#so now he gets to be a sleepy little kitty boy on the counter.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Felled by one bowl.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[mochiimadness]

W-what if the the rottmnt boys reacted to their s/o as a cat girl??

This…I like this.

Nyah!

Neon Leon

So so so many cat puns

“My s/o is the most purrfect person in the world!”

He calls you “kitten” “kitty” “kit-cat”

Yes, he’s cheesy like that.

He does get a bit nervous after realizing the puns might be a bit much

But you assure him it’s fine.

If you’re a hairless cat, he loves to get you warm sweaters

If you have fur, he absolutely adores your fur

Early on in your relationship, he would nervously give you a quick pet

And immediately back away in case you didn’t like it

If you did, he gives you the brightest grin you’ve ever seen

Loves to run his fingers through your fur

If you purr, he’ll freeze at first from shock before wrapping his arms around you and rubbing his cheek against yours

“You can purr?! I mean it makes sense but- that was so cute!”

He’ll try to get you to purr more often.

He also likes to try pranking you

You know the cucumber meme?

He will sneak cucumbers behind you to see if you get scared once you see them.

If you do, he’s caught it on video- and no he won’t delete it

“Leo!”

“But it’s funny!”

Likes to replicate cat memes with you

You agree but only if he replicates turtle memes too

“Deal.”

If you help the guys out in battle, he will jump aside

You’re clawing the life outta a paper ninja

Literally shredded them with your claws

Every ninja in the vicinity sprints away

“Kitty’s got claws! Reow!”

Most villains fear getting scratched by you

Leo’s so proud.

Aside from battles,

Leo loves to cuddle up on the couch with you

You two can and have taken up the whole couch.

“Leo not again!”

“Shhh, cuddle hours are in session.”

Don Tron

I see Donnie as a cat person

So when his s/o is a literal cat person???

He’s going to combust on the spot

Absolutely adores you

Sets up an area in his lab for you

Scratching posts and climbing towers built to your height

Plenty of comfy pillows and blankets

And of course-

✨boxes✨

“This is kinda stereotypical.”

Cue Donnie deflating

“Buuut….”

It’s honestly pretty fun????

Donnie is so glad you actually enjoy it

Was worried he may have offended you

He also loves to run his fingers through your fur

The texture of it just makes him feel so relaxed and happy

Feel free to sit on his lap every now and then, he’ll run his hand through your fur while working on his inventions

He makes you a laser at one point

Not just a light laser no no-

An actual laser

If you fight along side the turtles, you definitely bring your laser with you

Donnie will cackle like a mad scientist when you use it

“BEHOLD- MY LATEST MASTERPIECE FOR MY GLORIOUS S/O!!”

So proud.

One of his favorite things to do is watch movies/shows in bed with you

You two curl up in the covers and doze with the TVs playing in the background.

Will let you use his heat lamp

It’s very relaxing to just curl up under the heat lamp with him

Sleepy vibes very cozy 10/10

You two can also be found at ungodly hours of the night going through the kitchen

Leo just flips on the kitchens switch and sees you on the counter

Donnie's brewing a fresh pot of coffee in the back

You both hiss at the light

Leo screams

Fully believes you two are possessed.

You and Donnie end up making it a habit to spook his brothers every now and then.

Mystic Mike

Thinks you’re the most adorable cat person ever

He absolutely makes sweaters for you and lets you steal his own

Thinks you’re so cute in them

“Awww!!!”

He likes to make you little yarn bracelets to fidget with

Buys you a basket of yarn balls for you to play with

He’ll toss them for you

You two also sit and make bracelets together.

Loves to prank his brothers with you

You know how cats will slowly push a cup towards the edge of the table???

Yeah, y’all do that

“Mikey- you and your s/o better not knock over my cup again!”

“We would never!”

Cue you and Mikey shoving the cup off the counter and sprinting away

Don’t worry, y’all only do it with non breakable items

…at least now you do-

You two once covered the entire lair in yarn

Took an hour for the fam to even make it to the living room without tripping or getting tangled

You know that one meme with the cat making a smug face while having knifes pointed at it???

That’s y’all.

Aside from pranks and general hijinks-

Mikey loves to cuddle with you

You two steal nearly every pillow and blanket in the lair and find the coziest spot of the day to cuddle in

The couch? His room? Right in front of the TV? Donnie's lab? On the skate ramp?

If you two fits, you two sits.

In battle, Mikey once made a joke that his weapon is kinda like a yo-yo or a yarn ball- but more deadly

Since then, you two always make cat jokes whenever you team up together

He has thrown you (with your consent ofc) at enemies

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

He says, as you claw the villains face repeatedly

Villains avoid you two.

After a long day, Mikey loves to just bury his face in your fur and stay there for a good 30 minutes to a few hours

“Mikey.”

“Yes, my fuzz ball?”

“Fuzzball-? Mikey I can’t feel my legs.”

“Sorry!”

Don’t worry, once you get feeling back in your legs, you two can properly cuddle.

Big Red

Will coo over how adorable you are

He absolutely just picks you up and carries you everywhere

He can and has held you like the long cat meme

Loves to pet your ears if you let him

“They’re just so fuzzy!”

Will not mind if you just chill on his shoulder

Whenever you two cuddle, you somehow find a way to rest on his shell

He panicked the first time you did

“Aren’t my spikes hurting ya!?”

“Nah.”

Cats are like liquid

You literally just sink into the spaces between his spikes and chill there

After the first time, he’s chill with you using his shell as a bed.

After a long hard day, you’ll kneed his shoulders to help him relax

He thinks you give the best massages in the world

Has fallen asleep during this.

He’s so grateful that you don’t try to claw his face like the regular cats he’s met

Also enjoys petting you, but doesn’t do it often since he doesn’t want to offend or bother you

Very considerate

Does give you a lot of head pats though

Also adores your tail

Thinks it’s adorable

Loves how expressive you get since your ears and tail help display your emotions

Finds it especially adorable whenever you get excited

Takes photos of you when you’re really happy

He does think it’s hilarious when you get so startled, you literally jump a couple feet in the air

Will check on you ofc but still finds it funny

Has you as his background

He’s very worried about making sure he doesn’t offend you with anything

Doesn’t want to make you feel like he’s treating you as a pet

“Raph, you could never make me feel like I’m not a person too.”

Very sweet

You two often fall asleep with you either on his shell, or resting on his plastron with his arms around you.

In battle, he gets pretty worried about you

Until he sees you slicing away with your claws-

Villains fleeing in terror-

If you’ve been scratched by a cat, you know.

From then on, he knows you can hold your own

Still watches out for you ofc.

✨Bonus!✨

Splinter shrieks sometimes when you pop out of nowhere

In his years as a rat, cats have terrorized him rip

He may faint

Don’t worry though, he loves you like his own kid

You’re part of the fam now

April also loves to join in on pranks with you

You two have a compilation of pranking Splinter

I hope you enjoyed!! Sorry for the wait!

Oh to be a cat person s/o

Cat claws hurt rip

Reblogs appreciated! :3

[combat-wombatus]

Nightmare

Pairing: Hawks (Takami Keigo) x gn!reader

Genre: angst, fluffy ending

Warnings: choking (at the beginning), implied abuse, unintended physical assault?

WC: 1.5k

Summary: Hawks has a nightmare and you comfort him.

(A/N): not me skipping out on school homework again to write this-

anyways a lovely anon requested “reader comforting Hawks after a nightmare” and said something about Hawks’s father being a convicted villain. now, i’m not a manga reader so i don’t exactly know what’s happening at this point, so i did my own little take on it. u didn’t include the gender of the reader in ur request so i did my best to make it gender neutral! hope you enjoy, anon! have a lovely day ❤️  (and if u don’t like this take on it u can always request something else or a diff version of this!! i don’t mind at all! 😘  )

You woke up suddenly, the feeling of a hand wrapped around your throat making it impossible to breathe. Gasping for air, you struggled uselessly against the strong hand holding you captive.

“K-Keigo,” you rasped out, hands clawing desperately at the fingers constricting your airway. “L-let go, K-Keigo. I-it’s,” you coughed, spluttering. “It’s me.” You tried to keep a calm mind, but your vision was getting hazier by the moment, your thrashing slowing, running out of energy.

Finally, you stop struggling. Maybe he’d let go if he believed that you, or whichever entity you replaced in his head, was dead. He snarled once, then his grip around your neck slowly loosened. You sucked in air greedily, gulp after gulp, as if you’d never breathe again.

Once you had calmed yourself down, you slowly reached up to cup your boyfriend’s face with your hands, cradling it like he was the most delicate thing in the world.

“Baby,” you whispered, the choking having taken its toll on your voice. “Keigo, honey, wake up. You’re having another nightmare.”

Maybe calling him by his first name in a circumstance like this wasn’t the best idea. He immediately snatched both of your wrists and pinned them above your head. You winced at the sudden movement, and you could feel your muscles stretching further than they were meant to.

“Baby,” you tried again. “Hawks.”

His body went still when you called him that. His breath hitched, and his grip on your wrist loosened ever so slightly.

Slowly, you moved your wrists apart, then moved in to wrap your boyfriend in a bear hug. You rubbed his back soothingly, careful to avoid touching his wings, and murmured softly into his neck.

“It’s okay, honey. It’s okay. You’re just having another nightmare.”

Slowly, he shifted away from you. Blinking groggily into your eyes, he tried to recollect himself. You managed a small smile of relief, which disappeared quickly as soon as you saw his eyes latch onto your bruised neck.

“Babe,” his voice was small, almost as if he was scared this was real. “Babe, did I do that to you?” His voice cracked.

Clearing your throat to try and get rid of the excess scratchiness that remained, you replied as calmly as you could. “Yeah babe, but it’s okay, you were just having another nightmare. You didn’t really hurt me, see?” You tried to take his hand and place it on your neck to prove to him that you weren’t hurt, but he flinched away at your touch. You blinked back tears, trying not to let them fall. Why was this so hard?

You pushed back the covers to your bed and padded into the kitchen. Opening the cabinets, you looked for the hot cocoa mix that was perpetually in stock at your boyfriend’s apartment. He loved hot cocoa, and although chamomile was usually the “calming” tea, you found that cocoa had a much better effect on Keigo.

Quickly brewing two cups, you added some marshmallows and carried them back into the bedroom. Sitting down on the bed next to Keigo, you nudged him lightly with your elbow.

“Drink.” You held out a cup to him.

Wordlessly, he reached out and took the cup from you. He took careful measured sips, never once looking at you. You focused your eyes on your own cup instead and winced when you took your first sip. You hadn’t expected it to be so painful to swallow. Apparently, your throat muscles were still sore. Forcing yourself to take sips of the drink normally so that he wouldn’t catch on and ask what was wrong, you sat in silence, waiting until he was ready to talk.

Keigo moved to speak, but words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He’d hurt you. Badly. If you hadn’t managed to think quickly enough to play dead, and then to realize that calling him by his hero name would be better than calling him by his given name, who knows what would’ve happened? Would he have killed you?

The sounds that came out of his mouth were more of a choked sob than anything else. Why? Why did this happen? He’d stopped having nightmares about his childhood years ago. Why now? He couldn’t understand it. Sleeping together with you in the same bed should have brought warmth and comfort. Peace. The opposite of what had transpired earlier.

He curled and unfurled his wings repeatedly, his go-to stress reliever. Taking another big gulp of his drink, he tried to clear his mind.

“Babe?” You asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him. “Babe, I’m okay. Look, I’m right here,” you tried to assure him that he didn’t really hurt you. Keigo didn’t respond. Suddenly, he stood up and marched out of the bedroom.

Keigo couldn’t think. He just couldn’t process it. He set his cup down on the kitchen counter, then quickly grabbed his pants, a shirt, and his warm flying jacket. He threw on his goggles and headphones faster than he’d ever done before, pressed a button to open the living room window, and hopped out.

You were still sitting quietly on the bed, hands wrapped around your favorite mug. Tears were trickling down your eyes, but still, you sat in silence. Why couldn’t he open up? Why couldn’t he tell you what was wrong, so you could help him? You didn’t think that you had ever felt so helpless before, the aching in your chest had never been as painful. You missed him. You wanted to hold him, tell him that everything would be okay, but he hadn’t let you.

Setting down your mug on the nightstand, you slid open the drawer. You took out a photo album Keigo had given you for your first anniversary. You flipped through it slowly, each picture reminding you of a happy memory.

The picture that your friend secretly took the first time he took you out on a date.

The two of you visiting the botanical gardens, him carrying you, flying right above the water lily pond.

A picture of him greeting a small fan of his, arms wrapped around the little boy’s body, beaming into the camera.

The time that you went to the animal shelter and adopted a pet kitty.

The picture of you lying back on a picnic blanket in a field of wildflowers, hands behind your head, gazing up at the stars.

You hugged the album close to your chest, convinced that you could help him. You weren’t willing to give up on this relationship, and you knew that he wouldn’t let it go without a fight either. Slowly, grogginess seeped in and you fell asleep, tear tracks staining your cheeks, still cradling the photo album in your arms.

That was how Keigo found you, snoring slightly into your pillow, curled up on your side. He’d flown around the prefecture, music rattling his bones, savoring the cool night air on his face. He circled the theater, the botanical gardens, and the meadows. He’d even flown up a mountain and stood on its peak. Surveying the city laid out before him, he’d realized that in this entire city of 10 million people, the only one he’d formed a true connection with, the only one he could truly call a friend, was you. He’d hurt his only friend, but selfish as it was, he wasn’t willing to let you go.

You woke up to the sound of footsteps by the bed. Blearily, you blinked your eyes, trying to rid your vision of the fuzziness that took over, and stared up at your boyfriend. He had his hands tucked in his pockets, looking wary, yet alive. Gingerly, he sat down beside you on the bed.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” you responded in a sleepy tone.

His gaze shifted towards your neck, where bruises in the shape of his hand littered your skin. He lifted a hand cautiously and gently rubbed your throat with his thumb.

“Does it hurt?” He whispered, looking ashamed of himself. “Please tell me the truth.”

“Only a little,” you begrudgingly admitted, then moved to place your hand on top of his.

He swallowed, clearly upset at his actions.

“You weren’t in control of yourself, Keigo,” you said quietly. “You were having a nightmare. It wasn’t your fault.”

“That’s the problem,” he whispered harshly. “I wasn’t in control of myself. I couldn’t stop myself. What if it happens again? What then, (Y/N)? What if we’re unlucky, and I don’t wake up in time?”

“It won’t happen again,” you reply sternly. “Because you’re going to talk to me about that nightmare you had and we’re going to work through it. If we can’t, then I’ll take you to see a therapist. We’re going to work this out, Keigo.”

He inhaled sharply, then took his other hand and wrapped you in a hug.

“You’re right, babe. We’re going to get through this together,” he murmured, chin resting atop of your head.

You smiled softly against his shoulder, knowing that it was the truth.

Masterlist

[jinkicake]

Aizawa, Midoriya, Hawks With A Clingy S/O

Aizawa, badboy!Midoriya, Hawks with a s/o who likes to cling onto them.

Aizawa Shouta x Reader

Midoriya Izuku x Reader

Takami Keigo x Reader

Again, sorry Anon for not posting this sooner. I’ve been really busy the last few days. I hope this is okay!! I really like this prompt and wanted to try it out with these three fools. </33 Thank you for being my first bnha request!!!! ily!

WC- 1,687

~~~

Aizawa Shouta

The things I want to say about this man…. The things I want to do to this man….. I,,,,, he’ll make your stomach drop…. please.

Anyway, I feel like Aizawa would really appreciate a clingy s/o

Like having someone who pampers him in love and affection is something he needs

Aizawa deserves all the support he can get and will sometimes lean on you when he needs it 

Not too much of course, he has a stern appearance to uphold LOL but in private I think he is really soft with you

He loves to hold you when he’s sleeping, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you into his chest

He has you sit on his lap anytime, like if he is working on something or just sitting at the table with his phone…. You’re going to be in his lap

It might take Aizawa some time to open up to you at first, but I don’t think he will ever reject your advances……

Whenever you want to hug him or hold his hand, he will let you. He’d probably even let your braid his hair 

Someone like Aizawa who spends his entire life taking care of people and looking after them probably just wants someone to do the same for him,,,, he would love the way his kitten dotes on him~

“Shouta,” You call out quietly into the living room where your husband is still focused on his UA work. “it’s almost three am.” Aizawa doesn’t even glance at you, he continues to strain his dark eyes towards his computer. With a sigh you pad over towards him and sit right next to him on the couch. Immediately your arms loop around his waist and you toss your legs into his lap. Aizawa glances at you when he feels your touch and softly kisses your temple.

“Kitty, go back to sleep.” The familiar nickname makes your stomach flutter, even after all these years, yet you refuse to budge. You stubbornly shake your head.

“Only if you come with me.” You bargain and Aizawa nearly sighs at your perseverance.

“I have to finish putting in these grades before patrol tomorrow.” Aizawa rests his hand against your bare thigh and gently squeezes in an effort to lull you back to sleep.

“Just let me do it tomorrow while you’re out.” You compromise and Aizawa continues to caress your legs.

“I can’t make you do that, baby.” Now, he finally sighs.

“Yes, you can.” You push and relax against his chest, resting your face into his neck. “Please, Shouta, I’m so tired. I can’t sleep without you.” You glance at him and pout, knowing damn well he can never say no when your eyes stare at him pitifully like this. Deep down you know that if you tell him the reason you want him to go to sleep is that he needs sleep, it won’t work and he won’t come to bed. However, maybe if you use your special charms-

“No. Just let me finish this.” He tries to go back to his laptop but you slam it shut before glaring up at him with cloudy eyes.

“We are going to sleep now.” You order and your husband sighs before scooping you up in his arms and bringing you back to your shared bedroom. “Yay~ I love you Shouta!”

“I love you too, kitten.”

Midoriya Izuku

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABT THIS, my head is full of thoughts when it comes to villain evil Midoriya….

“ If this man *Deku* came up to me he would get slapped, but if THIS MAN *villian!deku* came up to me I would take my pants off so quick “

That is literally, that’s it. That’s the headcannon

Whether we are speaking about just Deku or like villain bad boy Deku, I think either way he would still receive his s/o’s affection with open arms

But we talking about bad boy Deku so let’s steer away.... He’d tease you a little bit,, just to see you get flustered

I feel like this mf would make lewd jokes whenever you touch him, hug him, anything because he can and it is funny to watch as your insides melt…..

He’d take advantage of your clinginess and use it as a way to make you all rattled

Midoriya would drag his fingers all along your sides or your thighs just to see you scold him,,, he thinks it is hot whenever you yell at him

I feel like bad boy Deku would be soooo much more confident than our regular Midoriya is….. he still has the softness of the og but he has the asshole-y hotness of you know,,,,,,

You know who…..

“Izuku,” You groan and try to get out of your boyfriend’s comfortable arms. It is late in the afternoon and you have been laying in bed doing absolutely nothing, except napping, you seriously have to get up and do work now. “I need to do my homework.” You push at his head again but his strong arms only keep you pinned to his chest.

“Do it later.” He snaps in annoyance, though his voice is still relatively quiet. Clearly, someone is mad that you woke them up.

“This assignment is going to take me forever, Izuku please.” You complain and your boyfriend simply buries his face into your neck, his lips pressed into your collarbone.

“I love the way it sounds when you beg.” He teases and you squeak in embarrassment, the smirk on his face makes your heart do flips.

“You’re so,” You pause and bite your lip in thought while running your hands through Midoriya’s thick hair. “infuriating.”

“I’ll remember that the next time you want to have sex.” He responds cooly and you hide your face in embarrassment.

“I have to work on my college applications, they aren’t going to do themselves!” Midoriya yawns and closes his eyes, clearly not threatened by your fists or heated demeanor. “You make it so hard to get out of bed.” You whine and lay back down, tucking yourself to fit snug against your boyfriend.

“I know and in more ways than one, I hope.” He chuckles against your neck and you have to refrain from rolling your eyes.

“I don’t even want to fuel your ego even more so I’ll just say nothing.” You close your eyes and your boyfriend brings his strong hands to your hips. “I-Izuku!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just force the words out of you,” Midoriya tells you arrogantly and you don’t even think about opening your eyes again, too focused on each of his touches.

Takami Keigo

If someone doesn’t get this man a hug RIGHT NOW,, my sweet sweet poor baby NEEDS AFFECTION and needs it now!!!

Shit with Hawks,,,, I’m just tryna be his kid ya know….

He’ll tease you A LOT, please this cocky ass Kuroo blueprint bitch would be soooo flirty with you

“Did you miss me that much, dove?” He’d smirk when you tackle him in a hug after he comes back from a day of work

“I know you can’t control yourself that much around me, kid, but you can at least try”

Please him and Atsumu I want to rock their shits, and by rock his shit I mean ride his face

I think it would take Hawks a very long time to actually open up with you, much like Aizawa he wouldn’t deny your affections but that doesn’t mean he is ready to portray the same intense emotions back….

Given his circumstances I think Hawks would be very hesitant to have an s/o he can trust, though I also think he thrives off the attention you give him, so clearly he must like you in some way

He can be just as clingy back, you cannot tell me this man wouldn’t cling to you like a baby, he’d follow you into every room and even try to go into the bathroom with you  

Please…. Please, someone, give my sweet angel the love he deserves

“I’m back!” Hawks announced the moment he steps back into his apartment, he places the container of chicken wings on the counter and glances around at the empty living room. For a moment he finds himself wondering if you’re out at uni until he hears you running out the bedroom.

“Keigo!” You exclaim and nearly tackle your boyfriend as you run into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist. “I missed you!!!”

“How much, dove?” He teases and you have to refrain from rolling your eyes. Instead, you bury your face into his jacket and sigh in content in all the warmth he has to offer.

“So, so much!” At that you begin to pepper kisses all over his cheeks and Hawks laughs loudly while grabbing your cheeks between his hands. He pushes your lips together to pucker your lips out and smirks at the sight of your face.

“Yeah?” He lowers his lips to ghost over yours and you try to reach his lips but your boyfriend simply won’t let you. “Why don’t you show me how much you missed me?” He croons and your eyes light up, Hawks can practically see your obedient little tail wagging. “After we eat!” 

Your boyfriend pulls away and stalks into the kitchen, leaving you to grumble about what a tease he is. You won't fall for his tricks any longer!

“You got the pickled radish right?” You call after him and Hawks turns around slowly to look at you, his face pinched together as he feigns a thought.

“I don’t know… Did I?” He taunts and before you can threaten him, you notice the delicacy right in front of you being floated up by a single red wing. “What do you say, baby?”

“Thank you.” You mumble and Hawks gasps at your manners.

“Such a good girl,” He continues to tease before sliding up next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you into his chest. He leans down to kiss the top of your head and you watch him carefully, especially with the way his hands are descending down your sides. “maybe I’ll have dessert early tonight.”

~ Taglist.

@yams046 @why-am-i-sad-and-sleepy @xhanjisungiex @xxashshs @chaosamu @angelkogane @augustdearly @kunimwuah  @lovellucy

[chatonne-rousse]

Zibeline

Happy birthday, @tsuki-chibi​!  This one’s for you.  😘

A Christmas gift exchange story with unintended (though not unwelcome) consequences. 

Read it on Ao3.

This is not the first time it’s happened. It is, in fact, not even the fourth or fifth. It’s like he has a sixth sense or the fine-tuned hearing of a fellow feline, that leads him straight to them.

Often, it’s just one cat, skin and bones and scrounging in an alley for restaurant scraps. Sometimes it’s an entire litter, abandoned and alone, mewing frantically in search of a savior. Once in a while, he finds their mom there, too, ragged and worn and tired from life on the streets.

It always ends the same way.

Chat Noir knows the location of every animal refuge in Paris, their hours, and the names of each employee and volunteer he’s met so far. Several have even set up crates in a secure area for the cats he brings after closing. It’s amazing that it hasn’t made the news in all these years, but somehow, Paris’s own black cat has humbly and quietly saved the lives of dozens of the city's neediest felines.

Tonight, Ladybug accompanies Chat Noir to the SPA to drop off a one-eyed senior tomcat they came across on patrol. His solitary eye is cloudy with age, one ear torn from a long-ago fight, but he purrs contentedly in Chat’s arms, his demeanor as gentle as the hands that hold him close.

Once the cat who’d been affectionately dubbed Pirate upon his discovery is safe and secure in the little pen, Chat sends the rescue a quick email from his communicator to let them know about who they’ll find the next morning. Baton returned to his back, he crouches down for one more scritch behind the old grey tabby’s ears.

Ladybug is used to this, well aware after several years of partnership that her own kitty’s heart is a fathomless well of kindness, but it never stops warming her heart to see it. Without thinking, her movement mirrors his, reaching out to scratch behind his leather ears, her gloved fingers tousling his hair. His faux cat ears twitch, and he glances up at her, grin radiant even in the dim light of the refuge foyer.

“Okay, cat whisperer, let’s go. It’s almost midnight.”

He nods, still grinning, and turns back to tell his new friend goodbye.

“They’ll take good care of you here, Meow-seur Pirate, I purr-omise. Cat’s honor.”

Pirate meows his appreciation as Ladybug fondly rolls her eyes.

One hand kiss, one ‘sweet dreams, Buginette,’ and one chilly swing across rooftops in the crisp December air, and Marinette can finally crawl into the warmth of her bed and curl up against her cat pillow to go to sleep. The feline theme suddenly seems so prevalent in her life that she can’t help the snort of laughter she muffles behind its ears.

Tikki zips over to hover in the air above the bed. “What is it, Marinette?”

“Cats, Tikki. Everywhere. Cats.”

They share a giggle as the kwami settles down on the pillow to rest.

“You like cats, don’t you?” she asks. “I’ve seen a cat in some of your family portrait sketches.”

Marinette can feel her face heat up. “Tikki!” she admonishes, before trailing off into laughter again. “I love all animals! Well, almost all of them. But no one loves cats like Chat Noir.” She sighs in mock exasperation. “Give a guy fake ears and a tail and suddenly he’s a magnet for strays.”

Silence falls in the darkness of the loft, sleepy and comfortable, before it’s broken by Tikki’s tiny voice.

“You know, I think it has less to do with his miraculous and more to do with his heart.”

Marinette smiles against the pillow. “I think you might be right, Tik.”

********

Even if Père Noël no longer visits, Christmas is still exciting when you’re a teenager. If nothing else, there’s a two-week break from school to look forward to, and Marinette is counting down the days until she can shelve at least one of her many commitments, albeit temporarily. Alya, on the other hand, is living for the class gift exchange.

“I hope I get Nino this year,” she whispers excitedly, dumping her bookbag on the table and sliding into the seat beside her best friend.

Marinette’s brows furrow in confusion. “Why?”

“So I can give him something awesome and win Christmas, obviously.”

“But...if you give him a gift in class, what will you have for him on the actual holiday?”

Alya wiggles her eyebrows suggestively and gives her a sly smile.

Marinette laughs and elbows her, ears burning, just as the boys walk into the room. Nino gives a quick wave and Adrien settles into his seat with a soft smile toward the girls behind them.

“Damn, Sunshine. I hope you spend the holiday break sleeping. You look like you need it.”

Adrien leans back toward Alya, blond hair brushing Marinette’s desk. (This does not go unnoticed.)

“I think we all know that’s not going to happen,” he replies with a wry smile.

Alya pats his shoulder consolingly. “Truth.”

********

The morning slides by, and Ms. Bustier ends the lecture early before they break for lunch. She leans against her desk, holding a bowl in her hand and shaking it gently. It takes a long moment and a deliberate clearing of her throat for the students to focus on her instead of packing up their bags. She smiles kindly at them once she has their attention again.

“I’d have done this at the end of the day, but not every student will be with us in class then, so we’ll choose our gift exchange recipients now.” Adrien ducks his head. He hates when people make concessions for him, but at least Ms. Bustier is thoughtful enough not to draw further attention.

She starts up the stairs, shaking the bowl again, beginning in the back row this year. “You decided by class consensus earlier this week that your gifts would be €20 or less and no bigger than a shoebox.” Nathaniel takes a slip first, his face unreadable as he folds the paper again and lays one hand atop it. Shake, shake. “We’ll have the exchange on December 21st, during our holiday party in the afternoon. You may bring your gift in the morning and I’ll keep them all in a safe place until it’s time for the exchange.” Rose chooses, followed by Juleka. Both seem pleased.

As more and more students choose a slip from the bowl, the room buzzes louder with whispers and murmuring among friends.

Ms. Bustier’s voice cuts through the chatter again. “This is a secret gift exchange, so remember, do not share your recipient’s name. No trading. We’re all friends here.” If she glances quickly at the back of Chloé’s head as she says this, no one says a word.

Marinette waits her turn quietly. In three class gift exchanges, she has never pulled Adrien’s name, nor has he chosen hers. So much for ladybug luck. All she really hopes for at this point is to not choose Lila. She doesn’t want to break Ms. Bustier’s rules, but if that happens, she’s totally trading with Alya.

The bowl shakes near her ear, and she reaches up to blindly choose a slip. Slowly, carefully, she opens the folded paper, and suddenly all she can hear is her pulse roaring in her ears. Because there, in Adrien’s familiar script, is the name she’d given up hoping to receive.

She looks up just in time to see Adrien’s ears pinken and his shoulders scrunch as he hastily refolds his own paper slip. Marinette wonders for just a moment who he’d chosen before her brain kicks into holiday overthinking mode.

She’d rethought many of the gifts for his next several dozen birthdays, repurposed them for other friends or dismantled them to their raw materials and created something new. But a portion of the chest in her room still holds gifts meant just for him. She could choose one of those, or she could make something new. She could create a gift or purchase an item somewhere. Perhaps she could knit a hat or gloves to match his birthday scarf. Oh, the possibilities are endless!

A nudge in her side shakes her from her swirling thoughts and returns her to the din of the steadily-emptying classroom.

“Ready for lunch, Mari?” Alya asks. Nino and Adrien are looking at her expectantly, too.

“Oh. Sure! Yes! Ready for anything. Soup?”

A beat of silence.

“You heard the girl!” Nino says, slapping one hand on the table and standing up. “Let’s go get some soup.”

Alya just pats her on the back and shakes her head as they pack up their bags.

********

Soup actually turns out to be a good idea today, even if Marinette has no idea why she said that. The four friends huddle around a table in the warmth of a nearby cafe, full and relaxed and reluctant to return to afternoon classes. Adrien startles suddenly when a calico cat jumps into his lap and meows loudly, demanding pets.

Nino backs away a bit, but Adrien simply melts.

“Hello there, pretty girl!” he coos. “Do you want scritches? I can do that.” The cat twists her head, showing him exactly where she wants to be scratched, and he happily complies. Marinette can hear the cat’s contented purr from across the table. “Oh, you like that, don’t you? Yes, you do.”

Alya has her phone out and recording, but Adrien doesn’t even notice. This is the first time they’ve seen this cat at this particular restaurant, but she's definitely not the first resident feline to find them while they ate. Or shopped. Or hung out at the park. Adrien attracts cats like Chat Noir, and loves every moment of it.

“And here we see the Cat Whisperer in his natural habitat, among his harem,” Alya narrates the video as though it’s a nature documentary, and Adrien snorts with laughter before looking up, a sheepish half-smile lighting up his face.

“I just really like cats,” he says, and looks back down at the kitty. She abruptly headbutts his chin, making his teeth knock together with an audible clack. He stares at her for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing, rich and joyful, but loud enough to scare the cat from his lap. She trots over to the counter and stops to groom herself.

Adrien, still chuckling, brushes fur from his pants and shakes his head in fond amusement. “Cats.”

The proverbial lightbulb flashes on above Marinette’s head, the stirrings of an idea so crazy it just might work.

She has an executive assistant to email.

********

It’s shockingly easy to get permission for something so important.

“Do you think Nathalie even asked Mr. Agreste?” Marinette wonders aloud to Tikki above the whir of the sewing machine. “I can’t imagine she didn’t, but…” she trails off, shaking her head. Adrien’s household is a web of very strange relationships she has never quite understood.

Tikki hums and shrugs a tiny shoulder. “If Nathalie said yes, I guess the answer is yes.” She flies from her perch on Marinette’s shoulder to sit on top of the sewing machine; Marinette promptly releases the pedal and meets her kwami’s gaze.

“I’m glad she did, but the longer I think about it, the more I wonder if this is a terrible idea.”

“You still have a few days to decide,” Tikki reminds her.

Marinette nods before she catches a glimpse of the clock on her computer and jumps up in alarm.

“Gah! I’m late for patrol! Again!”

********

Chat Noir is waiting quietly at their appointed meeting spot, knees pulled up to his chest and tail dangling down the opposite side of the pitched roof. He unfurls like a night-blooming flower when he hears her land nearby, legs flopping to the roof, arm raised to wave at his partner, tail animated and alert. His bright smile makes Ladybug smile in return as she plops down next to him.

“Sorry I’m late, kitty. I lost track of time.”

“It’s okay, Bugaboo.” He bumps her shoulder with his own. “I knew you didn’t forget me.”

“As if I could!” she laughs, bumping him back.

He’s still smiling, but silence descends over the pair after a moment.

“You okay, Chaton?”

“Yeah, just thinking. Our class is doing a gift exchange for Christmas and I’m having trouble deciding what to get for my...my person.” He glances at his partner, but she only nods in response. “I got one of my friends this year. Not that they’re not all my friends, but...she’s special.”

“Special, huh?” Ladybug asks, a teasing lilt coloring her voice.

“It’s not like that,” Chat rebuts. He breathes a laugh, but his smile turns impossibly soft as he looks out over the lights of the city. “We’re friends, but she’s...I don’t know. There’s no one like her. She deserves a gift as beautiful as she is.”

Ladybug blinks once, twice, caught off guard by the tenderness in his voice. If she didn’t know any better, she might think the feeling in her chest was jealousy, but that can’t possibly be right.

His words catch up to him when he looks back at her again and frantically waves his hands between the two of them. “Oh! Not like that!” he repeats. “I mean, like, beautiful on the inside. Her heart.” He holds a clawed hand to his chest, and Ladybug quirks an eyebrow.

“Okay, she’s beautiful on the outside, too. But it’s...really, it’s not like that. She doesn’t like me that way, and I…” he trails off. “You know.”

Ladybug takes pity on him and tucks her hand in the crook of his elbow, patting his forearm indulgently as the inexplicable knot in her chest loosens a little. “Yeah, kitty. I know. Maybe I can help. What does she like?”

Patrol is forgotten for the evening as two superheroes take the time to simply be two friends chatting about Christmas above the city they protect.

Some of his ideas need to be reined in.

(“It’s just a skein of wool!” he gripes.

“One of the most expensive in the world, Chat! Don’t you have a spending limit?!”)

Others are nixed immediately.

(“You are not buying her an embroidery machine!”)

Finally, he decides on a pool of several items that might work - he's leaning toward tickets to a fashion show, and Ladybug is only a little bit envious of Chat's 'very special classmate' - and settles back on his hands, relieved.

“What about you, Bug? Your class does this every year, too, right?”

She nods in assent. “Yep. But I already know what I’m getting him.”

Maybe he hears it in her voice, or maybe he’s just returning her earlier tease in kind. “Ooooh, him? Did you draw Mr. Mystery Crush’s name this year?”

Ladybug doesn’t answer, but her blushing cheeks do.

“Well.” Chat clears his throat and starts over. “Well, what is this lucky guy getting for Christmas from Paris’s favorite bug?”

She turns to him with a grin. “A cat.”

It’s his turn to be left speechless with his own twinge of jealousy.

“Before you ask, I already got permission from his family. Sort of. Well, I...the bottom line is that I got permission. I’m going tomorrow to the SPA to choose one for him. I’ve already called and made sure that I can bring it back without a problem if he doesn’t like it, but I can’t imagine that happening. Chaton, I’ve never met anyone else whose love of cats rivals yours. It’ll be perfect.”

After a long moment of silence, Chat seems to come to a decision before he stands and bows gallantly to his partner. “It would be my honor to accompany you to the shelter tomorrow to choose a feline fur-ever friend for your friend. I am the chief cat-bassador of Paris, after all.”

Ladybug looks up at him and thinks of how he cradled Pirate in his arms the other night on the way to the refuge, the calm, gentle way he whispers to tired mother cats, his delight in being approached by the everyday cats of Paris out for their evening strolls before returning home for the night. It has less to do with his miraculous and more to do with his heart, she hears Tikki whisper from the back of her mind.

She takes his hand and lets him pull her up before wrapping her partner in a hug.

“It would be my honor, kitty.”

********

And that’s how Marinette finds herself at the SPA just before closing on a Saturday afternoon, suited up as Ladybug and accompanied by Chat Noir, to adopt a cat for her friend Adrien, who happens to be a teen supermodel.

She thinks distantly of how she once said she was an ordinary girl with an ordinary life and wonders what in the world she was thinking.

The staff at the shelter are friendly and positively bubbling over with excitement to have Ladybug and Chat Noir in the facility to adopt a cat instead of simply dropping off rescues. Chat is eating it up, and Ladybug can’t help but smile with pride. He’s ridiculous, but in a dozen lifetimes, she could never find a better partner.

They make their way to the cat room amidst the distant sound of barking dogs from the other side of the shelter. She knew to expect it, but the look of absolute delight that crosses Chat Noir's face as he walks in the room is like the first rays of sun after a week of rain - brilliant, bright, and beautiful.

A cacophony of cat vocalization fills the room as they walk the rows of cage enclosures, from tiny mews to hearty meows. Little paws extend through the bars when they approach, and Chat tickles their toe beans or brushes their soft fur with his own clawed fingers. It's all a bit of sensory and emotional overload, so Ladybug purposefully brings her mind back to the task at hand, turning toward a shelter employee.

"I'm thinking of a relatively young cat, but not a kitten. Calm and friendly."

The employee nods. "We have a few that I think would be perfect for you." She smiles warmly toward Chat Noir, who is currently holding a giant ginger tabby who'd been roaming free in the room. "He's rescued several of the cats housed in this room right now. We're so grateful for him." She leads Ladybug to a bank of cages to the left, swinging open the door of an enclosure at eye level. "I've been calling this fellow Sable, but your partner was a bit more creative with naming when he brought him to us."

The label on the cage reads: My name is Zibeline. I'm super happy to be here instead of on the street! I was brought to the SPA on 14 December. I am about 8 months old, fixed and up to date on my shots. I'm a little shy, but I love treats and cuddling and I'm good with kids. I get along well with other cats after proper introduction. Are you ready to take me to my forever home?

Ladybug's heart twists. She can't choose the very first cat she sees, can she?

"Oh, you found my Zibby Bear! Hi, buddy!"

Chat Noir resituates the ginger tabby cozied up in his arms and reaches out a hand over Ladybug's shoulder to scratch Zibeline under the chin. The cat extends his neck and purrs happily.

He turns to the staff member. "He looks amazing. I knew there was a gorgeous coat under all that matted fur."

"It's true. He's like a brand-new cat."

A few moments later, Ladybug finds herself sitting cross-legged on the floor, dangling a little mouse with a bell in it over the head of a deep brown Burmese mix, falling more and more in love every time the cat turns his big yellow eyes toward her. He's active and alert but still mellow and sweet. As soon as she tucks the little toy behind her back, he climbs into the space between her crossed legs and settles his front paws on her knee. She looks up at Chat Noir helplessly, and he and the employee both laugh.

"Well, that was easy," he says. "Is The Zibster the one?"

She nods, running her gloved fingers gently through the cat's thick sable fur. She can't wait to pet him with her bare hands when they get home.

The staff member leads them to the front desk while another volunteer prepares the impending adoptee for his freedom ride. As they walk, Ladybug notices a large posterboard full of photos on the wall just outside the cat room door. "Thank You, Chat Noir!" is spelled out in die-cut letters across the top. Some photos are of cats looking out from their enclosures, some include Chat Noir himself holding either cat or crate. She does a quick count by fives and is astonished at the number she comes up with.

"Chaton, you've rescued 32 cats?"

His cheeks heat up, but his smile is soft. "At this shelter, yes."

Ladybug swallows quickly around the lump in her throat, changing tack to cover her sudden surge of emotion. "And do you give all of them ridiculous names?"

"Hey, I'm an excellent cat namer, thank you very much."

"What does Zibe-whatever even mean?"

He laughs. "It means sable - it's a little animal like a mink. My mother had a long sable coat that I remember her wearing to big, fancy events when I was little. Zibby's fur reminded me of that when I found him. Er, well...I thought it would once he was cleaned up."

"Why not name him Sable?"

Chat spreads his hands out in a grand gesture. "Well, I'm a learned gentlecat who speaks four languages, Buginette. Also, I already named one Sable last year."

Ladybug just shakes her head and laughs. This dork is truly one of the best people she's ever known. Perhaps she's luckier than she thought.

********

Monday morning dawns bright and lovely, a cold, crisp Winter Solstice to mark their last day of school before the long holiday. Marinette wakes to a shaft of sunlight across her bed from the skylight above, illuminating the deep chestnut fur of her temporary companion purring against her side. She can't resist reaching down to pet him, rousing him from sleep. He lifts his head with a questioning "mrrr?" before he closes his eyes again.

"Do we have to give him to Adrien, Marinette? I want to keep him." Tikki looks up at her with huge blue eyes, and she almost, almost decides to just give Adrien the forest green beanie she knitted for his 28th birthday. But she doesn't have time for a pet, her parents are busy with the bakery, and, well...this is already Adrien's cat, even if he doesn't know it yet, and she can't take that away from him.

"Sorry, Tik," she says with a yawn, sitting up and scooping the cat into her arms to help him down the ladder to her room. "We'll just have to swing over and visit him at Adrien's sometime." Her cheeks flush at the thought.

She preps a small gift bag with the supplies she purchased with her €20 - a little bag of catnip-infused toys, a shaker container of treats, and a bell collar embroidered with brightly-colored fish. Adrien doesn't need to know that the shelter waived the usual €150 adoption fee, nor that the neon green litter pan and carrier were thrown in for free as well. She has a feeling those were a donation by a certain masked black cat, but no one mentioned it outright and she didn't ask.

She kisses the little cat on the nose with a reminder that she'll be back for him later, opens her purse for Tikki, and sets off for school.

********

The class is abuzz with excitement. They've slogged through a morning of last-minute assignments and a pop quiz that brought groans from the students until the teacher said they could use their notes. Lunch was spent trying to get each other to give up the secret of who their giftee was, but none of them would budge. Marinette had made a quick trip across the street to "pick up something she forgot" just before the lunch break ended.

Finally, finally, it's time to return to homeroom for their Christmas party. Nino's phone plays a curated playlist of holiday music that provides a cheery background the students' chatter. Ms. Bustier's desk and a little table set up next to it are filled with snacks and treats. Red and green macarons decorate a silver tray, and a bowl filled with berry punch sits next to it, little splashes marring the smooth surface of several adjacent cookies. Marinette snags those for her own plate and slides the tray a few inches away before going back to her seat.

When everyone's plates are left with only crumbs, the teacher finally gets their attention. Nino turns the music down but not off, and everyone scrambles to get their gifts for the exchange.

Marinette sends a quick text to her mom before setting her phone on the desk beside the little gift bag. Adrien, she notices, holds a simple envelope in his hand, tapping it nervously against the desk.

Gifts are given to squeals of delight, oohs and aahs and one "whoa, rad!" from Alix.

When Sabine Cheng peeks in just as Nino is digging into his gift bag, Marinette excuses herself for a moment before returning with a carefully-ventilated shoebox. Okay, it held a pair of her father's giant shoes, but Marinette still followed the gift-giving guidelines. Sort of. She settles back in her seat, the contents of the box making a loud scrabbling sound, followed by a plaintive meow.

Every eye in the classroom is suddenly on the second row.

"Why don't you give your gift next, Marinette?" Mrs. Bustier says, eyes focused on the now-wriggling box.

Marinette slides the box forward on the desk toward Adrien, who is already turned in his seat, eyes wide. His gaze flickers to hers, to the meowing box, and back to her.

"Joyeux Noël, Adrien."

Chloé huffs at the look of wonder on his face as he brings the box into his lap, but no one else makes a sound.

Slowly, reverently, he begins to lift the lid. After just a few centimeters, a tiny black nose nudges into the open space, followed by one little paw covered in deep brown fur, then a second, before the cat pushes the lid up and off and climbs Adrien's t-shirt like a tree. His hands wrap gently around the cat's body and hold him close to his shoulder. Oblivious to the class going crazy, Alya filming the moment in shocked glee, and Ms. Bustier remarking to no one in particular that she thought they'd been told not to give living creatures as gifts, Adrien simply buries his face in the cat's fur.

"I thought you'd like, crochet a blanket or something, Mari," comes from somewhere behind her. Across the aisle, she hears, "Or bring a cake or madeleines or, I don't know, not a cat!" And, predictably, "Giving a cat as a gift is utterly ridiculous." But none of that matters. The world narrows to Adrien's shaking shoulders and the beautiful chestnut cat sniffing at the hair above his ears, making no move to wriggle free of the hands that hold him firmly but gently in place. For several frantic moments, Marinette is gripped with the fear that she has made a horrible mistake here.

When he finally raises his head, Nino surreptitiously passes him a tissue and pats him on the back while he reluctantly hands the cat to a squealing Rose, the first of many in a long line of cuddles in the cat's immediate future.

Marinette couldn't have said whether she was breathing or not before Adrien's eyes meet hers, but she's distinctly aware of the moment her breath catches. Where she thought she'd see the same joy he'd displayed during his many feline encounters over the course of their friendship, she finds something different. Gratitude mixes with a tinge of sadness, but behind it is something profound that makes her feel exposed and comforted all at once.

He blinks, his brow furrows, and the moment is gone.

"Marinette, I...well, my father..."

"Oh!" she exclaims. "I got permission. I can show you Nathalie's email if you'd like." She reaches for her phone, but Adrien stops her with a hand over hers.

"You're amazing, Marinette," he says, voice painted with the same wonder that shines in his eyes.

Alya is making a sound like a whistling tea kettle behind her still-recording phone. It takes Nino asking, “So, mec, what are you going to name your new little dude?" to truly bring them all back to the moment. The three sets of eyes in Nino's immediate vicinity snap to him, but the rest of the class looks to Adrien for his answer.

He rubs his neck and glances at the floor before answering. "His name is, um...Zibeline."

"Ziba-what now?" Kim asks, and half the class laughs.

"It means sable," he says quietly. "His fur reminds me of a coat my mom had that she'd wear to fancy events when I was little."

Max pipes up, “Adrien is correct. The sable is a type of marten found in the forests of Central Asia." He looks down at his phone for more info. "In fact, its scientific name is Martes zibellina. Zibeline is a little-known term in both French and English used to describe the sable or an item with sable-like qualities."

"Well, it's a very fitting name, Adrien. I do hope you enjoy your new pet." Ms. Bustier gives Mylène a pointed look, gesturing toward Adrien with her head, and the cat is reluctantly returned to his new owner. "Next year, please, no live animals in the gift exchange."

Alya nudges a malfunctioning Marinette, who nods absently. "Got it, Miss," Alya answers for her.

Marinette hears none of this. Her heart pounds in her ears, drowning out the class, their teacher, Alya. She stares, transfixed, at Adrien's bare hands holding Zibeline, trying and failing to reconcile that those same hands, previously gloved in black, had scratched the cat's chin two days before at the shelter. It can't be true that the same doofus who makes incessant cat puns and throws himself toward danger with a smile, who finds and saves the most vulnerable cats and kittens in Paris and has loved her for literal years is sitting in front of her now, cradling the cat they adopted together and looking back at her with those big green eyes she's seen in her dreams since she was thirteen. Right? Right?

Except...he can. He is. She sees it with perfect clarity as soon as she allows herself to truly believe it.

Less about his miraculous and more about his heart, indeed.

She's brought back to the moment when a crisp white envelope slides across her desk.

"For you, Marinette."

(Oh, even his voice is the same. How did she never realize?)

Inside are two tickets to a fall preview fashion show in early January, just as she knew there would be, just as she and her partner had discussed at their chilly rooftop meeting point on Friday night.

"Thank you," she whispers, finally meeting his eyes and finding a guarded hope that makes her heart ache.

Well, that won't do, she thinks.

Ms. Bustier wraps up the gift exchange, thanking the students for their participation and wishing them a very happy holiday. The class moves around them, students getting more snacks and punch, Christmas music turned up again to party volume for the last few minutes of the day. Alya and Nino get up together to refill their drinks, leaving their two seatmates and one cat.

There's a beat of silence between them.

"Beautiful on the inside, huh?"

Adrien's eyes widen in relief and he hides a laugh in Zibeline's fur. "I'm pretty sure I said inside and out."

Marinette giggles helplessly as a giddy glee spreads through her. "You did. And then you picked out your own Christmas gift." She reaches out to pet the cat but Adrien goes one step further and presses Zibeline into her arms. The cat settles happily, propping his paws on her forearm before laying his head on top of them.

"I love him, Marinette. Thank you."

Her breath catches in her throat again. Ostensibly, he’s talking about the cat, but his eyes speak something slightly different, with a weight that compels her to respond in kind.

“You’re welcome. I...I love him, too.”

His answering smile is pure, radiant joy. It makes her heart beat a little out of rhythm, and she clutches Zibeline just a bit closer, grounding herself in the feel of his thick fur. For a moment, Marinette is stunned by the wave of emotion that rises in her chest, a sudden vision of limitless possibility that makes her feel as powerful and determined as she does wearing her spots.

As he slides from his seat to refill his plate with likely-forbidden snacks, Adrien gives her a cheeky wink and leans in close enough that she can smell his familiar cologne. “That embroidery machine is still on the table, by the way. Seems like a super gift for a girlfriend who’s beautiful inside and out, doesn’t it?”

Marinette sputters as he saunters away, her ears and cheeks burning.

“Well, well, well,” Alya drawls as she sets down her drink. “Three years and two dozen failed schemes, and it turned out all it took to make something happen between you two was a cat.” She pops an entire macaron in her mouth and chews thoughtfully. "You won Christmas, by the way."

"I thought the competition was between you and Nino?"

Alya shrugs and points at Zibeline. "No one can beat that." After a long swig of punch, she reaches over to scratch the cat behind the ears. “Girl, I hope you like cats, because in a few years, this one’s going to be yours, too.”

Marinette looks down at the cat in her arms, then back at her best friend, and all she can do is laugh.

“Don’t worry, Alya. I love them. I always have.”

[writersrealmbts]

Tangled Hearts

Description: Hybrid!ot7 x reader: You have seven hybrids and life with them can be both good and stressful. Some days are better than others, but in the end, you know that they’re always there for you, in more ways than one.

Angst/Fluff/Suggestive Stuff/SFW

Posted: 10/18/2019

Tags: poly!bts, multi, ot7, hybrid bts, Monsta X cameos

Wordcount: 22,844

A/N: Hope y’all are ready for this. It’s a long one. A really long one. And it is pretty angsty, so sorry about that, also I used Monsta X characters in this as well. I hope you guys like it since I finished it for the celebration of 2,000 followers I reached a while ago. It was also a sort of request/suggestion from months and months ago about the quirks of hybrids. I really hope this doesn’t flop like most of the rest of my works.

You woke up, frowning as you tried to figure out why, then groaning as the rapid thumping occurred above your room once again. “Kim Taehyung would you stop scaring Hoseok!” You heard rushed footsteps as Taehyung tried to get away before you could catch him in the act.

You caught him by the tail on the stairs, and dragged him back to Hoseok’s room, where the bunny-hybrid was hiding under the bed, foot thumping against the bed again. “Apologize now,” You ordered, releasing the tail and crossing your arms.

Taehyung snatched it and held onto it with a strangled sound. “But—”

“Taehyung! I would like to remind you that you were both the person who kept me up until two in the morning and the person who woke me up when the sun wasn’t up yet,” You warned. “And I swear to God if you still have whatever bug or creature you scared him with in my house I won’t get you any frogs for two weeks.”

His eyes widened, and his cute ears twitched. His gray and black ringed tail was still held in his hands. “S-sorry, Hoseokie-hyung.”

Hoseok just made a squeaking sound that was the closest he could get to coherent.

You took a deep breath. “Get whatever it is out of my house, you will be apologizing later. No frogs for a week.”

Tae slumped, but rushed out.

You crouched down and held out your hand, waiting for Hoseok to register it, then letting out an “oof” and falling on your butt as he slammed into you. “Hey, it’s okay, Hobi. I know, he frightened you. Woke you up with a snake, didn’t he?”

He nodded, his heart beating so rapidly and he was still so upset, foot thumping against the air. “Sorry. Waking. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind being woken, I mind that it was Taehyung doing it for the fifth time. I’ll have a serious talk with him later, okay. Just breathe. You want some carrot juice this morning?”

He nodded again, finally starting to calm down.

The two of you stayed that way until he looked up at you sleepily.

“There we go,” You said softly, smiling down at him.

He relaxed completely and grinned up at you. “Better check on Seokjin-hyung. Tae was in his room first. He might kill Tae.”

You groaned. “Head downstairs. I better get everyone moving.”

He got up and nabbed a sweatshirt as he exited his room, checking the hallway before going out just in case.

You headed into Yoongi’s room, stripping the blankets from his form in one quick movement and calling for him to get up.

He groaned. “But it’s morning…”

“And you didn’t eat anything after dinner tonight and your doctor wants you to gain at least ten pounds. If you’re going to embrace being partially nocturnal, eat accordingly. You can go back to bed after you’ve had some food,” You told the mink-hybrid, ignoring the groaning and the grasping for blankets. “Don’t make me dump water on you. I already had to deal with Taehyung this morning.”

“That raccoon is going to be the death of all of us. Let me kill him first.”

“Play nice and get up. Don’t forget to make your bed.” You headed to the next room, humming softly as you entered so you wouldn’t startle Jungkook.

He rolled over and looked in your general direction. “They’re loud.”

“Sorry, pup,” You helped him get up and laid out an outfit for him. “I’ll send Jimin in to help you?”

He nodded, feeling the fabrics and starting to unbutton his pajama shirt.

You went to Jimin’s room across the hall and easily woke him with some pets and the promise of bacon if he was a good boy and helped Jungkook change. Dogs were definitely the easiest.

Namjoon was already awake, but his nose twitched and pulled out of his book to look and acknowledge you. “Morning.”

“Morning,” You replied, both aloud and with your hands, signing as well that it was time to head downstairs for breakfast.

He nodded and closed his book. He ducked and rubbed his head against your hand, then against your arm, purring as he did and heading downstairs.

You headed to the last room, noting it was open and that Jin wasn’t inside.

You hurried downstairs to find a sulky Taehyung getting a glare from the fox-hybrid.

“It was just a joke, hyung.”

“Did anyone laugh?” Jin snapped back, a growl lacing his words.

Namjoon looked at you, completely lost.

You signed “snake” and pointed at Taehyung, then Hoseok and Seokjin.

Namjoon shook his head and took a seat, hitting Taehyung’s arm. “Be nice. They’re always nice to you.”

Yoongi slunk in and dropped into a seat as well, head on his arms and snarling slightly when Hoseok bumped into him on accident. He muttered an apology that he wasn’t awake yet.

Hoseok looked more amused than anything and started poking and prodding the sleepy mink.

“Morning!” Jimin called, leading Jungkook to an empty seat.

You started throwing breakfast together: Carrots into the juicer, bacon into the frying pan, and frozen waffles into the oven. “Someone sign for Joon while we go over today’s agenda?”

“I’ll do it,” Jin agreed.

“Okay, so, we need to weed the garden and I need to go pick up more plants for it, so that’ll be two different teams. Jungkook, can you empty the dishwasher and wash the dishes from breakfast?”

“Sure,” He replied, his tail slowly thumping against the chair. He sounded nervous and determined. He emptied the dishwasher fairly regularly (you hand-washed sharp knives so that he would be safe), but didn’t usually wash the dishes that didn’t fit himself.

“Someone dry the dishes for him to make sure they’re clean and refill the dishwasher. We’ll do hot-dogs and grilled vegetables for lunch, so I’ll need the veggies washed and ready for cooking when I get back from the store. I need someone to inspect the rooms before breakfast is ready—”

“I’ll do it,” Hoseok volunteered.

You nodded. “You know where the clipboard is. After lunch, we’ll rest during the hottest hours of the day, then we can head out to pick berries. Come back, eat dinner, go swimming. Sound good?”

There was a chorus of agreement from the boys.

“What’s my night-time chore?” Yoongi asked, rubbing his face.

“Clean the kitchen, eat another meal, fix the door to the shed. It’s getting stuck.”

He nodded and slumped back over.

You put his plate in front of him first since he had to have very specific portions as well as extra supplements.

Hoseok started to dart upstairs for room inspection, but you stopped him and gestured for him to eat.

Jin took over and told you to go ahead and go take a shower and get dressed since your morning routine had been disrupted yet again.

You showered and dressed, made your bed (which wasn’t that hard since you barely got to sleep in it), and went back out to find all of them gaping as Taehyung stared bleakly at the waffle he had impulsively “washed” in the sink.

“It’s alright, I put extras in the oven. Here, wash an apple,” You intervened, smiling gently and opening his hands, putting the fruit in instead. That was why you had a garbage disposal installed.

He washed the apple thoroughly, then hurried back to his seat where Jin had put waffles and bacon, buttering the waffles for Tae so that he wouldn’t be tempted to try and wash them again.

Namjoon patted Taehyung on the shoulder. “It’s okay. We all do strange things.”

“Jungkook, you’re about to put your hand in the syrup,” You warned, guiding his hands to the silverware and then taking over from Jin so that he could eat since they all ate twice as much as you and you honestly just had a smoothie in the morning lately. Strawberries, blueberries and banana with orange juice and some protein powder and you were good to go. Though Jungkook always insisted on smelling your breath. It was weird, but no weirder than when Jimin would lick you when you had worked up a sweat.

Speak of the devil, he was giving you the side-eye, an evil grin on his face. “No boyfriend today? It’s been a while.”

It had, but the last time your boyfriend had been over had been…disastrous. They had all behaved like little monsters and it took you four hours to clean the house afterward.

“Well, I have these hybrids that don’t know how to behave when I have company over,” You replied, giving him the eye. “My trash-panda trashed the house with the help of my normally sweet and loving Labrador. My sweet kitty pretended that nothing existed if he couldn’t hear it, and he can’t hear anything. My Malamute decided that he was going to be hostile. The mink I so lovingly rescued absolutely demolished my couch and my fox ran away and hid. And my bunny, my sweet, lovely clean bunny, decided to come down with a sickness that doesn’t actually exist and scare the bejeebers out of me. So no, my boyfriend won’t be coming here until you all learn to behave better around strangers. Which is why after we’re done swimming tonight, I’m going to his place.”

They all froze, staring at you.

Then they started protesting all at once.

“He scared me! I can’t see him and the smells were all over the place! But you can’t go there! What if he’s a serial killer?”

“What if his hybrids attack you?”

“It was a good book!”

“Yoongi started it!”

“I am not a trash-panda!”

“I really didn’t feel good!”

“I am always sweet and loving!”

You rolled your eyes.

“They could hurt you!” Yoongi added as they all started to quiet down.

“They haven’t hurt me before,” You countered. “And I work with my boyfriend, we go through a ton of different background checks. If he is a serial killer, he’s a very good one if he can pass those tests and have hybrids trust him. Now, who’s coming with me to the store?”

Namjoon raised his hand quickly, reading your lips.

The others raised theirs a split second after, but you were pretty sure Jimin had been first.

“So, Namjoon and Jimin. Yoongi, enjoy your nap. Taehyung, you help Jungkook. Hoseok, and Jin, get to work in the garden?”

Taehyung perked up at the prospect of not weeding right away with the others. “Yes, ma’am!”

The others nodded their agreement.

You nodded. “Let me do my makeup. Brush your teeth and get your shoes on.”

“Okay!” Jimin signed the instructions to Joon, then hurried upstairs.

Jungkook looked slightly nervous with Jimin leaving his side, but he’d been getting better about it with every week he lived with you. He trusted the others now, especially Hoseok, Seokjin, and Namjoon. He was still a little jumpy around Yoongi and Taehyung, the latter of which tended toward spontaneous sounds and actions that Jungkook couldn’t see coming.

You tried to push him as much as possible, gave him more responsibilities, brought him into new situations, and reminded him to use his other senses. He’d relied on Jimin for years, unable to do anything else because he was told constantly that he wasn’t able to in his former situation. It was hard to get Jimin to not protect and care for Jungkook.

Then there was Namjoon, who’d been in an accident with his former owner, the result of which left him deaf and abandoned by his owner’s family. The betrayal had left him so broken, and yet your little kitty had quickly warmed up to you as you taught him again how to use sign language and worked with him on reading lips. He’d been with you longest.

Jin was your most recent addition to your household, and he’d been with you for two and a half months now.

“Y/n, are you sure…” Hoseok started, setting the clipboard down. “Are you sure that you’re happy with your boyfriend? You never seem happy when you come back from hanging out with him. And his hybrid’s scent…I know it really bugs Jungkook, and Yoongi…and Namjoon. Especially Namjoon.”

You looked over the room inspection sheets, not surprised by Hoseok’s findings. “I take care of all of you all day, I organize your days, I make sure you all eat properly, and I try to love you all as much as I’m able to. My relationship isn’t perfect. I know that. But…” You sighed as you struggled for the words to say what you needed to.

“You…need to get away from us?”

Your eyes widened. “No! I just…I need someone to take care of me sometimes. I would never try to burden you all with my problems. You all have so many of your own, and sometimes there are things that I just can’t share with you guys. Well, I could tell Namjoon as long as he wasn’t looking at me.” You ran a hand through your hair, feeling even more frazzled. This day was not going as you planned.

Hoseok was tugging on one of his ears, thoughtful but sad. “I understand.”

You looked over his face. “Do you?”

He met your gaze, then looked down. “I think so.” He leaned forward and nuzzled your shoulder affectionately.

You quickly welcomed his affection, kissing his temple and stroking his hair.

“We’re…ready…” Jimin announced, looking worriedly between you and Hoseok.

Namjoon came over and pet the bunny’s head, gaining Hoseok’s attention before signing something over your shoulder.

Hoseok nodded and pulled away. “I’ll go make sure Taehyung doesn’t get Jungkook hurt.”

“He’s not completely irresponsible,” Jimin pointed out.

“He had a snake in my house, he’s not entirely responsible either,” You argued, folding your arms. “Thank you, Hobi. Also, could you check on Jin. He seemed…quiet.”

“That is a problem.” Hoseok hurried off to find the eldest.

Namjoon hugged you from behind, nosing at your hairline so lightly it sent chills up your spine. “We’re ready when you are.”

You nodded, grabbing your purse and extricating yourself. You looked through and then groaned. “Who took my keys?” You yelled.

You heard a lot of scampering sounds from multiple offenders as they hastily retreated in different directions.

“Y/n?” Jimin said hesitantly.

You took a deep breath and then dropped your purse. “I’m going back to bed. One of you get the keys back. We’ll get groceries tomorrow. Tell everyone lunch is whatever the hell they can scrounge up.” You headed upstairs, ignoring Jimin’s whimpers and Namjoon’s worried and confused call of your name.

Yoongi’s head snapped up guiltily as you came into your room.

You marched over and grabbed your pillow and favorite blanket and marched back out, ignoring his inquisitive looks.

You went down the hall to Jin’s room, going in since you knew he’d already taken off for the garden and curling up in his bed. You pulled the covers over your head, hugged your blanket and pressed your face into it to release the scream of frustration and anxiety that the day had already brought you.

It wasn’t even 8:30.

They left you alone, Jin only slipping in a few hours later, sitting on the edge of the bed and petting your back through the blankets before leaving you alone again.

It was around 11:30 that Jungkook came.

“Y-y/n? Um…Jin-hyung and Yoongi-hyung made us lunch…do you…want someone to bring you something?”

“I’m not hungry,” You replied softly, cursing your voice for wobbling.

“Oh…okay…” His footsteps retreated hesitantly, a whine evident in his voice.

You pushed your face into the pillows, reaching for your phone in your pocket only to realize it wasn’t there. You’d managed to nap in between the bouts of frustrated tears.

But now you were angry, because there were only two that could have taken it.

You got up, roughly making the bed before going downstairs. “Jung Hoseok, if you or Namjoon have my phone, you need to give it back right now.”

Hoseok looked startled. “I don’t have it, y/n.”

Jimin had translated for Namjoon, and the way he seemed to get interested in the food on his plate said it all.

All of them shrunk away from you.

You took a deep breath, trying desperately not to have a meltdown on them. “Why?”

Namjoon seemed to be shrinking by the second, despite not knowing what you asked.

“Y-y/n?” Yoongi said, looking nervous. “I…I’m sorry I took your keys.”

“Why did you take them? You knew I was going to the store. We just discussed it.” Your eyes were tearing up, and it made you even more upset because you didn’t want to cry. You were angry.

“Because we could live without groceries, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving us tonight to go visit that stinking—”

“Yoongi,” Hoseok hissed, punching the mink.

Adding hurt to your list of feelings, you knocked on the counter in front of Namjoon.

He finally peeked up at you, then pulled out your phone from his pocket.

You signed “why”.

His gaze dropped back to the counter. “I just…I wanted to know what he talked about that was so special….”

“Happy with what you found?” You asked aloud as he glanced up at you. You shook your head and looked away from him and Yoongi. “I am beyond frustrated right now. Do you think it’s easy taking care of all of you? Doing all of this, and working? Can’t you guys just make some days a little easier? Maybe follow the rules for once, or eat of your own volition? Maybe try not to destroy what little bit of sanity I manage to maintain on bad days? Maybe stop antagonizing me over trying to have some sort of love life?”

It wasn’t fair to some of them. It wasn’t fair for them to be getting these words when they had done nothing wrong.

But you were crying now and the words just didn’t want to stop.

But you had to stop them, so with a choked sob, you turned and fled back upstairs, locking your bedroom door and pulling the dresser in front of it for good measure.

You left your phone down there again.

You stripped the sheets because they were covered in mink and malamute fur, quickly remaking your bed before sliding between the taught blankets and sheets, hugging one of the extra pillows. You shouldn’t have gone downstairs while you were angry. They were all in various stages of recovery, and outbursts like this were the equivalent of two steps forward and five steps back.

“Y/n?” Jimin called through the door, voice wavering. “Please let me in. Please?”

You squeezed your eyes shut.

“It’s okay, y/n. They know they messed up. No one is mad at you, or hurt. Well, you’re hurt, so please let me in?” His voice became plaintive, stronger now and yet still soft.

You would probably regret it.

But you moved the dresser and unlocked the door.

He slipped in, growling at whoever tried to follow him and locking it again. He pulled the dresser in front of the door for you and then turned and opened his arms.

You hugged him as tightly as you dared, and he hugged you back. “I’m doing everything wrong.”

“No you’re not.”

“Then why doesn’t anything ever go right? Why am I so toxic?”

“You’re not toxic, y/n,” He quickly corrects you, thumbs on your lips to keep you quiet so he could talk to you. “You’re not. It’s just…a bad day. It started out on the wrong foot, and then someone greased the floor.”

You snorted, recognizing your own words. You’d said them to him a few months back, the day after Jin had arrived and Jungkook was struggling and Jimin had a bad day that he accidentally took out on Jin.

He smiled, then pressed five kisses all long your forehead before carefully kissing/licking the tears from your cheeks. “You know, Yoongi felt so bad about it once he realized why you were…initially upset that he ate a whole lot. Because he knew that if you were mad at him, you’d at least be happy that he ate a proper meal. Even if he is disrupting his natural sleep-cycle.”

You groaned. “Oh god, he’s going to be a zombie until we get him back on his schedule again.”

He quickly shushed you. “Don’t worry about that.”

You kept bonking your head on his shoulder. “How can I not?”

He chuckled. “See, this is why you’re perfect. Even when you’re mad at us, you still worry about us.” He nuzzled into your hair.

You heard a car door and flinched. “What was that?”

He looked just as bewildered as you, but went to the window. “Uh oh.”

More car doors.

“What uh oh?”

“I better go tackle Yoongi. Your boyfriend is here. And he brought his hybrids.”

You felt your heart drop to your stomach and you and Jimin rushed downstairs to prevent bloodshed.

The boys all looked warily out the front windows through the blinds.

You rushed to the front door and outside, hearing protests from Yoongi and Jungkook (who heard the front door open) and ignoring them as you rushed up to your boyfriend. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled down at you. “Wow, some greeting. Hi to you too.”

“Hi, what are you doing here? And with your hybrids? Are you trying to get someone hurt?”

“Look, the only way they’re going to accept me is if they know everything about me, including my hybrids. I told them to be on their best behavior, so don’t worry.”

“You do remember what happened the last time you were here, right? And it’s already—”

“Have you been crying?” He asked, gently wiping at your face.

His one hybrid, Jooheon, whimpered a bit. “Y/n? You smell sad and angry, and scared? Is everything okay?”

You groaned. “I’m fine, it’s just a bad day here. Which is why this is an especially bad day for you all to be here.”

He folded his arms. “Are you sure it’s not just an excuse?”

“Excuse me?” You folded your arms.

“Are you sure you’re not just using your hybrids as an excuse to push me away?”

“Y/n!” Yoongi called out in a growl.

You closed your eyes. “Do you really think you’re not already in enough trouble?” You asked, turning to look at him.

He nodded toward the house. “Jin-hyung’s having one of his attacks.”

“I swear to god if you’re bluffing I’m gonna wring your furry tail,” You warned, hurrying inside, your boyfriend only steps behind.

Jin was spasming on the ground, definitely having a seizure.

“What’s wrong with him?” Wonho, one of your boyfriend’s other hybrids, asked softly as you and Shownu rolled Jin onto his side as the spasms stopped.

Shownu checked his pulse, watching his watch while you timed how long it took Jin to start to come out of it.

“What’s going on?” Jungkook asked worriedly.

“He’s out of the seizure, we’re just waiting for him to recover,” Shownu answered.

You saw Jungkook shrink away more. “Jungkook, Hoseok, could you go make sure Jin’s bed is ready for him? He’ll want to rest. Yoongi, Taehyung, take Namjoon into the backyard. I’ll send Hoseok out to get you when you can come in.”

There was some hesitance from all of them, but slowly they murmured their assent and left.

Jimin crouched beside you, glancing sidelong at you as if he would see the explanation.

You just shook your head slightly. You should have known Jin would have a seizure. You’d suspected he wasn’t okay that morning. But no. You were so self-centered that you neglected one of your main duties as caretaker of all of them.

Shownu met your gaze as you looked away from Jin, and sort of held onto it. “So…really bad timing?”

“The worst,” You agreed, sighing in relief as Jin started to come out of it. “You should back off so he doesn’t freak out.”

He backed away, waving his hybrids closer to the front door.

Hoseok came back with a blanket, one of Jin’s. “For the smell.”

You nodded, carefully tucking it under his head. “When he’s recovered enough, can the two of you help him to bed?”

They both nodded, but Jimin caught your wrist.

“You couldn’t have prevented it,” He reminded you.

“But I should have seen it coming. It’s my job to see it coming.” You pulled out of his grasp and headed past your boyfriend and outside.

His hybrids went and got into his van, but he stayed beside you. “They’ll never accept me.”

“We don’t know that—”

“Yes, we do. I do. I get it now.”

“Please don’t do this to me today,” You whispered.

He nodded, turning and pulling you into a hug. “Okay. But how much longer are we going to keep kidding ourselves?”

“You can break up with me tomorrow. Just…leave it for today.”

“I…still need a date for the wedding this Saturday. Why don’t we call that our last night? End it on a high note?”

You nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“And I’ll still be around if you need me. We work together, after all. It would be awkward if we…”

“Yeah. Might take a while.”

He nodded, petting your hair a bit before heading toward his van. “Jin might want to scent you. It’s comforting to them.”

You nodded, waving as he drove off.

You went back inside after a few minutes to try and compose yourself, heading upstairs to where the boys had already moved Jin.

He tiredly reached out for you and you obliged, crawling under the covers and into his arms. “Y/n.”

“You want to scent me?” You asked softly, smirking slightly has Jungkook huffed jealously.

Jin did it instead of answering, he was obviously exhausted and in a bit of pain, but his body seemed to relax a bit more as he breathed you in and covered you in his scent. His hands gently rubbed your back, and he curled around you, head in the crook of your neck. “You smell so nice now.”

“I didn’t before?”

He hummed, not committing either way.

You sighed, and ran your fingers through his hair. “What did I smell like before?”

He breahted in carefully and then seemed to press a kiss to your neck. “Anxious. And depressed.”

You let out a little scoffing breath and curled up slightly.

He wrapped around you a little more. “Are you okay?”

“We’re breaking up. After the wedding on Saturday.”

He stiffened. “What?”

You just nuzzled into his body.

“Y/n?”

“It’ll be amicable. Has to be.”

He tilted your chin up. “Don’t break up with him because of us.”

“He’s breaking up with me,” You told him. “We just aren’t the right fit.”

He nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, y/n.”

You shrugged, shivering and grabbing at the blankets. “It’s just the way things go sometimes. How are you feeling? Headache? Muscle soreness?” You rubbed your hands on his back and sides, massaging his shoulders.

“I’m just tired. A little sore.” He sat up, nose twitching. “Also restless. They’re arguing.”

You sighed. “How bad?”

“It’s pretty hushed, so I’d say it wasn’t too bad.” He sighed. “Do you…do you think that I’ll ever…fit in with them?” He whispered, sounding so sad.

“You do, you do fit in. They love you.” You pushed yourself up so that you could rest your head on his shoulder. “I love you.”

He started petting your hair. “I love you too.”

——

“Y/n? No boyfriend tonight? It’s been a while,” Jimin asked teasingly, leaning on you with his arms draped over your shoulders. “His smell isn’t on your clothes as much as it usually is.”

You ignored his questions and teasing, guiding his arms to hold you instead of dangling and blocking your view of the book you were attempting to read. It was honestly the first time you’d found any of them getting on your nerves ever since day a couple weeks ago and you were determined to just ignore it as long as you could.

“Don’t you want to go see him? Cuddle up and smooch him?” Jimin kept teasing, ignoring the grumpy looks he got from Taehyung—who preferred to be your cuddle partner if at all possible.

You sighed and started to reread the page.

“Leave her be, Jimin,” Jin said softly.

“Oh, come on! What? Are you preparing to bring him over here again?” He asked, rubbing his cheek on your hair and giggling at the way your hair tickled his face. “I know we’ll need to be on our best behavior. You could make your homemade bread, and we could clean the house really nicely. Though, no promises on enduring the mushy-gushy stuff.”

You hummed and tried to refocus on your book, shifting slightly to bear his weight more comfortably.

“I mean, at least he’s not clueless about things like how to take care of hybrids. And he makes you happy, right?”

“They broke up Jimin, leave her alone,” Jin said, shoving Jimin off of you and then cuddling up next to you in a way that prevented the others from touching you. Very protective.

They were staring now, and you heard something drop to the ground.

“Y/n…when?” Namjoon asked, coming over to stand in front of you, then crouch when you wouldn’t look at him.

You flipped back to the page you had been trying to read the whole time when you realized you hadn’t absorbed it. Again.

“After the wedding they went to together. Now leave her alone.” Jin signed it as well, then nuzzled up to you again.

“He’s pretty bossy for the new guy,” Tae muttered.

You looked up at that. “Tone.”

“Sorry,” he immediately apologized.

Namjoon looked confused, but also resigned to being out of the loop. “What happened?”

You shook your head. “It wasn’t working. We both agreed. We’re still attempting to be friends, especially since we work together. Now, can we not talk about this anymore? Guess I’m done reading. Guess I better get ready for work. Jungkook, are you still coming into the office with me?”

He nodded, scrambling to his feet and tripping over Hoseok’s legs.

Jimin caught the malamute, setting him back on his feet.

“Thanks hyung.”

Jin hummed getting up with you and holding onto you still. “Do you have to go?”

You wrapped your arms around him and hugged him tightly. “You can come too.”

He perked up. “Really?”

You nodded. You were worried about him. He’d been lethargic all week and if he was going to have a seizure, you’d rather he be with you. At least at the clinic he could get taken care of should anything go wrong. Maybe he was getting sick-sick. Besides, you had your own office and you thought it’d be nice for Jungkook to have someone from home. Like a security blanket. And you wanted to try and get Jin to bond with at least one of them a little more strongly. So far the only sign of attachment you’d noticed was both him and Yoongi finding solidarity in their need for some quiet. But Jin still struggled with sign language so he couldn’t really talk with Namjoon. Taehyung was so unpredictable and Jin so easily startled that things had been sort of touch and go. He was okay with Jimin and Hoseok but still so quiet.

But you’d noticed that he’d naturally look out for Jungkook and seemed comfortable around the Malamute, and Jungkook seemed comfortable around the fox.

Jin was bounding toward the stairs, guiding Jungkook who for the life of him couldn’t figure out how he wasn’t to the first step yet in his excitement.

“How come they get to go? Why are you playing favorites?” Taehyung asked, and you didn’t think anyone could have a more heartbroken face.

“I don’t think Jin’s feeling well and I want to be able to keep an eye on him. Besides, you get bored at my work and end up causing me trouble. You and Jimin can play video games since all of the chores are done. Someone make sure Yoongi wakes up at dinner time and eats a good meal?” You shoved a few things into your bag and headed for the front door. You were already ready for work, you just needed shoes.

“Yeah, we’ll make sure he eats,” Jimin said, following you.

So were the others.

Honestly, ever since that day a couple weeks ago, the boys had all been acting a little strange. They were more cuddly, got along better, broke the rules less….

You looked them over, noticing that Taehyung was still pouting. “Come here, trash panda.”

He made an indignant sound even as he hugged you.

“It’s not even a full shift. I’ll be home in six hours, and then I have the next two days off. We can watch that foreign film you wanted to. I do need to do some canning on one of the days, though. Hoseok, are you still taking Namjoon down to the farmer’s market?”

He nodded. “We’ve got the list of things you wanted us to see if we could get. I’m just glad we can go there without getting in trouble.”

“Take a phone with you, just in case. Mrs. Taylor said she’ll keep an eye out for you, too. Tae, release, I need to give them money.”

“How come I can’t go to the farmer’s market?” Tae pouted as he released you, watching your every movement as you pulled out your wallet and got the money you had withdrawn for the farmers market.

“Because you can’t abandon Jiminie and you know he can’t do the market.”

“I’ll take you next time, Taehyungie, I promise,” Hoseok said, lovingly hugging his younger brother.

Tae snuggled up to the older easily, pout turning into a bit of a smile.

Jimin hugged you. “I’m sorry I teased you,” He whispered. Then he was sniffing you, nose pressed against your skin.

“Jiminie?” You asked, because he sniffed you more.

He pulled back and tilted his head, brow furrowing. “What’s wrong?”

“Um…nothing, you were just getting a little zealous with the sniffing.”

“No, you smell…what do you smell?” He muttered, smelling you again. You ignored the answer your mind supplied of “depression, anxiety and residual teen angst”.

Namjoon leaned in to sniff as well, curious about what the dog was doing, and he sort of flinched back nose wrinkling.

Sure, they’d sniffed you before (especially right after showers) but…the only time they’ve ever flinched away like that was when you were rank and you really knew it (curse fitness day, and your boss for coming up with it). Or that one time when a skunk-hybrid came in and he was one of the rare ones that still had the glands that emitted that foul, foul odor. They didn’t even flinch away when you were sick.

You gently shoved Jimin away, feeling a little insecure now.

But Tae was behind you and he sniffed you too, and made a weird noise.

And Hoseok’s nose was twitching now.

Jungkook came stumbling down the stairs. “I’m rea—” He froze, nose scrunching cutely. “Y/n?”

“I’m fine. I don’t know what you guys are smelling, but I’m fine. I’m gonna be late. Seokjin! We need to leave!”

“Sorry, coming, sorry.” He came down the stair more gracefully than Jungkook, and headed straight for the door.

You took the chance to follow him out, despite the boys protesting.

“Y/n, that smell,” Namjoon said, looking worried as he caught your hand. “I don’t like it. It…it scares me.”

You rubbed your forehead. “There’s nothing I can do about it right now. I’m going to be late. If I still smell like it tonight, then I’ll go to the walk-in clinic after I drop Jin and Jungkook back here. Okay? Stay safe at the farmer’s market,” You told him, making sure to mouth it clearly as you tried to escape his hold.

He finally released, but he still looked worried.

You were climbing into the car when your phone rang with your work coming up as the contact. You groaned, expecting to get scolded or something, then quickly answered.

“Y/n? Hey, you better not come in. The skunk hybrid is back. We’ve had to close the clinic. Boss said if you can finish those files and presentation and send them in before your shift would have ended he’ll still pay you for the time you would have been here,” Shownu gagged. “Oh, no. He got Kihyun.”

“Okay, good luck.” You rubbed your forehead again, as if it would make that hint of a headache disappear. “Thanks for calling me.”

“No problem. Oh! I gotta go!” He hung up after a strange sound in the background.

“So…we’re not going?” Jungkook asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

You started the car. “Why don’t we go out for lunch and then to the park?”

“Seriously?” He perked back up and you could hear his tail thumping against the seat.

“If that sounds okay to Jin.”

“Can…we get ice cream?” Jin asked carefully.

“Sure!” You pulled out of the driveway. “And to make it up to the boys we’ll stop at the regular market and pick up some of their favorites since I have the next couple days off.” Thankfully some of their favorites were the cheapest things you could get.

“You do a lot of canning?” Jin asked.

“Oh, yeah. Same with the garden, it just helps cut costs which allows me to take care of you better. Besides, some things are better homegrown, especially for you guys. And then we get whatever else we can from the farmer’s market.”

“Didn’t your father help you get the garden started? Back when you first took in Namjoon?” Jungkook asked.

You nodded. “He did. Told me I’d need a bigger garden than I had planned, helped me figure out what to plant where, and helped me set up the indoor herb garden. I should go visit him. I just need to candy some of those peels before I go so I can trade with him.”

“Candy peels?” Jin asked, sounding lost.

You looked in the mirror and smiled. “Lemon, orange, grapefruit, a few others. If the boys manage to get strawberries I’ll candy some of those as well. I think you’d like those.”

“You don’t make that much at the clinic, do you?”

You shrugged. “Enough to set some aside into savings. Besides, Hoseok had so much crap given to him when he was little that if he has too much he gets sick, and Yoongi basically lived off of what he could find to eat in the forest. I lived this way with my parents too. Plants grow. Might as well use what nature is growing for us.” Plus when you started you definitely weren’t able to put any into savings, and you still had that slight fear that it would happen again. Especially with so many hybrids. You had a better paying job now, at the clinic, but you still sometimes dreamed that you couldn’t afford proper meals for you or your hybrids and had to call your dad to bail you out. Again. And of course your dad was always angry in the dreams, even though you didn’t think he knew how to be angry in real life. He’d turned really zen after he started keeping bees.

He hummed thoughtfully. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten that you’ve foraged?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Your weird and my weird are probably very different.”

“Okay, something you think Jungkook would think is weird.”

You shrugged again. “Nettles.”

It was very quiet, and your head decided to remind you that it was resolved to develop a headache.

“How?” Jungkook asked breathily, sounding horrified.

“I mean, if you prepare them properly they don’t hurt you. I would only eat them as a last resort though.”

“Okay, what’s the weirdest preserve you’ve ever made?” Jin asked, sounding more comfortable asking questions.

Your mind glossed over all of the things you made from the time you could remember to today. “Um, maybe the Queen Anne’s lace jelly. It was good, but strange.” You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment at the red light. It’d been a long time since your breakfast at 5 a.m. and your stomach was really telling you about it.

“So all those canned goods we were using up in March and April were things you preserved?”

“Yeah, and weren’t they so good?” Jungkook asked, grinning. “I really like her pickled carrots.”

“That’s because you should have been born a bunny instead of a dog.”

Jin laughed, and it was a wonderful sound that had Jungkook laughing as well.

You pulled into the parking lot, feeling…weirdly shaky. You slowly pressed on the brake.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?”

You stared at the steering wheel, then shakily reached over and put the vehicle in park as your vision went wonky. “Can’t…need to park…”

“That smell,” Jungkook whimpered again. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Y/n?” Jin climbed over the console and cupped your face in his hands. “Her heartbeat is really fast…and I don’t think she was sweating this much at home.”

Someone behind you honked.

Your headache was getting much worse now.

“Can you pull into that parking space?” Jin asked.

You looked at it, and you knew you could, but you also didn’t know how you could. “Not okay.” You’d never felt like this before.

Jin disappeared again just before you closed your eyes, but Jungkook very quickly took his place, fumbling to find you and then nuzzling up to you.

Your door opened and you heard Jin talking to someone, but your vision swam when you opened your eyes and you were shaking more than you did when you were shivering from the cold. It was tremors, tiny but so widespread that you felt you wouldn’t be able to even pick up your phone.

You knew you faded in and out, remembered Jin murmuring that you fainted again, probably telling Jungkook, who was whimpering every time you came to.

“See, she’s looking better already,” Someone really cheerful said nearby.

“Actually, I can’t,” Jungkook answered dryly.

“Don’t be rude,” You murmured, rubbing your eyes and looking around you. “Um?”

“Don’t worry, your blood sugar got a little low. We’re running tests to see what could have caused it. When did you last eat?” The nurse said, and you could see now that you were in some sort of medical facility.

“Uh…about five this morning? How did I get here?” You sat up, despite her coming towards you to hold you down. You definitely felt better than before. “What happened?”

“You fainted after your blood sugar dropped, someone at the restaurant called an ambulance and we got you here as quickly as possible. You’re very lucky it wasn’t something worse.”

You frowned, looking over to Jin and Jungkook.

Jungkook seemed to share your opinion about the overly cheerful nurse, but he stayed beside Jin, one hand clutching jin’s shirt. You were sure he was probably terrified.

Jin looked relatively calm, comparatively. “When will she be released?”

“As soon as we know she’s stable, and the doctor gives her the okay. I’ll go see how we’re doing on those tests,” She gave you a smile that was just a touch too big and exited.

Jungkook darted over and was wrapped around you in a couple seconds, licking your cheek in his stress. “We didn’t tell the others yet. The doctor said you’d be okay and Jin said you’d probably want them to stay home and the only way to keep them there was to not call them. Because I know if we told them, they’d all come here and they barely let us in. She’s not happy about us being here but the others said it was fine and that you’d probably recover better with us here.”

You curled into his strong arms. He’d taken to working out about a month before you took in Jin, saying that if he was going to be unable to see things he might as well be strong enough to take care of anything else that came at him and you were proud of him for it. Even if he hadn’t shown any other signs of stepping out of his comfort zone or detaching from Jimin as much. Hybrids were naturally pretty strong, having slightly higher metabolisms and energy that led them to exercise.

“Sorry about lunch,” You murmured, lovingly rubbing your nose against his jaw.

He smiled softly, and a hand came to find your face before he pressed a careful kiss to your forehead. “I’m just happy you’re okay. That smell is gone now, too.”

Jin climbed onto the foot of the bed, sitting attentively.

“They’re going to know the moment we walk in. Oh, crap, the car!”

“It’s in a parking spot at the restaurant. Will you even be allowed to drive?”

“I better,” You moaned. “I’m going to have to ask someone to take us there.” Which meant either calling your father, or your ex.

Jin handed you your phone.

You sighed, staring at the screen for a second, and then texting Shownu to call you if he wasn’t busy. “I don’t even know when I’m getting released. I just want to go home. And eat something. I’m still hungry.”

Jungkook pressed another kiss to your forehead, then your temple, then your cheek. So soft and careful.

You smiled at him even if he couldn’t see it.

Then your phone was buzzing as the call came in.

“Hey, Shownu,” You murmured.

“Y/n? What’s up?” He sounded worried.

“Um, first, how are things at the clinic?”

“Fine, we got it mostly cleaned up. I managed to avoid it, and all of the hybrids that were hit are…still bathing. What’s wrong?”

“So, I’m okay, but I’m sort of at the hospital. It’s nothing serious, I just fainted because of low blood sugar or something, but my car is at this restaurant and—”

“Whoa, back up! Low blood sugar? Hospital? Y/n, what happened?”

“I’m not really sure. I was taking Jungkook and Jin out to lunch because the others were acting weird and I was already in my car to come to work when you called last time and I just didn’t want to deal with it, so I drove to the restaurant but my head was hurting and my vision went all wonky and I knew I needed to pull into the parking space but I couldn’t figure out how to do it, and I was shaking, and then I guess I fainted or something and I woke up here, and I’m going to get discharged eventually and I need my car but it’s on the other side of town and my dad lives two hours away.” You sighed, leaning onto Jungkook again. “You’re only person I knew I could call.”

“Are you going to be allowed to drive?” He asked.

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to? The nurse seemed pretty convinced that I was fine.”

“Okay. I’ll bring Wonho just in case you can’t.”

“That’s right, he got certified to drive…I should look into that for one of the boys.”

Jin looked away from you, ears turning red.

You arched an eyebrow and then listened to the quiet on the other end for a second. “Are you sure you okay doing that?”

“Yeah, y/n. I’m sure. We’re…friends. I care about you. Even if we’re not dating. Even if you’re clueless.”

“Hey now, don’t insult someone in the hospital.”

“Which hybrids were with you?”

“Jungkook and Jin.”

“Alright. I’ll be there in about half an hour.” He hung up after you thanked him again.

Jungkook huffed slightly, sniffing your hair.

You looked over at Jin. “What was that about?”

“Oh, um, I finished the first part of the certification…” He looked at the ceiling. “But then the seizures started.” Being a hybrid made the process twice as difficult, but a hybrid with epilepsy? Out of the question.

“It’s okay, Jinnie. It’s a thought for later anyway. Have to budget for it.” And then decide who was the best choice for it. You thought Hoseok would be a good choice.

“Alright!” A doctor came in with that, making both hybrids jump.

Jungkook’s grip on you tightened.

“Whoops, sorry, forgot to knock. So, we ran some blood tests and it looks like it was hypoglycemia. It causes your glucose levels to drop to low and can result in various symptoms, such as blurred vision, vision changes, dizziness, lightheadedness, shakiness, fatigue, weakness, rapid or pounding heartbeat, excessive perspiring, headaches, nausea, hunger, anxiety, irritability, or confusion.” He looked over a chart as he listed the symptoms.

“Sounds familiar,” You murmured.

“Indeed. Now, we’re looking into the causes but from your bloodwork I’m going to guess it’s hypothyroidism.”

“My mom had that,” You replied, mostly hoping he wouldn’t try to go into excessive explanation. “Well, she had Hashimoto’s.”

He nodded. “Alright, I’ll order another test. Hopefully we can catch it if that’s what it is. But otherwise, I’m going to have you finish that I.V. and then give you a prescription for a low level thyroid medication. You’ll have to follow up with your physician to see how the medicine is doing and to check your thyroid again. As for the hypoglycemia, try to eat very regularly. Maybe five small meals instead of three a day. If you can’t do that, then carry around some snacks or drinks with high carbohydrates: bread, rice, cereal, fruits, juice, or milk. Eat when you’re hungry. And pay attention to what your hybrids say, then can smell when the chemical balance in your body changes and can alert you to lowering blood glucose.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He nodded and headed back out.

Both boys were quiet.

Shownu got there just as they removed the I.V. He stayed back, quiet as well. He didn’t say much other than a quick hello to all of you.

When you finally were released from the hospital, you followed him to his car.

Wonho sat on the roof but he dropped to the ground and gave you a smile, patting your head. “Glad you’re okay.”

You nodded, then made to climb into the backseat but the boys took it and left the passenger seat. They had picked up some food for you and the boys as well.

Halfway to the restaurant, Shownu sighed. “Your other hybrids don’t know?”

“Not yet. Didn’t want them trying to get to the hospital.”

“Are you cleared to drive?” He asked, but then he glanced at you. “Nevermind. You still look exhausted. Just let us drive you back. Otherwise I’ll worry.” Too kind. You had liked him because of how kind he was. But the two of you were just…wrong for each other. It wasn’t a good fit. You may never know why.

“I’d appreciate it,” You replied softly, leaning your head against the window.

You must have dozed off because you woke up to Wonho carrying you inside.

The other boys were standing around worriedly, waiting to get to you.

You rubbed your eyes as you were set on the couch. “Thanks, Wonho.”

He gave you a pinched smile. “Shownu said not to forget the project for work.”

“Right, I’ll get that submitted. Thank him again for me? And say hi to the other boys?”

He nodded and headed back toward the door after nodding to the boys and whispering something to Jin, who was at the entrance of the living room, far away from the others.

Probably because Yoongi looked livid.

Jungkook was wrapped in Jimin’s arms.

The front door closed and there was a ten second silence that followed, broken by Yoongi’s growl.

Feral and furious.

You met his glare calmly. “Yes, Yoongi? Would you like to comment on the fact that something happened that was out of my control? Or was it the fact that I had to ask Shownu for help since I couldn’t very well ask any of you?”

A snarl. Too upset to speak.

“Or maybe it’s because neither Jin nor Jungkook told you all that I ended up at the hospital, since they knew it was a bad idea? Or maybe you’re mad because I left even though I didn’t have to go to work?”

A hiss. So you were still wrong.

“Okay, then it must be the fact that my ex-boyfriend and I broke up because he knew my hybrids wouldn’t accept him. Now, I’m still not sure why he got that impression, perhaps you’d like to enlighten me?”

He looked shocked.

You arched an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t know. Now you do. Care to guess?”

None of the others were looking at you now. Even Jungkook was facing away.

Namjoon was angled so he could still read your lips but it didn’t look like he was looking.

Yoongi slowly came over and sat beside you.

You waited silently.

“What did the doctors say was wrong with you?” He finally asked.

“They think I have thyroid issues that caused me to get non-diabetic hypoglycemia. I just need to make sure I eat regularly, and carry snacks around. Once the tests come back, they’ll decide if I need a prescription for thyroid medicine. He thought the smell you guys caught was actually an indicator that my blood sugar dropped, so if you smell it again I should eat.” You were glad the question game had worked. You’d found that if you threw questions at Yoongi when he was upset beyond the point of words he would calm down enough to work through what was bugging him. And it also gave him an idea of your thoughts on the matters, things you thought he might be upset about but would upset you if discussed.

Hoseok always murmured that it scared him, because the first couple times he thought you and Yoongi would get extremely hostile with one another, but now it just made him uncomfortable because it wasn’t the tactic for him and he knew it worked exceptionally well for Yoongi.

Yoongi turned his head slightly your way.

You stroked his head, then his ears, smiling as he flopped onto your lap, curled up. You stroked his back. “I’m okay, Yoongi. Just a little tired. Not tired enough that I won’t wring the tails of anyone who snapped at Jin or Jungkook.” You grabbed his tail.

The sound that came out of his mouth was a clear indication that he had, in fact, snapped at one or both of them.

You squeezed slightly.

He flipped over. “No, no, no. I’m sorry! It just scared me to see you like that!”

You let his tail run through your fingers. “Apologize to those you snapped at.”

He pouted.

“Properly,” You added, for good measure.

He deflated and rolled off of your lap, trudging over to Jin with a bowed head. “I apologize for snapping at you. I regret that I jumped to the conclusion that you didn’t look out for y/n like we would, and I’m sorry for saying that. I know you looked out for her, otherwise Jungkookie-ah would be mad at you too. You probably handled it better than I would have.”

Jin just dipped his head slightly.

You bit your lip, looking away and meeting Namjoon’s steady gaze.

He signed he was glad you were okay, then he glanced over at Jin and Yoongi before nodding to you and heading over. He took Jin’s hand. “Oh, hyung, could I sleep with you tonight?”

Jin brightened up slightly and he nodded.

Yoongi trudged back to you as they headed upstairs. “I don’t think Seokjin-hyung likes me.”

“I think he’s shy,” You replied. “But I did expect him to integrate more by now. Did I miss something?”

“I’m…I’m not really sure how to approach him,” Taehyung said, quickly cuddling up on your other side. “I scared him last time. Actually, I’ve scared him every time.”

Jimin was rubbing his hands together, staring at them while Jungkook clung to him instead. “And I didn’t want to scare him with my hugs. I remember what you told us about his other home.”

“Jimin, he loves hugs. Taehyung, he loves hugs. Yes, he is easily startled, but he’s also very strong. It’s hard for him. You all had been together for at least a year when he came here, most of you longer.”

“He has big shoulders,” Jungkook murmured, smiling a bit. “He let me hide behind him at the hospital. He knew a lot too.”

“I try to always tell him that his cooking is good,” Hoseok said, looking guilty with his long ears fully back against his head and neck.

You sighed. “So you do want him to stay?”

They all regarded you with looks of surprise.

Jungkook looked panicked. “Why wouldn’t he stay? He’s staying, right?”

“Of course he’s staying,” Yoongi growled, but then he sighed. “We just have to make sure he wants to stay. The first month we couldn’t help, he was in and out of the clinic because of his seizures and he barely was awake. But Namjoon was right, we need to up our game.”

“Namjoon?” You asked.

Hoseok nodded. “He said he was worried about Jin because he’d noticed that Jin was starting to smile more, and then he pulled away again. He didn’t know what happened, though. We just noticed that he was even quieter and he stuck closer to you. But part of that might have been because he knew about you and Shownu breaking up.”

You nodded a bit. “Some of that was me seeking him out, yeah.”

“Why did you tell him?” Taehyung asked, a little pouty.

“I knew we were breaking up before the wedding. Found out on the day that shall not be discussed. I just needed to tell someone, and I felt safe telling him.” You sighed, letting your eyes close. “Who’s going to help me up to my room?”

“My turn!” Jimin shrieked out before the others, quickly abandoning Jungkook (who looked pretty disgruntled that he wasn’t really able to help you to your room because of the whole “seeing” issue) and wrapping around you.

You squeaked as he actually picked you up to set you on your feet before nuzzling into your neck, giving it a subtle lick.

“Need to scent you,” He murmured, then pulled you toward the stairs. “My turn to sleep with you.”

You sleepily thought through the list and realized that you’d slept with a different hybrid cuddling you each night, but that it had been over a week since Jimin got a turn. “You’re right, it’s your turn. You’re overdo for a turn. Thank you for being patient, Jiminie.”

He leaned in and kissed your cheek, arm around your waist instead of pulling you by your hand.

“Why’d I get a house with stairs?” You grumbled.

He just laughed softly, but stopped when you stopped him by your door so you could quickly check on Namjoon and Jin.

They were both asleep, Namjoon purring a little in his sleep as he spooned Jin. Jin looking surprisingly small in the cat-hybrid’s arms.

You closed the door again, going back to Jimin, who had his pajamas now, and heading into your room. You changed in the bathroom while he changed in your room, then you crawled into bed with him, all cuddled up.

“Hey, y/n?” Jimin whispered as you were feeling your sleepiest. “What Shownu said…we know what he meant, but…it might take us a while to show you or explain it. Please be patient with us. We love you so very much.”

You hummed back, unable to respond any other way because you couldn’t even summon the energy to part your lips.

He pressed a light kiss to your forehead, then shifted so your head was on his shoulder.

Even better.

———

You stared as your mind tried to process what you were seeing.

Namjoon shifted, smiling shyly as he held a rose out to you.

You smiled back, stepping forward to take the rose from him. “Thank you, Joonie. It’s lovely.”

He grinned, dimples appearing as he looked to the ground.

You looked to the table that was set for two. “Did you cook?”

He shook his head quickly. “Jin-hyung made most of it.”

You nodded. “Probably for the best.”

He looked at the table. “It’s not the fanciest dinner in the world….”

“But you prepared all of this for me, and I’m sure it will taste just fine,” You reassured him, signing as you spoke just to make sure he got the whole message.

He purred loudly in response, pulling you into a hug and rubbing against your cheek, a hand just below your throat to feel any vibrations that would alert him to you talking to him instead of giggling.

You let him rub against you for a while, then gently pushed him back. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

He nodded enthusiastically and pulled your chair out for you, eager to please, apparently.

You sat watching as he hurried, and tripped, and then managed to sit down across from you before also serving you.

The two of you made had small conversations, but he seemed nervous and shy, despite knowing you for the last four years. It’d been a long time since you’d seen him this shy.

You signed that he looked handsome tonight and he started getting a tinge of red to his face as he looked down at his plate. You felt a twinge in your stomach, watching those delightful dimples, the way he bit his lip and covered his mouth as he laughed shyly. Just one of the many things you loved about him.

He seemed so anxious to make sure you enjoyed yourself, which mostly amused you but also made you slightly wary.

You didn’t dare to ask until the credits were rolling from the movie the two of you watched after dinner. “Can I ask why?” You asked with your hands.

He tilted his head, sleepy purr slowly stopping in confusion.

“Dinner? This, all of the other boys being mysteriously quiet, it’s a little suspicious,” You explained.

He looked down at his hands, then hesitantly signed, asking if you hadn’t enjoyed it.

“Of course I did,” You replied aloud, then turned his head so that he could see you sign it with a smile. “I always enjoy spending time with my kitty.”

He smiled again, but he still looked nervous.

You watched him, seeing him debate with himself, the internal conflict evident in the way his ears kept twitching and swiveling and the restless flick of his tail-tip.

He scowled after a moment.

You reached up and stroked his head, and he melted, leaning into your touch. You shifted closer, rubbing his head with both hands as he basked in the attention.

His eyes opened again after a few moments, and he looked at you so softly you thought you would melt. It really had been forever since you’d had any real time with your kitty, your first hybrid.

He leaned in and suddenly his lips were on yours, softly and barely brushing, but a kiss none-the-less.

You looked at him, surprised.

He looked a little scared, but also…without regret. His hand rested gently on your neck as he leaned in again, lips more firmly in contact with yours this time.

You closed your eyes. Those questions from back when you first took him in coming back to you now that you could answer them. And yes. Yes, he was a very good kisser.

His arm slid gently around your back, pulling you just a little bit closer as he kissed to your ear. “I love you, y/n. But not the way we’ve been pretending. I love you in a romantic way, I just never knew how to tell you. I didn’t know if you’d accept me still, even if you didn’t return my feelings. Then you brought more people for me to love as well.”

You breathed in sharply, but didn’t make a sound so that he could keep talking.

“We were all upset when you started dating, and we realized we were all in love with you. We weren’t sure about Jin-hyung because he was still new when you started dating, but we found out that he loves you this way too. And you act as though you’re ours, y/n. You act like our mates. Can you tell me that you’ve never admired us?” He whispered, his voice stronger now. More confident. “I’ve seen you. The way you blush when Jungkook doesn’t have a shirt on. The way you seek out Yoongi’s embrace when you’re feeling uncertain. How Taehyung brings a smile to your face when you’re feeling sad. The way you watch Jimin and Hobi when they’re dancing. How upset you got when you didn’t think we were getting along with Jin. How you look to me when you need someone to support the choices you’re making. Even Jungkook knows how much you love us, and he’s blind.”

You turned your head slightly away from him.

His voice got gentler. “I bet that’s what Shownu saw. He saw that you were our mate. Because we weren’t trying to hide it, and maybe we should have. Or maybe his hybrids smelled it. The way we coated you with our scents. The claiming scent Yoongi gets the moment your boyfriend is ever mentioned. You even let me kiss you. Would you let the other boys kiss you too?” He was teasing you now.

You signed into his hand. ‘Would you?’

“We started kissing each other a while ago,” He answered, deliberately changing what he knew you meant. “Consoling one another because you were off with someone that wasn’t one of us. Jin was the only one I hadn’t. Wish I had done that earlier. Foxes are good kissers, not as much tongue as the dogs and not as nippy as minks. Still as shy as bunnies, though. And a little playful like raccoons.” He placed playful little kisses on your neck, giving little examples of what he said as he said it and making you shiver under his touch. A playful purr rumbled through his chest.

Then his lips were pressed to yours once more before he met your eyes again. He was calm and confident.

You stared back, still unable to form words.

“What do you think of that, y/n? Of all of us loving you, romantically?” He asked in a low voice. God, that voice. “What do you think about the fact that Yoongi would love nothing more than hold your hand everywhere? Of Jimin’s not-so-innocent hugs, desperate to feel your body against his? Of Jungkook working out just to get your attention? Hoseok knowing exactly what he does to you when he’s dancing? Taehyung purposely causing trouble so that your attention will be focused on him 100%? Jin so desperate for you to love him as much as the rest of us that he studied all of your cookbooks? Of me watching you, not always so that I can see when you look at me or speak to me, but because you look so damn attractive no matter what you wear? Or that we’ve all imagined you carrying our offspring?”

You met his gaze, unwavering. You were a little too shocked by all of this new information. You sometimes wondered if Hoseok had been teasing you on purpose (you weren’t blind), but always dismissed it.

“Carrying kits,” He murmured, cupping your face in his hands, “Or pups.”

You swallowed hard.

“That’s the funny thing. You have six different breeds in this house, and if you were bear any offspring of the five that aren’t dogs they’d still be called kits. Would you like that, y/n? To be full of our kits and pups? I’ve read some scientific studies, and I bet you were attracted to all of us because you can bear all of our kits and pups.” He started kissing at your neck.

Your fingers tangled into his hair.

“Still nothing to say?” He chuckled, sucking at your skin. His hands unabashedly touching your waist and stomach, roaming your back.

You turned your head to mouth a word into his skin.

He pulled away to look at your face, uncertain of what you said.

But a loud thump caught your attention, and your head snapped toward the door as a low groan was heard after the thump.

Namjoon growled, probably guessing what it was you heard from the look on your face.

You took the moment to catch your breath and pull away from Namjoon, going over to the door and opening it after hearing the whispered scolding going on behind it.

They froze, staring at you.

Jungkook winced. “Told you she heard us.”

Even Yoongi’s eyes were wide at getting caught.

Hoseok and Jin weren’t with them.

You folded your arms, looking over the youngest three and your second oldest. “So only Jin and Hoseok were the smart ones?”

Jungkook grabbed Yoongi’s shirt, looking nervous.

Jimin and Taehyung were still on the floor, staring up at you in alarm.

Namjoon was growling at an increasingly louder volume, like he was worried he wasn’t doing it audibly.

You got a weird gut-feeling at that moment.

You looked over the boys, then stepped over Taehyung and walked down the hallway, knocking on Hoseok’s door since Jin’s was open and empty.

He called for you to come in.

You poked your head in and saw him watching a timer on his phone, crouched next to Jin who was placed in recovery position with a blanket under his head.

He spared a glance your way, looking somewhat relieved. “Hey, it’s a quick one, I think. Just waiting for him to come out of it.”

You nodded, stroking his ears once before sitting on the floor beside Jin to wait for him to come out of it.

The others were watching from the doorway.

Well, Jungkook was asking them what was going on.

Jin started waking up, and Hoseok sighed in relief, stopping the timer.

You smiled softly, proud of your bunny for being able to take care of Jin on his own.

Hoseok softly kissed the top of Jin’s head. “Hey, hyung. How are you feeling?”

You got up and left Hoseok to take care of Jin, surprising him and the others. Normally you took care of Jin after, mostly because none of them seemed comfortable doing so. But you could tell Hoseok was capable of doing the job. And you bet Jungkook would be more than willing to help, which was why—”

“Jungkookie, can you help Hope-ah take care of Jin?” You asked softly, reaching up and brushing the hair from his eyes.

He nodded, eager to please.

“Thank you.” You kissed his cheek, using the information Namjoon had given you as a little bit of a weapon. You could see the switch in the other’s eyes as jealousy over the tiny kiss manifested.

“I could help too,” Taehyung said, pouting at you.

“But I need you to do something else.”

He brightened up. “Oh?”

You nodded. “I need you to help Namjoon get to sleep, because I’m sleeping alone tonight.”

All of them deflated, and Namjoon looked utterly defeated.

You pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I have some things to think over.” Like how you were going to wrap your mind around all of your hybrids being in love with you. The jump felt natural with Namjoon, four years of being together just seemed to naturally culminate. But every other thing that came out of his mouth needed time to ruminate in your head. Man.

Jimin caught your arm. “What about me? Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Keep Yoongi out of my room,” You ordered, kissing his forehead. “Goodnight boys.”

You got murmurs and grumbles in return.

You closed your bedroom door, and locked it for good measure.

You looked at the loveseat that you and Namjoon had been sitting on just a little while ago, his little tease about you carrying kits or pups echoing in your mind and making you shiver.

The more you thought about it, the more obvious it was that they were in love with you. That they never knew how to tell you. All those “I Love You”’s that weren’t as platonic as you had convinced yourself. It made sense why they started acting out more, causing more trouble. They had no way of telling you, they barely had any legal rights and given most of their backgrounds they may have been hesitant to make a move.

They probably all agreed on Namjoon telling you. Namjoon, who was hopeless in most things, except in reading you and knowing what to say to get them all on the same page again. Who had been with you the longest and knew you best.

But even he had been scared. He told you as much. That he was scared you would kick him out if you didn’t return his feelings.

You spending tonight alone probably scared all of them more. But you didn’t want to rush into anything. Because once they knew you accepted them and their feelings, you’d be thrown in the deep-end.

Wait. Were you really thinking that you were going to accept all of them? All seven?

You felt like you might be losing your mind. How would a balance ever be achieved? How would you ever find time for yourself with seven needy hybrids? Were you even in love with all of them? Sure, you loved them, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t ever admired their natural godliness and physique, which then was paired with wonderful personalities. Jimin’s sweetness and understanding, Taehyung’s loving and bright nature, Yoongi’s thoughtfulness and willingness, Jungkook’s perseverance and protectiveness, Hoseok’s determination and nurturing, Jin’s humor and consideration, and Namjoon’s mediation and intelligence. Honestly, all of them had everything you could ever dream of putting on a checklist.

You head snapped up and toward the door just as you were about to flop on the bed when a soft knock met your door. You looked at it in surprise and disbelief. Hadn’t you just asked them for the night to yourself?

You opened the door, meeting the worried gaze of Yoongi.

“I just want to talk to you for fifteen minutes, and then I promise I’ll head back to Jimin. He’s in the shower right now.”

You bit your cheek and opened the door a little wider so he could duck in. He seemed nervous and upset, and if he was showing it outwardly, then you were a little worried too.

He paced a bit, obviously wide awake since this was the time of day that he was most active usually. “I just…” He stopped and met your gaze, and he looked so heartbroken that you quickly hugged him.

He nuzzled into your shoulder, unusually forward and open. Normally he was sort of distant in his affection, caring for everyone without looking their way and getting all shy about holding someone’s hand or sharing a bed even though you all knew he secretly loved cuddles sometimes. He was breathing like he was trying not to cry, and you knew he was stressed about something.

“What’s wrong, Yoongi?” You whispered, lightly rubbing his back.

“I just…I wanted to make sure…” He was lisping a little now, stumbling and stuttering as he tried to pick up the words he wanted to say. “Is everything okay with us? I feel like we’ve been fighting for forever and I know we’re not really fighting but I just feel so…”

“Yoongi,” You said firmly, pulling away to cup his face in your hands. You knew this was partly his trauma speaking, too much stimulation mixed with doubts and worries and anxieties that he hadn’t dealt with or voiced. “Yoongi.”

His glazed eyes focused on you instead of the floor after a few attempts to focus on you.

“Yoongi,” You whispered softly, not wanting to say anything important until he was grounded more.

His eyes flicked to your hair, then your hands. He squeezed them shut as his head tilted into your hands just a little more.

“Yoongi,” You murmured, seeing his tail go still finally, his ears flick a couple times before focusing on you.

He finally met you with mostly clear eyes, breathing.

“Everything is fine with us, baby,” You whispered, smiling softly. “We haven’t fought since I came home from the hospital. Remember? And I understand why we fought before that. I’m sorry.”

He blinked a couple times, then his gaze dropped to the floor. “I shouldn’t have acted that way no matter what. I knew it then too.”

You hummed softly, stroking his hair. “I love you, you know.”

His gaze came up, and he looked over your face before his entire demeanor relaxed. “Love love?”

You leaned in and gently kissed his adorably pouty lips. “Love love.”

Which was how you earned a squishy Yoongi with the makings of one of his gummy smiles that you adored, trying to hide the smile and his pleasure by tucking his head against your neck.

You giggled softly, contenting yourself to pressing softly little kisses to his head, hoping that all of this would help him stay out of another lapse.

Jimin’s head appeared through the door, and he was most definitely pouting. “Hey…you said…”

“Yoongi needed me. You know the rules don’t apply then,” You answered easily, gently prying Yoongi from your shoulder so you could really check on him.

His eyes were clear and soft, sleepy.

You nodded softly. “Come get him, Jiminie. He’s a little sleepy from it.”

Jimin quickly entered and went to Yoongi’s side, arms wrapping around Yoongi, who was getting hit with the after-effects of his panic. He’d probably sleep clear till tomorrow night. “Y/n, I think he’s too far gone.”

You nodded. “Alright, let’s get him onto my bed.”

“Could we…could we have a big cuddle session instead of you sleeping alone?” He asked hesitantly.

You thought a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. Don’t wake anyone though. If they’re asleep, let them sleep.”

He nodded and left once Yoongi was on the bed.

Yoongi was barely conscious, but he definitely knew the moment you crawled into bed next to him.

Hoseok helped a tired-looking Seokjin into the room, with Jungkook clinging to the back of Hoseok’s shirt as a sort of guide.

Taehyung rushed in and quickly cuddled up to Jungkook’s back.

Namjoon and Jimin came last, making sure everyone had enough blankets before getting comfortable yourself.

You used your phone to bump up the heat a little bit so that they wouldn’t catch a chill (because they would, and then you’d be dealing with sick hybrids), then whispered goodnight, which was only returned by a few people before leaving the burning questions of your relationship with these men for another time as the broken purrs, little sounds, and the soft sounds of sleep started appearing all around you. You didn’t let them all sleep with you often because you usually ended up overheating and having nightmares, but sometimes you could get away with it and it was honestly one of the most peaceful things you’d ever experienced, if not a little crowded.

You woke up to a mouthful of fur, which startled you enough that you fully woke up, but somehow managed not to wake the source of the fur—Hoseok. He was splayed out where Yoongi used to be sleeping, with his head on your shoulder and ears across your face.

You smiled to yourself as you carefully stroked his ears and moved them from your face. “Weird bun.”

���No nightmares?” Taehyung asked, snuggling up to your side now that he knew you were awake.

You smiled at him, closing your eyes. “No nightmares. Probably because everyone was fairly spread out this time.”

He nodded against your shoulder. “Yoongi went to take a long bath before going back to sleep. Jin’s in the bathroom with him to make sure Yoongi doesn’t fall asleep in the tub. He said he was feeling better. Jungkook and Namjoon went out to the garden, and Jimin is getting out the extra baskets and buckets because it looks like a bad storm is rolling in.”

You nodded. “What’s wrong with Hoseok?”

“Food last night didn’t agree with him.”

You winced. “What did you guys eat?”

He looked at the ceiling. “Pizza. He even stuck to the vegetarian pizza, like last time.”

You sighed. “We’ll have to have him detox again.”

He pouted. “But he gets so sad on the detox.”

“But he could get really sick without it. I’d rather have short-term sadness and health than long-term sickness and short-term happiness. Besides, I found some new recipes for it and tasted them and they taste much better, and we did discover that he can use honey as a sweetener. I should go help the others. You going to nap since you were up comforting Hobi?” You brushed his hair from his forehead as he blushed lightly.

“I can help.”

You shook your head. “You really look like a raccoon right now. Really dark circles. We can take care of it. There probably won’t be that much.” But if Namjoon thought it was important to harvest as much as possible, then it must be some storm coming through. You and Taehyung carefully moved Hoseok so he was resting on Taehyung instead and you hurried downstairs.

Jimin had the TV turned to a news station, and they were talking about an extreme cold front. He glanced at you. “It’s forty-two degrees outside (5.5 C).”

Frost was a whole different beast.

You went digging into the closet to get to your coat, grabbing a stack of your buckets and following Jimin out to where Namjoon and Jungkook were already working.

Jungkook was feeling through the green beans, picking mostly on instinct.

Namjoon saw you and stood straight for a moment, signing that there was an ice warning. Asking what should and could be salvaged.

You looked over the garden. It was July. You signed you’d get back to him with a plan and he nodded before going back to harvesting the lettuce.

Jimin was making quick work of the strawberries.

You took a deep breath, and starting working through the zucchini and the other summer squashes. You’d leave some that were completely unripe to chance, but you were grabbing the almost ripe ones as well.

Jin, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Hoseok all came and started helping, followed shortly by your father, who seemed to have given them all jobs already as Taehyung, Jin and Yoongi headed for the trees and Hoseok hurried to the carrots.

You looked up at you dad, surprised and more than a little stunned.

He just smiled at you. “Got mine in yesterday. Had a feeling. Tell Joonie-boy to pick the unripe tomatoes too. Jimin, green strawberries are edible as well. I’ll start digging up some plants to move inside. Hopefully won’t kill them. You keep working.”

You nodded hurrying to convey your father’s instructions and then darting back to your squashes. You were worried about at least three of your boys, but the idea of losing all of your harvest, especially with Hoseok’s conditions, made you a little panicky.

“I think I finished the green beans,” Jungkook called out.

You quickly guided him to the peas. “Just pick all the pods you feel. We’ll be picky later.”

He nodded and started feeling along the plants.

You moved on to the cucumbers.

“It’ll be okay,” Hoseok said, not looking up.

“Are you okay?”

“A little queasy, and my stomach hurts, but I’m more worried about what will happen if we don’t get enough from the garden before this cold kills it. The news station said snow and ice. In July. That’s crazy.” He started packing some straw over some of the carrots to try and let them brave the cold snap. “Will there be a chance to grow more after things warm back up?”

“I don’t know right now. Might have to do a lot of indoor gardening.” You might have to budget more for groceries.

“Glad your dad is here.” He glanced toward your father as the man re-entered the garden and started collecting buckets that were either full or couldn’t hold more without damaging the other contents (Jimin’s berry bucket) and replacing them with empty ones. “He came in probably five minutes after you went downstairs.”

“I believe it,” You wouldn’t have woken Hoseok or Taehyung for anything. “Is Yoongi’s hair dry?”

“Mostly. He’s wearing a hat.” He leaned over and kissed your cheek, rubbing his nose against it as a comforting gesture before moving to a different section of the garden.

By noon, you all had harvested as much as you could and you ushered your shivering hybrids back inside while you and your father spread some straw over some plants in a thick later to try and help them through the cold so that maybe you’d have something after all of it has passed.

“I’ve got some squashes in my greenhouse this year,” He said casually. “And Pumpkins. My hives probably won’t produce much more this year though. Probably be a long winter this year. I brought your share over, though. Went foraging the other day with a couple buddies too. Found more mushrooms than I need and I know some of your boys love them. Catmint by the shed went wild too, but we’d best not tell Joonie-boy.”

You laughed a little at that. “Probably not.” You looked up at him now that there was nothing left to do. “Thank you for being here.”

He smiled and gave your head a pat. “I know how important it is to you, to make sure those boys get the healthiest food possible. I know how important this garden is. I know it allows you to keep all those boys. You’re doing a good job, y/n. I’m proud of you. Now let’s get inside. Your boys were thorough. Let’s get the things I brought from the trunk and I’ll help you make a plan for all of that. Even help you start canning. Just finished the last jar of pickles you gave me last year and they were good, bumblebee.”

You relaxed a little more, heading inside where Jin was passing out mugs of hot chocolate to everyone—including you and your father—except Hoseok, who got an herbal tea that was easy on his stomach.

Your dad went out to his car, pulling Jungkook and Seokjin to help him since they seemed to have warmed up already and apparently looked strong.

Taehyung was looking at everything, looking absolutely dead on his feet.

Hoseok looked like he might be sick.

Yoongi looked grumpy and tired.

You took a deep breath. “Taehyung, when you finish that, why don’t you go sleep with Yoongi? Hoseok, you don’t have to drink the tea if you don’t feel good.”

“It’s helping,” Hoseok almost whispered back, taking another sip.

Yoongi looked a little less grumpy, and more just tired. He managed to gulp down the rest of his hot chocolate. “Hurry up, but don’t burn yourself. I’m gonna dry my hair the rest of the way.”

Taehyung nodded, taking another careful sip of his hot chocolate.

Jimin had himself cocooned in the throw blankets, practically hugging his mug.

Namjoon helped you take off your coat so you wouldn’t have to set down the mug. He asked if you were okay.

You signed back that you were only a little stressed, adding that you were glad your father showed up when he did.

He nodded, smiling. “Dad’s a lifesaver.”

Namjoon had called your dad his own since his second year of living with you, but it still made you feel warm and fuzzy. Your father wasn’t always the easiest man, he had quirks by the dozens, but you loved him so much and his acceptance of your boys meant a lot, but their acceptance of him meant even more.

Jin led Jungkook in, both of their arms fulls. Jin had a cooler while Jungkook had a large box and a couple bags hanging off his arms as well.

Your dad came in with a box as well, looking amused. “Alright, you’re definitely capable, kiddo. Sorry for doubting you.”

Jungkook nodded feircely, determination and pride still clear on his face.

Jin looked like he wanted to laugh. Probably because both men totally just tricked Jungkook into taking the majority of the burden.

Still, seeing Jungkook that confident was kind of worth it.

Your dad clapped his hands together and then rubbed them, making Jungkook jump in surprise. “Alright, so—”

Sleet started pelting the windows.

You scrunched your nose. “It’s July. How is this happening in July?”

“Uh, bumblebee, I might be staying tonight,” Your dad murmured, looking out the window in concern.

“Yeah, I don’t want you driving that far in this. Roads will be nasty.” You closed your eyes, then went over and closed the curtains.

“Alright, you have your canning equipment in the basement?”

You nodded. “Jars too. I got some more when they were on sale.”

“I’ll start getting everything cleaned up and set up, you make a plan for what you want to make, okay?”

You nodded again, heading over to the desk in the corner and getting your notebook and personal recipe book before cuddling up to Jimin to try and ignore the freak-storm outside.

Jimin was on his phone. “I could plant some squash seeds, we had some extra earlier this year and there’s room in our garden-room. It’ll take longer, but we should be able to harvest in September if we do.”

You peeked over and saw him looking up information on things to grow indoors. You had a veritable garden in the downstairs bedroom as it was. Growing some things in water—like cabbage, lettuce, celery, leeks, and green onions—and others in pots—like carrots, and various cooking and medicinal herbs that had a home in a nice growing rack that your dad’s buddy made for you one year after you canned his tomatoes for him. You weren’t sure how your father always managed to meet these people that are perfectly happy bartering, but you weren’t about to argue.

“If we plant green beans now we could have those too,” Jimin murmured, shifting so his head was resting on the arm of the couch.

Too bad. You’d been right about to kiss his cheek for being such a wonderful, thoughtful pup.

Instead you squeezed his arm, and focused on making a quick plan for what to do with what had been salvaged.

“Y/n?” He whispered.

You looked up.

He was looking at you sadly. “How much do we depend on the garden?”

You dropped your gaze. “It’ll just make things a little more tight. I was ahead before the trip to the hospital. I’m still ahead. I’ve got a nice little savings account set aside. But the garden…it’s really important for Hobi’s health, and it makes it so I can take better care of you all. Have treats every now and then. It’ll set us back next year as well, because a lot of the plants will be killed before we can harvest seeds from them. But we did get quite a lot, and it’s not too late to grow things indoors. The root vegetables will probably survive, which will help. Dad apparently moved the potato barrels into the mud-room for now, so that will help.

Jimin nodded. “Taehyung said that’s why he and the others came downstairs. They heard him cussing at the barrels.”

You felt your eyes widen slightly. “Must have landed on his foot.”

“Probably. I’ve never heard him cuss. He’s too chill.” Jimin studied your father from across the room as he prevented a disaster from happening with Namjoon, Jungkook, and a package of new jars. “Electricity bill will go up if we start growing more plants indoors.”

“I’ll compensate somewhere,” You replied softly, leaning on his shoulder.

Hoseok sat down on your other side. “So, would now be a good time to tell you that last month, when I started my turn taking care of our indoor plants, I also kind of sort of added a pumpkin plant just to see what would happen?”

You made a mental note (that would probably get lost, let’s face it) to check on the garden room more often. “Um, yeah. That’s good to know. Can you two help me can while we set Jungkook and Namjoon to the task of planting stuff in there?”

“Yeah, I think Jin is planning on helping with the canning too, which is good since he seems to know his way around the kitchen.”

“He’s been reading my books,” You murmured, smiling a little. It was so nice having so many people to help you through all of this. “You look like you’re feeling better.”

“I really like this tea,” He chuckled. “Makes me less nauseous. Helps with the pain too. I think Jin added honey too, and you know how much I like honey.”

“A lot,” You agreed, nuzzling his head. “If you’re tired you can go rest.”

He shook his head. “Yoongi said he’d come down later. I’ll go rest when he does.”

You nodded, thinking that sounded fair. Hoseok did look much more awake than either of the other two.

“So, why did he have me pick the green strawberries?” Jimin asked, changing the topic as it came to mind. Both dog-hybrids did that sometimes. Just jumped ship and ended up on a different one. “Or green tomatoes?”

You smiled a little.

“He also had us pick the unripe blueberries,” Hoseok pointed out. “What’ll we do with them?”

“Well, probably pickle them.”

Both hybrids looks extremely perturbed at that thought.

————

You groaned as Jungkook carefully massaged your neck and shoulders. You were super sore from all of the canning, pickling, jam-making, candying, and every other sort of preservation method you and your father could think of for most of the produce.

He placed a barely there kiss to your hair, something you would have missed if you hadn’t been looking up to say something to him.

You smiled, relaxing even more into his touch.

Jimin was bouncing around with Taehyung, somehow finding the energy to play despite working so hard right alongside you.

Namjoon was curled up with Jin, going through a sign-language textbook with the older.

Yoongi was sleeping on the footstool, a light blanket thrown over him.

“It’s raining again,” Jungkook whispered, moments before you were able to hear the rain yourself. “Whats the temperature?”

You looked at your phone. “30 degrees (-1.1 C).”

He whimpered slightly. “Do you think yo-da—do you think he made it back alright?”

You father had braved the roads about an hour ago, having been trapped at your house for two nights in a row and wanting to check on his bees.

“Well, we’ve got another hour at least before he would arrive at his home. I’ll give him half an hour leeway for slow driving, and then if he doesn’t update me, I’ll try calling.”

Hoseok came out of the bathroom, looking pale and exhausted, coming over to curl up next to you. “Hurts.”

You bit your lip, quickly pulling him into your arms and trying to comfort him. “We’ll start another cleanse. Okay?”

He nodded, looking only a little more miserable. “Now?”

“We can do it later.”

He shook his head. “Now.”

You nodded. “Kook, let me up?”

His hands slipped from your shoulders, where they had been holding on, gently but firmly.

You and Hoseok headed into the kitchen, Jungkook hugging onto Hoseok.

You pulled down different jars. “Alright, I want to start you out with some dandelion tea, tonight I should be able to make that one veggie drink that you liked last time as well. Maybe add in some red clover to the tea?”

“Can I use honey too?” He asked softly, curling toward Jungkook.

“Yeah, we can use a little bit of raw honey, bunny.” You got that out as well, waiting for the tea to start boiling. “One to ten?”

“Five,” he replied, ears completely drooped, and eyelids following a bit.

You nodded, letting your fingers drum on the countertop for a moment, before checking the water. “I can bring this up to you, Hobi. Why don’t you go get comfy in your room?”

He shook his head, getting a little pouty.

You went around and stroked his hair and ears. “Words, baby.”

He looked a little embarrassed, but finally whispered, “Your smell helps the pain.”

Your hand paused, then you shook off what he said and kept carefully stroking his head. “I’ll be up with the tea when it’s ready. For now, can Jungkook keep you company?”

He nodded, but was a little reluctant.

Jungkook nuzzled his hyung. “Come on, I’ll rub your tummy.” He shuffled along with Hobi toward the stairs, hugging him from behind and probably slowing the process.

“I’m not a dog.”

“No, but you still like tummy rubs,” Jungkook said victoriously.

You smiled to yourself, watching them go before engaging in a rapid conversation with Namjoon while Jin spent a good five minutes just rubbing his eyes and bemoaning how there was so much to learn.

Namjoon was calling Jin cute, and you were agreeing, but he was also inquiring after Hoseok.

You shrugged a bit, giving him what little you knew.

He shared your worried look, then rubbed Jin’s back as Jin became slightly more animated in his complaints.

Taehyung went and plopped in Jin’s lap, putting a finger to his lips. “You’ll wake Yoongi-hyung.”

Jin seemed slightly startled by the appearance of Taehyung, but made a cute noise before wrapping his arms around the raccoon and squeezing him.

Taehyung laughed, trying to escape.

Jimin flopped onto one of the couches, energy gone again, but tail wagging as he watched Tae and Jin.

You finished making the tea for Hoseok and headed upstairs as Yoongi woke up, softly complaining that they were too loud.

Namjoon followed you, eyes a little hazy. “I…I wish I knew what they sounded like.”

You nodded, understanding. He knew what you and your father sounded like, he’d met you just before he permanently lost his hearing. Before the damage really set in. He said that he could still hear your voice sometimes, in his head. The same as he could hear the songs he used to listen to, before. His previous owner’s voice. But when the boys were all laughing and talking and he just couldn’t keep up, sometimes it really got to him.

You leaned over and gave him a soft and very brief kiss. You couldn’t sign anything with your hands full, but you mouthed “I know.”

He nuzzled your shoulder, then took the tray from you. “Jungkook’s feeling guilty about not being able to sign. Especially now that Jin is starting to learn more.”

You nodded. “I’ll ask Hobi to work with him on it.” You signed as you spoke, walking backwards so that you could talk with him. “And I’ll talk to him about it.”

He nodded. “He forgets sometimes. I know that makes him feel bad, but I understand. Sometimes I forget that he can’t see. He’s so functional sometimes.”

“I know.”

“Have you adjusted the budget yet?”

You lokoed away, turning back to face forward.

“Y/n?”

You signed that you wanted to look at your records for last year and find out how bad the damage to the garden is first.

He nodded slowly. “Okay. Whatever happens, we’ve got your back.” He kissed your cheek.

You gave him a tight smile and headed into Hoseok’s room.

He looked like he was in a lot of pain, so you hurried to his side.

Jungkook was gently rubbing his back, but looked concerned. “He’s really cold, y/n. I tried covering him up but he won’t warm up.”

You felt Hoseok’s face, worry rushing through you. “Jungkook, go get Jin.”

“Why?”

“Do it. Tell him to come up here. Tell Yoongi to start the car.”

He hurried off, Namjoon helping him navigate without knowing what was going on.

Hobi opened his eyes, looking at you weakly. “Sorry, it got worse just a little bit ago.”

You shook your head, stroking his hair. “I’m going to have Jin carry you to the car.” You helped him sit up, wrapping the blankets around him and grabbing one of his warm hats from the nightstand drawer.

“The roads—”

“We’ll be careful,” You cut him off. “But the doctor said you need to come in when it gets this bad, so that’s what we’re going to do. Who do you want to go with us?”

“Yoongi,” He whispered, letting his head fall to your shoulder as he groaned in pain.

You pressed a kiss to his head, feeling him shivering in pain as well as cold.

Jin came rushing up, looking worried.

“I need you to carry him to the car.”

He nodded, coming over and scooping him up. He frowned at the weight, but quickly exited.

You ran to your room, grabbing better shoes and your own hat and sweater, plus your backpack and hurried downstairs. “Jin and Namjoon are in charge. Yoongi, Hobi wants you to come with us. Get your coat. Jimin, bump the heat up a bit, I don’t want any of you getting catching a chill. Stay inside.”

“Call us the moment you can,” Taehyung instructed in return, quickly hugging you and looking worriedly after Hoseok.

You hurried out to the car.

Jin and Yoongi had Hoseok buckled into the backseat, and Yoongi was buckling in next to him.

Jin hurried back inside.

You got on the road as quickly as possible, calling ahead to let them know you were on your way and why you were coming in when the roads were so dangerous because your boss thought that personal safety was important. You blasted the heat as soon as the car was warm enough, silently cursing the monster responsible for Hoseok’s delicate health.

“He fainted,” Yoongi said softly, worry coating his words.

You started cursing aloud, hating that the roads were bad enough that you really couldn’t hurry any more than you were. “I hate them. I hate them for this.”

“I know. I think we all do,” He replied calmly. “Except Hoseok. I don’t know how he can forgive them so easily. How he can forgive those bastards when they poisoned him for years. I remember when we first got him. How he was so confused about why he was taken away and what happened. How he would cry for his owners that tried to kill him. The withdrawals.”

You shuddered. It had taken you, Yoongi, Namjoon, and your father to take care of Hoseok as he went through the withdrawals of the myriad of drugs, and alcohol that he had been fed. He didn’t remember much from the year before you rescued him, but you knew that he sometimes dreamed about what happened, because he wouldn’t let anyone touch him when he first woke up until he realized it was you and he was safe. Nowadays, he didn’t react to those dreams as much. Usually just got up and took a shower. He hadn’t realized what he was like when you got him until he saw Taehyung on a withdrawal from the drug his owner had only given him for a week. He told you that he couldn’t imagine what he must have been like coming off of several drugs and alcoholism.

You never let him dwell on it, though. And as time passed, and he found out about his new health condition that came from the poisons that they had given him alongside the drugs, he seemed to finally understand what he’d been through.

“Because it led me to y/n,” Hobi murmured, barely conscious.

“Shh, save your strength,” Yoongi quickly admonished, and you could see him holding tighter to the bunny. “This isn’t a time to get sappy.”

“Eight,” Hoseok sniffled.

You felt your jaw clench, tightly gripping the steering wheel as if that would help the roads be more clear and get you to the clinic faster.

Time continued to drag, even after reaching the clinic, your coworkers hurrying out to rush Hoseok—who’d fallen unconscious two miles back—into the clinic to get his treatment started.

Yoongi held your hand while both of you waited. “It’s going to be bad this time, isn’t it?”

You nodded.

“Y—” He broke off and hissed a moment. “Dad said something the other day about knowing someone who employs hybrids. I could see if they’d hire me.”

“I can’t ask—”

“I’m telling you. Not asking,” He quickly amended, changing his tone. “I know how bad things are going to get without an extra income. And Taehyung said something about the neighbor by the trails asking him if he would help out because he was having trouble with regular raccoons. Taehyung’s good with them. He just hasn’t had a chance to talk to you about it. I’m going to tell him to do it.”

You looked at the floor, eyes filling with tears.

“And if you need to take more shifts, we’ll make sure that we’re fed and that all the chores get done. You’re not in this alone, y/n. We’re here. This is what we do for those we love.” He wrapped an arm around you when he saw your tears, holding onto you. “It’s a bad week. I’m sorry.”

You just turned and sobbed as quietly as you could into Yoongi’s shoulder.

Minhyuk came out from the back after an hour or so, hesitantly approaching. “Y/n?”

You gave him a bit of a smile. “Hi, Minhyuk. How are you?”

He shrugged. “Okay. Missed seeing you. So have the others.”

“Um, this is Yoongi. Yoongi, this is Minhyuk. He’s one of Shownu’s.”

Yoongi nodded curtly.

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at the way Yoongi had tensed up. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, the heat went out in our place, so your boss said we could stay here while it’s fixed.”

You nodded, then studied his worried face. “You can just tell me what you need to, Min.”

His face dropped to the floor. “They had to take him to surgery. They think his kidneys are failing.”

You felt sick.

“What does that mean?” Yoongi asked, voice barely more than a whisper.

“He’ll need a transplant to live. They think they have one, but they’re testing now. Otherwise, he’s going to get put on a waitlist and…” he looked at the floor.

“He doesn’t have enough time left to be on a waitlist,” You finished the sentence, voice feeling raw.

“I’ll let you know if the donor is a match,” He said after a moment of silence.

“Thank you, Minhyuk,” You whispered, knowing he heard.

Yoongi’s grip on you was tight, and you could see he was beyond words.

It was another three hours before Shownu came out instead of the doctor or Minhyuk, which scared you. It scared you a lot.

“Y/n?” He said, waiting for you to respond.

You drew in a shaky breath. “Yeah?”

“The donor was a match. Hoseok got the transplant. Everything looks good. It’s only one, so he might need another transplant later, but we’ll get him on a list. They’re both recovering well.”

You felt like the breath had been knocked out of you. “Wait, did Kihyun…?”

He nodded. “They’re the same type of bunny hybrid.”

No wonder Minhyuk seemed so worried. No wonder Shownu was telling you. He would have had to give permission. He probably spoke for you when it came to the surgery too.

You hugged him, then pulled away. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He nodded, smiling a little. “He’ll be awake soon. Kihyun’s already awake and doing really well.”

“I have to thank him.”

“He still likes your chicken soup best.”

You laughed a bit. “I’ll bring some next time.”

He smiled a little more and nodded. “Go see Hoseok.”

You looked back at Yoongi, who seemed frozen with relief. “Yoongi, come on.”

He finally looked up and hurried to follow you and Shownu back to where Hoseok was laying in a bed.

The bunny hybrid’s ears were quirked funny, and he still looked pale, but he at least looked like he wasn’t in terrible pain like before.

You kissed his forehead, and ran a hand over his silky ears. “Precious bun.”

He sighed softly in his sleep, turning toward you ever so slightly.

There was still so much to figure out. If you hadn’t been able to even let Hoseok know that you were in love with all of them the same way they were in love with you…

You shuddered, and squeezed his hand. “Too close. Way too close. I’m going to be so paranoid.”

“I think we all are,” Yoongi murmured in agreement. He was holding Hoseok’s other hand.

You ran your fingers through Hoseok’s hair, thinking about your boys at home. “We should tell the others he’s okay.”

“After he wakes up,” Yoongi agreed, leaning down to sniff Hobi’s wrist. “When he’s awake, then we’ll call. Probably be soon.”

And it was. Only ten or fifteen minutes later, Hoseok’s eyes started to flicker open and shut as he stirred. He made little sounds of discomfort and grogginess, but blinked sleepily up at you before smiling a bit. Then at Yoongi, broadening his smile.

“Pretty people,” He murmured deliriously. “My pretty y/n and my pretty Yoongi-hyung. Where are my other pretties?”

“They’re at home, warm and safe, and worried about their pretty bunny,” Yoongi said in an adorably gentle voice, standing to stroke Hobi’s ears.

The bunny melted under the touch. “Pretties safe and warm. I’m a pretty bunny?”

“A very pretty bunny,” Yoongi agreed. “A Sunshine bun. A sun bun.”

Hobi giggled. “I’m a sunny bunny?”

“A very sunny bunny,” You confirmed, kissing his cheek. “That we love very much.”

He looked at you adoringly. “Am I your sunshine?”

“My only sunshine,” You agreed.

“Wow,” He breathed.

Yoongi was grinning, pulling his phone out to video tape this.

“Am I the best sunny bunny?”

“The very best. Very pretty, very sunny, my one and only bunny,” You told him, rubbing your nose against his and earning his brightest smile.

Also tears because a drugged up Hoseok is an emotional one, and he was crying happy tears because he was the best bunny in your world.

You carefully wiped every tear away, still smiling at him. “Yes, Hobi. My charming, handsome, sunny bunny.”

He sniffled, and looked at Yoongi. “Pretty? Am I still your pretty?”

“Yup, my carrot loving bun-bun. Do you know where you are?”

“The not-home place,” Hoseok said gravely, nodding slowly, then made a cute noise before giggling again. “Hobi hobi?”

“Hobi hobi,” You agreed, kissing showering his face with kisses. “My hobi.”

He leaned forward just a little to rub his cheek against yours, and you quickly met him and moved closer so he wouldn’t strain his body or hurt himself.

Yoongi handed him a cup of ice chips. “Start with these, Hobi.”

Hoseok pouted, but slowly started eating the ice chips as Yoongi fed them to him. “Where are my other pretties?”

You smiled at the repeat in conversation. “What are their names?”

“Well,” he swallowed. “There’s Joon-joon. He’s a Raccoon hybrid.”

Yoongi adjusted his phone (which he had positioned on the table to film Hoseok) while holding in his laughter.

“And there’s Jiminie, he’s a blind kitty.”

You bit your lip, barely containing your laughter.

“TaeTae is a Labrador retriever, and Jungkookie is a bunny.”

You squeaked as you held in the burst of giggles.

“Seokjinnie-hyung is an Alaskan malamute and he’s deaf,” Hobi was looking at the ceiling thoughtfully, but his gaze came down and he smiled at Yoongi brightly. “And yoon-yoon is a mink!”

“Well, he got one right,” Yoongi muttered, obviously holding in his laughter.

“Hobi, you’re the bunny, not Jungkookie,” You managed to squeak out.

His eyes got huge. “Oh yeah. Oh! Jungkookie is a fox!”

You finally let your giggles out, stroking his head. “Okay, we’ll go with that for now. Are you sleepy, bun?”

He drooped and nodded, like the mention of sleep drained him.

You kissed his forehead. “Then get some sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

He nodded, dropping into sleep faster than you’d ever seen before.

Yoongi stopped video taping. “Keeping that for a rainy day. And to tease him endlessly.”

“Send it to me,” You told him, still stroking Hoseok’s hair. “I’m going to go see how Kihyun is doing. Thank him.”

“Y/n? Thank him for me too?” Yoongi’s voice was soft, and you felt like there was a hint of shame there.

Sure enough, he had shame written on his face.

You went around to him and cupped his face in your hands. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I…I used to think that Shownu’s hybrids would hurt you. They really care about you though, don’t they? So I was wrong, and I was really mean about it too, and the way I behaved around Shownu—”

“Yoongi, it’s okay. Really. No one can blame you for being wary of other hybrids, and the way you’ve welcomed every hybrid I’ve ever brought into our home is more than I would ever ask from you.”

“I didn’t really welcome them,” He murmured.

“No, you gave them space. Except Hobi because I needed your help with him. And Taehyung because he just wouldn’t let you give him space. And once you felt more comfortable, or they felt more comfortable, then you started interacting with them. You’re so considerate, baby. And a lot of that was jealousy. But there’s nothing to be jealous of now, is there?”

He finally met your gaze and shook his head. “Nothing.”

You kissed his lips, watching him turn pink afterwards. “Stay here with Hobi. I’ll be back.”

He nodded, taking Hoseok’s hand again.

Yoongi stayed at the clinic with Hoseok while you went home.

The boys were camped out in the living room, surrounding the fireplace and listening to Namjoon reading aloud from some novel or other.

Taehyung greeted you first, not interrupting Namjoon’s reading, but coming and hugging you after you got your coat off.

You sighed and leaned into his embrace, then pulled back and pecked his lips, leaving him stunned as you went and joined the rest of your boys, sitting beside Namjoon and leaning on his shoulder.

“Y/n?” Jungkook said, perking up as he smelled you.

“Shush, Namjoon is reading,” You admonished softly, grateful that Namjoon had been turning the page when Jungkook had tried to interrupt instead of in the middle of a sentence.

Jungkook dipped his head sheepishly, managing to make it over to your side at least and rub his cheek against your knee.

Namjoon kept reading, able to tell that you were listening even though you came in in the middle of the story. He shifted when you put a pillow in his lap and curled up there, one hand resting on your arm, but he never faltered from his reading. His voice soothing and full of the character’s emotions.

You looked over your boys, noting how Jin met your gaze, eyes flicking to Namjoon, then Jungkook who was enamored with the story again, before meeting your gaze again with a shrug.

You smiled then looked to Jimin, who was listening, but also drawing.

Taehyung finally came back and sprawled over Jin, looking euphoric. He was just grinning hugging his tail, glancing up at the elder now and then and receiving pets in return every time.

Namjoon finished the chapter with a soft sigh., a satisfied smile on his face and he watched Jungkook rub his face against Namjoon’s legs, verbally complaining about stopping. He managed to reach over you and stroke the pup’s ears, causing the boy to go still and then climb up next to Namjoon to get better ear scratches.

You laughed softly and got up so that they could cuddle better.

“Hoseok-hyung?” Jimin asked softly, finally coming to greet you now that story-time was over.

You cupped his cheek and pecked his lips, eliciting a similar response as Tae had had. “He’s doing fine. And the roads are better, so we can all go visit in the morning.”

Jimin was staring at you in shock, then stood up completely straight as he pointed at you with that same surprised look. “You kissed me.”

“She what?!” Jungkook fell from Namjoon’s lap.

“Are you complaining?” You asked softly.

“I am!” Jungkook cried out, looking utterly betrayed.

“She kissed me too,” Taehyung chirped, hugging both his and Jin’s tails for some reason.

“I’ve also kissed Yoongi and Namjoon before, and I intend to kiss Seokjinnie next, followed by my precious Jungkookie,” You piped in, smirking at the gaping pups.

Namjoon chuckled as Jin finished catching him up from across the room.

“Why am I last?” Jungkook asked, pouting.

“Because you’re neglecting Namjoonie.”

His face turned toward where he knew Namjoon was, hands finding Joon’s legs. “I am?”

“Mmhmm. Joonie cares about you spending time with him too, you know.”

Namjoon was looking embarrassed as he quickly grabbed Jungkook’s hands before they could slide up any farther.

You giggled and got up, going over to Jin, who leaned up and met your lips in a gentle kiss.

Taehyung was in awe.

“Besides, Kookie, you’re not last. Hobi is. Because I want him to remember being kissed.”

He grinned, glancing your way. “It’ll make him so happy.”

“By the way, apparently all of us are his pretties,” You told them, signing as you did so Namjoon understood as well.

“Show me the video,” Taehyung said, looking ready to beg if he felt he needed to.

You shook your head. “No, I want to get subtitles onto it for Joonie. I’ll show you guys before we leave in the morning. And I do have to work tomorrow, but a friend is going to bring you guys home after our visit, okay? Hobi will stay at the clinic for a few days.”

Namjoon signed behind the other boy’s heads, asking about the budget.

You signed back a simple, “Later.” Which confused the others, but they knew that sometimes you and Namjoon talked about things that they didn’t know about. “Alright, I’m ready to conk out. Joon, you and Jungkook spending the night together?”

Jungkook blushed furiously, but Namjoon nodded, pulling the boy up onto his lap.

You looked at the other three boys.

Taehyung looked between you and Jin, then sheepishly turned and pressed his face to Jin’s chest, surprising the fox as Taehyung hugged onto him.

You nodded and held out your hand to Jimin. “You and me, pup.”

Jimin took it shyly, letting you lead him upstairs. He parted to get his pajamas, coming back and finding you already in bed and quickly wrapping you in his arms. “So, Yoongi told us that he had to have surgery, but it felt like there was more.”

“He had to have an emergency kidney transplant,” You whispered, trying to find the best spot to rest your head. “Thankfully there was a donor that matched and was willing. But we’re going to have to be really careful from now on.”

Jimin nodded. “And money?”

You didn’t answer, finally finding the right spot.

“Yoongi told us about the money issue, y/n,” He admitted softly. “We know things are going to be tight. I only really brought it up because I want you to know that Yoongi and Namjoon are really doing their best to try and help and take care of you as well. Taehyung already called the neighbor and said he’d help out tomorrow since the weather is supposed to warm up a bit. And Yoongi said he was going to call Dad after you left the clinic. I’ve got a lot of stuff planted in the green-room. And Namjoon said he had something that we could do, but he didn’t specify, just said it was an idea he’d had a couple weeks ago when he and Hoseok were at the farmer’s market. And I saw that the orchard needed some help, and I bet Jin would go with me as well.”

You were crying again, but not as violently as earlier. “I love you guys so much.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, squeezing you a little tighter. “We’re family. You’ve done so much to help us, it’s only right that we help you help us.”

“You’ll have to learn how to take care of Jin if he has a seizure.”

“I know how, I just haven’t done it yet. Haven’t needed to. But it might leave Jungkookie here alone…”

“I can take him into work with me. He can work on reading braille.” A skill he should have been taught years ago, but was only just learning and very slowly.

Jimin nodded. “Then after your friend brings us home tomorrow, we’ll head out.”

You kissed him again. “Thank you, Jiminie.”

He licked your cheek, too sleepy and happy to combat the strange instinct, and did it a couple more times when he could taste the tears on your cheeks. “Mine,” He grumbled in a happy sort of way and then sighed softly.

———

Bringing Hoseok home had been one of the best things. It was a week after his surgery, and the weather was still crappy, but it wasn’t below freezing. Your boys had been working odd jobs, Jimin and Jin at the orchard (they had somehow managed not to lose most of their apples), Taehyung helping the same neighbor with a few other things after convincing the raccoons to move to a different area, and Yoongi working a night-job that he seemed to like.

Namjoon had gotten a bunch of quails from a neighbor lady who had wanted to stop taking care of them (she said she was getting too old for the hassle), and between him and the other boys, they had set up a pen and shelters for the quails. So you had lots of fresh eggs and Namjoon was incubating more already, and the lady had been nice enough to give the feed she had (which was the healthiest kind available, and you were grateful since that was the brand that had the best quality) as well as the incubator. He paid for it by fixing the fence to her garden and helping her with some of the heavy digging for her garden.

Your garden had taken a huge hit, but the root vegetables made it. Some of your trees had been killed by the sudden freeze, and your berry bushes looked pretty sad. It messed up most vegetation, and every farmer at the farmer’s market had increased their prices a bit because of of the damage to the crops.

Hoseok was just glad to be with you at the market, two weeks after his surgery.

Namjoon and Jimin were selling some of Namjoon’s eggs.

You knew Hoseok loved the farmer’s market. He knew most everyone by name, and they’d somehow heard about him going through surgery and were all so kind to him, especially the older women who told you how he’d always help them with any heavy lifting. They also tended to give him little get-well gifts. So, without purchasing anything you got a large jar of fresh, organic lemon juice,  a can of peaches, a bag of green beans (a few of which he was already munching on, healing made him extra hungry), a small thing of maple syrup (jackpot), and a couple scones by the time the two of you reached Namjoon’s table.

He grinned, dimples appearing, and signing that he’d made twenty dollars so far, and there was someone who wanted to buy a couple of the birds for meat at the next market.

You smiled back, proud of him.

Hoseok sat with Namjoon and Jimin started walking around with you as you checked to see what was there and what you could get. You managed to get some corn that had been picked just before the freeze, a bunch of baby cucumbers that you’d make into pickles, broccoli (at a discount because you purposefully chose the stemmiest ones and the man thought you were crazy), and some peppers that were deformed (not that it affected taste at all).

Hoseok came over and took Jimin from you, and when they reappeared, Jimin was carrying a watermelon and looking very pleased.

Hoseok was talking with the person who had all the watermelons, a bright grin on his face.

You shook your head a little, going over and looking at her cantaloupe as well.

She grinned at you. “You have such sweet boys.”

You smiled back. “The sweetest.”

“It’s so nice to see someone letting their hybrids have independence, and letting them go to the market for the house. They need the responsibilities, they’re meant to be hunters and foragers. It’s not natural to have everything provided for them. And your boys are all so well adjusted, even the grumpy one.”

You grinned at her description of Yoongi. “I wish I could take credit. They’re just sweethearts naturally, I guess.”

“How bad was your garden hit?”

You shrugged a little. “We managed to salvage most of it and a lot of my root vegetables survived. But it sort of messes up some of the later harvest.”

She nodded knowingly. “My husband and I barely got all of this in before the cold hit. We managed to save some of the garden beds with some straw and a tarp though. I’ve seen your boys going round and helping folks out ever since the storm, made me proud like they were my own boys.”

Hoseok made a squeak of pleasure.

Jimin had gone back to help Namjoon.

You nodded. “I’m proud of them too. They work so hard and I never really asked them too, either.”

Hoseok took your hand, looking at you adoringly.

“Well, except this little bun, he’s been stuck in bed,” You squeezed his hand and kissed his shoulder.

He chuckled softly.

“Well, I hope we see him more often now. I heard that old greybeard has some grapes if you’re interested, sunshine.”

Hoseok perked up and nodded. “Thanks halmeoni!” He pulled you toward the stall that must have been “old greybeard”s.

The man regarded Hoseok, then turned and picked up three bags from behind him. “Was wondering when you’d make it here. Five bucks.”

You looked at the bags, then him. “For all three?”

“Yeah, your boy here helped me unload my wares while my leg was broken.”

You just smiled and paid him for the large load. “Are you sure?”

“Go on, it’s mostly the grapes that came off the stems anyway,” He scoffed.

You dipped your head in thanks and headed back towards Namjoon and Jimin. “See, you didn’t need to get a job like the others, Hobi.”

He had a pleasant glow about him, but he also looked tired. “I think I need to be done for the day.”

“Okay,” You agreed, getting Namjoon to help you carry everything to the car since Jimin was talking with someone for him.

Jin, Taehyung, and Jungkook were playing in the front yard, but hurried to come help with whatever you might have gotten.

Taehyung hugged Hobi, nuzzling him lovingly. “Tired baby.”

“You’re the baby,” Hobi said, chuckling. “Let’s go sleep, baby.”

“Yay!”

Jungkook and Jin were playfully bickering as they carried everything but the watermelon (which you had) inside.

Yoongi was up, and he took the watermelon from you with a smile. “They must not have noticed this.”

You shook your head, knowing how big of watermelon fiends they were. “Put it in the garage for now.”

He nodded and headed that way while you headed inside.

Hobi and Taehyung were curled up together on the couch already, turning on a show.

Jin was looking through the takings, handing the bag of scone to Jungkook and telling him to take them to Hobi. He had a little bit of authority in the kitchen nowadays, making sure that everyone gets when you were at work and quickly picking up on different canning methods, which he was using for pickling some quail eggs recently.

It was warm enough today that all the windows and doors were open, letting the house air out.

Jungkook hugged you, kissing you multiple times. “Seokjinnie is being mean.”

“Yah, that’s hyung to you!”

“Seokjinnie-hyung is being mean,” Jungkook amended, kissing at your lips but missing and kissing your chin instead. “Stay still, y/n. This is hard enough.”

You laughed, and gave him a nice, long kiss.

He relaxed a bit, looking past you blindly, but his thumb caressing your cheek ever so gently. “Your skin is so soft. And I love your voice.”

You fondly tugged at his hair. “Your hair is getting long. Did you want to cut it?”

He shrugged. “Not yet.”

“Okay.”

“Does it look bad?”

“I don’t think you know how to look bad, Jungkook. Any of you boys, really.”

“Are we still spending tonight together?” Jungkook asked. “All of us?”

You nodded. “Yoongi doesn’t work tonight. We’re going to play a game as a family, then then we’ll go to bed. But right now, it’s lunch time.”

The boys had easily taken to you being theirs romantically, only insisting that if you were theirs that you also had disclose financial information and let them actually help and know how things are.

It was nice being able to let them take care of some things instead of only you. To share the burden.

Even though things weren’t really stable yet when it came to finances, especially with Hoseok’s medical bills, it was already starting to get a little better. And next week Jimin and Namjoon were house-sitting for your dad while he went on a road trip with some buddies (promising to bring back unsprayed oranges, so apparently they were going somewhere warm) to go hiking and such and he was paying them pretty well to keep a close eye on his bees.

Yoongi loved his night job, and it worked well with his need for a mostly nocturnal schedule. He’d only had one issue with another hybrid, one who had tried to pick on him due to his small size, not realizing that minks were ferocious predators when angered. Especially when they’d been abused before. It was cleared up and that employee had been fired. Now he was really happy.

Jin had started teaching Jungkook how to play the guitar, and was already doing better with sign language.

Taehyung’s mischief was oddly constructive the past week. No snakes in almost a month. Or frogs.

“Oh! Tae, did you tell her?” Jin asked, suddenly, looking into the living room.

Tae looked back, then abandoned Hobi as he scrambled toward you with a grin. “They asked me if I wanted to teach!”

You blinked at him, a little lost. “Who wanted you to teach what?”

He shook his head as if to get his thoughts straight. “Jin, Jungkook, and I were at the park and this school group came and they had kids that were deaf and blind and all that and I was trying to give them space but they realized Kookie was like them and then that we knew sign language too and I ended up playing with them for a while and the teacher said that they often hire hybrids to help in the classroom and since I already know sign language they wanted to know if I’d be interested and I said I was because I really liked playing with the kids and we went back to the school and the principal said that if you gave written consent then I could start on Monday!”

You grinned. “That’s amazing, TaeTae!” You hugged him tightly.

Hoseok was making a happy shrieking sound, but was too tired to get up, but Taehyung quickly went back to him wrapping his arms around the bunny happily.

The six of you sort of celebrated over lunch, and told the last two the good news when they arrived a few hours later.

You wondered if you’d ever breath properly after today. Between kisses and long hugs, lingering touches, and heated looks, you barely had time to breath and once they got you to bed…

“She’s look great full of our kits,” Yoongi agreed with a statement you hadn’t heard, but quickly spotted the tell-tale lip-bite of Namjoon’s.

Taehyung nodded.

“Nah, she’d look better with pups,” Jimin argued cheekily.

“I wish I could see her with either,” Jungkook complained.

“You’ll have to see her with your hands,” Hoseok said calmly. “Which could be even better.”

You arched an eyebrow. “You all know that we’re at least a year away from any impregnation here?”

“But we’ve been together for five years,” Namjoon objected calmly, smirking.

“Four years,” Yoongi said.

“Three and a half.”

“Three.” Taehyung piped in.

“Two for us,” Jungkook chirped triumphantly, holding his hand for a high-five with Jimin.

Jin looked sad. It hadn’t even been a year for him.

“Doesn’t change anything,” You told them, getting up and wrapping your arms around Jin’s neck from behind, resting your cheek on the top of his head. “We’ve still got to get used to being together before we take a completely different step and you guys don’t get any time with me. Besides, we can’t afford any children right now. Maybe after we manage to get our savings account back. We can start a kit slash pup fund.”

They all seemed to exchange glanced and you suddenly worried about what you might have just done.

“You know, having pups and kits is much cheaper than having human babies,” Yoongi said just a little too casually. “If we all starting making a little bit each day, we might be able to save up for it by Christmas.”

“Especially if we can cut the food budget even more,” Hoseok said, but he sounded more skeptical.

“The rest could eat more rice, and then we also have the quails and we should have our first hatchlings in a week or so,” Namjoon pointed out.

You looked between them all as they all started legitimately planning how to save money for babies, then sort of started laughing. Leaning against Jin, who glanced up at you.

“They’re still underestimating everything,” he whispered.

“Think they’d notice if we went upstairs?” You asked back, as the boys gathered to start doing the math.

He shook his head and both of you snuck upstairs, already kissing before you heard the shout of surprise from downstairs at finding you gone.

“Better hurry if you want to show them that you have just as much right to me,” You whispered.

He grinned and lay over you on the bed. “You’re okay with me touching you first?”

“I’m here with you, aren’t I?” You asked.

He quickly kissed you again, hands wandering.

“Oh damn,” Yoongi muttered from the doorway.

“You going to stand there all day?” You asked as Jin kissed down your neck.

All of the boys piled in and hurried to yours and Jin’s side.

A chaotic mess of a family, but filled with so much love, that you knew you’d never regret letting them all have part of your heart.

--

Masterlist  

Tagging: @ephemeral-mindset​ @young-yellkie​ @alex--awesome--22​

[taleofharrison]

Amazing | Michael Clifford

Summary: Cute moments during your relationship with Michael until he “proposes”

Warnings: Taking some prompts from the lyrics of Amzing by Big Time Rush song lyrics in italics.

Requested: No, just something I’ve been wanting to write for a while now.

Word Count: 1189

A/N: Since I’m Michael girl and I haven’t written for my boy in a while I came up with this and I hope you like it.

MASTERLIST HERE

Looks good in a dress even better in my sweatshirt.

Late nights at the studio were a reality for the Aussie boys again, after the quarantine they decided it was time to go back and record the fifth album though they all had a ton of songs, melodies, and riffs created from the time they spent apart from each other they wanted this album to be their best work yet. Michael didn't know what time it was but he was trying his best not to make a noise since you'd probably be sleeping, however, the scene that greeted him made had to be one of the cutest ones yet. "Kitty I told you not to stay up," he said when he saw you sleeping on the couch wearing a sweatshirt of his. You had tried your best to stay up. "But I wanted you to tell how your day went" you answered with a sleepy smile, eyes barely opened. "You know how it went" Michael chuckled "the guys doing stupid shit, laughing our asses off, trying our best to get something done" "I just like listening to your voice" you smiled at his answer. "Alright we're going to bed," he said carrying bridal style up to bed making taking you by surprise "one last thing have I ever told you how good you look on my clothes?" "Just every time I wear them" you lazily giggled.

I sleep in all day and that's just fine.

She knows that I'm falling fast and I know that I'm never let her go Another tour another jetlag to get used to. They loved touring there was no doubt about that, they loved feeling the energy of the fans, they still couldn't believe that many people sang their songs back to them but of course, it has its negative side like today. Michael had been sleeping for who knows how many hours but you didn't mind though there weren't many ways to spoil him and both of you appreciated the little things in your relationship. "Told you to wake me up when you woke up" his soft morning voice echoed in your ears. You loved it "It wasn't pretty when I woke up to an empty bed" "You looked so peaceful and cute! I didn't want to bother you" you exclaimed "I know you've been feeling tired" "What time is it?" he asked opening the fridge looking for something to eat. "Almost noon" you informed "I've been up for an hour now. Do you want something to eat? I can make something for both of us" "You're amazing baby" he groaned. As he saw you cooking from the kitchen counter, smiling and softly humming random 5sos songs he knew he couldn't felt happier though he had known he loved you and that you were one from the start it was these small things that made him fall more and more in love with you.

I must be under a spell and if you couldn't tell you light up my life.

"Y/N!" Michael exclaimed once he saw you walking into the studio "what are you doing here?" "Well I was baking today I thought I could bring you some cookies" you smile showing them the small individual packages you did for them. "Uhm today I'm gonna stay late here again so don't wait up for me," Michael told you scratching the back of his neck. "But-" you pouted. "No buts, you need to rest and you can see me in the morning" he replied smiling. "Fine!" you huffed and he laughs at your attitude. You gave him a peck on the lips before turning your attention to the guys in the room "bye guys!" "You're completely smitten" Luke teased before giving another bite from his cookies. "What?"Michael chuckled. "With Y/N" Ashton pointed out "you should ask her to marry you honestly" "What?" Michael asked again as his eyes opened wide "Dude you've been with her for almost three years and 2 of them you've been living together" Calum pointed out "haven't you talked about it? What you want for the future?" Michael thought it for a second "Yes we talked about it but...I guess she sees it as down the road thing" he spoke. The three boys could see and hear a hint of disappointment in Michael's voice and face. He was more than ready to buy you a ring and propose but what if that's not what you wanted right now? What if you've changed you're mind and you don't want that anymore? "Go on, go home talk to her," Ashton told him. "But we need to record-" "We can focus on Luke's vocals today and maybe tomorrow do your part" Ashton interrupted him explaining his sudden words.

So go take a bow you've won my heart.

"Baby! You're home early" you exclaimed from the living floor where you had been playing with Moose and Southy who decided to abruptly leave you to greet Michael "Yeah the boys said I could come home early" he mumbled giving both dog pats on the head and cuddles, "they said we could record guitars tomorrow" "Alright I'll get us a snack," you said getting up from the floor "I still have some cookies" "We need to talk" he spoke from the kitchen entrance "about us" "What do you want to talk?" you asked trying to keep your cool though inside the fear and nervousness were quickly taking over you "We talked about this a little after we hit the 6 months mark and we haven't talked about it again and I need to know right now" he replied taking a seat in the kitchen counter "Where are we go going? Because I'm more than ready for the next step" "Do you want to marry me?" she quaked "You're sure?" "Why wouldn't I be sure?" Michael retorted "You're just amazing and I love the way you make me feel" The silence Michael got in response to his statement gave him all the answers he needed "You've been feeling insecure, haven't you?" You gave him a small nod as an answer with barely audible yeah "I know it's stupid but..." "Hey it's not stupid sometimes I feel insecure too but you need to talk to me when you feel this way, you always help me when I feel like that and I know I can help get through that," he said getting up from his stool to hold you hiding your face on his chest. "Actually, I have a great idea" he spoke pulling you away and getting on one knee not letting go of your hands "I know I don't have a ring right now but take this as a promise you're more than all that I need when you're by my side and we can properly start planning the wedding once we're finish with the album and I can surprise with an actual proposal one of this days but for now Y/N Y/L/N will you marry me?" "You're a dork" you laughed "but yeah...yes I will marry you"

[imissjoongsmullet]

The Morning After The Fact

Pairing: Xiaojun x reader

Genre: fluff (tiiiiny bit of angst)

Summary: Part 2 of An Evening With The Boys.

After a fun evening with your little brother (Yang Yang) and his friends, you can’t stop thinking about certain things that happened between you and Xiaojun. You plan to ignore them but the next morning proves to make that a very difficult to do. 

Warnings: more chaotic WayV, awkward conversations, cuteness

Word Count: 3.5k

Author’s Note: thank you for the request @idontknowapil​  I really like this whole concept, it makes me feel all warm and fluffy inside. I hope it can be the same for people who read it. Much love!!

►

It was 3 am and you had yet to fall asleep. You’d spent the last couple of hours turning around in your sheets, helplessly trying to clear your head but it all seemed in vain under the current circumstances. After you’d turned down your lights, you’d laid in darkness, listening to the muffled voices coming from your brother’s room. It was astounding how him and his friends just did not seem to need sleep. You could hear Lucas’ monstrous cackles, Ten’s screeches and a lot of mysterious thumping noises. There was no sign of Xiaojun at all, which made you wonder whether he was still awake. He might be even more distracted by it all than you were.

With your hand beneath the bed sheet, you tried to relive the feel of his hand on yours from just a few moments ago. You’d barely been able to concentrate on the movie because of it. You’d been shoulder to shoulder with him under a nice, fluffy blanket, which had been reason enough for your cheeks to turn strawberry pink. When he’d reached for your hand and interlaced his fingers with yours, you’d felt chills all over your body. It had been such a gentle touch, so sweet, and in the moment it had overwhelmed you completely. Now, you were wondering what it had meant.

He’d felt so warm against your skin, almost too much so, but now you just felt cold. Would he ever do it again? Or was he already regretting his actions. He was your little brother’s friend, after all.

What would he want with you?

Your alarm woke you up at 7:30, as always. You enjoyed being the first person awake in the house (not a hard thing to do considering Yang usually didn’t leave his self-proclaimed ‘man cave’ ‘till the early afternoon). Not wanting to disturb the boys, you put in your earphones, put on a nice, soft morning playlist, and made your way down the stairs. You figured you could make your favorite breakfast and enjoy the piece and quiet in the house while it lasted.

The remnants from last night were still sprawled all across the living room. Playing cards, half-empty chips bags, stray video game controllers,… You shook your head, figuring you’d boss your idiot brother into cleaning it up later. First, breakfast.

Maybe it was the soft piano playing in your ears but you didn’t see it coming at all. Turning the corner into the morning-lit, white-tiled kitchen, was Xiaojun, putting a bunch of things out onto the counter.

You both jumped at the sight of one another. A very unflattering squeal escaped your lips as you instinctively wrapped your hands around yourself. You were still in your embarrassingly childish pajamas: a Hello Kitty top and shorts combo you’d never wanted to throw away for sentimental reasons. He, on the other hand, was handsome as always, in soft, white and gray striped pajamas that looked like they were brand new. His hair was messy but charmingly so, while yours probably looked more like a rat lived in it. He was staring at you with big, honey-brown eyes, lips parted, as if he was about to say something.

But you weren’t ready to hear his judgment. You yanked out your earphones and dashed to one of the kitchen chairs to wrap yourself in the long, white cardigan that hung over it, covering yourself up.

“Good morning,” he started, a little smile tugging at his lips.

You nodded at him, realizing at once how silly of a reaction that was but also unable to get any words out to save yourself. Looking at him now, all sleepy-faced and gorgeous, your mind flitted to last night, to the way he’d looked at you before parting ways in the hallway. There had been something in his eyes then; he’d wanted to say something, you were sure of it. Was it still there? Or were you simply over-thinking things?

“Sleep well?” he asked, continuing to grab things from the cupboards.

“Yeah,” you managed at last, forcing your focus to the present moment, “um, what are you doing?”

His smile grew wider; the smile of a kid getting caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. “I’m making breakfast,” he said, shrugging, “I hope that’s okay. Yang usually lets us grab whatever we want.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” you were quick to answer this time, “you just startled me, is all.”

His eyes twinkled at yours for a moment before they shot down to the ingredients before him.

“Would you like some too?” he asked. He looked back up at you, a glimmer of timidness showing through his expression now, “pancakes are your favorite, right?”

You couldn’t stop a grin from overtaking your entire face. Embarrassed, you opened to fridge door to shield yourself from his gaze.

“How do you even know that?” you asked, pretending to grab a drink.

“It’s not my first sleepover at this house,” you heard him chuckle, “I’ve watched you eat pancakes for breakfast for years.”

Even in the icy cold of the fridge, his words managed to heat you up. You felt strangely exposed by his statement. I mean, it wasn’t as if he’d actually been observing you all these years. You did eat pancakes for breakfast at a ridiculous frequency, especially on your days off, which was often when Yang Yang’s friends would be over. It wasn’t strange for him to notice, you supposed.

You randomly grabbed for the apple juice and poured the both of you a glass, reminding yourself every second that none of this probably meant anything. He hadn’t mentioned anything about last night. He’d probably already forgotten about the whole thing. It was fine.

“Where do you keep the flour?” his voice called so near to your ear that you jumped again. He’d come up right behind you.

You twisted around, only to regret it immediately. He looked so heavenly in the morning light, looking down at you like he had no idea what he was doing to you.

“It’s in the back, hold on,” you said, scurrying off into the pantry.

You were starting to get frustrated with yourself. You weren’t like this. Sure, you’d had certain “feelings” when it came to Xiaojun, but you’d always managed to keep them under control pretty well. You’d been around him for many years. You’d pretty much gotten used to his presence and the idea that things would never lead anywhere with him.

But now, you couldn’t even look at him without flushing like a child; it was ridiculous. Things had happened last night, there was no denying that, but you didn’t want to fool yourself into thinking that had to mean anything. It might have been a spur of the moment thing for him, inspired by the film. Guys did unexplainable things more often... 

But, a timid, little voice in the back of your head came in, what about that look he gave you during poker? Or right before going to bed? There was something-

Those all led to nothing, your reason shot back monotonously, ergo, he didn’t mean for it to lead anywhere.

“Should I use butter or oil? What do you think?” Xiaojun’s voice called from the kitchen, and then, not much later, “also, how do you separate an egg?”

A tiny smile crept up onto your face. You snatched the flour from the shelf before you and went back out, locking your worries somewhere you wouldn’t be able to hear them for the time being.

“Why don’t we make the pancakes together?”

He frowned at the eggs in his hands and nodded.

It was a little surprising how clumsy he was in the kitchen. Xiaojun had always seemed like such a clean, put together kind of guy, so watching him fish eggshells out of a bowl as if his life depended on it (and failing) was very amusing. You showed him all the steps you knew by heart, and he followed gladly, keeping the full of his attention on you.

It didn’t make you as nervous anymore. Little by little, you eased into his presence, temporarily ignoring unhealthy thoughts and letting yourself enjoy the moment.

“You’ve got to be gentle with the stirring,” you said, standing next to him to oversee his actions, “or they won’t be fluffy.”

“I am gentle,” he chuckled, taking a quick look at you, “see.” He folded the wooden spoon through the batter ever-so-slowly. His sleeves rolled up, you found yourself staring at his tensed forearms as he worked. The idea of being wrapped up in them did cross your mind, but you forced yourself not to dwell on it.

“How’s this,” he asked, stepping aside to show you his process.

You took the bowl and ran the spoon through it, feeling the smooth consistency. Then you dipped in your ring finger and tried some.

“What are you doing?” he said, apprehension all over his voice.

“I’m tasting it,” you said simply, turning to him, “how else would you know if they’ll be any good?”

He somehow managed to look both amused and concerned at the same time.

“I heard raw batter is bad for you.”

“You have a point,” you laughed, “but it tastes so good.” You dipped a clean finger into the batter and held it up to him. “Try it,” you said, and just as the words dove off your lips, plummeting the conversation into dangerous territory, did you realize what you’d just suggested. You were about to pull back your finger but Xiaojun had already grabbed hold of your hand.

Eyes like tennis balls, you stared as he started bringing your finger towards his lips. Everything inside you was short-circuiting: the cogs in your body jamming, sparks flying all around, fog filling up your brain.

“No,” you gasped out suddenly, yanking back your hand at the same time he’d decided to let go. Your hand recoiled into your own face, your battered finger hitting you sharp in the eyeball.

“Are you alright?” you heard him sputter, as his two hands grabbed your shoulders. Your eyes were closed shut in shock and pain but you nodded anyways.

“Hold on,” he said and he started leading you towards what you could only imagine was the sink. To add to your shock, he positioned himself flush behind you so as to guide your hands towards the stream of the faucet.

“I’m fine!” you muttered, heart like a ticking time bomb. Once he’d removed himself from your backside, allowing your body to calm down, you wiped your eyes and tentatively opened them.

“I’m fine,” you repeated, turning back around to face him.

He leaned in, examining your face, asking, “You sure?”

You couldn’t stand all this closeness. Somehow his eyes were the worst of it.

“Stop looking at me,” you said in a near whisper, positive your cheeks resembled actual tomatoes by this point.

“Wait,” he answered, reaching out to softly wipe the space under your eye, “you just had a little bit,” he grinned, showing you the batter on his thumb before putting it past his lips and licking it clean.

That was it: the last of your sanity flying out the window. You turned away from him, mortified.

You heard him move before you felt it: his hand on yours. It sent the hairs on your arms up, all the way to your neck.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked in a quiet murmur, squeezing your hand gently.

You looked into his eyes and swore your could see it again; that same thing you’d noticed in his eyes the previous night, the thing that made you wonder whether maybe…

“I-” you started, knowing full well you wouldn’t be able to ever finish the sentence. You wished he would just say something instead. But he was still staring at you with those big eyes of his, sunlit brown gazing from beneath long eyelashes, searching you.

“Sorry,” he said at last. The words punctured the silence like a needle to a balloon. They seemed to echo in your head, adding to the confusion already dominating your thoughts. Sorry for what?! You wanted to yell but he was still holding onto your hand and standing so close and there was just nothing you could do about it and you thought you might explode when suddenly-

“Something smells good!” a voice like a trumpet called from the living room.

Xiaojun released you and you both turned around to find Lucas, Ten and Yang Yang sauntering into the kitchen with sleepy faces and messy hair.

“Pancakes!” Ten gasped.

“Sweet!” Lucas nodded.

“Did I hear pancakes?!” Hendery’s voice came in from far away, followed by heavy thumping.

Yang Yang shot you and Xiao a strange, up-and-down glare before shaking his head in amusement. “You know what? I don’t even wanna know,” he exhaled, turning around and walking off.

Things got a bit easier from then on because at least you weren’t alone. Xiaojun was busy trying to create the perfectly shaped pancake, while Ten and Lucas provided enough of a distraction for you not to worry about what had just happened between the two of you. The air soon filled with the sweet aroma of baked goods, feeding your appetite. You offered Xiaojun your help but he seemed to have gotten really into it, declining and promising you nothing short of perfection once he was finished.

So you allowed yourself to watch him. It was a lot less scary now that he had his back turned to you. The sunlight was pouring heavily into the room, making him look like some sort of breakfast-making God.

“Like what you’re seeing?” a sly voice whispered in your ear.

You slapped Ten on the shoulder, hissing a desperate shut up.

Ten smirked in response, “What,” he said, poking you in the side, “you know I’m right.”

It was another five-or-so minutes before the pancakes were done and you could all move around the breakfast table together. They were delightfully tasty and surprisingly soft. Everyone had several helpings and, aside from things nearly escalating into a food fight when Lucas started playing with the chocolate sauce, it was truly one of the nicest breakfasts you’d had in a while.

“Well, I guess we’ll finally get out of your hair then,” Hendery yawned as he stretched his arms wide above his head, “Lovely pancakes, by the way, man.” He clapped Xiaojun on the shoulder and got up.  

The others followed suit, picking up their plates and disappearing into the kitchen. You supposed they had some manners after all. You watched as Xiaojun returned to clear off the rest of the table.

“Oh that’s okay,” you said, getting up as well, “I’ll clean up. You can go grab your things with the others.”  

You thought that’d be for the best. Maybe, if you were fast enough, you could finish cleaning and sneak into your room before the boys left. That way you could at least avoid any more awkward moments. You shoved the dirty dishes and bowls into the sink, hurriedly returned ingredients to their rightful place and haphazardly wiped the table and counters. Passable, you judged your work, before sprinting up the stairs and into the narrow hallway, only to run headfirst into someone’s chest.

“Woah!” he exclaimed and you knew you’d fucked up once again.

“Sorry,” you muttered, not even looking up. You swerved past him and the other boys, making your way to your room. You were too caught up in your own thoughts to hear Xiaojun tell the others to go on ahead of him cause he’d forgotten something. Only when he jogged over to you with a breathy “wait,” did you realize. Your turned to him, keeping your hand on your doorknob.

“I, um,” he started, and for the first time, you noticed a slight unsteadiness in his voice. He was looking down at the ground, thinking. “I think I haven’t been handling this so well,” he sighed out at last, “I’m not that good at this.”

This was it, you groaned inwardly, the moment he’d tell you yesterday was a mistake and to please leave him alone. You were about ready to tell him to save the speech because you got it. The whole thing was stupid and you acting like a baby about it was making things awkward for everyone.

Electricity jolted up your arm when his hand brushed yours, tentatively for a few seconds, but then wrapping it around yours firmly, squeezing. Looking from your entangled hands, up into his kind eyes, you realized you’d forgotten, in all your anxiousness, that Xiaojun was naturally quite a shy person as well, and that him holding your hand could not be as easy for him as you’d thought it may have been.

But he didn’t stop there. His free hand came up and brushed the hair from your face, locking lightly behind your ear. Then he smiled and you felt your heart start to race. He was so close and looking at you with a face that bore such sincerity, you couldn’t understand why you’d doubted him before. He leaned in and you were far from ready.

When his lips touched yours your mind went blank for the first time in forever. He kissed you softly, cupping your face and caressing your hand with his thumb. It was gentle and soothing and more than you’d ever dared to hope for. You felt so light. You found the urge to move closer; to fall into his warm chest where you belonged but something still held you back.

Xiaojun broke the kiss but kept his face close, resting his forehead on yours and smiling. Now you weren’t the only one blushing.

“I’m not good with words,” he murmured.

You smiled up at him. “You’ve said plenty just now.”

He returned the smile and squeezed your hand again; a gesture you were growing very fond of very quickly.

“Sneaky, I like it,” a voice said in a tone that could only come from one person.

“Ten,” you gasped, looking behind Xiaojun to find him at the top of the stairs, a single eyebrow cocked in triumph.

He snickered, “listen, I’m very happy you two finally decided to cut the crap and make out already but Yang Yang is this close to coming up here to ask what’s keeping you so long and I’m sure you both don’t wanna find out what will happen when he finds out so you better get your ass down the stairs right now lover boy.”

You both stared at the smug boy for a moment, before Xiaojun finally broke the daze. “Right,” he said, nodding. He looked to you, then to his friend and back to you.

“Fine!” Ten sighed with the dramatic wave of a hand, “Have your moment. Just make sure you’re down in five seconds or I might not be able to keep my mouth shut.” And with that, he descended the stairs.

Xiaojun turned to you again, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Maybe we should get coffee sometime?”

You nodded pressing your lips together tight in an attempt to control your glee.

He nodded to and came in once more, pecking you sweetly on the nose.

“Okay,” he said, and finally, he walked off towards the stairs, but keeping his eyes on you. Only upon reaching the stairs, did he turn around.

“There you are, you lazy piece of shit,” Lucas’ voice bellowed from below, “I’m gonna miss my train because of you!”

And so you stood there, in front of your bedroom door, listening to the sounds of your brother and his friends once again: Yang Yang ordering people around despite being the youngest, Hendery and Lucas’ signature laughter, Ten’s unnecessary comments on it all and Xiaojun’s silence. He was probably just thinking and, for the first time, you had a pretty good idea what he was thinking of. You put your hands to your cheeks in an attempt to cool them.

After hearing the door click shut, you entered you own room, realizing you wouldn’t get anymore work done for the rest of the day and, for the first time, not even caring one bit.

[avellanas-nutty-empire]

Silent Love Part 5

Muahahahaha!!! Have food, my children

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Pairing: Axel x Irish!OC

Time and Place: Spring, 1990 San Patricio

Summary: 1087 words of smol angst before kitty fluff

I’m purposely limiting your knowledge in this chapter, so please hang tight and wait for more to be revealed in later parts! Also FYI for those of you curious, the name Aoife is pronounced like Eva but with an F instead of a V. so like Efa. I hope that explanation makes sense!

A soft melody drifts through the room as you hum to the sleepy baby in your arms, rocking her gently. Poor thing... you think to yourself solemnly before setting the child down in her crib.

"Kelly?" Levi calls out through the door, knocking on it lightly.

"Yes? Come in" You respond, moving towards the bed where a pile of clean clothes lay. The young boy steps into the room timidly, fidgeting with the hem of his clothes and tapping his feet on the ground.

"Can I see Senaid?" He finally asks shyly. You nod your head, motioning to the crib as you pick up a garment to start folding. The young lad quickly makes his way over, slowing down right before gently placing his hands on the railing to look down at the sleeping baby. “She's so little...” Levi marvels at the little creature as a set of feet walk outside the door. “It's hard to imagine she just came out of thin air”

“Especially the thin air part” Sean butts into the conversation, entering your room without permission. You glare at him for his utter rudeness as he glances at the crib with menace in his eyes.

“Now Sean, I would expect that kind of behavior from an american but not from a fellow irish folk” He manages to cut you off before your next sentence.

“And that thing had no right coming into our lives-” In a bout of frustration, you slam your activity down and stand up to leave.

“Let's let her sleep now, Levi” The young boy looks over with a confused look between the two of you as you brush past Sean and make your way down the hallway to the first floor.

“Is it because Aoife's gone now?” He questions, turning his attention up at the taller man. “I miss her too... but she's not completely gone!” Sean pushes himself off the doorframe he was leaning on and marches down the stairs after you in the middle of the boy's words.

“Yeah. Her salve she left with you, Kelly. And you waste it on that man twice! You waste all of your energy on that thing that has no right replacing her!” He raises his voice. Good thing the pub isn't open currently.

“Hey, Levi. How would you like to meet someone your age?” You ask the boy, trying to change the subject while you sort through and organize everything on the bar. His face lights up with excitement as he responds.

“Can I really?!? Who are they, when can I meet them! How long have they been here?” He blurts out his questions with energy.

“She's swedish and doesn't speak hardly any english yet, but she's very interested in dancing-” You respond only to be cut off again.

“Oh, no not that girl you saved!” Sean expresses his grief on the matter with anguish in his voice. “You were serious? How are they supposed to get along if they don't speak the same language. Customs are different there, Kelly. There’s a number of things wrong with this-!” He exasperated, running his hands through his short black hair.

“You know what's wrong Sean?” You snap at him, venom filling your words as you harshly place a cup onto the counter with a clang. “Politeness over honesty is an Irish custom. Aoife left the child with me. Not you. Whatever your griefs are, you had no right to barge into my room and conversation earlier!” Instead of quipping back instantly, Sean closes his mouth for a moment to look anywhere but at you.

“...your heart is too big for your own good, Kelly. You are going to get burned - and I'm not going to collect your ashes"

"Are you gonna collect your sound waves then? Cause your spreading them all over the building like wildfire!" You angrily open up a cupboard to grab a bowl. "Get a grip, Sean. Before there's nothing left to grab" You take an empty pitcher and begin filling it with water, and start speaking in a more calm voice. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a stray cat outside needing clean water to drink" When the pitcher's full, you shut the tap off and make your way out the back exit to the trash bins.

The cool night air hits your face, and you take a moment to absorb it and calm down from the previous argument. You close your eyes and let out a sigh, then continue making your way over to the cat's favorite spot in the alley. Rounding the trash bins however, you see the swedish man kneeling in front of the cat giving it Pat’s. "Dawww" You let out a fond sound as you go to kneel next to him, setting down the bowl and pouring the water in.

"You... sad?" Axel speaks up, looking at you. You look up surprised at him, setting down the now empty pitcher to run your hands over the cat.

"Well..." You start sheepishly. "Maybe" At your response Axel looks down at the cat drinking your water, to your hands on the cat, then back up at your face.

"...your...friend no help?" He asks, referring to the friend you mentioned who's family runs the pub.

"...my friend is dead" Your hands droop into your lap, and the cat nudges them in protest. “She liked medicine. Made the salve I used, actually” When you do not give more Pat's, the cat runs against Axel for attention. Soon enough his hands have returned to the brown furry body.

"My brothers.... also dead" he Scratches the cat's chin solemnly, your eyes soften in his direction with a smile. “Liked... animals, and cleaning” You let out a small giggle at this, reaching over to scratch the cat's bottom.

“And what do you like?” You question with more warmth and happiness in your voice.

“...Cooking” He decided to respond. “You?”

“I like... helping. This cat doesn't have a home, so I'll give her water and food”

“Name?” Axel questions, gesturing to the creature he was petting.

“Hmm... Don't know. You have an idea?”

“...looks like wood” Axel comments on account of her brown tortoiseshell fur.

“How about... Mahogany? It's a type of wood. She kinda looks like it I think”

“Ma...hoo...gann..dee?” He attempts to pronounce the word.

“Yeah... Mahogany” You say, pronouncing the word slower for him.

“Mahogany... I like it” You smile back at him, glad the word isn't too hard for him to pronounce. Forget what Sean thinks, Aoife’s salve is not wasted on this man.

[mymidsummersunshine]

New cat fic! Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, this is just what I remember from when my own cat had an upper respiratory infection a couple years ago, so it may or may not be accurate

Cw: pet illness (but he’s fine!! it’s nothing too serious)

—

Matt wakes up just before sunrise one Saturday morning, but he can’t get back to sleep, so he just gets out of bed and starts his day. He makes his coffee and breakfast, then settles in on the couch, turning on some home improvement show on TV that he can watch without paying too much attention to. Tiny jumps up on the couch and curls up opposite him, and Matt leans over to kiss the top of his head.

The bedroom door opens and Anders comes out, still looking sleepy. “Morning,” he says.

“Morning.”

Anders comes over and leans down for a kiss, but he makes a face when he pulls away.

“What?” Matt asks. He doesn’t know whether or not to be offended.

“Nothing, you just got cat fur in my mouth,” Anders laughs. “I wasn’t expecting it, is all.”

Matt laughs with him. “Oh, sorry. I did kiss him, too, right before you came out.” He frowns, looking back down at him. “Have you noticed he’s been acting weird lately?”

“Weird how?”

“Like, he hasn’t been as active, he doesn’t want to play as much. He’s definitely been sleeping a lot more, too.”

“Hmm, no, I hadn’t. You okay, buddy?” Anders reaches down to pet Tiny’s head. Tiny wakes up, glares at him, and goes right back to sleep. “Now that you mention it, though...”

“Do you think he’s alright?” Matt’s really starting to worry now.

“I mean, he’s been eating, right? Drinking water?” Matt nods. “Then he’ll probably be fine. But if you think we should take him to the vet, we can call them today.”

Matt sighs. “No, no, you’re probably right. But if he gets any worse then I think we should.”

“Alright. Let’s keep an eye on him.” Anders disappears into the kitchen to make his breakfast, and Matt looks back down at Tiny.

“Are you alright, buddy?” he asks, gently scratching behind his ears. Tiny just sighs, too tired to protest. “You’re a sleepy kitty, aren’t you?” Matt yawns. “Guess you’re not the only one.”

When Anders comes back into the living room, bagel in hand, he finds Matt and Tiny both asleep on the couch, Matt’s head just in front of Tiny, not quite using him as a pillow but almost. He just shakes his head and sits down in the arm chair.

—

A few days later, Tiny still hasn’t gotten much energy back, and now he’s been sniffling and sneezing, too.

“I’m worried about him,” Matt says as he sneezes again. “Like, I guess it could just be allergies, but...”

“No, I get you. I am, too,” Anders says. “Do you think we should call the vet?”

“I think we should. It can’t hurt, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll call them now.” Anders stands up and goes into the bedroom to make the call. Matt picks Tiny up and puts him in his lap, and Tiny doesn’t fight him. He does start purring when Matt pets him, so he counts that as a success.

Anders comes back out a few minutes later. “They said they’re too busy today, but they can see him at 10 tomorrow,” he says. “I can take him if you can’t get off work.”

“No, I want to go, too. I’ll let Charlie know.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. He’ll definitely understand, I’m convinced he likes him more than me at this point.” He laughs as if it’s a joke, but knows there’s definitely at least some truth to it.

Anders laughs, too. “He can like both of you, you know. I know I do.” He sits back down on the couch and wraps an arm around Matt, reaching down with his other hand to pet Tiny, too. He purrs louder.

Matt grabs his phone to text Charlie, and as expected, he’s totally fine with Matt missing work. Of course, no worries. I hope the little guy feels better, he texts back. Matt sets the phone down and leans into Anders’ shoulder.

“Hey,” Anders whispers. Matt looks up at him. “He’s going to be fine.”

“I know.”

—

The next morning, Matt and Anders wake up early. Anders makes coffee and breakfast while Matt gets out the cat carrier and puts it together. They haven’t had to use it for a while, so it takes him a minute to remember where they stored it. Coaxing Tiny into it is easier than they expected, they put some treats and one of his favorite blankets inside, and he goes right in with no fussing. Anders holds the carrier in his lap while Matt drives, whispering to Tiny to calm him down. He sticks his finger in through the caged front to try to pet him, but he’s sitting too far back for him to reach.

They make it to the vet and check in, then sit in the waiting room. They’re still about fifteen minutes early. Tiny has quieted down since being out of the car, and now he’s just watching all the other animals in the waiting room with wide eyes. Right on time the vet calls them in.

“Tiny?” she says. Matt and Anders stand up, and Anders picks up the crate so they can follow her back into the room. “You can set him down on the counter here,” she says. Anders puts the crate down and opens the door. Tiny exits cautiously.

“Hi, Tiny! I hear you’re not feeling well.” The vet extends her hand to let him sniff it, and he does, then headbutts her hand. She scratches his chin, then turns back to Anders and Matt. “What seems to be the problem?”

Matt looks at Anders to answer. “He’s all stuffed up, like in his nose,” he tells her. “And he’s been sleeping a lot more, not as energetic as he usually is.”

Right on cue, Tiny has a fit of sneezes.

“Have you made any changes lately? To his diet, or anything like that?”

“We did get a different brand of litter a couple weeks ago,” Matt says. “They didn’t have the kind we usually get.”

A look of understanding dawns on her face. “Was it the lightweight kind?”

“Yeah. Why, is that bad?”

“It can definitely cause respiratory infections. Especially with how stuffy he is, that would be my first suspicion, but let me check him out to make sure.”

She listens to his heart and lungs with the stethoscope, then checks him all over, all while reminding him what a good boy he is.

“It definitely seems like an upper respiratory infection,” she confirms. “There’s a couple things we can do here, I can either give him a shot now, or I can give you a liquid medicine and you can feed it to him at home. The shot would be one and done, but the medicine would be every day for seven days. It’s completely up to you, they would both be just as effective.”

“Can we mix the medicine with food?” Anders asks.

“You can, but you would need to make sure he eats all of it.”

Anders looks back at Matt. “What do you think, love?”

“I’m not sure. The liquid would definitely be less painful, but he can be picky with his food. Do you think he would eat it?”

“Is he picky? I mean, he ate my swordfish!”

“I meant with cat food. I’m not buying swordfish just to give him his medicine.”

“Alright, fair. So, the shot, then?”

Matt nods. “I think that will be better.”

“I’ll be right back with it.” The vet leaves the room and shuts the door behind her. Tiny looks over at the two of them, then wanders to the other side of the counter to investigate.

“Has he had a shot before?” Matt asks.

“I mean, not since we’ve had him, but the paperwork from the shelter said he was up to date when I adopted him,” Anders shrugs. “He probably doesn’t remember.”

“Isn't that worse? I feel bad. There’s, like, no way we can warn him it’s coming, you know?”

“Matt.” It’s rare that Anders calls him by his actual name, so it gets Matt to look up at him. Anders squeezes his hand. “He’s going to be okay. He’ll do great, I know it. I think you’re more nervous about this than he is.”

The vet comes back with the shot a few minutes later.

“Does one of you want to hold him? It’s usually better if someone familiar is with him.”

“I will,” Anders volunteers. He crosses the room to pick him up, then sits down in the chair across from Matt. Matt looks away while the actual shot is injected, and Tiny lets out a little yelp, but he stays put in Anders’ lap while he pets his head and talks to him to keep him calm. It’s over in a few seconds.

“You did such a good job, Tiny!” the vet praises.

Matt opens his eyes. The vet is washing her hands in the sink, while Anders continues holding on to Tiny. Matt crosses the room so he can pet him too.

“I told you he’d do great,” Anders whispers, and Matt smiles.

“You were right. Should we, I dunno, what’s the cat equivalent of giving a little kid a lollipop?”

The vet overhears him and laughs. “He definitely deserves some treats. He did a really good job, most cats don’t stay still like that.” She opens the cabinet and pulls a bag out.

“Alright,” she says as she holds her hand out for Tiny. He sniffs the treat curiously, then eats it before leaning back into Anders. “He’ll probably be even more exhausted for the next twenty four hours or so while it kicks in, that’s completely normal. Just let him sleep it off. If he’s still stuffy for the next couple days you can take him into the bathroom and turn the hot water on. Don’t put him in the shower, but just keep him in the steam for ten minutes or so. If he doesn’t feel any better in a week, go ahead and call us back, but he should be all set.”

“Thank you so much!” Matt picks Tiny up off of Anders’ lap and puts him back into the crate, then they check out and go back into the car.

A few days later, Tiny is back to his energetic self, and they can both breathe a sigh of relief.

[thewritewolf]

Eating Habits Chapter 6: Date Night

I think ‘date night’ might very well be my most used chapter title of them all, but chapter titles have never been my strong suit... Anyway, have an aged-up Adrienette date. Plus some other things.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3. 

Adrien had gotten home late after another long but enlightening shift at the bakery. Well… relatively late. The hours that a baker worked meant that his bosses were in bed long before most people, but that didn’t matter much when they took advantage of his youth and strength to do the heavy lifting for them. He hadn’t even considered checking his mailbox last night with the bone deep exhaustion he’d felt. The first rays of dawn were only just barely able to wake him.

He threw his legs over the side of his bed and took the time to watch the sunrise through his bedroom window. Another beautiful day in Paris. Even if it was a little chilly in the early October air, the cold had never bothered him as much as they had his lady. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face as he remembered her and slipped his feet into the silly kitty slippers she’d made for him ages ago.

His muscles ached as he stretched, but between his excursions to the gym, the years of superheroing, and the schedule from his youth that had run him ragged, the pain was more than bearable. A warm shower to help relax helped take the edge off the soreness. Now all he needed was some breakfast, and something to distract himself. With those goals in mind, he got dressed and headed into the kitchen, sparing a glance at Plagg. He was still laying on his back, bathed in a sunbeam as one of his legs twitched. Adrien smiled as gently closed the door behind him.

Despite all the classes and his time at the bakery, breakfast was still Adrien’s strong suit. He started to cook up a cheese omelette stuffed with fresh vegetables, paired with some leftover bread he’d taken home from the Dupain-Chengs yesterday. Barely a few minutes had passed before the silence became maddening. Another lingering pain from his childhood, but one that he could easily remedy. A playlist Nino had made for him filled the air and Adrien’s mind cleared.

Halfway through breakfast, he remembered he’d never checked the mail yesterday. Not wanting his food to get cold, he dashed down to the mailroom of the complex and quickly opened his slot. As expected, there was a bundle of letters that he snatched before closing it and running back into his apartment.

He slowly shuffled through them while he ate. Most were worthless spam or worse. One from a modeling agency he’d worked for a month or two ago. Probably either thanking him for the work or pre-emptively asking for him to come back on for the winter lines. Considering his finances were doing alright, he’d likely pass on that and carefully set the letter aside. Reaching the bottom of the pile, he froze.

A familiar type of envelope in the same familiar handwriting of his father.

Everything in him told him it was a bad idea to read it. He never came out of it any better than when he went in. His heart was pounding in his chest and he began sweating. His breathing was ragged as his eyes flew over the page.

They were all the same. Every single one of them. Different words, same meaning.

‘I did what I had to.’

‘This was for YOU.’

‘Our family needed this.’

‘Put yourself in my shoes.’

‘Would you have done any different?’

The words flew past in a blur as his eyes glazed over. Before he could properly read it, a sharp voice drew him out of the downward spiral.

“I’m hungry!” Plagg whined as he flew in front of Adrien’s vision. “I’m wasting away here, kid. I need delicious, gooey camembert NOW.”

A smile tugged at his lips but didn’t reach his eyes as Adrien jolted to his feet to find his kwami’s breakfast.

----

While Adrien was distracted, Plagg narrowed his eyes and faced the letter. He was sorely tempted to just cataclysm it right here and now, to make sure his chosen would never be hurt by it again. But control of their powers had never been the forte of any of the kwami, least of all the kwami of destruction. Deciding that it was only barely not worth ruining the apartment, Plagg batted the letter into the trash. If only he’d had the opportunity to do the same to Gabriel himself.

Adrien returned with a quarter wheel of cheese, which Plagg took to eating with gusto. Adrien frowned as he looked on the counter.

“Hey, Plagg?” The kwami slowly looked up from his breakfast. “Do you know where that letter I was reading went?”

“Somewhere it belonged, I’m sure,” Plagg replied irritatedly. Adrien was about to speak again, so Plagg interrupted him. “So, date night, right? That’ll be something to look forward to.”

Just as expected, a dopey grin crossed Adrien’s face. Plagg could play the boy like a lute. “Yeah, it’ll be great to go out again. We don’t get to go on dates as much as I’d like.”

“That’s ‘cuz you’d want to go on dates every night,” Plagg pointed out.

“True,” Adrien conceded. “But I don’t hear you complaining.” He rested his head on his hands, almost flush with the table, putting him at eye height to Plagg. “Maybe because you have a love bug too that you get to cuddle with, hm?”

Plagg made a gagging sound. “Sugar cube and I don’t cuddle. We are ancient beings from the dawn of time.”

“Really? Curled up into each other like that, you could’ve fooled me. And what, exactly, is it that kwamis call it?”

“...Shut up.”

“And you have pet names for each other! Just like me and Mari. Sounds a lot like you two are dating, you know.”

Plagg slowly turned to Adrien and narrowed his eyes. “Shut. Up.”

“Aw, I’m sorry Plagg. Truce?” Adrien scritched between his ears in just the right way.

Unable to fight his instincts, Plagg purred in spite of himself. Refusing to continue the conversation, he doubled down on eating his cheese. Adrien chuckled and returned to his breakfast.

Despite his denials, Plagg was looking forward to the date night, but for more than just seeing his Tikki. Plagg snuck glances at his charge, but Adrien seemed to be back to his usual peppy self again. He breathed a sigh of relief. Another crisis averted, barely.

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

With how much she’d been pushing herself, it was bound to happen eventually. Late night studying. Early morning classes. Every hour crammed full of work. Between the darkness of the theater, the calm and pleasant movie, and the comfortable shoulder of her boyfriend, Marinette was destined to fail. None of that made it any less mortifying.

Marinette was gently shaken awake by Adrien as the credits rolled. It took a moment for his face to come into focus, but when it did the amusement was plain.

“Rough night, huh?”

She snorted. “More like rough semester.” She wrapped herself around his arm as they walked out, leaning on him as her eyelids grew heavy. Despite her best attempts, she yawned.

She felt him kiss the crown of her head. “My poor, sleepy bug. How about we bail on the restaurant part of our date and just head over to my place?”

Even in her exhausted state she managed a grin. “Why Adrien, you tom cat. And without even buying me dinner first.”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “You’ll get your food. I just don’t want you face planting in your plate in public.”

“Oh, so it’s alright when I dive face first into my food, just so long as it's at your apartment?”

“Yes,” he said with a stoic expression. “Then when you drown in soup I will be slightly less embarrassed.”

“Oh, I see,” she deadpanned. “Well, as long as my impending doom isn’t an inconvenience to you.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Their eyes met briefly, but that was enough to break their charade. Both of them broke out into giggles and the conversation passed into a comfortable silence as they made their way to Adrien’s apartment. At which point, she let out another big yawn.

He looked at her with a frown. “You going to make it, lovebug?”

“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’. “You’re going to have to carry me.” She stuck out her tongue at him and took a step towards the elevator.

Naturally, she didn’t make it much further than the one step since Adrien swept her up into his arms.

She laughed. “I was joking you ridiculous man.”

“Princesses get carried to their towers,” he replied loftily. “I don’t make the rules.”

The strong, independent woman in her wanted to struggle and get down, but the very tired design student who was presently in control simply cuddled closer as she laid her head on his chest. She felt warm and secure and relaxed for the first time in days. She closed her eyes to listen to his heartbeat more clearly.

She must have drifted off since when she opened her eyes, she was laying on his couch. There was a delicious smell in the air that was enough to make her stand up, clutching the blanket Adrien must have draped over her.

He smiled as she approached his kitchen. “Hey bed bug. Done with your cat nap?”

“For now, at least.” She rested her head against his back as he stirred. “What’re you cooking?”

“Potato soup. Straight from your father’s cookbook.”

She hummed happily. “I can’t wait.”

“Take a seat, I’ll pour you a bowl when its done.”

She moved to do so and happened to walk past the garbage can. Her eyes were drawn towards an uncrumpled letter facing up. It wasn’t hard to recognize the writing - years of idolizing the man behind the brand had trained her well. Even if it had been even more years since that particular pedestal had been broken, never to be rebuilt. She cautiously lifted it from the trash and scanned the page. Ladybug levels of singular purpose parted the tired fog of her mind as her anger was stoked.

“Adrien…” Something in her voice caused him to turn around with a frown. When he saw what she was holding, his eyes widened. “...Have you read this?”

“S-some of them.” There was a tenseness to his shoulders that hadn’t been there a moment before. A stiffness to the way he held himself. “Only skimmed that one before… before I lost it.”

Lost it? Sounds like Plagg’s doing. Marinette made a mental note to sneak the little guy even more treats. Then her eyes widened in realization as his words caught up to her brain.

“Wait. ‘Some’ of them? There are others?”

Adrien swallowed and visibly paled.

In a heartbeat, Marinette was beside him, the blanket forgotten as it pooled on the floor behind her. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek and he leaned into her touch gratefully. With her other hand, she grabbed his forearm and squeezed.

“Oh, kitty…”

After a few more deep breaths, he got himself under control. He took the letter and folded it up neatly before stashing it high on his refrigerator.

“So, uh…” He said in a voice that only barely warbled. “Soups ready.”

She knew him well enough to let it lie… for now. Adrien didn’t like being pressed or forced to talk about things, but she trusted him enough to talk in his own time. For now, all she could do was take his mind off of it.

And if that meant chatting over a dinner of soup and then cuddling on the couch for a few hours… she wasn’t about to complain.

-----

It was morning when Marinette woke up. Apparently she’d been picked up yet again since now she found herself in Adrien’s bed, with the man himself nuzzled up underneath her chin.

As much as she wanted to sleep in, a glance at the clock proved that wasn’t likely. She groaned and tried to wriggle out of Adrien’s grasp.

“Nooo…” Adrien moaned into her collarbone. “Stay…”

“You know I’ve got classes, sunshine…”

He raised his head and pleaded at her with those big, green eyes. His bottom lip quivered with overplayed sadness. It was almost enough to break her right there, but sheer stubbornness carried her through this time.

“Nice try, and very cute, but it’s still a no.”

He sighed. “It was worth a shot. What if I drive you into class?”

“I…” She glanced at the clock again. “I’d actually appreciate that, thanks.”

“And if I happened to not have anything else to do today and brought you lunch later… I don’t suppose you’d appreciate that too?”

She tried to pout at him for babying her, but the warm smile he was giving her was proving contagious. Instead, she sighed and rolled out of his arms before walking into his shower room.

His laughter could be heard even through the door. “I didn’t hear a ‘no’, princess!”

[areiton]

text me maybe

Summary:

He’s drunk and there’s a really hazy decade in the nineties that Rhodey looks pained when he even thinks about that says doing shit when he’s drunk is a bad idea.

There’s also a new building on MIT campus and a yearly donation that supports that theory.

But MIT and Rhodey are far away and that clunky black flip phone is not, and he snarls as he snatches it up and punches in the message.

It takes almost five minutes because the tech is obsolete and he is drunk but he does and he smiles at it, viciously pleased.

~*~

Chapter 4 of 5. Lots of angst and miscommunication and pining. Enjoy.

Read on AO3

~*~ 

"What the hell, Tony!" Steve shouts, and it settles in, deep, below the seething rage and hurt, and Bucky's face, his closed eyes and bowed head. 

"Leave it," Bucky says, quietly, just enough steel in his voice that Steve goes quiet and there's a very distant part of Tony that wants to learn that trick, wants to shut Steve Rogers up that fucking fast, but it's being shouted down by the part of him that is demanding answers. 

"How long," he says, his breath ragged and he hates how raw his voice sounds the way it makes Rhodey shift next to him, anxious and protective. "How long were you lying to me?" 

Bucky flinches, and shakes his head, eyes pleading when they flick up to Tony for the barest heartbeat. 

"How long?" 

"It was always me," he says. "From that first text. He lost it--the phone, it got misplaced and I found it and--"

"And you thought you'd lie to me?" Tony spits. "Take my trust when you've taken so much else from me? Jesus, Barnes, do you want my fucking heart on a platter?" 

Bucky flinches and his eyes are big and pleading and hurt--

 I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. 

 He shakes his head and falls back a step. Is reminded, suddenly, of the audience they have--Steve in Sam's arms both of them confused, Natasha and her resigned sympathy, Rhodey's trembling fury, and he shakes himself. Shakes off the emotions clogging in his throat. "Medical is waiting," he says, sharply, and Rhodey steps forward, takes over. 

He can feel Barnes watching him, until he steps off the landing pad and into the private quiet of his elevator. 

 ~*~ 

 Bucky wants to follow him. 

He wants to chase Tony and explain, pour out the apology he had spent the entire last mission perfecting. 

Colonel James Rhodes is between him and the door, and even without his suit, the look in that man's eyes stops Bucky before he takes the first step. 

"Did you do it on purpose? Make him trust you so you could get back home? Because he was already killin' himself trying to fix the Accords and get your asses pardoned, this--" he gestures, "wasn't necessary." 

"It wasn't like that," Bucky says, softly and Rhodes scoffs, his expression something between disbelief and disgust. 

"You're welcome in the Tower--Tony made that decision. But you stay out of his lab, you stay the hell away from him--you see him coming, you walk away. If and when he wants to talk--he'll come to you." 

Bucky blinks at him. Behind them, he can hear the medical staff taking Steve from Sam, and he can feel the warmth of Tasha at his side, and he wants to argue--but he doesn't. He nods. 

Rhodes steps into his space, a head shorter, fifty pounds lighter, and bristling with fury that makes unease creep along Bucky's spine. "If you do anything else to hurt him, Barnes--I swear to god, I'll kill you." 

He doesn't wait for an answer that isn't coming--just turns and stalks after his best friend. 

Bucky slumps a little and Tasha hooks an arm through his. "That went even worse than I anticipated." 

 ~*~ 

 He hides in his lab for three days before Rhodey and Peter override protocols and drag him to his bed. "They're not allowed up here, Mr. Stark," Peter promises in that endearingly earnest way of his. "You can sleep and no one will bother you." 

Rhodey shoos Pete out before he leaves, and he pauses, watching Tony for a long contemplative moment. "Did you ever think--" 

He makes a quiet, hurt sound, and Rhodey sighs. Comes back to sit on the bed next to him and Tony curls into his friend, his brother, head pillowed on his leg, and long familiar fingers combing through his hair. "I could kill him for you, Tones," he offers, lightly and Tony laughs, wet and hysterical and presses the tears neither of them are acknowledging into his leg. 

He thinks about it though--the half-formed question. Did he know? 

Not that it was Barnes--never that. But there were moments. Little slips and earnest apologies--moments he wondered if it wasn't Steve. 

He reads the messages again, and his heart hurts. 

 I wish--

 What

 Wish things were different. wish we weren’t on different sides.

  I know if you were mine, I wouldn’t trust another fella with you.

  I want to keep you all to myself. 

 There is never a point, he realizes, when Bucky said he was Steve. Never a moment when he answered to that name--usually if Tony directly addressed him or called him by nickname, Bucky would stop talking or change the subject. 

But he never said he wasn't Steve, either--and that lie of omission stabs at him every time he takes a breath. 

 ~*~ 

 The Rogues settle in like they'd never left--Steve is released from medical after three days, and a week later, they're still there. 

Bucky knows that Steve and Rhodes are talking, that the Accords are being discussed, and the pardons that Tony had worked out for the team. 

He aches, when he thinks about it, just like he does when he thinks about the fact that they are here--in his home, surrounded by his family, being provided for by his wealth. 

"It was smart," Wanda says, once, when she's realized Tony isn't waiting to swoop in and arrest them, or toss them out. There's something smug in the little witch that makes him itchy and angry, but he chokes that down and stares at her, questioning. "Getting him to trust you. To feel sorry--it was smart. It got us home." 

He stares at her for a long time, and then laughs. 

It's not a pleasant noise. "Tony was trying to get us home before I ever spoke to him. And it was never with this intention. I wanted to fix something I broke. Everyone worried about me and Steve after Sibreria--but no one ever thought to worry about Tony." 

Her eyes are cool and amused, like Bucky doesn't understand what he's saying. Patiently, "He should never have been there. He deserved what happened." 

Bucky opens his mouth--and then stops. 

Because it doesn't matter. Wanda won't ever see Tony as more than the name that killed her parents and destroyed her world. Some people only look at the world through hate filled glasses. 

He shakes his head and stands. "No one deserved that," he says, and leaves her there. 

 ~*~ 

 They've been in the Tower for a month, when he meets Peter. 

It's the middle of the night and he's stirring a pot of hot chocolate when he hears light feet and a familiar sound that jerks his head up--because it's been over a year since Berlin but he doesn't think he'll ever forget the sound that damn kid made when he shot him and Sam with that webbing. 

There's a boy landing lightly on the counter, in Hello Kitty pajama pants and a ratty Ironman t shirt and bare feet. 

He looks soft, sleepy, harmless. 

His eyes though--his eyes are cold and hard and trained on Bucky with a ruthless sort of intensity. He pauses, and pulls the pot from the heat carefully before saying, "You're Peter." 

The boy doesn't answer. He didn't really expect him to. "And Spider-man. Right?" 

He tips a look at the kid, at the tight set of his lips and the straight set of his shoulders and he sighs. Pours two cups of hot chocolate and adds a splash of Bailey's to one. He dumps a handful of marshmallows in both and then scoots them across the counter to Peter. 

That makes the kid pause, makes him stare down at the drinks in baffled surprise. Then his gaze flicks up, to Bucky. "You're the one leaving him food and coffee at night," Peter says. 

Bucky feels heat crawling in his cheeks but he doesn't deny it. Just nods and sips his own chocolate, cooling now. 

Peter stares at him for a moment, and then his shoulders slump and he reaches for the drinks. "Don't hurt him." 

"Do you think I would?" Bucky asks. 

Peter shakes his head. "Not intentionally. If I did, or Rhodey did--you wouldn't be here. None of you would." He starts to turn away, looks back. "But you can. You need to be aware--and be careful." 

He waits for Bucky's slow nod--and then he goes, with a tiny, reluctant smile, and Bucky's breath eases from him. 

It feels like the first breath he's taken in a month. 

 ~*~ 

 Steve is in his workshop. It’s the first time in over a year that the man has been this close, and even knowing that what he’d been building wasn’t even with Steve, there’s something about seeing him here, in his space, that sets Tony off kilter, his hands shaking just a little. He licks his lips and shoves into the big open space, “What can I do for you, Rogers? Is the thread count not to your liking?” 

Rogers doesn’t rise to the bait. He’s staring at Tony, his expression set and cold, and Tony smiles. “So it’s about Barnes.” 

“You punched him.” 

“Mmm, I did. After he lied to me for months. I feel like one probably cancels out the other and look, clean slate.” 

“I thought you’d--” 

“What? Get over it?” Tony asks, and his temper sparks, suddenly, flipping from anxious almost apologetic, to furious in the space of a heartbeat. “The bastard killed my mother.”

“You know it wasn’t him.” 

“His hands. His gun. I tore HYDRA apart with you--but he’s still here and I have to live with that.” 

“Yeah. Which mean you don’t punch him every time you lose your damn temper.” 

Tony blinks at Rogers. Studies him, and sighs. “You don’t even know, do you?” 

“Know what?” Steve demands, belligerent. 

“Go talk to your bestie, Cap. Find out what the hell I’m pissed about from him. You sure as hell won’t believe me.” 

 ~*~ 

 “I miss him,” Tony confesses and Rhodey looks at him. “I miss--I see things, or my phone will go off--and I think it’s him. And it isn’t. It never is. And I miss him.” 

“You’re allowed to miss him.” 

Tony snorts. Shakes his head. “It was all a lie.” 

Rhodey shakes his head. “It wasn’t. Some of it was--but what he said. What he meant to you. That wasn’t.” 

Tony is quiet and Rhodey reaches across the table to squeeze his wrist. “You’re allowed to miss him. And you’re allowed to forgive him--if that’s what you want.” 

“Is it?” Tony asks, his voice very small. 

Rhodey’s smile is sad, “I don’t know, Tony--only you can figure that out.” 

 ~*~ 

 “What’s going on between you and Stark?” Steve asks, and Bucky pauses. Lowers the gun he’s been cleaning and leans back to stare at his best friend. 

The thing about friends like Steve Rogers is--you don’t always like them. They’re family, part of the fabric of who you are, dug so deep you can’t separate them out--but you don’t always like them. 

“Nothin’. Why?” 

“Because the man punched you and can’t give me a good reason for it,” Steve snapped. 

“Told you to leave it alone,” Bucky grumbles, pick up the gun. 

“And not a damn thing else,” Steve fires back. 

“I talked to him,” he says, eyes trained on the gun. “Texted him. He trusted me, and I lied about somethin’.” 

The thing about Steve is--he’s smart. 

“Buck, you didn’t.” 

His shoulders hunch. “I didn’t mean to. I just--I didn’t know how to tell him.” 

Steve groans, scrubs a hand down his face. “You’re an idiot.” 

Bucky grunts. 

He sits down next to Bucky, a heavy hot weight on his right. “You deserved that punch, you know.” 

Bucky grunts. 

“You really care about him, don’t you.” 

Bucky’s fingers, quick and nimble on the gun, fumble, and Steve sighs. “Oh, Buck.” 

 ~*~ 

 He's drunk and there's a really hazy decade in the nineties that Rhodey looks pained when he even thinks about that says doing shit when he's drunk is a bad idea. 

But he’s not so drunk that his fingers are unsteady or slow, as he types. 

 I miss you. And i’m so angry at you I want to hit you.

But I miss you. A lot. 

 ~*~ 

 Deep in the Tower, Bucky’s ancient little phone chimes. And he smiles.

[oohfluffy]

LMN Ch.10 | OSH

Group: EXO

Member: Oh Sehun

Theme: Angst | Fluff | Writer!AU | Neighbor!AU

Word Count: 2,756

✎ Chapter 10: Gifts and A Surprise ✎ 

12:37 pm

As you closed your laptop, you brought the blinds down and went to your closet to change.

You're going to buy the gifts today! Yay.

You just pulled out a light faded jeans, a thick oversized white shirt and a pink jacket with hello kitty on its left upper chest part. You wore your white sneakers and tied your hair into a ponytail. You grabbed your little sling bag where you put your phone and wallet inside, not forgetting your lip balm.

After putting powder on your face evenly, you put on your lip balm and smacked your lips loudly. 

"And I'm done." You mumbled to yourself as you put it back to your sling bag and went to your desk. You pulled the blinds up again before picking up the list you made the other day.

*tok

You were surprised that with that one hit of the stone on your window, you snapped your head towards it.

"Noona! Where are you going?!" You heard him ask as he closed the buttons of his white polo.

He must've just got home.

You opened your window and answered him.

"I'm gonna buy presents for Christmas—"

"Presents?!" He excitedly asked as he quickly combed his hair with his fingers with a grin.

"Yeah." You saw as he stare expectantly at you as if he's waiting for you to invite him. "You... You wanna come—"

"OF COURSE!"

With a sigh, you nodded as you closed your window. You watched as Sehun ran to his door while putting his wallet in his back pocket.

"That will make his butt bigger though." You mumbled to yourself as you walked to your door, a smile playing on your lips.

As you reached the bottom of the stairs, you saw no one. You mother's probably gone to the market again to work while your father's at the hospital as a doctor, of course. Chanhee and Chanyeol have their part-time jobs at this time, so no one will be home. You grabbed the front door key on the little jar on top of the counter before getting out.

"Took you so long to get out, noona!"

You just grinned before locking the door and walking to the gate. Sehun has his long arms crossed as he leans on the gate. He was watching your every move, making you slightly conscious as you opened the gate. He backed away and let you out. You closed the gate, reaching your fingers in the little space of the railing and successfully locked the handle back.

"Your hands got skills, noona." Sehun mumbled as he watched you lock the gate with one hand outside. You chuckled as you turned to him.

"Thanks. Let's go?"

"Yep." He smiled as he hold out his hand to you. You just stared at it and looked back at him with blank eyes.

"You're not actually expecting me to hold your dirty—"

"It's not dirty, noona!"

You raised your eyebrow at him. He sighed before bringing his hand down in defeat.

"Fine." Sehun pouted as you walked ahead of him with a triumphant smile. "You're unfair, noona. I thought you'll take care of me."

"I can do that without holding your hand, Sehun. You're not a little kid who can get lost, right?"

"But—"

"Shush. Let's have a peaceful day without arguing, can we?" You glanced at his face and he was already staring at you. You awkwardly looked away as he grinned, shoving his hands in his front pockets.

"Okay, noona. I'll be a good boy."

You smiled to yourself as you reached the bus stop. You both got in and sat next to each other. You glanced around and saw that there are a lot of students inside. Almost every one of them was looking at you— or just Sehun. Yeah, just him.

He was unconscious about it though.

Or he just ignored their stares.

Maybe he's used to it already?

"What are you thinking about, noona?"

You almost jumped up from your seat when Sehun peered at your face. You backed away from him, hitting your elbow on the window in the process. You groaned in pain as you rubbed it.

"Let me see."

Sehun gently took your right arm and looked at your reddish skin. His eyes looked so soft that you almost forgot that this boy is a playboy and a manwhore. He gently rubbed it for you as if his hand was healing it in some way. His soft black hair was wavy as he mumbled things to himself, leaning closer to your arm as he inspected the little lump forming on your elbow.

Your heart was beating loudly again.

You pulled your arm away from him but his grip was tight, not that tight that'll hurt you. You looked away as you cleared your throat.

"I-I'm fine, Sehun-ah. It's not hurting anymore." You cursed yourself for stuttering in front of this boy. He still looked worried and hesitant to let you go but he still did.

"Really? It's forming a bruise though!" He exclaimed as he pointed at your arm. You saw how the other passengers turned their heads to your direction. You shushed Sehun with a glare.

"Keep quiet!" You whispered at him. Sehun grinned as he held your hand. "What the—"

"Shh, noona. They'll hear us." Sehun whispered as he leaned closer to you. You rolled your eyes, pulling your hand away but his hand was almost covering yours. There are no signs of possible escape routes. You just let him hold your hand with a frown as he smiled to himself.

"Good girl." Sehun mumbled as he saw you slump your shoulders in defeat.

"Shut up, I can hear you." You said as you turned your head to him. He just winked before sticking his tongue out at you like a kid. Without any much thought, you leaned your head to his shoulder and bit him.

"AH—"

You used your hand to cover his mouth and pulled away with a smirk. Sehun gaped at you as you left his abused shoulder. The trace of your teeth is obviously seen on his white polo, thanks to your saliva.

"I win." You snapped at him as you looked away.

Sehun looked at his shoulder for the last time before drifting his eyes towards you. With a soft smile, he leaned his head towards you, just in time that you turned to him, thinking that he'll bite you back.

"Don't—"

Sehun nuzzled his head on your neck and sighed in relief.

"I feel sleepy, noona." He mumbled as he intertwined your hands together. You didn't react immediately since your mind was still processing what happened.

Your cheeks flushed as you thought.

We're just like a couple.

✗ ❥ ✗ ❥ ✗ ❥ ✗ ❥ ✗

"Woah! You made a list?!"

"Yeah, so it will be easy to buy them. It'll be burdensome if I went here without knowing what to buy for them, right?" You nodded proudly at yourself as Sehun read your paper.

"No gift for Sehunnie?" He mumbled as he pouted.

You suddenly turned to him with a grin.

"Stop sulking. You didn't come here just to accompany me, right?" You said as you looked around the street full of stores. "You must have your own list of gifts for your friends or—"

"I don't."

You stopped walking as you heard Sehun's voice. You turned to him, seeing how he looked at the store beside him.

He looks so alone and lonely again.

"We'll find their presents together then." You declared as you reached for his hand, clasping yours around his. Sehun's eyes widened as you smiled up at him. Your eyes were twinkling brightly as you lips curved perfectly into a smile.

Sehun was out of words.

He couldn't believe that he can't speak in front of a girl right now. He is the guy that's supposed to be the known playboy that can converse with every type of girl, may they be younger, on his age, or older.

Sehun just realized....

He's not being that guy when he's with you.

"Let's go, Sehun-ah? It's almost 1:30."

He snapped out of his thoughts as you tugged his hand and dragged him to the first store.

"Wah." You cooed as cute stuffs welcomed you into the store. You walked to the first rows of the adorable mugs and observed each. You're actually having a hard time using one hand—

"Noona, you really like keeping me close, don't you?" Sehun's hot breath tickled your ear as he stood behind you, one hand still wrapped in yours. Your eyes widened in shock as you realized that you're still holding his hand. You quickly broke the contact and went to the next row.

Sehun chuckled as he followed you.

"These fluffy gloves are cute." You mumbled as you pick up a pair of gray winter gloves on the top shelf of the row.

"Whose are that for, noona?"

Sehun peeked at the gloves at your hand with his brows furrowing.

"For Chanhee." You answered as you took the pink ones with a smile. "She'll love these."

Sehun watched as you roamed around the store, picking out gifts for your family and friends. He felt jealous.

He wanted to buy something for someone too.

"Sehun-ah, I'm done with this store. Do you have anything you like here?" You suddenly popped out from the cashier as you walked towards him wit a paper bag.

"No, let's just go to the next store, noona." Sehun shook his head with a smile before opening the door for you. You smiled back as you walked out of the store.

"I only managed to buy the little girls' gifts. Two scarves, winter gloves and hair clips." You licked your upper lip as you looked around the street. "I still have more to go."

"It's the store that Chanyeol often goes to." Sehun suddenly said as he pointed at the upcoming store. It's a hat store.

"Of course." You giggled as you remember Chanyeol's favorite thing in the world. Caps. You ran to the store as Sehun followed you with a grin.

"Ah!" You exclaimed as you saw an adorable pastel blue cap with small wings in the middle. "This is cute!" You picked it up from the shelf and tried it on. It felt comfortable and soft.

"It's too big for you, noona." Sehun laughed as he looked at you from the human-sized mirror in front of you. You scoffed as you put it back on the shelf.

"So?" You huffed as you walked around the store, looking at different kinds of caps, hats and bonnets. Sehun looked around too, trying out different caps.

"May I help you, Miss?"

You gasped as you heard an angelic voice behind you. You turned around and saw a jaw-dropping handsome guy.

"O-Oh, uhm." You stuttered, not knowing what to say. You're too shocked to say anything. His eyes were like cat's as their ends are higher than yours. He's wearing an eyeliner, making his eyes look—argh.

You looked down at his name tag and awkwardly smiled.

"I'm actually looking for the perfect gift for my brother, Xiumin-ssi." You said as you glanced at the shelves again.

"Do you know what's his preference?" Xiumin asked as he led you to the corner of the store where there's a tall shelf of their products.

"Well, he uses different caps every time he gets out but I think he likes the leather type." You answered as you looked at the shelves presented to you.

"Here, the first shelf has all the cotton and acrylic caps." He introduced as he gestured the first shelf at the bottom. "The second has all the wool and denim ones." You nodded as you observed the designs and kinds. "The third has the floral and quilted lining caps." You inwardly groaned as all of the caps looked lovely and you can't pick. "While the last shelf up there has the leather and snake skin. Please take your pick then."

You jutted your lower lip as you thought about what Chanyeol would want here.

He likes wearing caps with words on it.

You were about to point at one on the last shelf when an arm wrapped around your waist, startling you.

"Babe, have you picked something already?"

You turned your head to the speaker and glared at the young boy who just stared at the man beside you.

"Sehun—"

"Chanyeol would like that one with the text 'sex' on it." Sehun unabashedly said as he pointed at the black cap on the corner of the 3rd shelf. "Please get it for her, Xiumin-ssi."

Xiumin blinked at him as he smiled before getting the cap he said. He gave it to you but Sehun snatched it from him before tugging you to the counter. You were still processing what's happening as you got to the counter, that you didn't notice that it was Sehun who paid the cap.

"Noona, let's go?"

You just knew you were dragged away from that store and out in the streets with Sehun grinning beside you as he held your hand.

"What did you just do?" You mumbled as you two sat across from each other. Sehun said he needed a break and dragged you to a café.

"I paid for your gift for Yeol?" Sehun tilted his head as he shook the paper bag in front of you.

"Oh yeah, about that—"

"I won't accept cash, noona." Sehun leaned his chin on his palm as he stare into your eyes. You blinked before putting your wallet down.

"You want by card then?"

"Aish, no!" Sehun laughed as he raised his hand for a waitress to come.

"What then?"

"Let's do this often, noona."

You cocked your head as you got confused.

"Going shopping? I'm not rich, Sehun—"

"Going on dates, noona."

You gapped at him as he innocently smiled at you. A waitress came to his side with a shy smile.

"M-May I take your order?"

You almost choked on your saliva as you heard the waitress' girly voice.

Too girly, yuck.

"May I take you then?"

You scoffed audibly now, making Sehun glance at you with a smirk before going back to the waitress.

"Uhm, I'm not in the menu though." The waitress flirted back as she twirled a strand of her hair with a grin.

"Then get out of my sight. I'll call another one."

Your eyes widened as Sehun looked at the girl with cold eyes, making her gasp in shock before running away.

"What the hell, Sehun?!"

"This is why I've come to hate women. They're too oblivious of men's true colors. When guys flirt with them, they easily do it back until they end up on the same bed, fucking until they get tired. Then they'll cry when guys leave them. Don't you agree with me, noona?" Sehun turned to you as you looked back at him with distaste.

"You hate women but you like fooling around with them? What kind of logic is that?"

"I'm always hoping they'll learn their lesson after everything, noona."

"But still—"

"Shush. Let's not ruin this afternoon, okay? I thought you wanted to have a peaceful day with me?" Sehun smiled at you, contrasting the cold eyes he used earlier. He looks really happy.

"O-Okay then."

After you've eaten your snacks, you walked around with Sehun as you completed your list. You walked past the noisy street and looked up at the sky.

"Shit, it's getting late." You mumbled as you looked at Sehun. His eyes were wrinkling into crescents as he looked back at you. He really smiled a lot when he's with you. Or is he normally like this with everyone?

"Let's go home, noona."

You felt his hand enclosed on yours again as he led you to the next street.

You were smiling at yourself as you've felt free this day. No stress, no scolding (maybe later at home), no one but you and Sehun only. You feel happy.

I'll remember this day.

"Noona, isn't that Chanyeol?"

There he was.

Your younger brother leading a woman inside the luxurious hotel, smiling as he guided her inside. His arms securely wrapped on the woman's waist as hers grabbed his butt, making him flinch but he covered it with a smile.

Your smile instantly dropped as they got in the hotel.

"Chanyeol?"

—

❥ Ch.11

[varanest]

it seems it’s written, but we can’t read between the lines (james rodríguez)

a/n: so, i don’t know what this is? but please let me know what you think, and if any of you is interested in a smutty sequel or something. the title’s taken from placebo - soulmates never die.

they’re not together anymore, but the twins’ birthday is coming up.

From the very first moment Emma lays her on eyes on James, she’s in love.

She’s in love with everything from his looks to his view on life, his talent, his dancing skills, his passion, and the way he stutters when he’s nervous.

And they fit, they fit so well – they fall together with such easy that it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s uncomplicated in the best kind of way, no misunderstandings or mixed signals.

It’s simply clear what they both want from the start.

They date for a couple months before moving in together, and James keeps proving to be so wonderful and so supportive of her, her career, her dreams, everything that she’s involved with.

At twenty-two, James starts sneaking the word babies into conversations more and more often, telling Emma about his teammates’ kids at training, about his cousins’ kids calling him tio, and it doesn’t take much to get Emma on-board with the idea of having a family.

A year later, they welcome the baby twins.

They’re a happy family and it’s easy, until it’s not.

James starts struggling with his position in the team, being benched week after week, the frustration building up until he isn’t able to sleep, and suddenly he spends most of his time training – I need to improve, Emma. There’s something I must be doing wrong – and Emma understands, or tries to, anyway.

She lets it slip until she doesn’t, and she waits for James to come home that night after tucking the twins to bed.

He has bags under his eyes, he’s lost weight and he looks tired and dejected but Emma doesn’t care, she needs to fix this now – this isn’t working anymore, James.

It comes out wrong, and James simply nods like he agrees. He mutters an apology and leaves her alone in the living room, and there’s something in Emma’s chest that she’s not able to describe, but she’s pretty sure her heart just got broken for the first time, ever.

The very next day, James moves out.

They work out an agreement with their solicitors, the boys would stay living with her and James could have them whenever he had time off.

They don’t even talk anymore, not if it isn’t Daniel or David related, anyway.

                                                     ₪₪₪

She doesn’t see James much anymore.

She’ll never admit that she expects to see him every time her doorbell rings, but his mom or sister always pick up the twins whenever it’s his time to have them, and Emma likes to think it’s because he’s too busy to do it himself – it’s a lot easy than thinking he’s avoiding her, anyway.

She wonders when exactly they had stopped working together.

                                                      ₪₪₪

She’s half sleep when her phone vibrates next to her, James’ name popping up in the screen.

the boys birthday is coming up

She frowns, because of course she knows that already, she’s even started planning the football related party and everything. She starts to type, but her phone dings again.

they want to go to Colombia with me

It wouldn’t be the first time they do; it is, however, the first time they’d go without her.

She doesn’t have the time to sulk, because just a few seconds after, her screen lights up again.

they want you to come too

                                                      ₪₪₪

It’s the best birthday the boys have had yet, there’s just something about Latino parties that makes everything much more exciting. There’s loud music, balloons everywhere and the squeaks of children running around excitedly, colorful hats, kitty cats and spiderman painted cheeks.

James’ entire family is there and Emma loves how comfortable the twins are with them, even David – who’s the shy one – is dancing around, agreeing to take pictures with whoever comes up to him.

Seeing the twins happy and enjoying themselves is the peak of happiness for Emma, and seeing James happy, genuine smile in his lips and relaxed is just a bonus.

The party lasts a lot longer than expected, and by the end of the night the twins are tired and sleepy and Emma tucks them to bed dropping a kiss in their foreheads before James comes up to them to do the same.

Emma feels the tiredness creeping in; hosting a birthday party is hard, especially when your kids are picky about everything.

She goes to the kitchen, craving tea, with James following her wordlessly.

There’s a whole cabinet filled with boxes of tea bags from the last time they were there, she had caught a stomach bug and naturally James had gone overboard buying every kind of tea out to make her feel better – I couldn’t remember the one you asked for, so I brought them all.

Sometimes Emma longs for those simpler times.

She sets up the kettle, and she feels James staring intently at her.

She slowly turns around to find James leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms are crossed, a fond smile in his lips.

The fond smile he used to give her before saying i love you.

“Err, you want some?” she offers lamely.

James just shakes his head, the same smile still on his lips.

“You still wear it,” he says softly.

Emma frowns, because she has no idea what he’s talking about but then it downs on her: the ring.

It’s a promise ring James had given her soon after they’d moved in together, it’s a simple silver thin band with a J engraved in the inside of it, it even feels tighter now but still, she never takes it off; it’s almost like a part of her.

“I’m used to it,” she replies almost defensively.

James continues to stare at her, and she starts to feel self-conscious.

“I can take it off if you want.”

“No! I mean, I thought you’d take it off…” he trails off, and Emma knows he wants to say something else.

“Why?” she inquires.

“I don’t know, like, if somebody came up to you and, you know,” he scratches the back of his head, and there’s a faint blush in his cheeks.

Emma just stares at him.

“People would think you’re married, or something,” he rushes.

“People as in men?” she asks, biting the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing.

“Whatever,” he rolls his eyes.

“It’s not like men come up to me all the time, you know?” she reassures.

James huffs.

She turns around when the kettle starts whistling, she starts to pour the hot water into a white mejor mamá del mundo mug Daniel had made for her.

“I’m sorry.”

Emma freezes.

“I didn’t want to leave, Emma, but I knew I was being a burden. I felt like I was making you feel neglected, and there’s not a day that I don’t hate myself for not trying harder, but somehow I thought you’d be better off without me,” he takes a shaky breath.

It makes Emma angry.

“Does it look like I’m better?” she asks sarcastically, trying really hard not to let her emotions take over her.

“I didn’t want to hurt you anymore,” he whispers.

She laughs humorlessly.

“So you leaving me wasn’t hurtful at all? You didn’t even talk to me, James! There was a time when we talked about everything, any remote thing that was bothering you, you’d tell me. What changed?” she challenges.

James doesn’t answer.

“Did you think it was logical to leave as soon as things weren’t going the way you wanted? Not caring how Daniel and David would take it, not caring how I would take it?” she’s walking up to him with every word she says, until she’s face to face with him.

“You were a coward,” she bites.

James stares at her, eyes glassy and lips trembling.

“I know, I know and I’m sorry! I miss you, Em, I miss you so much and I know I was being a coward but there’s nothing that I want more than to have you by my side again,” he reaches to touch her cheek, and Emma closes her eyes because it’s been too long.

“I know there are a lot of things I need to work on, but I don’t care as long as I have you. Mi amor es para siempre, remember?” James eyes’ are lined with tears, and Emma smiles despite herself because that’s what he had said when he put the ring on her.

James pulls her by her hand, putting his arms around her waist and dropping kisses in her shoulder, her neck, going up and up until he’s kissing the corner of her mouth, making Emma close her eyes.

“Can I?” He whispers against her lips, and Emma kisses him hard, kisses him like she wants to say everything in it, kisses him like saying don’t ever leave me again.

It’s not fireworks going off or champagne popping, it’s just quiet and soft, and so, so right. It’s home, it’s belonging, and it’s possibly the very best thing Emma’s ever felt.

Just when Emma pulls back to breathe, Daniel and David are entering the kitchen, excited little smiles on their faces.

David runs up until he’s standing between them, raising his arms for James to carry him.

“See, papi! I told you mami loves you!”

[winnixsspeirton]

Single Dads Au

Pairing: Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters. Ronald Speirs/Carwood Lipton. Harry Welsh/Kitty Grogan.

Speirs Household

Ronald Speirs was cooking breakfast for him and his two sons five year old Eugene and six year old Merriel or Snafu as he demands to be called. It was the first time Ron would actually be taking them to school instead of having his neighbor Mr. Taylor take them. It was nearing 8 a.m. when Snafu bounded down with his backpack and lunch bag. Snafu sat in his chair and stared at his father with sleepy eyes. Ron set down Snafu's plate of food and served him a cup of orange juice. The 6-year old began eating and Ron headed upstairs to get Eugene who was still in his room.

Upstairs Eugene was gathering his homework and looking for his right shoe at the same time. He didn't hear the door to his room opening, allowing his father to enter the messy yet organized room. Eugene huffed and sat up on his knees as his father approached and picked him up. "Now Eugene what happened? Did you lose something?" The blue eyed boy nodded and allowed his dad to set him on his bed and look under the bed. Successfully finding his son's right shoe Ron got up and gave him it. As Eugene gathered his things he rushed past his dad and down the stairs. Ron rolled his eyes and carefully shut his youngest son's door before heading down the steps.

In the kitchen both Eugene and Merriel sat eyeing the stack of pancakes sitting on the counter. Ron entered the kitchen and maneuvered around the table and grabbed the plate and put it on the table. Serving them both two pancakes Ron served himself a plate of bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, and pancakes and a glass of orange juice. The three of them ate in relative silence. When the clocked showed it was almost 8:40 a.m. Ron gathered his things and ushered his sons out and towards the car. With the boys safely buckled up in the back Ron drove to Toccoa Elementary.

Nixon Household

Lewis Nixon groaned as his 5 year old son pushed at him. He turned and glared at the little boy who was annoyed. "Dad! Get up! I need to eat before you take me to school" Lewis mumbled and reluctantly got out of his bed. His son looked at him and seemed satisfied and left his dad's room. Lewis got dressed and headed downstairs joining his son in the kitchen. Joseph stared at his dad who stared right back, the two sat there for several minutes till Lewis's phone rang.

Picking up his phone and heading towards the fridge he answered the call. On the other end was his secretary, Lewis listened as he made some toast and poured him and his kid cereal and cut a piece of cheesecake for both of them. Finally he cut his secretary off by saying "Blair. I will pay you one thousand more than I do now if you clear my schedule and take a vacation for the love of god." The woman on the other line huffed but agreed and ended the phone call.

Making his way back to the table he set the plate of toast down and gathered the bowls of cereal and slices of cheesecake onto the table. Joseph looked at him then the empty glass in front of him. Lewis rolled his eyes and snatched up the cup and headed back to the fridge to fill it up with milk. Once he came back Joseph was eating his cereal and eyeing his slice of cheesecake with immense interest. Lewis smirked and ate his toast and drank his glass of orange juice. The two ate in silence and once finished they gathered Joseph's things then got into the car and headed towards Toccoa Elementary.

Toccoa Elementary K-1 Classroom

Carwood Lipton watched as most parents came and dropped off their children. He turned away from the doorway and watched as Joseph Toye sat playing with an array of blocks and Johnny Martin sat a few feet away coloring at a table. The two had been dropped off together by their older siblings. It was 8:48 a.m. and most of his class was missing. Warily eyeing the two already in his room Carwood set out to ensure the activities he had set up were in their best condition. As he cleaned up the painting area he heard David Kenyon Webster sniffling and stood to greet the butler who always dropped off David. The butler ensured Carwood that David was fine he just had a runny nose. Taking David's hand Carwood led him to the small library in a corner and said "Here. Just sit here till you're ready to join us." David nodded and picked up a book.

Carwood checked on the other two and watched them till Mrs. Guarnere holding onto her son's hand and Ralph Spina's hand entered and waved. Carwood waved back and greeted Ralph who once Mrs. Guarnere let go of his hand took off towards Joseph Toye's spot and started to build something. Mrs. Guarnere rolled her eyes and said goodbye and went to drop off her own son.

It was already 9:15 a.m. and classes had already started and one Eugene Roe was terribly late. Carwood attempted not to worry and guided his class through sing along. Just as the song had ended a knock at the door sounded. Carwood told the four boys to head towards the painting area and get their aprons on and to wait for more instructions. As he approached the door he could here a muffled conversation going on behind it. Once the door was opened Carwood stared at a man who certainly was not Mr. Taylor who usually dropped off Eugene. The young boy stood by a man who looked similar to him. "Hi Mr. Lipton. I'm sorry I'm late my dad couldn't find our room." The man turned to look at his son but he was no longer there instead he was chattering with David who was happily chattering back.

Carwood watched as the man awkwardly nodded and turned back towards the gate leading away from the other kindergarten classes. Mr. Winters was speaking to a man who looked about three seconds away from jumping into incoming traffic. Eugene's father bumped into them and quickly disappeared beyond the gate towards the office. Carwood shrugged and shut his door turning back to his classroom and giving them the instructions for the lesson.

Toccoa Elementary K-2 Classroom

Richard Winters gently scolded Floyd Talbert and Donald Malarkey after the two almost knocked down the library area while playing around. Buck Compton and Frank Perconte both sat a little ways away eating breakfast and chattering about a new movie. Richard sent the two boys towards them and set out to pick up the books that did fall off the shelves. It was 9:10 a.m. and one student of his wasn't here yet and the office hasn't called to inform him of a dentist or doctor's appointment. So Richard just made due with the four kids he had.

After cleaning up the books Richard announced that the kids could have free play till it was time for a morning snack. All four boys immediately scattered to find things to do till snack time. Richard on the other hand began to plan for the after snack time. He decided that they could do an obstacle course race. The knocking at his classroom door interrupted his planning and Richard stood from his desk. Upon opening the door Richard was greeted with one Joseph Liebgott and a older man who clearly wasn't fully awake. Greeting Joseph he told him to head inside and find an activity to do before snack time. The boy scattered and Richard turned his attention to the man who looked ready to leave at once.

"And who are you? Do you not know that Joseph was supposed to be here earlier? Next time you should call ahead to say you'll be running late or else the office while call me to just mark him absent." The man stepped back and was almost taken down by another man quickly leaving from Mr. Lipton's room. Richard briefly heard a apology as the man disappeared beyond the gate. The man Richard was talking to cleared his throat and said "Look I'm sorry alright? We got stuck in traffic on the way and trust me I know my kid woke me up this morning basically screaming about how he might be late." Richard frowned but nodded and turned away to see Floyd try and knock over Joseph's block castle. Quickly turning back he saw the man was gone nothing but an empty doorway left. Rolling his eyes Richard got back to his students who all chattered about something they found interesting.

Toccoa Elementary K-3 Classroom

Harry Welsh snickered as he watched his friend Lewis Nixon get chewed out by Richard Winters. Most of his students were chatting at the snack table about things they did last night or things their gonna do tonight. Heading towards the arts & crafts area Harry picked up the supplies Warren Muck or Skip, as he preferred to be called had used but seemingly forgot to put back. Heading towards the aquatic area Harry cleaned up the water that Charles or as he preferred Chuck Grant had splashed onto the countertops.

Carefully cleaning it up and ensuring that the water wasn't about to spill again Harry left. Next was the painting area which thanks to one George Luz was smeared with streaks of green and pink and a array of various other colors. Grabbing the sanitation wipes off the high shelf Harry cleaned up the area to his best ability but there was still a faint streak of color on the table. Rolling his eyes Harry threw away the cleaning wipes and eyed his classroom. So far so good it was clean and in relatively good shape.

A loud crash brought his attention towards the reading corner. In the middle of the mess of books and shelves were Bull Randleman and Renee LaMaire. Both kids looked guilty and attempted to fix the display. Harry sighed heavily and ushered them away quickly. He picked up the books and stacked them up and set the shelves right. Bull was leaning closely but not close enough to disturb Harry. The crashed display was clearly an accident so Harry clapped his hands and announced that they would be playing outside till lunch time. That perked up Bull immensely and he was the first out the door followed closely by George Luz who looked ready to terrorize Miss. Grogan's students. Harry made sure all his students were out before shutting his door and joining Kitty Grogan out on the playground to watch the students.

Toccoa Elementary K-4 Classroom

Kitty Grogan watched in amusement as Wayne Sisk or Skinny as his friends had nicknamed him painted a bright green portrait of another student. Skinny was so lost in painting Edward Heffron affectionately nicknamed Babe that he didn't notice most of the others had gathered for snack time. Kitty gave a light laugh and carefully cleared her throat. Skinny peered up and noticed the others he lit up and quickly put down his paint brush and went to wash his hands. Babe was chattering with Bill Guarnere about somethings and immediately yanked Skinny down into the seat next to him.

Kitty laughed and set out the plates of brownies & milk. The boys all reached over and snatched up a few brownies. Skinny had two pieces while Babe had successfully taken four and Bill grabbed six of them. Luckily Kitty had made three trays of brownies. John Julian had grabbed eight and Darrell or Shifty as Skinny had nicknamed him hesitantly got ten and put them with John's on a tray. The five boys talked about things and told each other stories. While they did that Kitty checked her schedule to see if they needed anything before heading out to the playground.

She stepped out for a bit to water the garden but kept her door open. She eyed Ron who was thumping his head on the wall. "Y'know if I didn't know you any better I would have already called the cops." He lifted his head up enough to glare at her then resumed his previous activity. She rolled her eyes and finished watering her garden and then threatened to throw the remaining water on Ron if he didn't get his ass to work. He huffed but left to his car. Kitty rolled her eyes and put her watering can away and clapped her hands and stated that they would be heading outside. All five boys scattered and rushed outside. A few minutes later Mr. Welsh's class ran out and George Luz ran right at Bill Guarnere who shrieked and ducked away. Harry turned towards her and stated "He'll be fine". Kitty laughed and sighed as John and Renee played on the swings taking turns pushing each other. "At least they don't stick to their own classes and play with other students." Harry nodded in agreement as they stood near each other and almost held hands.

[over-the-pink-moon]

how to deal with kitties and its owners

remember lyra is owned by one and only @matteobalsaon and a bit @sunflowervalente (and they are my friends, they let me) also apparently todays is International cat day so happy birthsday lyraaa

///

There she was again.

Should this view surprise her even? Probably not. It’s the third time this week, she enters her dorm room to find out little somebody was making quiet a use out of her room during her absence. She lets her heavy bag slip off her shoulder. It makes a loud thump, when it hits the floor and the noise attracts little intruiser’s attention for a few seconds. Kitty lifts her head half opening sleepy eyes displeased by rumour, but as soon she spots Luna comes back to shamelessly napping on the pile of clothes thrown next to the sofa. Yes, it might be about third time this week though eleven or fifteen all together, when she catches some gray (really fancy looking, probably purebred one, but she is a loser when it comes to breeds and distinguishing them) kitty coming to her room, probably through a usually opened window.

The first time it happened she was properly shocked. She can recall, how she just wanted to quickly come round, left few books from some previous class, catch some highly sugar containing snack and run back to spend next hours during some killer draining lecture that she loathed deeply. In a hurry she unlocked the door and was clumsily unpacking her books at the same time rummaging through shelf, when these weird noise like someone was trying to tear her sofa caught her attention and made her froze in the middle. She took out one of her headphones to assure it wasn’t some weird drop coming from the song, she was listening to. The noise nonetheless repeated. Slowly she came closer to half laid out sofa/bed. Maybe lack of sleep was messing with her mind or she actually might still be during this nap she made during Statistics class (her friend Jimena told her once that she dreamt about being in some kids tv show and how she was made to make out with a boy with the ugliest hair possible; she claimed that felt beyond real. As a side note she cherished her friends imagination and weird dreams cause they made boring classes at least a bit entertaining. One time to that extent she spat out water at super smart blonde girl sitting in front of her; that can help assess how hilarious some her redhead friend dreams were). However, there it was as real as it can only be grey kitten was just carefully laying out his front paws at the back rest of her sofa. Its gaze landed on her and she felt sort of judged like she was disrupting some serious ritual and was the one to break in her apartment. Still looking dead in her eyes kitty pull out its claws and Luna could only watch in horror, how this tiny burglar moved his claws along the side of her brand new sofa pulling out some threads and leaving tiny holes. For a few seconds it somehow admired his piece of art, then gracefully jumped on the sofa, from which it quickly hopped on window sill and rushed through window she cracked earlier.

Luna blinked a few more times still having hard time believing, what just happened, however her teared sofa provided real evidence of this occurrence.

The sound of whatsapp notification pulled her back to the reality. She grabbed her phone from back pocket and having noticed worried messages, why she still wasn’t on her lecture and warning her that professor is going to check time sheet in a few. That was enough to force her to push this extraordinary incident out of her head for a bit and concentrate on calculating how high her chances were to run through the whole campus and then climb at 4th floor and not miss her name being called out. 4 minutes, answer for me she typed.

///

Next time, cat appeared as a chilling ball of fur on the centre of her sofa. Another time she caught it wandering around her kitchen counter sniffing toast bread she left. Then it was her bathroom, she almost shrieked when cat hissed at her, jwhen she attempted to turn on tap cause apparently her sink its a quiet a bed of itself too. During constant appearances of this furry guest she managed to gather: its in fact she and she comes through an open window from some flats on left from her. Obviously, her friends tried to convince her to finally pay a visit and check whom this cat belongs to, however, it became sort of a nice habit: coming to her dorm room after exhausting day at uni and searching where this time her little friend decided to nap or which furniture to devastate. Usually she quickly stripped off and got into some comfy sweats and would join her to rest before heating herself a dinner, rambling and complaining about her day. After few of their encounters princessa (yes, she had no idea, what her real name was, and that wasn’t the most sophisticated man can come up with, but kitty liked it; she hoped at least) let her scratch under chin and head, then her sides. In the end just spotting luna made her toss aside around her bed excited for cuddles.

///

Luna was laying on her sofa, it was quite decent Thursday afternoon. She was already after all her classes. In addition she did pretty good on Sustainable Development and finally felt that she made a good decision choosing studying this field; definitely it was time to pamper yourself. She took out some chocolates her mom send her, that she managed to keep for special a occasion. With box of sweets in one hand and fuzzy blanket that was laying in the mess she headed on her sofa. Kitty purred slightly seeing she finally is going to get some company. Last thing was playing on her tablet Friends- one of her guilty pleasures and settling as comfy as possible, though some little pieces she felt still sting her back. The leftovers of her previous days creative session, where scattered all over it. Even though she was sure music carrier was not her path, writing songs just for her enjoyment was her favourite pastime. However inspiration came at really unpredictable times, that’s why yesterday she ended up at some late 2 a.m with whole pile of paper and pencils trying to express something that was tingling in the tips of her fingers, toes and tickled her soul. Everything that came out that tonight, however, was still pretty shitty she stated taking a look of some papers. One of it ended up trashed into a paper ball and she threw it dramatically in front of her. With the corner of her eyes Luna noticed, how princess’s ears perked up and she lifted her head. Girl giggled seeing, how her hunting mood went off. Having crushed next piece of paper she tossed it in the air. In no time kitty landed next to it funnily pushing ball with her paws from side to side. Luna giggled quietly and took her raspberry flavored tear from coffee table and her attention came back to the tv that was screening some old episode of Friends. A soft thump distracted her and she spotted with a corner of eye that cat was sitting on window still. Still with a ball of paper in her mouth. Oh no. In matter of seconds her mind went all alert, however, not early enough cause kitten already slipped out through a window. Her cringy song of course was signed up countless times times with her full name, cause what else you do when no right words come to your mind. That was her typical Valente’s luck in whole glory.

Luna threw the blanket away putting carelessly aside her cup and rushed to the window.

Kitty was already on the balcony next to her.

„Kitty, please no no” Begging and desperation in her voice didn’t impress cat at all and she could only watch, how she entered the flat through half opened balcon door. „Princesa, please please come back.”

There was no time to analyse the situation properly, so Luna decided to went with first plan that came to her mind. She already could imagine, how her friends will laugh of her. Her plan involved jumping through dividing balconies barrier, breaking into some stranger’s flat and leaving as soon as she had this damn piece of paper in her hand again. First part of plan went quite smoothly. Or even too smooth. Still her heart was beating so fast, as it tried to tell her though the morse code to abort the mission. Luna peeked through a window. Of course. Of course it would have to be one of the super fancy flats that belong to smartass and asshole rich people.

Fair walls, velvet navy sofa and kitty on the centre of the carpet. Luna slipped through a door as quietly as possible and tiptoed to the cat. Kitty blinked at her letting her come closer, she could almost reach her with tips of her fingers when in the last moment she decided to grab ball and take it to another room. Fuck muttered Luna under breath.

Then she heard sound of closing doors and soft steps. She froze. Just froze in place, her limbs suddenly got unbearably heavy and the one thing she was able to do was slowly move her gaze up to person standing in front of her.

„Excuse me?” Slight stutter in his voice betrayed, how perplexed he was. „Your name is Luna, right?” He cleared his voice trying to get a hold of this situation. The most awkward smile appeared on girl’s face. She straightened her back turning to the oh god of course it have to be some really hot good looking boy. If there was some holy power it was probably now laughing its ass of this joke, cause it surely know she couldn’t deal with opposite sex not to even mention with extra hot representant of it.

„I really appreciate your unexpected visit and it’s quite flattering to meet you already halfway to my bedroom in this cute little shorts, but you could let me know a bit earlier.”

„Your cat devastates my flat.” She fired off to stop his smooth talk. Her cheeks were burning, probably the same color as nails that the day before her friend painted for her. She was in her pyjamas (not the cute sassy ones, but more like shorts with bees and sunflowers and pink top with some dumb quote and hearts, really matching duo inspired by no laundry time like 3rd week in a row) and this boy instead of properly freak out and kick her out maybe throw some insults, he stood in front of her all casually. His shirt was half unbuttoned, probably she caught him midst changing; at least his jeans were fully on, though god she wasn’t sure, if how good he looked in this perfectly tight fitted dark jeans was a blessing or curse.

„If you are done with checking me out,” He grinned at her running fingers through his hair. She eagerly shook her head in response making her hair fall messily in her face. Yeah, probably she was appearing not only as a creep, but also an underaged one. „I am sorry for your apartment? But I can’t connect, how it is linked to you my favourite sociology classmate appearing in my living room?”

His eyes were glued to her face watching cautiously, how blush appeared on both of her cheeks. She broke eye contact as soon as she finally put his face to a person. Oh, so he is the owner of gorgeous brown curls, who used to take a sit in front of her and Jim. Now she has to keep her mouth shut to not blurt out by accident, how many times they both made bets, who will dare to try out how soft his hair actually are. Oh that would be awkward. Almost as awkward as standing in his living room like this.

„I knew you looked somehow familiar. You are the one from the front, who can’t stop chuckling on whatever I say.” She muttered only in response keeping the rest to herself.

„Yeah, cause your theories are cute and so far from the reality, that’s a good choice you aren’t studying it as your mayor. And also you spat once water on Ambar. People, who make funny things to Ambar not to mention her gorgeous hair are my faves.” He ended his talk with a wink. Luna always thought these sassy winks were so overrated and cheesy. Why he made them feel so hot? Boy smoothed out sleeves of his shirt not taking slightest care to finally bottom the rest.

„You’re not nice.” Luna cleared her voice.

„And you prefer nice boys?”

„Omg, just stop.” She finally exclaimed groaning. Tension in the air began to be too much for her. „I just found myself here, cause your cat stole something from me.” She tried to put it out as clearly as possible to unable him to continue with his innuendos.

Boy raised one eyebrow and leaned to the one side to peek into his bedroom, where earlier entered kitty.

„You mean this piece of trash she is chewing on.” His comment made her lose last bits of chill. Not caring how many more jokes he was going to pull out about her being in his bedroom, she entered faking confidence and leaned upon kitty.

„Sorry princessa.” She muttered more to herself and stuffed piece of paper quickly into pocket of her shorts. Dark eyes followed her move with remorse. Feeling guilty she scratched her behind ear quickly, girl tossed on her back forgiving Luna immediately.

„Seems to quite like you.” His voice marked with a bit of surprise and respect. He was lazily leaning against the doorway.

„Probably, she feels she ows me after all the times I feed her and let her use my sweater as a bed.” Luna just shrugged her shoulders, considering, how she can now get out of this room.

Boy took few lazy steps into her direction and both of them found in the centre of his bedroom, right next to his huge twin bed (he had nice duvet, very nice, looking super luxurious, if she was already so embarrassed maybe she should ask if she could take nap there?)

„I am so sorry, for being the rude.” Oh, Luna knew she wasnt any bit sorry. The smirk hadnt left his face and his eyes hadnt hold any signs of apologies, he was just messing with her farther. „I know I am gone from my apartment a lot and I really appreciate you keep Lyra company.” One of his hands suddenly find its way in her hair and he wrapped a stray of her around his finger. So smooth. „Maybe its the time I would do something for you. Just suggest a thing.” Her chin was hold up a bit and he made their eyes connect. Remains of water from the shower were still dripping of his hair, small drops were making their way through his face, neck, tracing his chest. He bit his lip a bit and squint her eyes looking cautiously at her expression.

„I am the goodest I have ever been.” Luna tried to clear her throat before, but still it sounded weak. „No, thank you-„

„Matteo Balsano.”

„Matteo” And he wasnt named after a big galaxy stone, how lucky he had gotten in life. „I think I left my straithener turned on. I need to go.” Luna fired off.

Matteo just looked at her for few more seconds and chuckle. „Obviously, you left it, cause you look like a type of girl, that straightens her hair every day.” Luna narrowed her eyes, cause that was just becoming rude and mean, he just sighed at her expression. „Open the door for you or you’d rather exit the same way, you had entered?”

„Oh, dont mind me, balcony is fine by me.” She huffed. Luna felt his eyes on the back, when she closed his doors with a little more force, than necessary and still when clumsily climbed over barrier. All she needed now, was some peace, a lot of tea and sweets and maybe on sugar high she could forget about the whole embarassment at least for a few hours.

„Luna Valente, holy shit, have just aliens brought you back, cause I swear a minute ago, you werent there.” Redhead stood in the centre of her living room with her jaw dropped. So before mentioned forgetting Luna probably needed to relive it one more time. Great.

///

Small piece of paper hanged on the door and she could already tell without looking closer, that universe was playing with her again. That’s probably first and last time she came for her sociology class in a time, even a bit earlier (!) and she was sent back to her room, due to some fancy ethic conference happening. It’s not like she was looking forward to this class or was eager to learn. She might thought like once or twice oh i’m gonna meet again this matteo boy in 3 days or is i wonder is he going to mention our cringy encounter around all these people, but for sure it wasn’t occupying her mind. Having deliberated on it she was now able to state she doesn’t care at all about this boy. Funny when girl mentioned it to her favourite redhead, she bursted into laughter spilling coffee on her jeans.

Luna went over her current situation countless times and analyse through every way possible: this matteo boy might have nice legs and pretty hair but apart from that he is an ass, whose presence is highly redundant in her life.

Even though everything was settled clear, somehow she was going over her choice of her skirt a bit longer than usual. To be fair already giving up comfy pants was an abstain from routine, that should be enough to alarm her. A little voice in back of her head try to justify, she just wanted to show this rude boy she doesn’t look like 5 year old most of the time. Having settled on a navy straight one, she noticed she still had a half an hour of spare time and instead of laying on her bed and scrolling through her instagram feed, she picked an eyeshadow palette, that her cousin gave her on her last birthday. Most of the shades were still left untouched, cause film evenings with friends didn’t demand looking good. She put a bit of fair one on her lid and then glitter goldie orange. And now this fancy eyeshadow was smeared all over her face, cause what was the use of them, when she was going to spend the rest of the day binge watching Friends with Jim. She groaned giving up and tried to work on the other eyes with fresh makeup wipe. Loud knock on her door made her sigh in relief praying that redhead knows a bit more about unmakeuping then she did.

„Why this glitter doesn’t come of so smoothly like in all these YouTube videos?”

„I don’t know really, but i promise we will try to help.” Instead of Jim in her doorsteps stood Matteo Balsano- her sassy neighbour with Lyra curled on his shoulder. Luna furrowed her eyebrows and crossed arms on her chest. „Lyra missed your cuddles and lately was too cold to open balcony, so i brought her by myself.”

Luna raised one of her eyebrows squinting eyes. This boy couldn’t be trusted especially when suddenly appearing here all nice with the cat in his hands.

„Damn, Balsano, just tell your stargirl it is you, who needs her cuddles.” Boy, who seemed to be just passing by, patted Matteo on his shoulder, then quickly picked up the pace. Not only has he earned angry glare from Balsano, but also a slap with a hard-cover book on his head from blonde girl walking on his side.

„Don’t fuck his situation even more Ramiro. His kitty pick-up line is already cringy enough.” She didn’t even tried to tone down her voice. Luna wasn’t sure, how Matteo was still standing in front of her instead of rushing behind those two.

„You wanna come in?” Finally stuttered out Luna. Matteo nodded slightly, his body all tensed and she could swear his cheeks got slightly redder.

He put Lyra on the floor, she immediately headed to her bathroom, presumably the sink. At least she knew here, what she wanted.

„I was hoping on meeting your cute shorts.” He seemed to gather himself enough to pull again some stupid jokes against her. „Should I rush from the beginning to the bedroom, as it seems like some sort tradition of you.”

„Ha ha ha” He invited himself, didnt gave her any proper explanations and was playing at her cost. „Please, take better you super funny jokes at your place. I dont think my small room will fit so much of your ego, chico fresa” Muttered out Luna grabbing makeup wipe from the kitchen table, where she left it.

„Chico fresa?” He furrowed his eyes and took a seat on her sofa, feeling already too comfortable. He moved a bit and took out rolled chips bag.

Luna just shrugged her shoulders. „Thats people call such little snobs, who think too highly about themselves.”

„Oh” His voice fulled with seeming understanding. His legs suddenly found their way on her coffee table. „And how you would call then girls, who come without invitation to boys bedrooms?” He tilted his head watching, how she hid her blush with the wipe. „Chica delivery, sounds fine?”

„Get out now”