationship whose defining aspect is it didn’t really exist, and I’m pretty sure most writers would love to simply skip past that entirely and not even bother addressing it because it FEELS like writing filler a lot of times, I imagine. But at the same time, you kinda HAVE to include it and can’t really come up with a way to just leave it out entirely, without having a gaping hole in the meat of your actual story that explains how Dick and Jason got from there to here. Its a part of the story that everybody already knows, or expects.....but still demands being included, because canon just skipped over that entirely so there’s nothing from canon to even reference when shifting Dick and Jason into the kind of dynamic you want them to have or grow after his return.

And so its a paragraph or two paragraphs or a whole chapter that nobody really ever wants to write, because there’s not a whole lot of new ground to cover with it, and its kinda a cause for resentment, being stuck having to include it in every story covering Jason’s return anyway, even though there’s only limited ways you can stretch and exercise your creativity and expand on that particular angle.

But with Dick and Jason having an actual relationship pre-ADITF that is filled with nothing but whatever you choose to fill it with, whenever you feel like delving into it or dusting off an old memory or vacation or want to reveal some long-buried secret only the two of them know.....the sky’s the limit. Instead of that standard stock paragraph/chapter rehashing the take on that particular story that everyone already knows but narrative structure forces everyone to shoehorn in somewhere anyway.....there’s more than enough in those three lost/secret years of family history, especially specific to Dick and Jason, to serve as the basis for entire fics exploring that time, digging up secrets or mysteries that originated in that time, reminiscing about that time or diving back into existing dynamics with people Jason met through Dick during that time without having to write Jason meeting them or only getting to know them for the first time as an adult.

(Omggggggg, imagine a story that’s just Dick and Jason and Uncle Clark, or Dick and Jason and Aunt Diana, and like, Bruce is like I GO OUT OF TOWN FOR ONE NIGHT AND YOU SOMEHOW END UP WITH MY KIDS HELPING YOU FIGHT AN ALIEN/DEMON INVASION ON SOME OTHER PLANET/DIMENSION??? WHAT THE HELL!)

In conclusion, you hate canon and how much it fucks with the Batfamily? Totally with you. But this is the one period in these characters’ lives where canon doesn’t actually weigh you down or cage you in if you don’t want it to....instead it gives you the gift of being whatever the hell you want it to be, just so long as you make sure everyone ends where they need to be by the time ADITF happens. (Assuming you don’t just end up going full AU by that point since there’s no law saying Jason HAS to die or else the DC universe will destabilize and implode in upon itself).

Anyway, I’ve waxed poetic about this long enough, I think, and without a single line of poetry to show for it, but that’s for the best. Me to poetry is like a butcher to a carcass, but only if this particular butcher is very bad at his job and always makes a mess everywhere, and it just never ends well for anybody.

And now, as usual, I end an overly long post that exhausted my brain cells and made me sputter to a stop just before I come up with an ending to the post that actually makes sense and isn’t just me going, hey you know what, maybe there is something to be said after all for the Sopranos’ sty - 

[pocket-luv101]

Summary: Family snow day. (KuroMahi, LawLicht, Tetsono, Jekuni)

“Are you cold, Machi?” Mahiru asked her daughter who was now four years old. She adjusted the scarf around Machi’s neck so she would be warmer. It was December and Hyde invited their friends and family to stay the week of Licht’s birthday. Everyone happily accepted because it was rare that they were able to visit each other after the Greed family moved to Austria. They still remained close though. For their first snow day together, everyone gathered at a local snow hill to go sledding.

“Dad, I want your jacket!” Lucy pulled on Hyde’s sleeve persistently. She was already bundled and warm so he thought that she wanted to be doted on after she saw Mahiru and Machi’s interaction. He took off his jacket despite the cold weather. She beamed happily and hugged the jacket. Hyde started to help her put on the jacket but she ran towards the snow hill with it. She laid his jacket on the snow and sat on it. Too late, he realized she intended to use his jacket like a sled. “Lucy fly!”

“Wait, Lucy!” He screamed and ran after her. She already pushed herself forward and she started to slide down the hill. Hyde threw himself after her and caught her before she could be hurt rolling down the hill. He circled his arms around his daughter and kept her safe. He groaned when they finally stopped at the foot of the hill. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Lucy wanted to go down the hill but Dad ruined it.” She pouted at him and her expression made him chuckle softly. Hyde sat up with Lucy in his arms. He brushed the snow from her hair and looked her over for bruises. His daughter was rather impulsive and he could never predict what she would do next. He loved her imagination though.

“I swear, you’re going to put me in an early grave.” He groaned but then kissed Lucy’s head. Hyde stood up and carried her back up the short hill. Licht was waiting at the top with two steaming cups in her hands. She handed one to each of them and then took Lucy into her arms. With the snow falling around them, Hyde thought they looked like a pair of snow angels.

“You can’t use a jacket as a sled, Lucy. Don’t worry, Uncle Tetsu is carrying them up right now. We can all go sledding soon.” Mahiru stood next to them and pointed to the parking lot where he was unloading the sleds from the car. The children were impatient to play in the snow so they took them to the hill while Tetsu, JeJe and Kuro carried the equipment and toys up the hill.

Misono waved to Tetsu with a smile. In contrast, Mikuni screamed in horror. “What are you doing with Yuu? You’re going to drop him!”

Tetsu had a pile of sleds on his shoulder and at the top was his son. The boy hated walking and he would ride on his father’s shoulder. She could easily see Yuu falling if the pile tilted even slightly. Misono stopped her sister from dashing down the hill. She sighed and said: “Tetsu won’t drop Yuu, Mikuni. Yuu is my son so I don’t know why you’re being so overprotective of him.”

Since their family was overprotective of her and they kept her sheltered, Misono didn’t want to do the same to her son. She also trusted that Tetsu wouldn’t let their son slip. He stopped in front of them and carefully placed the sleds down. She lifted the short boy into her arms and his weight was a blessing to her.

“Papa!” Machi skipped to Kuro who took a sled from the pile. She excitedly hopped in place and he chuckled at her adorable excitement. For an introvert, she had a lot of energy. He laid the sled on the ground and she sat on the front. She patted the spot behind her and cheered: “Giddy up! Giddy up! Papa and Mama sit behind Machi. I wanna steer.”

“Race! I can sled down the hill the fastest! Angel against kitties against crowns.” Lucy was competitive and she pushed her sled next to Machi’s. She looked over her shoulder to Yuu and gestured for him to join the race as well. “Mom, you’re a part of my angel team so sit here. We’re going to win.”

Hyde smiled as he watched the kids play together. They moved to Licht’s childhood home to give their daughter a quaint upbringing. Unfortunately, there weren’t many kids in the neighbourhood for her to play with. She would enter school soon and he hoped she would find a lot of friends.

Machi only wanted to play and she leaned forward. The shifting weight caused her sled to tilt forward and they slid down the hill. She quickly forgot the race and raised her hands into the air with a cheer. She didn’t notice how the sled veered off course slightly. Behind her, Mahiru quickly placed her hand around Machi’s to steer the sled back on course.

“Wee. Let’s do that again, Mama.” Machi requested once they reached the bottom of the hill. She tilted her head back to smile up at her mother. She leaned back a little too much and fell back against her. Mahiru giggled and hugged her tightly. They felt the sled shift as Kuro stood and he took the rope to pull his family back up the hill.

Kuro paused when a sled stopped next to them since Lucy pouted at them. “You cheated by going down the hill before I said ‘go’. I demand a rematch!”

Mahiru pulled a tray of gingerbread men out of the oven and hummed a Christmas song. She felt three pair of eyes on her back and she already knew who were watching her. With a sigh, she turned around and found the kids behind her. She baked the cookies in a secret because she wanted to surprise them. “Shouldn’t you three be playing hide-and-seek?”

“I smelled cookies! Mama bakes the best. Can we have one?” Machi aimed her large, pleading eyes at her mother. Her friends quickly mimicked her and started to pout as well. Mahiru let out a small sigh and she wondered if Kuro or Machi taught them the ‘soothing cat’ technique. She placed the tray on the table before she knelt in front of the children.

“I’m sorry but the cookies are still hot so you can’t eat them yet. After we cool them down, we can decorate the gingerbread men. I even made different shapes like cats, bats and birds.” Mahiru slid the cookies from the tray to a plate. The way her daughter’s expression fell tugged at her heart but she told herself she couldn’t give in. “I promise it’ll only take ten minutes, Sweetie.”

In the corner of her eyes, she saw a tiny hand reach towards the plate. Lucy stood on a chair and stretched towards the gingerbread cookies. Mahiru lifted her off the chair and placed her on the ground. She started to lecture her but then she noticed the mischievous grin Lucy had. “The distraction worked! Escape with our prize, Yuu.”

“Don’t say that before I run away!” Yuu yelled. He jumped off the table and ran out of the kitchen. She let out a small groan and followed him down the hall. As she walked out, she spotted Kuro frantically searching through the living room. She caught his attention by calling his name. From his worried his expression, she knew he was searching for the kids.

“Mahiru, please tell me you know where Machi is hiding. We were playing hide-and-seek but I can’t find any of the kids anywhere. This is her first time outside of Japan and I don’t know where she could be. What if she’s lost?” He asked and ran his hand through his hair. Kuro had searched the entire house for them but he couldn’t find them. Snow was falling heavily out the window so he doubted they went outside.

“They stopped playing hide-and-seek a while ago but they didn’t tell you. But we still have to find them. They smelled the cookies I was baking and stole a plate of them. They should know they can’t have sweets before dinner but kids are kids.” She giggled softly. “Where do you think they went?”

“What are you three doing in here?” Mikuni was surprised when she found the three children in her room. There was a plate on the ground but only crumbs remained on it. She recalled that Mahiru told them that she wanted to make gingerbread cookies and she could easily picture what happened. “Your parents are going to be very upset with you three.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Lucy said. “Yuu is Auntie Mikuni’s favourite person in the world and you can never be angry with him. You won’t tell our parents were here. Lucy is a smart angel!”

“It looks like you take after your demon father even though you claim to be an angel.” Mikuni muttered to herself. She was certain Licht would be angry if she heard her comment. Lucy was slightly right though. She adored Yuu as if he was her own son. She sat in front of her suitcase and pulled out a few jackets.

Mikuni held up a cape and said: “Since you’re going to hide in my room, you three can help me. I’ve been working on these capes and jackets for you three but I was worried they wouldn’t fit. Try them on. Here, Machi, this one has little kitty ears on the hood. This one is yours, Lucy. You three have to sit in your chairs patiently while I adjust these to fit you better.”

“My plan backfired.” Lucy whined. She hated having to sit for long periods of time. She folded her arms and pouted at her aunt.

“It’s okay. Machi likes to help Mikuni make presents for my cousins. Mama and Papa that it’s nice to be helpful.” Machi grabbed the blue cape. “I don’t know how to sew but I can help you!”

Mikuni nodded and patted her head. She noticed that Yuu was quiet and took out a purple jacket. After she helped him put it on, he patted the hood. He frowned slightly and whispered. “Machi is a kitty. Lucy is an angel. What is Yuu? Mother and Father don’t call me by a nickname like that.”

“That’s true but they do think of you as something irreplaceable and special. You’re their tiny miracle.” Mikuni knew that the pregnancy was difficult for her little sister but she persevered through the fatigue and morning sickness. She cupped his face and smiled down at him. “I think you’re going to get a special nickname soon. How do you feel about being a big brother?”

“I’m going to get a baby brother?” His eyes widened.

“Almost.” She giggled and placed her hands on her stomach. “I’m going to have a baby. I hope you two will be as close as siblings. But you can’t tell Uncle JeJe yet. The announcement will be his Christmas gift.”

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: The Christmas Chronicles

Hi Everyone, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Where We Are Continuing Duke's Yultide Reviews...

And On Today's Show, We're Looking At Last Year's Gift To Us From Netflix, The Christmas Chronicles...

This Film Follows 2 Siblings Named Teddy And Kate Pierce Who Hatch A Scheme To Capture Santa Claus On Christmas Eve. But When Their Plan Goes Awry, The Kids Join Forces With Jolly Old Saint Nick (Played By Kurt Russell) And His Elves To Save Christmas Before It Is Too Late, Will They Succeed?

Let's Find Out As We Watch The Christmas Chronicles...

The Film Starts With Videos Of The Pierce Family Celebrating Christmas But That Was Then And This Is Now, As We See That The Youngest Of The Family, Katie Is Watching The Tapes While She Looks For A New One So She Can Send A Video Letter To Santa Claus...

But While Katie Makes Her Video, Her Brother Teddy Hits Her In The Head With A Shoe So He Can Take The Camera From Her, Saying That She Can't Believe That She's Making A Video Letter To Santa Claus As She's 11 Years Old Which Leads Teddy To Try To Tell Her That There Is No Santa Claus But Despite Being A Jerk, Teddy Decides To Instead Just Say That There's No Chance That Santa Will Watch Her Video As He Only Reads Handwritten Letters In The Mail...

Yeah, Katie, With The Way You're Going You're Going To Put S.D. Kruger Out Of A Job...

Look At That Happy Face! Do You Really Want To Make Him Sad By Making Him Obsolete, Of Course Not...

Going To Meet His Friends, Katie Tells Teddy That She's Coming With As He's Supposed To Be Watching Her But Instead He Dumps All Of The Fish Food Inside Of Her Fish Tank In An Attempt To Get Away...

Managing To Save Her Fish (I Guess, I Would Think That Getting Them Into Cups Of Water Would Take Longer Than That) Katie Follows Teddy To See Him And His Friends Carjacking A Car...

Confronting Teddy On It When He Gets Home, It Leads To A Fight Between The 2 That Knocks Over Their Family Picture And Their Christmas Tree But When Their Mother (Played By Father Of The Bride's Kimberly Williams Paisley) Returns Home Asking What Happened, Kate (While Telling The Truth At First) Lies For Teddy Saying That Teddy Pushed Her Into The Wall Knocking Over The Picture...

Mad At Her Kids For Not Getting Along, She Tells Teddy To Put Up The Tree And To Decorate It As Their Father Would Have Decorated By Now...

Yep, We're Going With The Old Father Figure Is Dead And Everyone Is Handling It Badly Routine..

Decorating Cookies With Kate, Mom Gets An Emergency Phone Call Telling Her That She Has To Handle The Night Shift At Her Job At The Hospital, Forcing Teddy To Babysit Kate For The Night...

Going Up To His Room For The Night, Kate Asks For Him To Do Something Together With Her Since It's Christmas Eve And Ever Since Their Dad Died, All He Wants To Do Is Hang Out With His Friends Instead Of Her, But Comparing Her To A Boring Slug, Teddy Goes To His Room...

Watching Christmas Videos After The Cookies Are Done, Kate Notices A Hand In A Red Coat In The Picture That Katie Believes To Be Santa Claus...

Showing Teddy The Video, He Considers The Possibilities While Kate Already Has Goosebumps. Suggesting That They Make A Video, Teddy Is Like People Have Tried This Before What Makes You Any Different Than Them? And Despite Having Proof, Teddy Says No...

However, Kate Tells Teddy That If He Helps Her Pull It Off, She'll Give Him The Tape Of Him And His Friends Carjacking The Car And She Won't Say Anything To Mom As Swears On An Award Their Dad Won...

So, Setting Up Traps Like Home Alone Because The Guy That Directed That Directed This Movie Which Means We Got To Have This Music Playing...

Setting Out The Milk And Cookies, They Hide In And Eat Junk Food In An Attempt To Stay Awake, But Eventually They Fall Asleep Which Is When Everything Happens...

With Their Trap Springing, A Bell Wakes Up Kate Who Sees Santa And Wales Up Teddy Who Hears Santa On The Roof, Grabbing The Camera, Teddy And Kate See Santa Going From Roof To Roof And House To House As Follow Him To An Alley Where They Find The Sleigh...

Whoa, Is Right, Keanu...

Climbing Trucks, Buildings And Lightpoles To Get A Good Look At The Sleigh, Kate Ends Up Jumping In With Teddy Right Behind Her But Before They Can Get A Good Look At The Cockpit, Santa Finishes Up And The Sleigh Flies Off...

With Teddy Getting A Good Look At The Front Of The Sleigh, Kate Eventually Gets Cold...

And At That Height, It's No Wonder She Does...

Teddy Looks For A Blanket But Not Able To Wait Kate Goes To Ask Santa, Scaring Him And Causing The Sleigh To Go Off Course...

Going Higher, Kate Falls From The Sleigh But Luckily Teddy And Santa Are Able To Save Kate But In Doing So, They Get In The Way Of An Airplane Which Scares The Reindeer As They Enter Some Sort Of Hyperdrive Which Is Awesome But Once They Get Out Of Hyperdrive Mode, Santa Loses His Hat, The Presents And The Reindeer...

Crash Landing In Chicago, Santa Tells The 2 Kids That They Really Have Messed Things Up Stating That If He's Not Up And Running Within A Few Hours, The World Will Face Another Dark Ages...

Going For A Jingle Bell In The Sleigh, Which Will Lead Santa To His Presents, But As He Goes Find It The Magical Way, Santa Finds That He Doesn't Have His Magic As All Of It Was Inside Of His Hat...

Realizing That He Has To Do This The Normal Way, Santa Tells Teddy And Kate To Head Home (They're In Chicago How Are They Going To Get Home Without You?) And Not Bother Getting Up Early In The Morning As They're On The Naughty List For Life (That's Fine, But You Already Delievered Their Presents, Dummy)

Realizing That They Caused This, So, They Have To Help Santa To Make It Right, Santa Let's Them Come With Despite Being Pissed At Them...

Entering A Restaurant Called Nick's Place, Santa Tries To Get Enough Money From The Patrons So He Can Call A Taxi, But When Teddy Notices One Of Them, Dialing 911, He Gets Santa Out Of There...

However, With Christmas Spirit Down 35%, They Still Need A Ride So, Teddy Decides To Steal Some Car Keys From A Valet. Despite Santa And Kate Believing That That's Not A Good Idea, Teddy Reminds Santa That With Christmas On The Line Now's Not A Time To Be Picky Especially When Santa Breaks Into Houses To Deliver Gifts Every December 24th...

Plus, They're Not Really Breaking The Law As The Car's Already Stolen And When They're Done With It They'll Turn It Into The Police. Getting In The Car, They Drive Off In It...

Going Through All The Junk In The Car, Santa Turns The Car Radio Into A Police Band Reciever To Discover If Anyone Has Called The Police Yet And Turns Out They Have However They Also Also Hear About A Reindeer Sighting On Michigan Avenue...

Arriving On Michigan Avenue, Teddy Slows Down The Car So Santa Can Attempt To Call His Reindeer But When Kate Spots Them They Head Down The Street Where Kate Saw Them Only To Lose Them Again And With Police Approaching They Need To Hurry...

Santa Tells Katie To Go After The Reindeer While Teddy And Him Keep The Police Distracted, Which They Do By Driving All Over The City. Eventually Finding The Reindeer, Kate Gives Comet A Candy Cane Which Makes Him Trust Her Enough To Take Him And The Other Reindeer To See Santa...

Chasing The Police Around Chicago, Teddy And Santa Nearly Crash Into A Car Which Leads Them Jump Into A Snowbank...

Getting Out Of The Car, Teddy And Santa Try Explaining The Situation To The Officers But With What They're Saying To The Officers, Santa And Teddy May As Well Be Telling Them, Go Ahead, Arrest Us!

Which Is Exactly What They Do With Santa, However When Kate Shows Up With The Reindeer, Santa Gives Teddy The Jingle Bell That Locates His Sack And Manages To Get Away From The Cops By Hopping On One Of The Reindeer...

Dumping The Reindeer At A Christmas Tree Lot, They Head For A Church Where Teddy And Kate Hear Their Dad's Favorite Christmas Song Which Happens To Be My Mom's Favorite Christmas Song...

(Just Kidding, She Hates This Song, Love You Mom)

This Leads To A Tender Moment Between The 2 Siblings Where We Discover The Reason Teddy Is Acting Like A Jerk Is Because He's Mad At His Father For Dying And He Thinks That If His Father Could See Him Now He Wouldn't Like The Man That He's Become...

But Kate Tells Him That He's Not An Awful Brother And That Their Dad Wouldn't Be Disappointed In Him Because She Sees Him All The Time In Teddy...

Or In Other Words...

With The Bell Beeping More Frequently, The Kids Continue Their Quest While Santa Is Being Questioned By One Of The Officers Who Still Doesn't Believe Santa But Giving The Officer Gifts He Wanted Since He Was A Boy, The Officer Starts Questioning Things After Realizing That Frisked Santa On The Way In So There's No Way That He Stole Those Items...

With The Officer Telling Santa To Stop, Santa Instead Gets To What Dave Wants This Year Which Is To Get Back Together With His Ex-Wife, Freaking Out Over How Santa Knows This, Santa Says That It Doesn't Matter But All He Needs To Do Is Just Give Her A Call....

Doubting Everything That He Has Seen, The Officer Reminds Santa Of The Charges That He's Accused Of Which Leads Santa To Tell The Officer That By Tomorrow They'll Seem Like Nothing As Christmas Spirit Is Down To 31% Now And If He Doesn't Get Moving All Of Chicago Will Look Like The Purge Movies And The Police Will Have Their Hands Full...

But With The Officer Believing Him To Be Some Kind Of Con Man, He Locks Santa Inside Of A Cell With A Bunch Of Other Criminals...

Meanwhile, Teddy And Kate Locate The Bag In A Tree And Manage To Get It Out Of The Tree, Looking For Elves Inside Of The Bag, Kate Goes Inside Of It Only To Disappear. In An Attempt To Look For Kate, Teddy Gets Kidnapped By 3 Hoods Who Take The Bag...

While Inside Of The Bag, Kate Finds One Of The Elves Who Leads Her Into This Vortex Of Presents...

Which Eventually Takes Her To The North Pole..

While Looking Around The North Pole, Kate Decides To Look At Santa's Many Letters From Kids All Over The World To Look At Teddy's Many Letters To Santa Claus Only To Discover That Teddy Wrote One This Year Asking Santa If He Can Let Him See His Father One Last Time...

But Before We Discover The Reason Why, Kate Sees One Of The Elves Walk Past To Go And Hide, Eventually Finding Him, Kate Introduces Herself To Him And The Other Elves Who She Eventually Finds Saying That Santa Sent Her But The Elves Don't Believe Kate And They Tie Her Up With Lights...

Telling The Head Elf (Who Looks Nothing Like David Krumholtz) Everything, They Take Kate To A Book To Show Kate That She Comes From A Long Line Of True Believers...

And The Elves Are Like...

And They Release Her....

Back At The Police Station, The Police Station Starts Filling Up As The Officer's Partner Tells Him That It's Never This Busy On Christmas Eve, Which Has The Officer Realizing That Santa Warned Him About This...

While In Jail, Santa Discovers That Christmas Spirit Is Down To 19% So, He Decides To Try And Raise It By Livening Up A Little Bit Of The Spirit With Help Of The Convicts Inside Of The Jail Cell With Him...

Back In The Car Of The Hoods, They Take Teddy To Their Boss Who Goes Through Santa's Sack Only To Get A Lump Of Coal, The Hoods Do The Same And Get The Same Thing. Believing The Sack To Be Useless,The Hoods Boss Attempts To Burn The Sack...

But When Teddy Goes To Save It, The Hoods Grab Teddy So Their Boss Could Tell Them To Kill Teddy, However, As They Attempt To Do That The Elves Spring From The Sack And Attack Them...

(Man) Retreat!

Spotting Teddy Who Hid During The Attack, The Elves Attempt To Attack Teddy (Believing That He's One Of The Gang Members) But Luckily Kate Pops Up And Tells The Elves To Stop Before Teddy Is Sliced In Half By A Mini Chainsaw...

Realizing That The Sleigh Is Still Broken, They Ask The Elves To Fix It While Santa Settles Things With The Officer, Who Gets A Call From His Ex-Wife Who Wants To Get Back Together With Him...

Breaking Santa Out Of Jail, The Elves Give Him A New Hat, Courtesy Of Mrs. Claus And So, The Officer's Permission, Up The Chimney He Goes...

With Everything Back On Track, Christmas Seems To Be Back On, However, While Being In Jail, Santa Lost Track Of Time And They Now Have Less Than An Hour Before Sunrise...

Completely Hopeless, Teddy Tells Santa That That They Started This And They're Going To Finish It And While He May Not Know How Things Are Done At The North Pole, A Pierce Always Sees Things Through...

Admiring Teddy's Passion, Santa Still Hasn't Cut It This Close In Forever And Has No Clue How They're Going To Pull This Off, Suggesting That If They Work Together They Might Be Able To. Never Having Human Helpers In The Sleigh Before, Santa Realizes That With Only A Little Bit Of North America Left, They Just Might Be Able To Pull It Off...

With Kate In Charge Of Chucking Out The Presents For Santa To Deliver And Teddy In Charge Of Driving The Sleigh, Santa Starts Delivering Toys From House To House And State To State...

With Time Getting Tight, Santa Asks Kate To Ask The Elves To Help Him...

Missing One Present, They Have Less Than 9 Minutes To Get It There...

Managing To Get It There Only Three Seconds Left, Christmas Is Saved With All The Presents Delivered And Christmas Spirit At 95%...

Taking Teddy And Kate Home, They Ask Santa If They'll Ever See Him Again, Santa Tells Them Most Likely No, But If He Ever Needs 2 Helpers He Knows Where To Find The Best Helpers He's Ever Had..

But Before He Goes, Santa Gives Teddy His Hat, Saying That He Doesn't Need It Because He's Santa Claus...

Hoping On Board The Sleigh, Santa Leaves Just As Their Mom Pulls Up....

Going Inside, They Find The Place Completely Decorated The Exact Way Their Father Decorated It...

Opening Presents, They Get Their Usual Ugly Sweaters From Their Aunt Peggy Before Kate Discovers A Gift To Teddy From Santa, Opening It He Finds A Letter That Says "Dear Teddy, I Got Your Letter. I'm Sorry, I Don't Have The Power To Grant Your Wish But This Was The Best I Could Do, Santa"...

Opening It To Discover An Ornament, Teddy Places It On The Tree, And The Magic Within The Ornament Shows Teddy, His Father Who Says He's Proud Of Him...

Back At The North Pole, Santa Adds Teddy's Name To The Pierce Tree Of True Believers As Mrs. Claus (Played By Goldie Hawn) Comes In With Wood For The Fire While Talking With Santa About Last Night...

And That's The Christmas Chronicles And Why Has This Not Been Released On DVD Or Blu-Ray?

This Film Is A Holiday Classic In The Making And Is Honestly A Good Movie, The Story Is Good, The Cast Is Good, The Elves Are Cute, The Effects Were Awesome It Is Defiantly Worth A Watch And I Say See It...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[lurafita]

Petvengers Chapter 3

Read chapter 1 here: Chappy 1

Read chapter 2 here: Chappy 2

:-) Guess now what kind of animal Stephen gets, and see if you guessed right later in the chapter! Cookies for everyone who knows who Detective Davis is. :-)

To stave off any confusion that might come, MJ's parents are divorced, and Michelle has no blood-related siblings. *Insert name here* has no blood-related siblings, and his mother died.

Regarding the pet introduced in this chapter, please remember that this is a fanfic. I therefore take some liberties with the laws on which animals can and can not be held as pets. 

Dr Strange

America may be the land of the free, but it was sadly not the land of good tea. Not if you asked one Dr. Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts.

He could have sworn he still had a stash of the fine leaves he had brought back from his last visit to Kathmandu, but he hadn't been able to find it anywhere. His quest to find a vendor that sold decent tea, had taken him almost all the way to the ends of Manhattan, but at least he now had something to tide him over with, until the next time he was due to visit the monastery. If it weren't for the almost unbearable summer heat outside, the trip might not have been so bad.

Since he was in his civilian clothes, he headed for the nearest alley to open a portal to the Sanctum. No need to draw attention to himself, after all. He wasn't Stark.

He had barely stepped foot into his home, when he heard the voice of the boy, Peter, coming from the sitting room.

"-which is why MJ is currently getting ready for a 'get to know you' dinner with her possible new stepfather and brother. Ned and I researched the guy beforehand, of course, but he checked out. He is a police detective with the Brooklyn devision, and so far we haven't found anything that would point at him being dirty or the likes. No shady connections to the Mob, no underhanded courtroom deals, no crooks or witnesses that vanished under suspicious circumstances while connected to any of his cases, and no secret Swiss bank accounts."

Stephen could only shake his head at what he heard, even as a fond, little smile stole itself across his lips. Kid was watching too much TV. It seemed Wong shared this perspective, as he could hear the other man next.

"While your devotion to assure your friends safety is admirable, don't you think that hacking into the police stations database is taking things a little far?"

How Wong could say something like this, and still sound completely relaxed, was a mystery to Strange. He himself was contemplating to inform Stark of his ward's latest shenanigans, so that the man could perform some damage control.

"One can never be too certain. But don't worry, we made up for the hacking by strengthening the departments firewall. Their data was almost as easy to get to as the hospitals. I actually think I met Detective Davis as Spiderman once, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy. I'm not actually too worried, but I will be keeping an eye on things."

By then Stephen had made his way to the room, where Peter and Wong were talking, both had a glass filled with cold water before them on the table, while the Cloak of Levitation had draped itself beside the teenager on the couch, apparently listening in on the conversation as well.

"As long as you don't commit any more felonies while 'keeping an eye on things', Spiderman, that's perfectly alright."

The boy immediately grinned at him.

"What's up, Doc?"

Stephen sighed. Sometimes he really despised Bugs Bunny. Wong nodded at him in greeting and the Cloak fluttered one of it's corners, which was it's way of waving hello.

He continued on to the connecting kitchen, and started boiling the water in his teapot.

"What brings you here, Peter? And how come your canine companion isn't with you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Peter pout.

"It's too hot for Hope. We went for a walk yesterday morning, and he burned his paws on the asphalt. Colonel, too. Tony sectioned off a few yards behind the tower, and had a company deliver some soil and fast growing grass seeds. And pavilions for some shadow. So any outside activities for the animals are restricted to the new backyard, until this heatwave passes. But it's just as well, because Arthur is still getting used to his new leg Dad and Bruce built him, and he still needs to take things slow. And Eames can more easily stretch his wings there, without bumping into anything and having to maneuver around walls and stuff."

Stephen, thanks to Wong, knew all about the little arachnids efforts to turn Stark tower into a zoo, and could deduce that Colonel, who had also burned his paws, was one of the pets that Peter had coerced someone into adopting. 'Eames', likewise, must be an avian type of animal that now belonged to one of the Avengers. But he had no idea who or what 'Arthur' could be.

"Arthur? Did the Avengers get a new member?"

To his surprise, Wong answered the question.

"Arthur is Sergeant Barnes adopted, young raccoon, who lost his hind leg to a hunter trap. He is very cute. Peter sent me pictures."

Said teen scowled at the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Which you would have gotten, too, if you finally accepted my friends request on Whatsapp."

Thankfully that's when the kettle let out a shrill whistle, and Stephen could finally start brewing himself a cup. He would not be able to get through what was to follow, without a nice cup of tea.

"Peter, you have my number for emergencies and other important things, not to spam my phone with pictures of every cute, little critter you come across. I remember the day you adopted Hope. Wong's phone vibrated so much with received messages from you, it fell off the table. Also, I don't have Whatsapp."

Completely ignoring everything else the man had said, Peter zeroed in on that last statement.

"What about twitter?"

"No."

"Instagram?"

"No."

"Tumblr?"

"I don't even know what that is."

"You gotta have Facebook at least! Even Steve has a Facebook page, and he uses a flip-phone!"

"Definitely not."

Peter, seemingly beyond shocked, turned to the older monk beside him.

"How do you live with him?"

Wong sighed, shook his head, and took a sip of his water.

"'Tis the cross I must bear."

Thank the Ancient One that his tea was done! He took a long drink, disregarding the scalding temperature, and sighed in relief. Better.

"Why don't we get back to my first question, shall we? What brings you here, Peter? Do the Avengers need assistance?"

Peter grinned and dove for his backpack.

"Nope! I just brought over the next part of the Harry Potter movies for Cloakie!"

He quickly yanked the movie disk out of his backpack and held it aloft triumphantly. And then the Cloak of Levitation, an ancient, magical, powerful artifact, that was revered by many, fluttered in absolute excitement and tackled the teenager in a hug, while also grabbing the movie.

Peter laughed, Wong smiled, and Stephen resisted the urge to burrow his head in his hands, and instead took another sip of his tea.

After he had managed to untangle himself from Cloakie, Peter downed the rest of his water, thanked Wong for the beverage, and stood up.

"Alright! I should be on my way now."

"Do you want me to open a portal into the tower?" Stephen offered, remembering the sweltering heat outside. Peter shook his head.

"Thanks, but I wanted to fit in a little patrol before going back. Though I don't expect a lot to be going on, with the temperatures outside. Thank God the suit has air conditioning. Bye Doc, bye Wong, bye Cloakie!"

Two "Bye Peter"'s and a full body flutter from the Cloak, and the young superhero was gone. With the closing of the front door, Strange sat down on one of the couches and relaxed. He liked Peter a lot, but the boy could be a bit taxing at times. As he drank his tea and watched the Cloak fly off in search of his laptop to watch it's new Harry Potter movie, he never noticed the deeply amused, knowing and conspiratorial little grin Wong was wearing.

                    -------------------------------------------------------------

"So, MJ said the dinner went really well. She likes the guy, said she had a good feeling about him."

Ned told Bethany, the shelter worker who had been there when Michelle and Peter had guided Sam and Bucky into pet adoption. Peter had boosted himself up on the reception counter, and was carefully stroking the soft feathers of the big snow owl perched on his arm. While Bethany wouldn't normally allow a visitor to have one of the animals in the open like this, and in the buildings lobby to boot, she had made an exception for Peter. Not only was the boy extraordinarily good with handling the animals, he had also needed a little pick-me-up, seeing as the persisting hot weather had not allowed for his dog to accompany him to the shelter.

Peter added his own little tid-bits.

"The son had apparently been a bit quiet, but she said he seemed very sweet."

Bethany nodded.

"Well, I believe anyone would feel a little awkward, meeting their father's new girlfriend, and girlfriend's daughter. How old did you say the boy was?"

Since Peter was very busy smiling over the cute faces the owl was making as he pet it, Ned answered the question.

"11. Though MJ did get him to talk a bit about hobbies and stuff. She said he has a real interest in art, especially graffiti painting."

Peter chimed in then.

"Which means he and MJ will have plenty to bond over. Hopefully she doesn't make him take up her 'painting people in distress' thing. Otherwise my frowning face will likely be the first of many, to one day appear on walls all over the city."

Ned paled visibly.

"Dude, that's horrifying."

Bethany laughed softly.

"Now, now boys. You shouldn't fret about things like that. My wife always says that artists carry old souls. Anything they draw, is worth drawing. Even a frowning face."

She winked at Peter. Bethany was totally cool. She was 58 years old and had been together with her wife since they were both 20. When America finally lifted the ban on gay marriage, they had been one of the first same-sex couples to tie the knot in 2015. Peter opened his mouth to reply, when his ears picked up the distant (though rapidly closing in) sounds of screaming and cursing. He grinned.

"Ned, get your camera ready. Operation: Harry Potter, is about to begin."

The other boy obediently pointed his camera towards the entrance, and before Bethany could ask what the boys were talking about, she heard a male voice screaming at someone or something to: "Stop it, goddammit! You insufferable piece of magical cloth! If you don't let me down this instance-"

And then suddenly the doors burst open and what looked to be a man, swaddled in... a red cape?.. came literally flying in.

Peter jumped from the counter (carefully though, so as not to unsettle the owl still perched on his arm), and took a few steps forward.

"Cloakie, you made it!"

Then the cape seemingly unraveled itself from the man (giving the poor guy quite the spin in the process), and came floating over to the teen and owl.

While Bethany was still trying to cope with the fact that there was an apparently living article of clothing, hovering in front of Peter and seemingly ogling the owl (which ogled back just as much), the man the cape had dragged into the shelter (and boy, that was definitely a line of thought she never expected to have) was slowly getting his bearings again. Then he pinned a very pointed gaze at the two teenagers, and made a notable effort to keep his voice calm.

"Peter. Ned. Would it be correct for me to assume, that you are to blame for my unwilling journey through the streets of Manhattan?"

As Ned tried to shrink back behind his camera (that he still kept resolutely focused on the sorcerer), Peter just grinned brightly at the man.

"Absolutely. Very astute of you. Guess that's why you are the Sorcerer Supreme."

 (Oh, so that was that magical superhero that her wife had told her about. Really, her love was such a fangirl where New York's hero community was concerned. Well, at least that entrance made sense now.)

The man, (Dr. Strange, if Bethany remembered correctly), narrowed his eyes at the teen.

"And for what possible reason, do you require my presence?"

Cloakie had extended one of it's corners to lightly pet the white owl on the head. The owl seemed to like it.

"We need a designated adult to sign the adoption papers for Hedwig. She is a 9 year old snow owl. Her owner was a huge Harry Potter fan, which is why he named her Hedwig. He sadly died in an accident not too long ago, and his remaining family didn't have the kind of space to take Hedwig in."

The eyes narrowed further.

"If you want to adopt another pet, then get your aunt or Stark to sign the forms."

Peter shook his head.

"But Hedwig isn't for me."

Bethany looked on intrigued as suspicion formed in the sorcerer's eyes.

"Peter, I'm not getting a pet."

The teen rolled his eyes.

"I know. Hedwig isn't for you, either. She is for Cloakie!"

As if to underline his point, he lifted the arm with the owl a bit, drawing all eyes to the way the Cloak of Levitation cooed (could a cloak coo?) at Hedwig.

The look on the doctor's face right then, was one that Bethany had seen many times on her sister in law, when she had to explain to her 4 year old daughter why she only got one birthday every year.

"Kid, the Cloak of Levitation may be a sentient being with it's own will, but it cannot adopt an animal."

Peter gave the man the most deadpan look that Bethany had ever seen him make.

"I. Know. Which is why we need you to sign the paperwork. Didn't I say that? I thought I said that."

He looked questioningly at Cloakie, who nodded in agreement, and then went right back to petting the owl.

Stephen decided not to suffer any more of this lunacy, and waved his hands to open a portal to the Sanctum. Before he was able to fully step through, however, the Cloak had settled around his shoulders and dragged him back into the shelter's lobby. He directed his stern gaze at the Cloak.

"I don't care how much you love Harry Potter, you will not keep an owl in the Sanctum."

The Cloak folded both of it's lower ends together, in an imitation of a human folding their arms over their chest. Stephen pointed a finger right at it.

"Don't give me that look. We are not taking that owl home, and that is final."

Hedwig, (with a little whispered encouragement from Peter), took matters into her own hands (claws? Wings?) and gave the teen an affectionate headbutt, before flying off his arm and right through the still open portal, into the Sanctum. While Stephen was still trying to process this fully, his magical cloak fluttered in excitement and dove right after it's owl. The portal closed right behind them. Stephen stared.

Before he had the chance to chase after his wayward magical artifact, Peter was suddenly before him, shoving a bunch of papers and a pen into his chest.

"Great, doc! I knew you would come around, though there was really no need to get Hedwig to your home in such a rush! Now, let's just quickly take care of the formalities. You wouldn't want Bethany to think that you were kidnapping her animals, right?"

The wide, brown eyes looked meaningfully first at him, then at the older woman behind the counter, then at a still filming Ned.

Master of the mystic arts, Sorcerer Supreme, protector of the magical realms, Doctor Stephen Strange, let out a long suffering sigh, and grabbed for the adoption forms.

                       -----------------------------------------------------

When roughly twenty minutes later, a portal opened up in the sitting room of the Sanctum Sanctorum, through which stepped a thoroughly annoyed Stephen, Wong was already prepared with a cup of steaming tea.

"The Cloak and Hedwig are in the upper level, playing a game of tag." He quickly handed the cup over, completely ignoring the calculating eyes his friend was bestowing him with. "I have already placed different perches for our new roommate all over the house. The special bird feed is in the kitchen."

Then the older monk calmly sat down in his armchair, and resumed reading the thick tome of incantations before him.

"You were in on this, weren't you?"

Wong casually turned a page.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Stephen swore loudly, took a sip of his tea, and vowed to find a way to get revenge.

[harrieatthemet]

Holiday: Ch. 7 ;)

A/N: You guys............... I wrote this and it still makes me scream. FUCKING ENJOY. 

Though Christmas was always one of my favorite holidays, Harry had always favored it a little bit more. Nothing put a bigger smile on his face than waking up just before the sun, traipsing downstairs and taking a seat on the floor next to the kids. His eyes would dance as the kids tore off the wrapping paper, eager to see their new toys. The rush they got and the excitement painted on their faces was enough to make Harry’s heart feel like it could burst. Though he traveled and hadn’t been around much, there wasn’t anyone in the world who could get him to smile quite like his kids. 

“Please Santa don’t forget my polly pockets, cos those are my best toys.” Penelope whispered to herself, pressing the crayon down on the paper as she finished her Christmas list. 

She squirmed in her seat, half dancing to the low toned Christmas music Harry had put on loop for majority of the day, and partly because she was working herself up thinking about all the presents she’d be receiving tomorrow. I was elbow deep in sugar cookie dough before Brayden came barreling in, tracking snow with his damp sneakers as his clothes were dripping wet. His chocolate colored hair was drenched, cheeks a light pink from the bitter air outside as he sported a smile that ran from ear to ear. 

“You’re soaked!” I laughed, grabbing a towel off a chair before waltzing over to wrap him up.

“Dad and I,” He panted, out of breath and excited, “he asked me to help him outside and when I got there he threw me! He actually threw me, mom, into the snow. And we played in it, in the snow with our clothes on.” 

Just then Harry came trudging in, dripping wet as well as he shook out the excess water from his hair. He, too, was smiling wide as he came into the kitchen. Brayden was hysterical laughing, which evoked Penelope to laugh too even though she didn’t know what she was laughing at. As Brayden warmed himself up in his towel, wrapping it around his upper half, Harry brought his hands to the bottom hem of his shirt. Slowly, he peeled it off his body like it was a sticker, heading towards the sink to wring out all the snow that had dampened it. I was quick to look away, but not before staring long enough to keep a fresh picture in my head. All the tattoos that were plastered on his chest, the butterfly on his upper belly moving as he laughed at Penelope who giggled at her daddy, sent a familiar chill down my spine. Every few seconds I stole a quick look, gnawing at the inside of my cheek as his back muscles flexed each time he gave his wet shirt a good tug. I was doing my best to keep my focus on Brayden, rubbing a dishtowel on his hair to help aid the drying process. 

“Mind drying this f’me?” Harry appeared in front of me, torso a little damp from his wet shirt that he extended out towards me.

His smirk was devilish, his eyes twinkling a little as he waited for me to form a word. I knew what he was doing, because this was straight out of his playbook. Going back as far as 10 years ago, he always had to get what he wanted and would go by any means to get it. The innocent flirting, the harmless teasing, it was all a familiar trick to me. He had even done it when we first met, at that dingy bar in downtown New York. I didn’t take to him at first, and whined to our mutual friends that I found him to be egotistical and a little full of himself. But, he didn’t let up, and practically jumped through hoops just to get me to agree to a date. And during fights, he’d ‘accidentally’ forget to put a shirt on, or he’d ‘accidentally’ brush up against me with his body or his arm. But, I never said I didn’t enjoy the subtle teasing. 

“Give it.” I stated simple, reaching out my hand so he could place the shirt in it.

“Soaked, isn’t it?” He shot me a wry smile, Brayden standing between the two of us watching in disbelief at how well we were getting along.

I knew what he was getting at, and I snatched the shirt from his hand before rolling my eyes. My stomach was turning a little bit, just from the idea of seeing all of him naked and not just his upper half. As my mind started to wander, so did my eyes, and they landed right on Brayden. He had been watching Harry and I like a hawk, his eyes fixated on our body language and how we were exchanging flirty glances and harmlessly flirting. It wasn’t until I saw the hopeful look on Brayden’s face that I remembered why I had put such an abrupt halt on Harry last night. 

Harry often jumped at an idea before really giving it thought, which in some cases was admirable and in other cases dangerous. It was one of the things that we frequently bumped heads on, because it would really frustrate me when he would do something without thinking about the outcome. Last night was a perfect example of that. It was so easy for us to fall back into old patterns, as I’m sure he was aching to be with me much like I was. After being apart for a year and not having slept together, it wasn’t hard to push boundaries in attempt to fulfill the burning curiosity and desire. But, what he didn’t realize what kind of strain that would put on our relationship, which would ultimately effect our kids. 

Leading up to our divorce, our relationship had been tumultuous, and it didn’t get much better after. Harry was devastated when I told him that I was done, and he went on a wild binger for three or four months after signing the papers. As for me, I was so angry at him for letting our marriage and the family we had built come second to everything else in his life. The both of us, harboring all this hate and resentment, lacked any kind of proper communication. For a while, we didn’t even speak. Well, in person that is, and when we did it was strictly businesslike and nothing more than a few words. He would come to pick the kids up to spend a weekend at his place, and I would wait by the door as he stood beside the car. Any other time, it was a short worded text to make sure he knew dates for extracurricular activities or birthday parties. It took a while to build up to a somewhat civil relationship, so for us to skip a billion steps just to have sex held the potential to put us in an extremely provocative place. The divorce was just as hard on our kids as it was for Harry and I, which is why the idea of Harry and I giving it another shot seemed irrational and unfair. All Brayden wanted was for Harry to come home, and his family to be a whole again, and I couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if Harry and I gave it another shot only for it to not work out again. Though it was the first thing I thought of, I know the only thing Harry was thinking of was how I’d look writhing underneath him. 

“Lets put everything on the table f’Santa, and get you guys t’sleep. Big man won’t come if y’not sleeping!” Harry smirked, placing Quinn on his hip as followed the older two out near the Christmas tree. 

Penelope walked, cautiously slow, as she skillfully balanced the long plate of decorated sugar cookies in her little hands. Brayden was leading the way, telling her to ‘be careful!’ And ‘can’t drop the plate or you’ll ruin Christmas’. Quinn was half asleep, as it was almost 11 pm and long past his usual bedtime. I couldn’t help but smile as I let myself take in just how precious my kids were, all dressed in matching red pajamas. Though I had to do all sorts of begging and bribing, I had known that it would be worth it. 

Brayden took a hard look at the tree, staring at it as it towered over his frame. Harry had to swat Penelope’s hand away from the platter of cookies, because the last thing either of us needed was the fussiest of all three to get a sugar rush before bed. Harry put Quinn down, lulling him out of his drowsy state. He lined all three of them up in front of the tree after I pleaded him to get them to listen, just for the sake of one picture. And just as I snapped a few photos, praising my kids for being so well behaved, Quinn went and ruined all praise. His head went back as he wailed in agony, stomping his feet and nearly throwing himself to the floor. Of course, his meltdown triggered Penelope, and Brayden stood and watched them throw a fit in disapproval.

“Alright,” Harry cooed, trying his best to mask his irritated tone, “think it’s time fo’ bed, yeah?” 

Harry swept up Penelope, her head snuggling into the crook of his neck as her sniffles subsided once she put her thumb in her mouth. Quinn tutted up the stairs, screaming at me in protest as I tried to pick him up. Brayden just shook his head, muttering something about his siblings being babies (I mean, they are) before following Harry up the stairs. Putting them to bed was easy, especially since Harry had been fueling their anticipation for the arrival of their presents in the morning. Brayden was easy, as he was old enough to get himself ready. All he really needed to get him to sleep was a kiss on the head and for someone to tuck him in. Quinn, if he was tired enough, would knock out halfway through a bedtime story and sleep like a rock up until the morning. It was Penelope who was the trouble, which is why I stuck Harry to the task of getting her to fall asleep.

As soon as I got Quinn to sleep, I headed back downstairs to get the gaggle of presents I had tucked away in one of the closets so I could place them beneath the tree. Figuring that Harry’d be a while, with the burden of putting the fussiest kid to sleep, I started to wrap the last of the presents so I could get more than three hours of sleep before getting bum rushed in the morning by my kids. In my best cursive, I addressed the presents I had gotten the kids to whoever the present was for and made sure to double check that I put ‘Love Santa’ on every one. I was tired, but I couldn’t afford any slip ups. 

“Putting that girl to bed is a nightmare! She’s an absolute menace!” Harry laughed softly, appearing into the living room.

“You get her to fall asleep?” I was optimistic and hopeful, tilting my neck so I could look up at him as he now stood over me.

“Yeah, took a village ‘nd a half though.” He muttered, sinking down next to me to help with wrapping.

“Ugh” I groaned in relief, “Thank you. Seriously owe you one, ‘cus I didn’t have the energy to get her to bed tonight.” 

He smiled, softly to himself in hopes I wouldn’t see. But, I did. I always saw. A lot of the times, I’d catch myself looking at him a little longer than usual or noticing little things about him that I had forgotten were so cute. Like how he scrunched his nose when he laughed, or how he’d get all giddy talking about the kids that he’d have to fidget in his seat before talking. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him pull his hair back while he taped the wrapping paper to a gift and I had to bite my lip back. He looked so good, and I was mentally beating myself up over brushing him off last night. Towering over me as I sat criss cross alongside some wrapping paper, he leaned over and grabbed a cookie or two from the plate left out for ‘Santa’. I smirked, which earned a lighthearted shrug in response. Christmas had always been Harry’s favorite Holiday, even more so once we had the kids. Everything had to be believable, and he would nibble every cookie and sip at every cup of milk just to see the kids’ reactions in the morning.

I placed the package of polly pocket knick knacks in a stretch of pink colored candy cane wrapping paper, smiling to myself as I thought about how excited Penelope would be tomorrow morning. Harry, cookie in hand as he sipped at the milk, cocked his neck as he looked down at the little present I was wrapping.

“Thought she wanted barbies?” His words were muffled by the massive bite of cookie sitting in his mouth.

“She’s over the barbies, ‘member? Brayden really creeped her out with the whole head thing, now P is just so scared of ‘em.” I shook my head, remembering how much that phase bugged me out.

“Wait,” Harry stated slowly, “Wha’ head thing?” 

“Y’know, kept ripping the heads off? Remember? P couldn’t even sleep without a lamp on for almost two months, totally freaked out.”

For a minute or two, I hadn’t even noticed that Harry fell completely silent. Placing the cookie and half finished glass of milk on the coffee table beside him, he sunk down onto the sofa. He differed with the rings on his fingers for a few minute, staring blankly down at his knuckles as I finished wrapping up another one of Penelope’s gifts. A little sigh slipped out of his mouth, his breath hitting the back of my neck, and that’s when I figured out that something was cleary bothering him. Harry would never want to burden anyone with his troubles, or whine and sound foolish, so instead he would huff and puff and make mopey faces until someone insisted he tell what was wrong. I wasn’t sure what it was that had made him alter moods so quickly, and I was really hoping it wasn’t something I said.

“Bad cookie?” I smiled, doing my best to lighten the mood.

“I don’t remember.” He mumbled, sliding a ring off his finger.

“Dont remember what?” I asked, gliding a piece of tape over the wrapped present.

“The sleeping with the lamp on phase,” He huffed, “Don’t remember it ‘cus I wasn’t there.”

“Oh that? Lucky son of a bitch, wish I wasn’t there for that either.” 

“Jus like I wasn’t there when Penelope lost her first tooth, or Brayden scored his first goal in soccer. Or, how ‘bout Quinn’s first birthday party? Missed that one.” He hissed, gnawing at the inside of his lip.

“Harry, don’t beat yourself up over this stuff.” I sighed, tucking my legs beneath my bum  and turning around as I scooted closer to him. 

“You were right,” he muttered, head hanging a little low, “about not being around much and all, putting my career first. ’Nd the kids, they look f’me Ella, know they do. They look f’me during games, recitals, all that stuff. S’just hard, being around sometimes I guess. Know it’s a shit excuse, but s’true. Feel like, dunno, like all I do is let them down.” 

Hearing Harry, and I mean actually listening to him for the first time in forever, really made me feel so awful. I was very quick to criticize his lifestyle, and unjustly accuse of him for having his priorities out of whack. Maybe he did, but it wasn’t motivated by what I originally thought. After the divorce, I was selfish. All I ever considered was my own feelings, and never bothered to try and see things from Harry’s point of view. It never occurred to me that Harry was dealing with it so harshly, and that he struggled so much with being away from the kids. Since I was the one who woke them up every morning, and kissed them before bed every night, I never stopped to think that maybe that was something Harry wanted to be able to do. I was around almost everyday, and I had the privilege of being there to see all their big accomplishments and even the little ones, which made me so blind to the fact that Harry had no choice but to miss out sometimes. And honestly, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how that felt.

“Hey,” I breathed, scooting in close enough where I positioned myself between his legs as I rested my hands on his knees, “you’re doing your best, they know that. Just cus you’re busy doesn’t mean they love you any less. They adore you, doesn’t matter if you’re here or there or any other place in the world.” 

He lifted his head a little bit, the solemn look starting to fade as his mood picked up. I’m sure a part of the reason it was so reassuring to hear that was because it came from me, considering I hardly ever seemed to have anything nice to say to him most of the time.

“You sure?” He questioned, meeting my gaze.

“Yes!” I laughed, squeezing his knee a little, “we’re you’re biggest fans, you couldn’t let us down.”

In that very moment, it looked like he had been waiting to hear those exact words fall from my lips. He hesitated for a minute, his eyes fixating on my mouth as I smiled softly at him. Both of us were quiet, and he took a sharp inhale of breath before moving to the edge of his seat. Legs still tucked beneath my bum, my body positioned between his legs as he sat on the sofa, I watched as he completely zoned out. Without even so much as a warning, he immediately looped his hand around to sit on the back of my neck before tugging me in. Not even a second passed, and leaving me no time to get my thoughts straight, he collided his lips with mine before we both fell into a familiar pattern. Guiding me up from the floor, he brought both his hands underneath my arms before gently lifting me up and onto the couch, where my legs found a spot on either side of his hips. 

Everything felt so calm, and so natural, that I didn’t even want to try and protest. The way he tugged at my hair, rough enough to turn me on but gentle enough not to hurt, and how smooth his lips felt as they moved with mine and weaseled their way sloppily down my neck, reminded just how badly I missed him. I could feel myself crumbling under his touch, his hands roaming my legs before one laid contently on my bum. His free hand slithered up the back of my shirt, fiddling with the hook of my bra before finally getting it to unclasp. My fingers fumbled roughly with his belt, frantic as I let sensation cloud my common sense. His teeth gently tugged at the bottom of my lip, evoking a moan from me as I innocently grinded up against his thigh. I could tell that there was no way I could stop myself, especially as he went to remove the flimsy fabric of my tee shirt.

“Harry..” I trailed, his lips sucking at the nape of my neck, “you take this off I won’t-” I was practically out of breath, desperate for him to just undress me.

“You owe me, remember?”

[pocket-luv101]

Summary: Kuro is locked in a cell and has a chance meeting with Mahiru. She starts to sneak food to him every night. (KuroMahi, Fantasy AU, Fem Mahiru)

Kuro laid on a straw bed and stared at the moon through the bars. The small window in the corner of the wall didn’t allow a lot of light to enter his underground cell. He was arrested when they discovered he stole from the royal family’s garden. He didn’t know what would happen the next day but his only concern was for his siblings. They were likely worried about him as well.

A soft sound caught his attention and the moon became blocked by a bundle of fur. A black cat stood on his window sill and poked its head through the bars. The cat leaned forward a little too far and it fell into his cell. Kuro managed to catch it before it could crash into the ground. He cradled it in his arms and lightly scratched its head. At least it didn’t seem scared by the fall since it purred happily.

He was already surprised by the cat’s appearance but then he heard someone call his name. “Kuro! Where are you, Kuro? I have your favourite toy here so come back and play.”

While Kuro didn’t recognize the voice, it was clear that the cat did. The cat purred loudly and waved its tiny paws towards the window. He realized that the cat had the same name as him and the woman was looking for it. The window was too high for him to return the cat to its owner. He could hear the worry in her voice so he called back to her. “Excuse me, are you looking for a black cat?”

“Yes. Have you seen my cat, Sir?” The woman followed his voice and knelt in front of the window. Kuro expected her to flee the moment she saw that he was locked in a cell. He wouldn’t blame her for assuming the worst for why he was arrested. The only thing that caught her attention was the black cat in his arms. “There you are, Kuro. You shouldn’t wander off and bother this man.”

“This little guy’s name is Kuro? Mine too. He wasn’t bothering me but it’s going to be troublesome to find a way to return him to you. Cats land on their feet but I don’t think tossing him through the bars is a good idea.” He said. Kuro stood beneath the window and raised the cat as high as he could. She reached down as well but she could barely brush her fingers over its dark fur.

With a sigh, she pulled her hand back. She still had a hint of determination in her eyes as she stood. “Wait there. I’ll go down to you and get him.”

“Wait here? I don’t have a choice but you won’t be able to open—” She had already left before he could say anything more. He didn’t know how she intended to go to the lower floor where the prison cells were kept. Kuro looked down at the cat who was blissfully ignorant of its owner’s worries. He sat on the pile of hay and stroked the cat.

Did she not realize that he was locked in the cell? He expected the woman to eventually return to the window once the guards denied her entry. As he waited, he heard soft whispers in the hall. “Thank you for letting me down here, Tsurugi. You know how Kuro wanders. I need to put a bell on him. This should only take a minute so you don’t need to escort me all the way to his cell.”

The conversation ended with her hurried footsteps. A woman stopped in front of Kuro’s cell and he could see her clearer. Since she wore a simple dress, Kuro assumed that the woman was one of the princess’s handmaids. Her brown eyes beamed the moment she saw her pet. He placed the cat on the ground and it trotted to her. She knelt and gathered the bundle of fur into a warm embrace.

“Look at all the trouble you caused on your little adventure. No more running off alone. Thank you for finding him, Sir. It’s ironic that you two share the same name. Mine’s Mahiru.” She told him. The cat climbed onto her shoulder and she lightly scratched its ear. “I told the guard your name and he said you were caught stealing from the royal garden. Is that true?”

Kuro doubted she would believe him if he tried to lie so he nodded. Her next action shocked him. She took out an apple from her apron and held it out to him. After a moment of hesitation, he took it from her. Their fingers brushed and he noted how soft and slender her hands were. He thought a maid’s hands would be rough from work.

“You must be hungry.” Her eyes were full of sympathy. Mahiru took a step closer to the bars and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Your hands aren’t bound. I saw that the other prisoners had chains on their wrists. Did you take yours off? I imagine lock picking would be a skill you have.”

He paled and instinctively placed his hands behind his back. Kuro knew that it was pointless because she already knew he had taken the chains off. She had a sly smile as she placed a finger against her lips. “It’s okay, I won’t tell the guards. If you were planning to break out of the cell, you would’ve done so already.”

“You don’t know me so you can’t say that for certain.” Kuro pointed out but her confidence didn’t falter.

“There are a few trays of food in the corner of your cell. You’re supposed to slip them beneath the door so the guards can take it back to the kitchen. From how many dishes there are, you’ve been here for two days.” She said and gestured towards them. Her eyes were a soft brown but it was clear that her observation was sharp. “The guard should’ve told you that or else the food will attract rats.”

“I can deal with rats.” He said but he used his foot to slide the trays beneath the door.

Mahiru stacked the trays into a pile and picked them up. The bowls tilted haphazardly but she kept them balanced. “I’ll bring these to the kitchen and wash them. It’s not my job anymore but it’s best if these are washed as soon as possible. Did you enjoy the food?”

“The stew was nice.” His words caused her smile to grow and his heart skipped. From her reaction, he guessed that she worked in the kitchen and helped make the stew. She started to back away but then her cat jumped down from her shoulder to the tray. Mahiru started to drop the plate but Kuro reached through the bars to help steady the tray.

His hands were rough and they covered her smaller ones easily. Mahiru wasn’t scared because his hands were also warm and gentle. She looked up at him and their gaze met. Kuro joked and said: “Your cat sure likes to cause trouble. We might have the same name but we’re nothing alike.”

“You both like the stew I cook.” Mahiru said as he dropped his hands from her. She walked back down the hall.

Kuro sat in his cell with little to do but stare at the window. He watched the clouds pass and he made pictures out of their vague shapes. With his finger, he drew a cat in the air. A pleasant scent drifted to him and his stomach rumbled. Even though he was hungry, he was more worried about his siblings. Were they eating right?

“You must be hungry.” The words and voice were the same from the previous night. He looked back to the window where Mahiru sat behind the bars. She had a basket of cookies with her and she wrapped a few into a napkin. Then, she lowered the makeshift bundle through the bars with a rope. “I made a lot of cookies for lunch and there were some leftover. I thought you might like them.”

“Will you get in trouble for feeding a prisoner?” Kuro didn’t take the cookies until she shook her head. She didn’t tell the guards that he could free himself after she left but he didn’t know if he could trust her. Mahiru didn’t seem deterred by Kuro’s silence and sat on the ground. He said, “These are good. Last night, you said you worked in the kitchen.”

“I used to. My new job is good but sometimes I wish I could go back to my old, simple life. I wasn’t given a choice when… They took my apron and traded me this gown. I must sound ungrateful.” She sighed heavily. Her words were vague so Kuro couldn’t fully understand her situation. He could hear the sadness and loneliness in her voice though.

“I don’t think you sound ungrateful. Everyone has their own idea of a happy life. You were living yours but then you were pushed out of it. Getting extra work sounds like a drag too. At least your new job keeps you in this castle so you can be close to your friends and family.” He said as encouragement. “Hey, do you want your napkin back? I’ll throw up the rope so be ready to catch it.”

“Okay.” She slipped her hand through the bar to catch the rope. When she felt the yarn against her palm, she closed her fingers around it. She pulled the rope up and discovered a cat toy tied to the end. Kuro had braided the hay into a cat tail. “Did you make this for Kuro? He’ll love it. I had to leave him in my room for the day since I have a meeting tonight. I’ll give it to him later.”

“It’s rushed.” He shrugged.

“It’s still nice.” She smiled down at the simple toy. “Thank you, Kuro.”

“I’m sorry I’m late, Kuro. I had to get something but I think you’ll like it.” Mahiru was breathing heavily since she ran to meet him. She would visit him during her breaks and talk with him over a light meal. She saw how barren his cell was and would bring him books or games for him. Kuro enjoyed their talks the most but he knew he wouldn’t see her much longer. His trial would be held in a few days.

She knelt on the ground. A paper airplane flew out the window and landed on her lap. She unfolded the parchment and saw the sketch of a bird. He was thankful for her kindness. He knew the sketches wouldn’t repay her but he wanted to make small gifts to thank her. “This is beautiful, Kuro. Thank you.”

She slipped a square board through the bars. Kuro caught it and flipped it over to find a chess board. He told her he would play the game with his siblings and he was surprised she remembered the small detail. He started to arrange the pawns and said, “I haven’t played this in a while so you’re probably going to beat me.”

“Do you miss your siblings?” She asked softly and he didn’t answer her. Mahiru wished she could reach down and comfort him. “There are a few positions open at the castle. I’m friends with the head butler and I could refer your siblings to him. We might be able to find a job for you as well.”

“I don’t think they’ll hire a thief like me. Not many people are open minded like you are, Mahiru. But it’ll be great if you can help my siblings. They’re good people.” He said. She could hear how much he cared about his siblings and he was a good brother. “How do you want to play chess? It might be hard when we’re in different places.”

“I’m going to go down to your cell to play with you. It has been awkward speaking through a window. Thinking simply, if you can’t come out, I’ll go to you.” Mahiru tossed a ring of keys into his cell. “The reason I was late was because I had to convince my brother to lend me his keys. I told him that you’re trustworthy. He made me promise to return them in an hour or else he’ll come down to get me. He’s protective but a great brother. The guards will switch in a minute and I can slip inside then.”

“Thinking simply? I don’t think you thought this through, Mahiru. If the guards see you in here, they’ll assume you’re helping me and they’ll punish you.” Kuro grew to care for her and he didn’t want to see her hurt. He wasn’t able to argue further before she left. He sighed and sat on the bench to wait for her. From their talks, he learned that she was stubborn so he wouldn’t be able to change her mind easily.

Kuro began to awkwardly fiddle with his bangs and he couldn’t deny that there were nervous butterflies in his stomach. His appearance didn’t matter to him but Mahiru’s opinion of him did. He did his best not to appear nervous as the guard passed his cell. Once the guard was gone, he walked to the bars and tried to peer down the hall but it was difficult.

Mahiru sneaked through the door and rushed down the hall before the next guard arrived. She knew he would be put on trial soon and decided she wanted to speak to him privately. Her steps slowed when she neared his cell and she dusted the dirt from her skirt. She hoped the elegant gown wouldn’t surprise him too much. She placed her hand over her racing heartbeat and reassured herself that Kuro wouldn’t change his opinion on her and stay her friend.

After she took a deep breath, Mahiru continued forward. She almost reached his cell when some grabbed her skirt and pulled her aside. Mahiru instinctively let out a loud scream but a hand covered her mouth. She shuddered when she realized that a prisoner was the one who grabbed her. “I heard you and your lover next door. You have a key. Give them to me.”

“Mahiru?” Kuro heard her scream and his heart dropped. The sound of a struggle was the only answer he had and he rushed to open his cell to save her. He threw open the door and his anger flared the moment he saw the prisoner. He marched forward and wrapped one arm around Mahiru to pull her away from him. With his other hand, he punched the prisoner and forced him to let her go.

He kept his arms around her waist as he took her away from the prisoner. Kuro stopped in his cell and he looked down at her. He tenderly stroked her hair to comfort her. “Are you okay, Mahiru? Did he strike you?”

“I’m not hurt, Kuro.” The panic and adrenaline faded but she didn’t want to leave Kuro’s arms. Mahiru hugged him and buried her face in his strong chest. She could feel his heart racing beneath his shirt and she was certain hers was beating rapidly as well. “I just need a moment.”

“What’s going on here?” She looked up from the haven of his embrace and turned back over her shoulder. A guard marched towards them and she realized her scream must’ve called them. Mahiru let go of Kuro and went to explain the situation to the guards. More guards came before she could and placed chains on him.

“Wait, don’t touch him!” Mahiru couldn’t say anything more as they took him away.

Kuro stood before the council with his wrists bound. They wanted to put him on trial under the assumption that he attacked Mahiru and tried to escape the prison. He was more worried about Mahiru since they hadn’t been able to speak since that day. He hoped the event hadn’t frighten her or caused her to lose her job.

The king’s advisor listed his crimes and Kuro knew they would throw him in prison again or worse. He doubted they would believe him if he tried to explain the truth. Yet, he didn’t regret meeting Mahiru nor running out of his cell to save her.

The door opened behind him and everyone in the room was shocked to see a woman step inside. Mahiru held her head high as she walked in front of the council. The king narrowed his eyes and the room became tense. “Shouldn’t you be in your studies, Mahiru? This is no place for you.”

“You placed Kuro on trial for attacking me so I have a right to be here.” Mahiru retorted. Kuro didn’t expect her to speak with the king such. He knew she came to defend him but he didn’t want her to be punished as well. She glanced at him before she addressed the king again. “I tried to explain what truly happened but your advisor wouldn’t allow me to speak with you, father.”

“Father?” Kuro said in disbelief. He looked between her and the king. For a moment, he wondered if he misheard her since he couldn’t see a resemblance between them. The implication of her words crashed over him and his eyes widened. Mahiru was a princess. He thought of the simple dresses he often saw her wear and compared them to the gown she wore now.

In his one word, she could hear his disbelief and shock. Mahiru had intended to tell him about her status the night she went to meet him. She faced her father and told him how they met. “Kuro is my friend and I went down to the prisons to speak with him. Another man attacked me and Kuro was the one to save me. You can not punish him for a crime he didn’t not commit.”

Mahiru walked to Kuro and removed the shackles from his wrists. “He told me that he stole from my mother’s garden to feed his family. I have the appropriate punishment for him. I want him to become one of my personal guards. He has protected me already and I trust him. Please, Father, spare Kuro.”

She lowered her head to him. Mahiru held her breath while she waited for his answer. Her father stepped down from his throne and looked down at them with a stern frown. Kuro instinctively moved closer to protect her. “You trust him but that’s because you have an open heart. I cannot trust a lowborn thief easily. I will allow him to be your guard but he cannot be alone with you. Have Tsurugi be his partner.”

“Thank you, Father! You won’t regret your decision and I’m certain you’ll see that he can be trusted.” Mahiru promised.

Kuro stood in front Mahiru’s room later that night. She didn’t notice him in the doorway immediately because she was speaking with another woman. Once again, she wore a simple dress. Mahiru stood behind a woman with long, black hair and braided her locks. A few days ago, he would’ve thought the woman was a princess and Mahiru was her maid. Now, he knew the truth.

“Thank you for letting me braid your hair, Licht. It relaxes me. We don’t get to have talks like this often anymore. I miss simply being roommates with you.” Mahiru sighed and set aside the hairbrush. She sat on her bed and her cat jumped onto her lap. “My new title has made everything complicated. I don’t know how to greet Kuro when he comes later. What do you think I should say to him?”

“You like to keep things simple so you can start with ‘hello’.” Licht suggested. “We’re not roommates anymore but you’re still my best friend. No matter if you’re a princess or a maid, that won’t change. A title doesn’t change who you are inside. If Kuro thinks that it does, he’s a stupid demon and he’s not worth your time. You’re a good judge of character. Is he a demon?”

“No, Kuro’s wonderful.” Mahiru smiled as she thought of him.

“Then you don’t need to worry about him rejecting you.” Licht reassured her.

“Hey, what are you doing out here, Kuro?” Tsurugi took him by surprise and pushed him forward. His voice drew Mahiru and Licht’s attention and Kuro felt nervous with so many eyes on him. He looked around the room until his gaze met Mahiru’s. He felt calmer when he saw her and he stepped forward. Kuro bowed to her when he reminded himself that she was a princess.

“You don’t need to bow like that, Kuro.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and gently urged him to stand again. Mahiru turned to Tsurugi and said, “I would like to speak with Kuro in private. Father said I can’t be alone but may Kuro and I speak on the balcony? It won’t be a long talk and we’ll leave the door open. Please, Tsurugi?”

He simply nodded and Mahiru smiled in relief. She walked through the glass door and didn’t notice how Licht stopped him from following her. Licht lowered her voice to a whisper, “Demons can’t fly, I hear. The moment you make her cry, I will kick you off that balcony.”

While she gave him the light threat, Licht pushed him through the door to Mahiru. Kuro stumbled but he didn’t fall because Mahiru caught his hands. For a silent moment, he could only stare into her brown eyes. The one to break the silence was her cat. Her pet trotted onto the balcony and into their moment. It rubbed against his leg and purred.

“You must have a lot of questions for me, Kuro. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that I was a princess. Honestly, it’s new to me too.” Mahiru slipped her hand from his and leaned against the rail. “My mother was a maid who she had an affair with the king. She became pregnant with me but she didn’t tell him. She left the castle and gave birth to me. I grew up as a simple country girl.”

She faced him and continued, “My mother died a few years ago. I knew my mother worked in this castle so I applied here. A small part of me wanted to find my father. I never imagined he would be the king. Suddenly, the friends I made started to treat me different. Only Tsurugi and Licht haven’t changed. I was worried you would see me differently too.”

“I can’t lie to you, Mahiru, I was surprised when you came into the room and said you were a princess.” Kuro said and her eyes fell to the ground. He took her chin between his fingers and lifted her gaze to him. He knelt on one knee like the knights he saw in a fairy tales. “I got to know who you are without the title and I want to protect that woman. Will you accept me as your knight?”

“I’m still new to being a princess so I don’t know how to knight you yet. This will be my own way.” Mahiru lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his palm.