#sorry to anyone who followed me for human stuff. i’m getting back into my furry shit >:)

[kewpiekills]

character for a comic i’m working on (they’re both the same character because it’s a gender-swap story)

[boldlyvoid]

touch me

spencer reid x reader

Summary: Spencer is incredibly touch-starved and hard on himself since coming home from prison. Luckily, the medical examiner in this small town is really good at reading people, and exactly what he needs.

warnings: mentions of cases, insecurity issues, female reader, smut, blowjobs, riding, praise, emotional hurt/comfort. emotional sex, strangers to lovers, hook-ups,

word count: 5.8k

They had been in New Mexico for almost a week, solving a series of murders that seemed to have no end in sight. There was nothing they could do but go back to their hotels to sleep, hoping there’d be a connection in the morning.

Spencer and JJ were sharing a room as the small town hotel didn’t have accommodations for everyone that was visiting to help with the case. They didn’t mind, it was like a long sleep-over.

They did their own thing, kept their space and Spencer really did enjoy overhearing her on FaceTime with her kids. It was refreshing happiness in the middle of the madness murder sadness and despair they were swallowed by.

When his phone rang at 6 am, just shortly after he returned to his room for a quick rest, he sighed deeply, “Dr. Reid.”

“I’m so sorry to do this to you, but another body dropped and I need you to go to the ME,” Prentiss explained softly down the line. “It’s weirder than the other’s and you’re the only person who would be able to work it out with the examiner.”

“I’m on it,” he replied with a tightlipped smile. He hung up and looked over at JJ, already peacefully asleep on her bed. He closed the door softly on his way out, not wanting to disturb her any further.

At the other end of the hallway, Spencer stood and waited for the elevator. It seemed to be taking forever, everything he was doing lately dragged on and on with no end in sight. He was exhausted, still struggling with his PTSS, just all around not having the best time.

He was in the middle of rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when the elevator opened with an equally tired woman waiting inside. “Hi,” she said before covering her mouth to yawn, “sorry.”

“I get it,” he smiled as he stepped inside. “Lobby?”

“Yes please,” she smiled. “Are you here for the case too?”

“Uh, yes,” he answered softly, “I’m Dr. Spencer Reid, with the FBI.”

“Oh, hi! I’m Dr. Y/N Y/L/N, the medical examiner,” her face lit right up. “Agent Prentiss said you’d be joining me I just didn’t think this quickly.”

She was adorable, bubbly and happy in a way he envied. He missed the feeling of random giddiness, smiling at her as he felt the butterflies swirl in his stomach. “Do you need a ride? I have an SUV from the bureau.”

“Yeah,” her smiled got bigger. “That would be really nice.”

They walked closely together through the lobby and towards the parking structure, he hit the unlock button a few times while trying to figure out which SUV his keys matched to. Finally getting in and watching her climb in the passenger seat.

“Do you know anything yet about the body?” Spencer asked as he turned on the ignition.

“Yeah hold on,” she pulled her iPad out of her bag and started sliding through emails.

“Your tech girl sent me the initial police reports, witness statements and overview,” she began to explain. “Like the others, she’s a 25-year-old female, blond, blue-eyed, athletic.”

“Prentiss said it was a weird one?” Spencer added.

“They think she was embalmed before the unsub staged her,” Y/N added with a tone of disgust on her voice. “Do you have your tech girl’s number?”

“Yeah, hold on,” Spencer dug his phone from his pocket and dialled the number.

“Penelope Garcia, the 8th wonder of the world at your service,” she answered after just one ring. “How are you doing on this fine morning, my fine furry friend?”

“Not so hot,” Spencer replied. “I’m with the ME right now on the way to the body, she has a question for you.”

“Oh hello, ask away.”

Y/N was smiling on the front seat, enjoying the show they put on for her. “Um, hi I was wondering if you could look into anyone in this town buying embalming equipment, or if any has been stolen from the funeral home? This town is so under-resourced already, I don’t know where this guy could get this stuff.”

“Absolutely, I’ll add that to my parameters,” Garcia’s voice was lovely and soft. “I’ll call you back if I find anything!”

“She’s lovely,” Y/N exclaimed as Spencer place his phone back in his pocket.

“Yeah, she is.”

Spencer pulled into the morgue’s parking lot, the lights were all on and the Coroners van was parked by the loading doors. Inside there was just 1 officer, waiting beside a body bag as Spencer and Y/N walked in.

The officer gave them both a quick rundown of the crime scene findings, as well as information about where all the equipment was before leaving them to their work.

“Have you ever examined a body?” Y/N asked Spencer.

He nodded, “I’ve been present during a few, held some organs, but I’ve never done one myself.”

“They’re pretty gnarly,” She scrunched her face and giggled. “Let’s get you all geared up.”

She handed him a hairnet, a white plastic suit, goggles and a mask. “Gloves are on the wall, pick your size.”

He felt like a lunch lady standing beside her, taller than her by almost a foot, dressed in all white with a hairnet. He could tell she was smiling at him under her mask, her eyes gleamed up at him in a way that made his heart melt.

He had to remind himself multiple times that this was nowhere close to the time appropriate to want to flirt with someone. They were about to examine a dead body, and potentially solve a case. There would be time to flirt later.

But he was just so amazed by how she worked, being able to tell everything that was going on by just looking at the body. Making notes on her own and only occasionally explaining things to Spencer. In her own little world, solving the puzzle with expertise.

“The other 4 vics were just strangled and staged, dressed up and left in different areas around town,” she ran the case down more for herself, needing to hear the words to make a connection.

“Yes,” Spencer followed her train of thought, tilting his head as he listened.

“She was murdered, embalmed, staged and sexually assaulted. His MO is completely different and it’s only been 2 days since the last body dropped. I think he’s found his signature,” She explained her thoughts. “His sexual aspect comes out only when they’re dead and cold, we’re dealing with a necrophile.”

“While most serial killers start with small animals before moving on to humans, he started with women and then eventually grew to what he really wanted. That’s what we were missing,” Spencer’s eyes lit up.

“He’s a lot younger than you hypothesized in the original profile,” She added.

“You read it?”

She nodded, “yeah I like to know what you’re looking at to see if I have answers.”

“This is really going to help us,” Spencer smiled, his eyes mimicking hers now.

“I can finish up here if you want to go back to your team? I can get a cab,” She offered. “Go catch this guy.”

“Okay,” Spencer said, backing up from the table and taking his equipment off. Placing them in the hazmat garbage. “Are you sure?”

“Yes Dr. Reid, I’ll be fine,” She laughed. “Can I call you if anything comes up?”

He smiled again, “call me even if something doesn’t.” He dug a contact card out of his pocket and placed it on top of her purse. Waving as he walked out of the room.

—

He thought about her smile for the rest of the afternoon, leaving his findings with Prentiss before heading back to his room to sleep for a few hours.

He finally found his way back into the police department 5 hours later, coffee in hand as he tried to absorb all the new information. They had a lead, stolen embalming equipment from a funeral home a few towns over was reported 4 days ago.

He stayed back during the apprehension of the suspect. Simmons, Lewis and Rossi were closer and they didn’t think the unsub would be dangerous. No one was missing and he wasn’t expecting them, should be easy to get him to come in for some questions.

Much like the rest of this case, it didn’t go to plan. They found another woman in his home, having to shoot him in the process. Ending the spree, ridding the world of a necrophile. It just didn’t feel like justice was served when another person had to die.

Spencer sat on his bed, calming down slightly from the end of the case. Saving a woman, killing a murderer, it was all a lot to process in such a short time.

JJ was in her bed on the other side of the room, scrolling through Facebook as she looked at photos of her kids. It was a much easier way for her to calm down, remembering that she could go home to pure, unadulterated happiness at the end of a case.

They heard a small knock on the door, Spencer volunteered to answer, opening it only a small amount as he looked out.

“Oh, hi,” surprised to see Y/N behind the door.

“Would you like to come and drink with me?” She asked, holding up a bottle in her hand. “In my room,” she added.

“Yeah, yes um, hold on,” he closed the door on her softly.

“Who’s that?” JJ smirked at him.

“My friend,” he replied quickly, running to the bathroom to look at his hair and fix his shirt. “I’ll be back later.”

He grabbed his wallet, making sure he had a condom first, before opening the door only a small amount to slip out into the hall. Hiding Y/N from JJ as she tried to look out the door.

“Sorry, my co-worker and I are sharing,” he explained.

“It’s okay,” she smiled, heading towards the stairs. “I’m just a floor up, and the elevator takes a million years.”

Spencer held the door for her, watching her head up the stairs as he noticed the bottle in one of her hands and her shoes in the other. She walked up the steps in her socks, exhausted from the day.

“Did you get any sleep?” She asked him softly as she kept climbing the steps.

“A few hours, did you?”

“Yeah,” she laughed, “I woke up just before they called about the body this morning.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to just go to bed? You’ve been working for 12 hours,” Spencer worried for her.

She reached the door for floor 3, pulling it open with the hand she held her shoes in, “Sleep is the for weak.”

He laughed lightly, “do you want me to hold anything?”

“Here,” she handed him the bottle, “thanks.”

She dug the keycard from her pocket as he followed her towards the right door. Excitement bubbled in his chest as she opened the door and welcomed him inside.

It was exactly like his room downstairs, only there was just 1 queen bed and a few couches by the window. She set her things down on the bed, sighing deeply as she sat on the edge.

“Do you have any cups or mugs?” Spencer asked, reminding her that he was holding the alcohol still.

“Yeah, on the bar table over there,” she pointed. “I’m just going to change in the bathroom quickly, you can pour yourself a drink.”

“Okay,” he smiled awkwardly as he crossed the room.

She dug through her suitcase quickly. Spencer saw from the corner of his eye as she took out some shorts and a shirt, not even slightly worried about being so casual in front of a complete stranger.

He inspected the bottle, it was just a cheap scotch, nothing too special. He poured about an inch of the golden liquid into two cups, not a big fan of drinking but tonight he felt a little risky.

She came back looking more refreshed, very cozy, and still breathtakingly beautiful. He hadn’t felt this way about someone in a long time, the tightening in his chest as he wondered where the night was going to go.

Not to mention the longing he felt.

Even before prison, he wasn’t one to spend a lot of nights alone with a beautiful stranger. The added isolation in his life changed him on a fundamental level, he realized just how much he craved contact, and just how much he’s deprived himself over the years from both men and women. He just wanted to be loved properly.

He silently handed her one of the cups, smiling at each other softly as they tapped cups. Taking the whole drink, “oh, yep that was exactly what I needed.” Y/N’s eyes watered as her face scrunched up, coughing a bit.

Spencer felt the same, only being able to hide it a bit better. The burn was nice on his throat, it made him feel alive. “Did you want to order some food or anything or?”

She laughed, “that would be the smart and responsible thing to do.”

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

She looked up at him, her shoulders dropping as she released the tension in her body. Looking into his eyes with care, it was so different from the way his co-workers looked at him. She didn’t think he was broken, she had to reason to believe he was even damaged.

“Yeah,” she smiled, placing her hand on his chest as she stepped in closer to him. “Do you like mushrooms on pizza?” She giggled, even this close to him with every opportunity to kiss him, she chose to just make him smile. Something that didn’t happen too often lately.

“I do, it’s my favourite topping actually.”

She took his tie in her hands and dragged him to the couch, “I enjoy topping sometimes too.”

She sat down on the couch and looked up at him, waiting for him to sit beside her. Patting the cushion beside herself while he swallowed sharply, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, making her smirk.

“I won’t bite Spencer,” she laughed finally. “I’m sorry if that was too much?”

“No,” he said, sitting down beside her quickly. “No, it’s fine honestly, I’m just not used to it.”

“Too busy with the FBI to find anyone to hit on you?”

He shook his head softly, pushing his hair out of his face. “I uh, I was framed for murder and in prison for 3 months. I haven’t really had a conversation with anyone I don’t work with in a while.”

“Oh,” she didn’t look surprised or scared. “That makes sense.”

“What does?”

“You’re soft,” she leaned in to press her hand against his chest once more, eye level with him now. Seeing his eyes dart from her lips to her eyes every few seconds as he licked his lips. “You don’t look like you want to hurt anyone, but something about your aura is changing. You know how to protect yourself now, and you’re stuck thinking you’re still in danger.”

“How can you tell all that just from looking at me?” He asked softly.

“If I showed up at any other man’s door with a bottle of alcohol and the offer of a night alone, I would have been pushed against that door the second we got here,” she explained. “You respect me, almost a little too much.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” His face was soft and curious and proving her point.

“You see me as a person, but I can tell you’re touch starved. Every time I get close to you, it’s like you don’t want me to move away,” her voice was barely a whisper as she leaned in even closer to him.

She could feel his breath on her face, her nose was close enough to brush against his as she stared at his lips, “but you won’t make the first move. You want to protect me from you.”

He nodded his head lightly before rubbing the tip of his nose against hers and making her smile. He let out a sigh, relaxing his shoulders as she straddled his lap, leaning him back against the couch. He bit the bullet and let his hands rest on her hips, looking at her softly in the hopes it was okay.

“Tell me?” She begged, holding his tie in her hands, running it through her fingers as she waited. “What do you want? What you miss? Let me be that for you,” she begged.

“Anything,” he finally tells her. “Just touch me.”

She loosened his tie, freeing his neck finally. She slowly undoes every single button on his shirt, untucking the hem from his pants as she opens it up.

Her fingers are warm on his skin, but he still gasps at the touch. Her fingers were so soft, like angel kisses as the pads of her fingers traced the skin. Gliding over every freckle, raking through his chest hair, bumping along the barely-there abs.

His thumbs rubbed against her bare thighs, where he held her lightly. “You can touch me too,” she whispered.

His hands travelled up to her waist, he gently pulled her in closer. No longer resting on his legs, but pressed close to his chest. Her hands landed on his shoulders, looking down at him with nothing but pure lust as her breathing hitched.

She cupped his face, gliding her thumbs along his cheeks softly as she stared at his lips. He opened his mouth to breathe, his bottom lip was plump and beautiful and she couldn’t help herself from rubbing her thumb over it.

He kissed her thumbprint before taking it in his mouth, sucking on it softly making her hips buck into his lightly. The suction on her thumb was more erotic than she expected, the feel of his hot mouth, his wet tongue swirling around it before he let her go with a pop.

She accidentally let out a moan that excited him, “like that?”

She immediately felt her heartbeat in her clit, she nodded feverishly. Suddenly at a loss for words, wondering where this Spencer suddenly came from.

“How far are we taking this?” He asked softly. “We can stop and order that pizza at any time?”

There he was, the soft and sweet man that she brought here in the first place. “Pizza is even better after sex,” she couldn’t stop the giggle from erupting from her, even as she bit her lip.

He smiled at her like she was the world. A complete stranger making him feel more than anyone had in the last year. “I’m going to need longer than it takes to deliver a pizza,” he admitted.

“Luckily they’re open late,” she compromised, leaning in and finally kissing him.

It was soft at first, then he pulled her in even closer. She was chest to chest with him as he breathed her in deeply. She melted into his grasp as if he had just stolen her soul right out of her body.

She was his now.

She kept his face in her hands, holding him as he broke the kiss to explore her jaw. Kissing every inch of her neck and chest as she gripped his hair, making him moan as she used her nails to comb through the long locks.

“Does that feel nice?” She cooed, running her nails along his scalp as he tilted his head back.

“My favourite thing,” he explained as he closed his eyes, letting her repeat the same motion again and again.

He looked so peaceful, running his hands over her back and sides softly as she massaged him. She leaned in and kissed his cheeks, the tip of his nose, both eyelids and his forehead.

He wanted her to touch him everywhere, her delicate touch made him feel worthy for once. Every self-hatred of his washed from his body as she explored him with care, care only one would receive if they were a most prized possession.

He felt loved.

It was overwhelming, he didn’t realize a tear had slipped down his cheek until she was wiping it from his skin. Shushing him softly before kissing him quickly on the lips.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, embarrassed.

“It’s okay, what’s on your mind beautiful?” She asked softly as she brushed through his hair once more.

“I just,” he looked in her eyes ever so innocently. “I’m not used to feeling cared for, no one pays attention to me this way.”

“That’s shameful,” she looked utterly perplexed. “Look at you? You’re gorgeous, you’re smart, you’re powerful. You’re kind and lovely and soft?”

“But I’m also weird and too much to handle,” he interjected.

“Not to me,” she corrected him. “this morning you could have said nothing in the elevator, you could have driven by yourself and awkwardly waited till I was finished my work. But you didn’t, you had a conversation with me, you helped me many times, you cared about me making it back here safely and you didn’t even know me. You’re a special kind of person Doctor Reid, and anyone who doesn’t see it is an idiot.”

He pressed his lips together in an awkward smile and furrowed his brow, “do you ever give out parts of yourself to everyone because you know how hard it is to feel appreciated?”

“All the time,” she laughed softly. “But not now.”

“Me either,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

“I’ll make you a deal, you tell me the worst thing you’ve ever done and I’ll tell you mine,” she offered. “Even the playing field.”

“How so?”

“Right now you think I’m super nice and kind right? And I just told you how I feel about you, but you hate yourself and outside of here I hate myself too. Share a secret, we can be fucked up together,” she smiled.

“In order to keep myself safe in prison, I poisoned a batch of heroin and almost killed a lot of people,” he responded without thinking.

“Okay,” she was a little shocked that he gave in so fast. “One time I stabbed a guy who tried to touch me after I pushed him off me twice already. He didn’t die, it barely even went in.”

“Both are technically self-defence,” he shrugged.

“See?” She smiled. “You’re not as bad and scary as you think you are. You’re smart and cunning.”

“Are you sure you’re not a therapist?” He teased her, “because this has been better for me than any therapy appointment I’ve ever gone to.”

She laughed again, kissing him softly. “I think it would be against the rules for your therapist to do this, I guess that’s why some men cheat.”

“How so?” He just liked listening to her speak.

“It’s easier to be open with someone you’ll never see again than it is with your therapist or wife because there are no consequences. They can’t judge you or hold anything against you, they do what you paid them for and they leave,” she explained herself.

“I’d like to see you again,” his voice barely a whisper. “If you’d like that?”

She nodded softly, “maybe I’ll move back to Virginia, finally.”

“Is that where you’re from?”

“Born and raised. I moved to Albuquerque with my girlfriend 5 years ago, and she left me about 2 years ago now,” Y/N explained. “I liked my job too much to move all the way back there and start over.”

“I can put in a good word for you where ever you want,” he offered before he could stop himself from looking too desperate.

“I’ll look into it,” she smiled.

He kissed the centre of her chest again before pulling her into a hug. Hearing her heart beating in her chest softly as she pressed her cheek to the top of his head and rubbed her hand over his back. Soothing him so completely, he felt beyond amazing.

And then she was gone, pulling back from him and standing up. “Wh-?” Before he could even ask, she was lifting her shirt off.

He stared at her breasts, eyes wide and jaw dropped. She walked over to the bar, taking another shot before she pushed her shorts down and climbed onto the bed. Completely naked in under a minute.

He stood then, pushing the opened shirt off his shoulders and immediately undoing his belt. He took a condom from his wallet before kicking off his shoes, dropping his pants and underwear to the floor and stepping out of them.

She was laying back against the pillows when he crawled over her, resting his naked body against hers ever so slightly. She just smirked as she looked up at him, “hi.”

“Hello,” he whispered.

“What do you want?” She asked.

“You.”

He kissed her softly on the lips, or at least he planned to. Y/N wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him down against her. Swiping her tongue across his bottom lip, begging to make out with him, finally.

Grabbing and tugging at each other as everything started to heat up, she could feel his erection against her leg as he ground down on her. Sucking on his tongue, lightly making him moan into her mouth.

His hair kept tickling her face, every time she’d push it away it would just fall right back against her skin. She pulled him off by his hair, gasping for air as they stared at each other again.

“Can I be on top?” She asked lightly.

He wrapped his arms under her, holding her close as he rolled over. Watching her settle more onto her knees as she sat on his hips. “Better?”

“Much,” she said as she sat up, taking a hairband off her wrist and putting her hair up. Raising her arms in a way that made her tits perk up. He reached up and cupped them, rubbing his thumb lightly across her nipples before giving them a squeeze.

She just laughed as she finished her ponytail, “having fun?”

“Absolutely,” he smiled up at her.

His hands followed the curve of her body, from her boobs to her waist and down over her hips. She was stunning, confident, everything he ever wanted and more.

She found the condom in the sheets, the bright purple packaging making it easy to see. She played with it in her hands, seeing how long it would take before he got desperate, but he never did.

“How long have you had this?” She asked, trying to tease him.

“Not long,” he was honest. “I just got out of prison, remember?”

“So you haven’t had sex since before you went in?” She looked excited.

“No, why?”

She smiled, “so I’m taking your free man’s virginity.”

“I don’t think that’s a thing?”

“It is now,” she giggled before leaning down to kiss him once more.

Trailing kisses down his neck, stopping only to suck a mark near his Adam’s apple. Hearing the sweet little gasps he made every time her tongue came in contact with his skin. She kissed his clavicle, his shoulder and down his chest. Making her way across his abs and over his lower tummy.

He gripped the sheets, not knowing what she had planned or where she was going. Spreading his legs, she kissed his groin, his right hip bone and the inside of his thighs. He couldn’t believe it, the way she explored him so delicately.

She ignored his cock for a while, kissing and sucking at any and all the visible skin she could find. He felt her smile against his thigh then, getting closer and closer before she took his cock in her hand and kissed the base.

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in, settling into the bed like water filling a glass, he was liquid in her hands. Her mouth was a blessing and she chose him to worship.

“Fuck,” he moaned as she took all of him as far as she could. Dragging her tongue along the shaft as she pulled back up. Swirling her tongue around the tip before taking him all the way in once more.

She pulled off with a pop, sitting up now with his dick still in her hands. She tore the condom open with her teeth, taking the package off and rolling it over him.

His dick bounced back against his stomach when she let go of it, hard enough that it had a mind of its own now. She bit her lip as she lifted herself over him more, setting herself down softly where it laid against him.

The head of his cock brushed her clit as she ground down on him, his hands found her hips once more as he instinctively helped her find a rhythm.

He could feel how wet she was, the way she glided over him so easily. Her breath hitching every time her hips bucked, she was enjoying herself. It made him even more excited. She leaned back down then, kissing his neck once more as she continued to push down on him.

“I need you,” Spencer gasped.

She smiled against his skin, lifting her hips enough for him to line up with her before she started to sink down on it. He watched himself disappear inside of her, feeling the way she took him in like he was always meant to be there.

“Fuck,” she gasped as she sat down fully, her hands resting on Spencer’s stomach as she tried to get used to it all. Listing herself up and down little by little to get the rhythm going again.

Spencer pulled her back in again, arching her back so she could bounce easier. She held him close, tucking her face into the crook of his neck as she started to move faster and faster on him. Hearing his breathing pick up as his grip tightened on her asscheeks.

She kept one hand in his hair as her other hand reached for her clit, pleasuring herself slightly the way she knew she liked it. “Jesus Christ,” she whispered against his skin as she fucked him.

It had never felt like this before, it was so personal for the first time. They worked together perfectly, not having to communicate at all, following the other person’s rhythm like a well-oiled machine with a task.

He felt her everywhere. Her hands in his hair, her lips on his neck. The way her hot breath tickled right under his ear as she tried to catch her breath against him. The way she pulled off him and sucked him back in, again and again, her breasts against his chest and her ass in his hands.

He couldn’t believe it. That a real human being cared about and appreciated him, even after learning his worst secret. She was special and different and everything he needed.

He could feel himself getting closer, wanting to savour every moment with her that he could. His hands roamed her back, over her shoulders and arms. He wanted to touch every single inch of her while he had the chance.

“I’m so close,” she whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek and resting her open mouth against his.

They weren’t kissing, they were panting over each other with their foreheads resting together. Euphoria filling the empty spaces between them as she came, gasping and shaking violently over him.

“Fuck,” he groaned, bending his knees and driving into her a few more times before he finished.

She tugged on his hair then, biting his bottom lip as she felt him twitch inside of her. Letting out the smallest gasps and whimpers as she pulled her hand out from between them and pushed herself off him.

Dropping her body against his, resting her head on his chest as they caught their breath.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a hug as he repeatedly kissed the top of her head. “Thank you,” he was still out of breath as he said it.

She smiled, laughing against his skin again as she hugged him back.

—

He woke up to the sun in his eyes and the feeling of lips against his skin. He blinked as gained consciousness, finding Y/N laying against his chest again. Her face in his heck where she was placing lazy kisses, trying to wake him up nicely.

“Good morning?” His voice was groggy and deep, it made her smile against his skin. A feeling he didn’t realize he missed so much during the night.

“What time is your flight back?”

“10:30, why?” He asked softly, rubbing his hand over her back softly.

She held him tighter, breathing him in deeply as she did so. Not wanting to let him go any time soon, “it’s 9:45.”

“Is it bad I’m hoping there’s a secret serial killer in Albuquerque?”

She laughed again, sitting up this time so she could look at him again. “Maybe I’ll come to visit my parents soon a find a reason to stay in Virginia?”

“I’d like that,” he smiled, pulling her into a kiss. Never wanting it to be the last one.

He waited till the last possible moment to finally peel himself out of her grasp, trying to find all his clothes and belongings from the night before

He kissed her quickly at the door before taking off down the steps and back to the room he was supposed to be sharing with JJ. He knocked on their door lightly, hoping to every god on earth she hadn’t left yet.

She opened the door and just stared at him with her mouth open, “oh my god?” She laughed.

“What?” He asked, completely oblivious to how he looked.

JJ dragged him inside, pulling him towards a mirror and pointing at his reflection. “What happened to you?”

His hair was a mess, he had hickeys all over his neck. His shirt was barely buttoned, definitely not untucked and he didn’t even have his shoes on. “oh.”

“Oh?” JJ couldn’t believe it. “Who is she?”

“Um, the ME from this case,” he explained, scratching the back of his head as he squinted.

JJ just laughed then, “hurry up and look somewhat presentable, pretty boy, the team is going to eat you alive for this.”

Sure enough, when he finally sat in his little corner of the plane with his glasses on and a hickey still visible above his collar, all eyes were on him. No one wanted to ask, they all just made it abundantly clear that they were curious.

Alvez even took a photo to send to Penelope, who sent it to Derek, who texted Reid only 20 minutes into the flight asking who she was. He rolled his eyes and put his phone back in his pocket. About to get really pissed when a second text came in.

555-0623: if you’re still serious about that recommendation, there is a spot available at the DC medical examiner’s office… I’d probably be closer to you than your therapist’s office 💋

He smiled then, saving her number and starting his letter.

[angryschnauzer]

He’s A Keeper

Summary: Working as an artist hired by Durrell Zoo, you spend your days sketching the day to day life of the animals and the keepers. One keeper in particular catches your eye.

Pairing: AU Zookeeper Henry Cavill x Female Reader (no race or size mentioned)

Fandom: Henry Cavill

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Friends to Lovers, Oral Sex (Female Receiving), Fingering, Safe Sex/Use of Condoms, Realistic Sex/Relationship discussion, Vaginal Sex.

Typo’s are allowed to run wild and free, only the finest organic free range fuck ups for me.

I do not operate a tag list, but if you follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and hit ‘notifications’, you’ll get an alert every time i post something new. Back catalogue/masterlist can be found there and also on AO3

He’s A Keeper

Working the pencils over the sketchpad you quietly captured the beauty of the animals the zookeepers had nursed back to full health, the Ruffed Lemur currently hanging off the keepers arm as he spoke through the headset to the group of excited school children watching through the glass. 

You’d been hired by the zoo to capture day to day life at the zoo throughout the summer season, drawing the animals and the humans, however there was one particular human you had found yourself drawn to numerous times, and that was the rather tasty zookeeper by the name of Henry. He also had one of the sexiest voices you’d ever had the pleasure to listen to, so as he explained about the Lemur’s your mind wandered, as did your gaze;

“... originally from Madagascar, and have been part of Durrell zoo since 1982 where they have been essential to the breeding program…”

Your mind fell even further into the gutter at the word ‘breeding’, your eyes raking down Henry’s body, taking in how the branded t-shirt clung to his chest before tapering down to a narrow waist where it was neatly tucked into cargo pants that did little to hide how thick his thighs were and a pert arse you could bounce a satsuma off of. Biting the end of the pencil you had all but given up drawing, only realising that the talk was over when the group of school children were being herded onto the next exhibit by their tour guide and teachers.

When the kids had disappeared you finally got back to drawing, watching as Henry finished up feeding the Lemur’s before he met your gaze and smiled at you. Tapping your pencil on the glass he frowned and shook his head, before smiling and pointing to the sign in the corner of the window that said ‘do not tap the glass’, getting closer you tried to mouth your words to him, but was surprised when his eyes went wide in almost shock, before looking down and realising you had pressed your chest to the glass, your low cut cami top helping to accentuate your cleavage. When you looked up again he was gone and you let out a sigh of disappointment, before he appeared through a door to the side of the viewing area;

“Hi” he had a smile that could charm the panties off a nun; “Did you want me?”

“God yes…” Oh fuck, did you say that out loud?; “Sorry, i mean, you’ve dropped the foam bit off your headset...”

He glanced into the enclosure just at the moment one of the larger Lemur’s picked up the small round piece of foam and staring straight at Henry, proceeded to rip it into tiny pieces.

“Furry little fucker…” he cursed under his breath before turning back to you, but before he could say anything a group of other keepers came walking in and soon you were hanging onto the periphery of their conversation where they were discussing going for drinks after work. Moving to pack your stuff up as you presumed they weren’t including you, but a call of your nickname drew your attention;

“Hey Da Vinci, you up for a few beers after work?”

You hesitated to answer, glancing at Henry who had a smile across his face and a hopeful look in his eye;

“We’re all going…”

“Ok, yeah sure, that’d be great” you agreed. 

-

An hour later you were sitting on the wall outside the main entrance waiting for the rest of the keepers to finish their shifts, smiling as you saw them coming out of the doors, and the ensuing 10 minutes that followed as people sorted out who was driving and how many people could fit into just a couple of small cars. As spaces were allocated Henry laughed and shook his head;

“I am NOT riding five up in a Renault Clio, i’m too tall, i’ll have to fold myself in half! Where are we going anyway, i can take my bike and just walk home after”

Waiting as everyone discussed location and finished off seat allocation, they’d finally decided when Henry turned to you;

“Hey, i think the last seats are in the stoner wagon…”

“Oh…” you didn’t have anything against anyone smoking pot, but didn’t fancy being in a car you could barely see out of the windows of.

“But you can ride with me on my bike?”

Looking to where Henry was pointing, you saw a fairly large trails bike, the kind that could go 50mph over rough land and through forests;

“I… I don’t have a helmet…”

“Wait here, let me run into the locker room and grab the spare i keep here”

Everyone else pulled away as Henry ran into the zoo, and you glanced at the bike. You’d never been on a motorbike before, so this would be a first. Stowing everything loose in your backpack, you hooked it over both shoulders just as Henry reemerged from the building, swinging his keys from one finger as he came to stand in front of you;

“Hey, thanks for waiting”

“No worries! So, where are we going again?”

“The pub in Rozel does good food and pulls a great pint” he nodded to his left and you saw a row of motorbikes; “You ever ridden?”

Shaking your head you laughed; “No, never”

He carefully helped you put the helmet on, his nimble fingers helping to secure the strap beneath your chin before putting his own on and climbing onto the bike, pushing it off the kick stand and nodding for you to climb on. You tried to sit back, but he wrapped his arm behind his back and pulled you flush to his body;

“Gotta hold on tight, otherwise you’ll throw the balance off. Lean when i lean and just squeeze a bit harder if you’re scared, the ride won’t take long” he shouted over the thrum of the noisy engine idling.

The ride down to the small village of Rozel had been exhilarating, from the vibration of the motorbike between your legs to the way you were able to wrap your arms around Henry’s waist and cling to him as he hurtled around the country roads at what seemed like warp speed, when in fact it was little more than 30mph. By the time you arrived in the small fishing cove your heart was racing and you actually let out a reluctant moan at the thought of removing your arms from around Henry’s waist.

“C’mon” he grinned as he helped you off the bike; “I’ll buy you a vodka and coke to calm your nerves”

“It wasn’t nerves” you muttered to yourself, smirking as you know he heard you.

-

The group had managed to find a cluster of small tables chairs and benches in the corner of the pub beer garden, and as the sun had set behind the hills to the rear of the pub, the cold Atlantic sea had glowed in pale blues and pinks. You were squashed into a bench with Henry on one side and another enormous hulk of a keeper on the other, and as the temperature had dropped you’d found yourself thankful that Henry had casually rested his arm behind you so you could leech some of his warmth, but it didn’t stop a violent shiver involuntarily running up your spine.

“Cold?” Henry asked quietly, before gently wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you close; “Any better?”

You nodded and let out a very quiet whine as you smiled at him, completely surrounded by his scent and warmth. It made your stomach do a flip and you clenched your thighs together, something that didn’t get past Henry as your leg twitched against his thigh. Before either of you could say anything an enormous bowl of cheesy fries was set down between you, your stomach growling at the aroma’s that wafted around you as it turned out someone had ordered sharing bowls for the whole table.

With the meal mostly devoured as you’d sat side by side on a small wooden bench in the pub garden, laughing as you fed each other and strings of cheese hung from your fingers. As the giggles of a joke faded away you glanced at Henry’s almost finished pint;

“Hey, you aren’t planning on riding that bike home are you?”

“Nah, i’d never drive after a pint, let alone three… my place is just behind The Navigator restaurant…” he paused; “Oh god, where are you staying, do i need to call you a taxi?”

“No no, i’m renting a studio up the hill, on the hairpin bend”

“Oh…” 

It wasn’t a bad ‘oh’ and there was definitely something loaded in the subtext, so when people had started to leave and arrange ride’s back to St Helier and St Johns it felt natural for Henry to stand with his arm around your shoulders as you both waved everyone off.

“Can i walk you home?” he asked, his voice low and full of promise, and you nodded as he slid his hand into yours, leading you along the low coast road that skirted the harbour.

-

You hadn’t gotten far before the evening turned even better, a brief suggestion of a walk along the beach as the tide was out soon had your feet in soft sand as you were pressed to the weathered stone of the sea wall, Henry’s lips on your neck as your fingers dug into his back, his teeth nipping and biting at whatever exposed flesh he could find. You hadn’t even realised he was going lower until he was on his knees in front of you, those sea blue irises staring up at you as he pressed kisses to your legs where your shorts ended. His fingers softly rested on the button and he finally spoke, his voice low and thick with lust;

“May i?”

Nodding fervently you bit your lip as you watched him slowly unbutton you, pulling the garment down your legs until you were able to step out. Never breaking eye contact he lifted your leg and gently rested it on his shoulder, pressing open mouthed kisses up your inner thigh until his face was pressed against your panties and his wide tongue worked against the soaked cotton and lace. His finger crooked beneath them and tugged the scrap of fabric to the side, seeking out your clit before tracing down to your cunt and tenderly teasing the entrance.

“Henry… please…” you whined, desperate for more

“Don’t you worry, i’m gonna make you see stars…”

Pushing his head forwards his lips caught your clit as he slowly slid two fingers into your soaked channel. You let out a long groan at the feel of his lips and fingers finding the right spot immediately, his other hand cupping the back of your thigh before he ran it around your hip and caught your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours as he quickly drove you closer and closer to the edge with that added touch of intimacy. Suddenly he hummed against your clit and the world exploded, making you cum so hard you truly did see stars as a white heat bloomed in your belly and you rode Henry’s fingers until you were spent.

As you rested against the wall behind you he carefully withdrew his fingers, licking them clean as he tugged your shorts up your legs. You couldn’t help but to notice the obscene bulge in the front of his cargo pants, your hand rubbing over the smooth curve of it;

“You keep doing that and i’ll cum in my boxers… “ he panted out, his lips inches from yours; “What’s your room like?”

“Its a little summer cabin studio right at the end of the garden, away from the other holiday rentals and the main house… what about you…”

“Shared flat with two other guys from the zoo. They’re probably drinking in the lounge right now… so, your place?”

-

Unlocking the door you stepped inside and turned on a small lamp, standing aside so Henry could come into your small summer living space.

“Mmm nice” he nodded and looked around; “Wanna give me the tour?”

You snorted out a laugh at the formality, and held your arm out;

“Well this is the kitchen area, right next door we have the smallest shower room in Jersey, and here’s the bed” you didn’t need to take a single step for the ‘tour’, the room seeming even smaller as Henry took a single stride and wrapped his arm around your back, pulling you flush with his chest. Never breaking eye contact he gently trailed a single finger over your cheek, his thumb brushing your plump bottom lip;

“Are you going to be good for me?”

Your legs almost buckled at the deep baritone of his voice, igniting something within you that you hadn’t even known existed, eagerly nodding;

“Yes Sir”

Lowering his lips to yours he kissed you, his tongue pushing past your lips as he took control, walking the pair of you back until your legs hit the bed and you fell back onto the soft unmade covers. Covering your body with his, he quickly stripped you of your clothing, his mouth trailing behind his hands so every inch of you was gifted with a kiss. 

Standing between your legs he pulled his t-shirt over his head and you couldn’t help but to moan at the sight of his body; toned and just the right amount of hair on his chest and a treasure trail on his abdomen that surely led to untold riches. Quickly sitting up your hands joined his on his button to his cargo pants;

“May i?”

Henry released his hands and nodded, watching as you carefully plucked the button before lowering the zipper painfully slowly, his boxers tented obscenely and you couldn’t help but to cup him in your palm, the searing heat of his engorged cock a welcome feel in your hands, the wide mushroom head clearly visible through the stretched fabric. Unceremoniously tugging the rest of his clothing down, you felt yourself getting wetter as his beautiful cock was finally revealed; big, thick and uncut, you had to taste him and quickly ducked your head forwards, swallowing his head between your lips as his hands flew to your hair to steady himself.

Now it was your turn to drive him crazy with your mouth, taking him as deep as you could even though it was barely half of his length, you wrapped both hands around what was left, the thick root of his shaft filling both palms. A few more pumps and he pulled his hips back with a gasp, a trail of spittle hanging from your lips to his bulbous tip;

“If you keep doing that i’m gonna cum far too soon…” he said, his voice shaking; “Lay back and let me treat you right…”

Scooting up the bed you settled against the pillows as you watched Henry shed himself of the rest of his clothing, his boots and socks hooked off, cargo pants and underwear all left in a messy pile at the side of the bed, before he crawled up the mattress like a Panther stalking its prey.

Capturing your lips for another searing kiss, you felt his hot shaft against your belly, burning against your skin and you so desperately wanted to feel him inside you. Pulling away just slightly you were already breathless;

“Just a second…” reaching for the small drawer at side of the bed you pulled out an unopened box of condoms, Henry sitting back on his knees as you ripped the box’s cellophane open with your teeth and pulled out a small foil packet, tearing it open before smoothing the latex over Henry’s shaft. Looking up to his face he wore a rather sheepish smile;

“Sorry, shoulda’ thought of that”

“S’ok, a girl’s gotta keep sharp these days…”

“Right…” he met your gaze; “But you know, if you had gotten pregnant, i would have stood by you”

“Umm thanks? But its for STD’s. I’m on the pill”

“Oh… good thinking…”

A tense pause hung over the pair of you, before you reached up and rested your hand on his chest;

“Shall we continue?”

At your words the tension in the room suddenly dissipated, Henry kissing you as he slid a hand between your bodies so he could position himself at your entrance, groaning as he pushed in slowly breaching your body. Your tight channel hugged him tight, unfamiliar with such a size splitting your walls so he paused, pressing light kisses to your face as your body grew accustomed with his size and the heavy weight of his dick in your pillowy soft embrace. Finally you moaned out his name;

“Henry… please…”

“What do you need?”

“Move… please move. Fuck me, please”

Pushing up on his forearms he started to fluidly move his hips, slow and steady, each thrust was gentle but firm, your body yielding to him as he started to increase the pace, the sound of hot bodies meeting filling the small wooden cabin as the gentle sounds of the sea not far away filled the rest of the night. Soft moans spilled from your lips at the feel of his body playing yours like a delicate instrument, waiting for the chorus and the inevitable crescendo. But he was going to play the entire symphony first, knowing how to get you to sing the high notes as the thrum of your bodies were in tune with each other completely.

With the stretch of his girth and the way the curve of it meant he was able to find your g-spot with every thrust you were fast approaching your orgasm, your body trembling as your lips found a life of their own;

“Henry… please, so good… keep doing that… oh god, i’m gonna cum…”

“That’s it, my good girl, cum on my cock, let me feel you squeezing me so tight… feel so amazing right now… that’s it, you can do it…”

With a cry you came, your legs wrapped around his waist as you pulled him deep whilst your body shook with a fierce orgasm, triggering his own as he pumped a heavy load into the condom.

Finally spent, Henry settled on top of you, his weight a heavy comfort as your sweaty bodies lay skin to skin, the gentle roughness of his chest hair against your naked breasts a tender reminder of his virility. When he started to soften he finally shifted, holding the condom at the base as he pulled out and staggered the few steps to your small bathroom;

“I’ll be back in a second, gotta sort this out…”

The door closed and you shifted on the bed, pulling the duvet back and sliding between the sheets, listening as you heard the tell tale sound of a man urinating and the high pitched, double barrelled squeak of a fart. The flush of the toilet and water running soon after meant you knew the second he would reappear, a flannel in his hand and he stopped dead, his cheeks suddenly bright crimson;

“You heard that didn’t you?”

“It's a small wooden cabin… yes i did”

“Sorry” he approached the bed and with a warm flannel he carefully cleaned between your thighs, pressing a kiss to your lips as he did. When finished he sat on the side of the bed; “Can i stay the night, or did you want me to go?”

“Have you got work tomorrow?”

“Nope. You?”

“Nope. Please, stay”

He quickly threw the flannel into the sink in the bathroom, before with a giggle climbed under the duvet and pulled you into his arms;

“So, how many more condom’s you got?”

-

The morning light broke softly through the trees that surrounded your cabin, your body sore but sated, knowing every bruise and ache came from soft lips, sharp teeth, or skilled fingers, apart from that one ache deep inside that you knew exactly what had caused that delicious soreness, and the owner and cause of all of it still softly slept in your bed. Climbing out you quickly used the bathroom, and as you came back into the room the artist in you couldn’t help but to admire how the dappled morning light cascaded over Henry’s body. Slipping his work t-shirt over your head you pulled your sketchbook from your backpack and settled onto the only chair in the room, quietly working carbon to paper.

Henry woke 45 minutes later, the gentle scratching of your art making him squint at the bright daylight, before laying back on the pillows with his arms spread;

“Still life class?”

Setting your sketchbook down you padded across the room and climbed onto the bed;

“Sorry, i couldn’t help myself… the way the sun was hitting the muscles of your back and shoulders, you were like an anatomy masterpiece”

With a laugh and moving much quicker than you thought he was possible of, he grabbed you by the waist and turned you, his body atop of yours;

“Well that’s enough of that, i would like to become better acquainted with your anatomy… and as we’ve both got the day off i suggest we make the most of it”

Laughing you fell into his embrace, sighing with happiness. Henry really was a keeper, as you were for sure not going to let him go. 

[impala666]

The One With The Stoned Guy Part Two (Amuse Bouche)

Sorry it took so long! But here is the next part to the Friends Rewrite. I’m just kind of writing when I find time. Enjoy all!!!!!!

Last Part (Part One), Series Masterlist

It was the next morning and the night before was the first night where you actually slept at Bryan’s apartment, you didn’t even go to yours and Ross’s apartment. But no you found yourself walking toward Monica and Rachel’s apartment for early breakfast before everyone went off to work or in your case school and the work. “Good morning,” you cheered with a smile. Everyone in the living room bid you a good morning in return while Joey sat there and stared at you with that same sad dog expression. So Ross must have told him that you never went home. “So, I heard you didn’t make it home last night.” Rachel confirmed your suspicions, but apparently Ross just decided to up and tell everybody.

“Yeah, last night was my first night actually staying there,” you smiled brightly at her when you thought about all of the adventures that you had with Bryan.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Rachel asked as she scrunched up her face and came closer to you to make your conversation a bit more private. You were about to answer her when all of a sudden the apartment door slammed from behind you. 

“Can you see my nipples through this shirt?” Your big brother asked after he entered. He made sure to lift up his suit jacket so that all of you could have a good look. 

“No,” Rachel answered for him as she carefully looked. “But don’t worry I’m sure they’re still there.” You laughed at her harmless joke. 

“Where’re you going Mr. Suity-Man?” Phoebe asked him from her spot in the living room next to Ross.

“Well,” Chandler reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. “I have an appointment to see Dr. Robert Pillman, career counselor a-go-go.” You listened to him as you took a seat on the couch, but realized that you sat too close to Joey like you used to. So you had to awkwardly slide in the opposite direction no matter if it made you a little upset and Joey very. “I added the a-go-go.” Chandler emphasized as all of them ignored the thing that just happened. 

“A career counselor?” Rachel asked him, wondering why he was going to see this guy. 

“Hey, you guys all know what you want to do.” Chandler whined to you all as he started to get defensive. 

“I don’t,” Rachel chimed in. 

“Hey, you guys in the living room all know what you want to do. You have goals, you have dreams. I don’t have a dream!” Chandler declared. But no matter how serious he tried to come across as, you all still found it a little funny. 

“Ah, the lesser-known “I don’t have a dream,” speech.” Ross called Chandler out on his mistake. 

“Y/N/N?” Chandler asked and placed his hand on your shoulder so that you would turn in your seat and look at him. “How did you know you wanted to go to Esthetician school?” He only asked because you had taken such a big leap to follow your dreams even if it made a few other people unhappy.

“I don’t know really. I just never really enjoyed or got into anything that I was learning while I went to college. But I always enjoyed skin and skincare and makeup, so once I actually found a career in it. I just decided to go for it.” You explained. “And even though it was terrifying at first, I know that it was the perfect decision.” Chandler couldn’t find words, he was just so proud and jealous of you. He just wished that he could find something that he was just as passionate about. 

“Oh, I love my life! I love my life!” Monica cheered as she had just gotten back from an interview with that restaurant guy. She was beaming from ear to ear and it looked like it hurt. 

“Oh, Brian’s Song.” Phoebe guessed, thinking that Monica was quoting a song. 

“The meeting with that guy went great?” Rachel asked her after Phoebe’s strange outburst. 

“It was so great. He showed me where the restaurant’s going to be. It’s this cute little place on 10th Street; it’s not too big, it’s not too small. It’s just right.” Monica beamed as she shared her experience for her new job opportunity. 

“Was it formerly owned by by a blonde woman and some bears?” Chandler joked, when Monica accidentally quoted the famous nursery rhyme. 

“So, anyway I’m cooking dinner for him Monday night. You know, kind of like an audition.” Monica continued as she just ignored everything that Chandler just said. “And Phoebe he really wants you to be there,” she explained as she made her way over to the woman in the living room. “Which would be great for me because then you can make oh’s and ah’s and you can make yummy noises.”

“What’re you going to make?” Rachel asked Monica. 

“Yummy noises,” Phoebe answered instead, acting like it was obvious.

“And Monica, what are you gonna make?” You asked, changing the question to one that everyone could understand. 

“I don’t know. It’s just got to be so great.” Monica answered you as she walked over to her shelf of cookbooks to try and come up with some ideas. 

“Oh! I know what you should make.” Phoebe announced as she ran over to join Monica and Rachel in the kitchen. Almost knocking you down in the process as you made your way over to them, as well. “You should make that thing with the stuff.” Phoebe said as she sprinkled imaginary spices into her hand. “You know that...thing.” She just couldn’t think of it. But Phoebe could tell she wasn’t getting through to any of you. “Okay, I don’t know.” She finally gave up. 

“Hey, guys. Does anyone know a good date place in the neighborhood?” Ross asked, changing the subject. 

“Uh, how about Tony’s?” Joey suggested, and seeing as you used to date him you could see where this was going. “If you can finish a 32 ounce steak, it’s free.” Ross looked up at you for confirmation to see if he ever took you there.

“Yeah, no. That was the date from hell.” You felt bad for saying so, but it was true. 

“You said you loved it!” Joey whined. 

“Yeah, but we couldn’t finish because no human can, so you got upset and left, sticking me with the cheque.” He treated you like a queen, but you had to call a spade a spade. That date stunk. 

“Okay, does anyone know a good place if you’re not dating a puma?” Ross asked again as he joked at Joey’s answer. 

“Who are you going out with?” Chandler asked him with a chuckle. 

“Oh! Is this the bug lady?” Phoebe asked Ross. 

“I love you, Ross.” Rachel joked as she started buzzing like a bug and using her fingers as antennas. 

“Her name is Celia. She’s not a bug lady. She’s curator of insects at the museum.” Ross defended. 

“So a bug lady?” You asked since Ross was trying to be technical, but he knew that you were messing around. 

“So, what’re you guys gonna do?” Monica asked as she flipped through a cookbook at the table. 

“I just thought we’d go out to dinner and then bring her back to my place and I’d introduce her to my monkey.” Ross sounded like he was 100% joking but when you looked at him his face was serious. 

“And he’s not speaking metaphorically.” Chandler mumbled to himself. 

“So, back to your place. You’re thinking maybe, heh-heh?” Joey asked Ross as he implied sex. 

“Well, I don’t know heh-heh.” Ross said under his breath to Joey. “I’m hoping heh-heh. So Y/N can you steer clear of the apartment tonight.” You nodded even though you had nowhere to go since Monica had her dinner tonight and you and Joey were broken up. You would have to just go back to Bryan’s, oh well. Too bad. 

“I’m telling you-that monkey is a chick magnet. She’s going to take one look at his furry cute little face and it’ll seal the deal.” Joey promised him. 

*******

It was later in the evening, all of you were back at Monica and Rachel’s while Monica tried out some new recipes to have all of you try. Joey, Phoebe, and Rachel sat at the kitchen table. While you and Bryan sat alone in the living room. You really were surprised at how well everyone was getting along with Bryan, including Joey. They weren’t really best friends because clearly Joey still harbored some feelings, but they were able to be in a room together. That was all you could ask for. The both of you sat on the couch talking with Bryan’s arm wrapped around your shoulders. Bryan was about to continue the fire story that he had been meaning to tell you, but he jumped out of his seat when the apartment door slammed shut from an aggressive force. “Oh, my God. What happened to you?” Rachel asked, you kneeled on the sofa to turn and look who had entered. It was Chandler with his shirt unbuttoned slightly and tie loose, with a stack of folders looking he had had a day. 

“8 and a half hours of aptitude tests, intelligence tests, personality tests and what do I learn?” Chandler also seemed a little on edge. “You are ideally suited for a career in data processing for a large multinational cooperation.” Chandler read off of the test result that he had gotten. 

“That’s so great! Because you already know how to do that!” You cheered him on sarcastically. Bryan chuckling quietly as he looked up at you. 

“Can you believe it? Don’t I seem like somebody who should be doing something really cool?” Chandler asked all of you as he paced along the kitchen, half-heartedly waving to Bryan without looking at him. “I just always pictured myself doing something…something.” Chandler frowned down at the floor as he lightly stomped his foot.  

“Oh, Chandler, I know.” Rachel got up from her seat and half hugged the man as she patted him on his chest. “I know. Oh, hey! You can see your nipples through this shirt.” But Rachel’s realization did not seem to help Chandler as he turned his head and glared down at the woman. 

“Here you go. Maybe this will cheer you up.” Monica tried as she offered Chandler a plate of mini food. 

“Ohh, you know I had a grape about five hours ago. So I better split this with you.” He joked again as he tried to push passed his disappointing day. 

“It’s supposed to be that small, it’s a pre-appetizer. The French called it an Amuse Bouche.” Monica taught all of you. So Chandler took one for the team and popped one into his mouth, when suddenly he wasn’t as upset at the moment. 

“Well, it is amoozing.” Chandler joked even though he couldn’t help but get where Monica was coming from. 

“You’re friends are so weird.” Bryan said quietly to you as he deeply chuckled. 

“I know,” you beamed. “Isn’t it amazing.” You smiled at him in return and Bryan wrapped an arm around your waist as he pecked a kiss to your forehead. 

“Hello?” Monica said as she answered the phone that had started to ring a couple seconds ago. “Oh, hi, Wendy. Yeah 8 o’clock. What did we say, ten dollars an hour? Okay, great. I’ll see you then. Bye.” Monica hung up the quick phone call and you couldn’t help but notice the hurt and surprised look on Rachel’s face. 

“Ten dollars an hour for what?” Phoebe asked, before Rachel could jump to conclusions. 

“Oh, I asked one of the waitress’s at work to help me out.” You couldn’t help but cringe when Monica didn’t even realize her mistake. 

“Waitressing?” Rachel asked in surprise. 

“Uh-oh,” Joey sang as he stood up from his chair. 

“Of course I thought of you, but...but,” Monica couldn’t even think of an excuse. 

“But-but?” Rachel repeated for her, you could tell that she was starting to get a little upset. 

“But you see this night had to go perfect, you know.” Monica’s excuse was already flimsy. “And well, Wendy’s more of a...professional waitress.” She really was just digging herself in deeper. 

“Oh. I see, and I’ve sort of been maintaining my amature status so that I can waitress in the Olympics.” Rachel joked to hide her hurt. 

“You know, I don’t mean to brag, but I waited tables in Innsbruck in ‘76.” You added to try to make the conversation a bit more lighthearted. But Rachel did not find it funny at all when she glared at you, so you shrunk down and hid behind Bryan for protection. 

“Amuse Bouche?” Chandler offered Rachel the plate of food to try and diffuse the situation. You were about to kiss Bryan when he leaned in, but a voice made you jump up.

“Hey, Y/N.” Joey’s voice rang out.

“Yeah?” You asked, wondering what could be so important that he was interrupting your moment with Bryan. 

“We’re still on for hanging out, right?” He asked, you just furrowed your eyebrows at him. What game was he trying to play at? 

“Um, yeah. Sorry must have forgotten,” you tried to play it off. But even you knew that your face just read surprise. 

“Great, see you then,” Joey smiled. So then you tried to play it off with a smile, but you were breaking when you felt Bryan look at you with slight confusion.

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 @shizzybarnaclee

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Weird, “My human.”

You guys requested some more LFIL stuff, so I have brought it. Lots of Fluff, I hope. So please enjoy. Also based on a couple ideas given to me by the Discord server :)

“Where are we going.”

“You’ll see.”

“I feel like this is becoming our thing.”

“What?”

“Dragging the other to some sort of event and not saying literally anything about it beforehand.” Sunny hummed deep in her chest and Adam just rolled his eyes, looking around at the dark city awash with eternal night.

“Why Noctopolis of all the places. I mean we have a week off and you want to spend your vacation days in the literal dump of the galaxy?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes, “Please, you love it here. It's like any tradeworld from any sci-fi movie ever.”

That shut him up, and she could see the slow grin pass over his face.

Finally she shrugged, “Look, I just thought it would be nice to… go somewhere where we could relax, not have to worry about hiding.”

“I think there are a few nice beachfront planets we could have done that on.”

“Not with the tourism.” She shot back 

A gust of sour wind kicked up through the bustling night streets tugging at Adam’s jacket and rippling the blue of his shirt like ripples across a pond. He adjusted his eyepatch as she led him through a maze of back alleys and tall buildings.

They took a rickety lift down into the gorge where the ever-present red mist billowed and glowed below them in patterns that undulated and wired.

They stepped off into another shallow rift, and followed a narrow street down into another side alley, where Sunny stopped.

Trash and little bits of paper blew around them where they stood in front of a peeling red door.

Adam raised an eyebrow at Sunny, “Ah, beautiful. A lovely vacation spot, I would like to move here and retire.”

“Smartass.” She mumbled at him before knocking on the red door.

There was a long pause while they waited, Adam tapping his foot against concrete below before the door opened a crack and a single human eye peered out at them. The distant echo of music thudded up through the room echoing off the walls.

“What do you want?”

“I’m A friend of Adam.”

Adam frowned and raised an eyebrow as the door shut suddenly and there was a rattling on the other side as if a chain was being released.

He glanced at Sunny but she only shook her head.

The door opened, and a woman with short buzzed black hair stepped into the doorway, invisible tattoos glowing under the blacklight.

As her eyes fell on him, he watched as her eyebrows raised, single eyebrow stud glittering in the light, “You weren’t kidding. Then her stern face broke into a smile, “Come on in. Any ‘friend of Adam’s is a friend of mine’.”

Adam followed along behind Sunny as the music grew louder, “Is that a code for something…. Is this a code? I am very confused.”

He was a lot less confused a minute later when they stepped out into the main room, a large spacious area with multiple stories. A room off to one side had bright flashing lights, and emanated with the sound of drums. Then there was a bar and couches and pool tables and TVs.

It was less of a club or a bar and more like some sort of clubhouse. The bar seemed to be serving food. On the second floor there were more couches, and some rooms that led off into other rooms.

But what really gave it away was the people.

Aliens and humans.

Aliens and humans holding hands and often cuddled up together on the couches.

He shot Sunny a look.

She just shook her head at him, and together they walked over to the bar.

Just off to their side a human was busily and delicately helping a Finnari to put on some sort of dark shaded glasses.

“That better, hun?’

“Yeah…. Yeah, that's better.” the Finnari hugged the woman, “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for>”

“I know you can change how warm you are, and I’m sorry I have to wear the glasses….”

She just laughed and kissed the top of his head.

Adam cleared his throat awkwardly and tugged at the collar of his shirt.

They made it to the bar before anyone recognized them.

“Admiral!” He winced and turned around running into a familiar face at the bar, a familiar green mohawk and a small blue finnari.

Adam frowned, “I thought you were living on the Tesraki homeworld now.”

“We lease an apartment there for business, but we prefer it here…. So tell me, what are you guys doing here.”

He glanced at Sunny, “That’s what I’d like to know.”

She took a seat, “Just relaxing. It is our vacation after all.

Mohawk eyed them a little as Adam sat down reluctantly.

“Drinks on the house then.”

Beside him, the little Finnari waddled over handing up a cup of cucumber juice for Sunny.

The man looked at Adam,”Pick your poison.”

Adam shrugged, “Something girly and brightly colored that tastes good. If I’m going to get drunk it better be worth it.”

Mohawk grinned and got to work.

Another couple wandered over to the bar talking and laughing sliding into seats next to Adam and Sunny.

The human recognized him instantly and grabbed his hand to shake, “Admiral, Vir. I can’t believe you’re here! I can’t believe I get to meet you…. I…. well me and Hasan.” He turned to look over his shoulder at the large, silver Drev sitting next to him, “We owe you so much, the entire community owes you so much.”

Adam blinked, “I…. Well I mean…. I only did what anyone would….”

The man shook his head and waved a hand at him, no no, only you could do what you did and only you DID what you could.”

Adam shrugged not entirely sure what to say before…. “May I…. ask you a question.”

“Anything.”

“Friend of Adam. What does that mean?”

The man waved his hand, “Oh, it’s just a little coad we have for someone who is LFIL, you know so that we don’t have to say it out loud to someone we aren’t sure about.”

“Oh, I see.” he glanced back at the silver Drev listening quietly from behind, “And i’m assuming you are some sort of Kung Fu master…. Dating a Drev and all.”

“Official battle partners , actually.”

Adam raised an eyebrow, “You mean you’ve challenged-”

“Challenged him to the right of unarmed combat. Yes I did. You sure know a lot about Drev culture.”

“You forget, I am Sentinel of a Drev clan, and I spent a couple months training with one of the clans on Anin.:

The man grinned, “But yes to answer your question. I am a…. Sort of well known here on Noctropolis…. MMA fighter, though I also dabble in the use of medieval weapons.”

“Adam only had a little trouble believing that this overly talkative man could probably kick him six ways to sunday, but it seemed strange with his strong but silent type Drev partner who seemed just happy to listen and sip at his juice.

The Bar tender came back with a pink smoothie that Adam was sure had so much rum in it he wasn’t going to be able to feel his legs tomorrow, but it tasted pretty good and it included a crazy straw, so he was happy enough.

The man he had just been speaking to grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to his feet, “Come on, you need to come meet the others, they will be so excited to see you.”

He was tugged to his feet and went only a little hesitantly.

Sunny fell back and began talking with the silver Drev rapid fire.

He was dragged across the open floor to where a group of them was sitting around a low table.

A woman in a nicely recessed suit was sitting with her chin on her hands staring intently at the board.

A few rolls of the dice, and the little black-furred Tesraki stood feet on the table and pointed at her, “HA I win, eat your heart out sweetheart.”

“Not fair, if you hadn’t put hotels on the boardwalk, i would OWN your furry ass.”

The Tesraki waggled his ears at her 

Adam couldn't help but bark out a laugh, “Are you playing monopoly…. Isn’t that dangerous to play if you want your relationship in tact?”

The Tesraki turned to look at him, walked across the table and then fell back into the arms of the wall dressed woman, looking rather smug as she wrapped her arms around him, “Not likely, human.” He patted the woman’s cheek, “my muse is one of the shrewdest business minds this side of the galaxy, and nothing is more attractive than pitting one financial mind against another.”

She stroked the fur on the top of his head.

Adam smiled but shook his head, looking around the room to where the others were staring at him.

He  leared his throat, “uh….hi…. Sorry to intrude we just….”

That is when the cheers started up and he was pulled into the group with the others. He shook a bunch of hands before things settled back down. 

A finnari and a human were curled up across the circle. 

Silver drev and his battle partner were holding hands just to their right, and Adam was feeling a little more than awkward sitting, back straight hands clasped politely before him like he was sitting at church.

“Forgive me for asking, Admiral. I know it might be a sensitive subject, but everyone here in the clubhouse know each other, and we…. Well we have been wondering for a while. Well, we know you are supportive of us, of course, but we wonder if maybe you have other…. Reasons.” They glanced at Sunny

He felt his neck turn red, and tried to cover it by pulling his jacket up.

He glanced at Sunny and she leaned in to speak to him, “I think you should tell them.”

HE frowned at her.

“Just hear me out before you shoot it down. “I know you're stressed trying to keep it secret, and these people have a code of conduct. They won’t tell anyone. I just think it would be good to get it off our chests for once to people who will finally understand.”

He could see her point of course, but still. He wasn’t sure. Just thinking about saying it oud-loud was causing his chest to tighten up a bit. He had been fighting to hide this for a while now, and it was sort of just habit.

The group stared at him.

Hopeful expressions almost. 

They were waiting for him.

But how was it that despite being with Sunny, he didn’t feel like one of them. The guilt was enough to galvanise him into action. He cleared his throat and sat up “well, not when I made the speech to the GA, no….”

They seemed to wilt.

“But,”

They all lifted their heads in anticipation, “I….. Sunny and I are….. Dating.”

The word fell from his lips like a led weight. His head felt suddenly light, and the room around them burst into sound and color as the group of them rose to their feet cheering. Someone slapped him on the back. 

He could barely hear.

“Feels good doesn’t it, to finally say something to people who understand. DRINKS FOR EVERYONE!”

The group was smiling and laughing, “Come on, you don’t have to hide here.:

“Hold her hand!”

“Yeah.”

He caved, even though his hand was shaky and slick with sweat.

More cheering 

He felt as if he was drunk, or drugged. As if he had stepped out of himself. Inside his stomach churned and swarmed with insects.

“Kiss her.” Someone else urged.

The group laughed, but took up the call. Blushing like red as a cherry he leaned up and gave her a quick kiss on the bheek before sitting back down.

Thanks for them, they sensed his nervousness and backed off.

Sunny hummed with pleasure.

He still felt lightheaded.

He could hear them talking but wasn’t sure what about.

Eventually Sunny got up with one of the other drev, and the two of them stepped over to a circle on the floor to have a friendly contest with spears.

Adam was left alone.

The partner of the Drev Sunny was fighting came to sit next to him looking over at the circle, “Pretty amazing aren't they….. Beautiful.”

He nodded lethargically before, “Can I…. make a confession?”

The group was interested and leaned in, he felt their eyes on him. He rubbed the back of his neck, “I… I really do…. Thank you all for… the encouragement but…. well . I have to admit that I….I’ve never really…. Felt like one of you.”

They seemed surprised but were interested to listen.

“What do you mean?”

“I…. well…. This is going to sound strange, but I’m not….. Actually…. Attracted to aliens.”

They stared at him confused.

He sighed and shook his head, “It's… complicated.”

“We’re listening.”

“I…. it's not the fact that she’s a Drev….. I would love Sunny if she were a Tesraki, or a Finnari, or a human. I’m not attracted to Drev as a hole, but Sunny….just Sunny. That’s it she’s the only one.”

There was silence for a moment, and for a second he thought he had offended them, but then.

“Aww, that’s so sweet.”

“I understand.”

“Yeah I can see that, but either way you are more than welcome here.”

He was surprised, and after that little exchange, he relaxed a little and smiled, taking a sip of his pink smoothie using his crazy straw.

Sunny was right, it did feel a little better to get off his chest.

And for Sunny, things felt better as well. Finally she had someone she could share with about humans. At one point the aliens and humans split off into groups, the humans living on nostalgic childhood games meant to cause pain.

Sunny sat with the others.

“And the mood swings with humans.” Someone was saying.

“Tell me about it. They go from angry to cuddly to horny in about two seconds flat.”

Sunny snorted, “Can’t say I’ve seen the last one, but the first two, yeah it's a bit of a roller coaster. No wonder they’re always exhausted.”

“Really, you’ve never seen the third one.”

“Adam is a bit…. Shy I think, It’ll probably take him a while.”

“Well you are in for a surprise when he does. Humans are a bit insane.”

One of the Drev huffed, “That’s a good thing I’d say.”

The group laughed and then, “Ok but does anyone else’s human get angry when they are hungry?”

A chorus of yesses.

Sunny sighed, “Oh yes, when your human is 6,2 and 210 lbs and often forgets to eat because he’s so busy. It is a common occurrence. Then he will try to argue with me when I go to feed him that he doesn't have time and he's stressed, and I tell him that he will feel better when he eats, but NO I’m the crazy one.”

One of the Tesraki smiled, “I find there are a few ways to remedy this. Number one, is that I have stashed snacks in all the vehicles and locations that we own. Barring that, I make it a habit to hide currency in her pockets so when she randomly finds a credit it makes her day. She doesn’t know I do this.”

Sunny smiled, “I have a friend who is a doctor, and he once made me read a paper about a human scientist Pavlov, who talked about conditioning, that if you associate certain stimuli with others you can cause a specific reaction. So I make sure to play this one very specific song when we spend time together or cuddle or something, so when he’s stressed  I discreetly turn it on,and either he relaxes or he comes to me for comfort.”

The group ohed at her genius and she felt rather smug.

That was until loud laughter rang out across the room, and the group of them turned to see humans standing on the bar… or specifically one human standing on the bar dancing stupidly.

She sighed, “yep, that one is mine.”

It was good to see him loosen up at little though and he was more than happy to be dragged around by her. She even forced him to come dance with her, and some of the others joined in. Flashing lights and bodies pressed tight together in a semi darkness. Aliens and humans.

All that while the humans were slowly getting drunker.

Thought that all lead to an impromptu karaoke session with most of the humans singing horrible off tune in their drunken state.

Interesting how humans could suddenly become so bad at speaking when drunk.

Adam did pretty well though for someone who got dared to sing Burning Love, which he did pretty well despite sounding absolutely nothing like Elvis -- though to be honest, Sunny wasn’t a big fan of Elvis anyway and preferred Adam’s version. But that might also have been for the eye contact he held with her on occasion, allowing her to think maybe the song was for her.

A fact that made her secretly very happy.

Adam got more socially confident when he was drunk.

It seemed odd to her that he could be such an extroverted person who was very charismatic some times, but in other situations he could barely string two words together.

Either way, looking around at other people’s humans she couldn't help but be a bit smug. Yeah sure their humans were fit, but her human was the best. In her opinion, he had the brightest UV stripes, the prettiest eyes, and the nicest smile. Not to mention that she would bet money he could win in a fight against the other humans . 

Unbeknownst to her, a similar conversation was happening across the room with the humans, accept it was out loud.

“I mean she’s fine, my boy is the best.”

Adam snorted, “Please, gold eyes and carapace the color of blue lightning. You can’t compete.”

“Mine is taller..”

“Mine is more huggable. The perfect height ratio, but have fun bringing a step stool around with you.”

“Don’t need one when he can pick me up.”

“She can pick me up too, so your point is irrelevant.”

He leaned back against the table, his voice slightly slurred as he stared across the room at her, where she was standing, demonstrating some sort of spear move to one of the other Drev.

His voice grew serious, “No woman, no Drev, no alien can compete with the sheer power, and grace. She is a phenomenal warrior, loyal…. Everything that is perfect.”

There was a pause, and then they all burst into a fit of drunken giggling.

By the end of the night most of the humans were passed out, or close to it. And the sober aliens walked over to collect their fallen human from the scattered bodies.

Someone ave Sunny a key, “Rooms upstairs.”

She nodded and thanked the bartender as she reached down and hoisted Adam up with her lower arms under his. He was probably going to have an intense hangover tomorrow, but now he looked rather peaceful in his sleep.

She waved at the other Drev doing the same thing to their humans. Occasionally helping one of the FInnari or Tesraki with a human that was too heavy.

She went upstairs and flopped him down on a bed. He didn’t wake up, but smiled in his sleep. She crawled up to lay next to him. She was glad that he had been able to relax. She had hoped finally admitting it to someone would help.

To be fair, she needed it too.

More than most could know.

[emily-the-fae]

Sound of a Heartbeat

Part 3. Back to Business

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Here I am, back with a new chapter. I have absolutely no betas, so this is what I get after editing the text myself.

Pairing: Dracula x OC

Warnings: absolutley none

What Shari did not expect, was to feel cold - in fact, there was now extremely unpleasant cold at her back and something burning warm and soft at her side, the juxtaposition making her shiver and move her shoulders. As soon as she did so, sharp pain shot through the left side of her neck, causing her to flinch and groan, straightening her shoulders carefully as not to evoke another shot of pain. Why-why-why does this have to sting so much all over again? Shari could hear some sounds around her - noises like obscured quiet dialogue, the voices were still undetectable, but she already had a hint of who they might belong to. Next there was a raspy sound of someone's - or something's - quick breathing right next to her ear. Light struck her eyes through closed eyelids, causing her to turn her head, wincing. There was a sound of footsteps coming closer. Some other noise, getting louder by second, until she finally heard...

- Shari! - as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Sypha leaning above her, anxious face watching her reaction carefully, strands of red hair falling in front of her eyes.

Shari bolted upwards, nearly bumping into the speaker and instantly regretting it as sharp pain shot through her body, she bent forward, almost folding in half, then straightened up again, taking deep breaths. Alright, easy. This is what surviving feels like. She was going to live for now. Shari looked around: she was laying on the snowy forest floor next to a campfire, her body covered with a warm cape; the wood opening was lit in dim daylight, Sypha was crouching on the ground next to her, Adrian and Trevor staring at her from across the campfire; Rodo crawled closer, putting his muzzle onto her lap and wagging his short tail happily, his nose poking her belly.

She caressed his big furry head absentmindedly. Shari did not understand how the hell she managed to make it back, especially considering her health condition. She was expecting anything, but home sweet home among the three friends on the other side of the water.

Something moved on the edge of her peripheral vision, between the trunks of the trees and Shari had to turn her shoulders fully in order to keep her neck as immobile as possible, as she tried to look in the direction of the movement. She saw a shadowy figure of the ghost stare at her, hovering immobile close to the edge of the trees. Oh, Lisa Tepes is not going to leave her alone now. She knew Shari would survive, somehow the damned woman just knew it. Now the healer could be sure the ghost will stick to her for some time and continue the scheme of "go and save the world". A very pleasant beginning of the day.

- Lord, it's so good that you're back. We seriously thought that we might lose you, - Sypha threw her arms around Shari's neck, for the time being taking the healer's thoughts off her new acquaintance. - I tried all I could, you know, magic and other stuff... Adrian almost suggested turning you, - Shari snorted. Like hell he would have.

- How long was I...?

- Three days, - Sypha's face was probably as pale as her own. The poor girl must have done all she was capable of to keep Shari alive.

- To be honest, I am quite surprised that my father didn't finish what he started, but I am anyway relieved, that you are well, - Adrian walked up to her and petted her shoulder. - I'm so sorry we weren't there to help you straight away.

- It's fine, Adrian, we couldn't have predicted that he would pay us a visit. It's not anybody's fault, - no it is. My own and yours too, it was a dumb idea to leave the most battle-unprepared person alone. Shari shut the voice in her head and smiled weakly.

Trevor just nodded from across the fire, listening to their exchange; he watched the three of them, his gaze from time to time drifting back to Shari, or rather to the reddened patch on her neck. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if hesitant to speak, then finally spilled it out:

- How did he attack you? How did he find us? Did he speak? – the hunter started throwing questions at her and Shari got a strong feeling of being interrogated.

- I-I don't know, - Shari almost lied, throwing a cautious glance at Lisa. - He just, sort of, appeared and attacked me that's mostly it.

- He probably watched us. She was alone, so he decided to weaken us by removing the one left vulnerable, - Adrian finished, lowering himself on the ground next to the healer. Shari didn't want to respond, dropping herself to her improvised bed in exhaustion.

- You must be more or less right. That night is a bit foggy in my memory, really, - she huffed.

- He has a nasty habit of putting his victims under hypnosis, so your condition is quite - I almost said normal - quite to be expected I dare say, - Adrian mumbled matter-of-factedly, his palm coming up to caress her head and brush away a few stray strands of hair from her face. Shari felt her stomach turn in fear at the word "victims", she breathed out heavily. Silence followed.

- Guys, seriously, I feel drained... - Shari stretched as well as she could; Sypha snorted at her involuntary pun. - Can I please just rest for a while?

- Of course. Take your time and gain some strength. You'll need it soon, - Adrian spoke before anyone could respond. He stretched out his hand to take her palm in his for a moment, capturing her attention. - You deserve some rest. Thank you... For not dying on us. Really, - his tone began to be uncharacteristically serious, but as he ended his words in a chuckle, Shari could only breath out and smile warmly. Sypha just nodded and hurried to cover her once more with the large warm cape - the healer wasn't sure if it was Adrian's of Trevor's.

Shari lay back in peace for once, feeling Rodo's large warm form next to herself and letting the sounds of the forest wash over her. Maybe she could at least get some normal sleep.

***

When she woke up the next time, it was already deep in the night. The fire was burning low, Sypha and Trevor sleeping soundly on the ground around it, curled into two freezing balls, an empty bottle next to Trevor's hand - as per usual - and Adrian nowhere to be seen. Rodo purred in discontent, shaking his sleepy red eyed head, when Shari tried to sit up.

There was a shadow at the edge of the trees once again watching the small campsite intently; Shari could see it clearly its outline hiding behind the tree trunks. Lisa. The woman caught her gaze and beckoned her to come closer. Shari shook her head at first, but the woman only continued gesturing more aggressively; she hesitated for a while, contemplating whether she should just turn on her side and go back to sleep, then stood up at last almost against her own will, walking up to the ghost cautiously, ready for any unpleasant surprise. She felt like she was going to regret even this small decision.

Lisa, seeing her move, turned away and walked further into the tree shadows, leading the human away from the campfire; Shari could barely follow her transparent form, walking through the bushes careful not to make too much noise that could awaken her unaware companions. Rodo ran behind his human, smelling the air around him for any traces of life, his huge claws making him clumsy as he trotted through the bushes. At first Shari could barely see her way, cursing under her breath as she went until all of a sudden she found herself in an opening once more, a small free patch of ground formed around an old fallen tree, it's darkened trunk laying on the ground and clearing some space around it; Shari saw the ghost settle on top of the trunk as if sitting down on a bench, gesturing for the human to do the same. Shari walked closer and lowered herself next to the woman. It was silent for a few moments.

- Did you really have to do that? - Shari spoke up.

- Do what? - Lisa responded.

- Appear to me. Rush my decisions.

- I didn't. In fact, I tried to tell you to think it over, if you remember?

- Oh yes, you didn't intimidate me with the prospects of returning to Earth straight for a painful fight, - sarcasm it is.

- I needed you to be out here.

Silence once more.

- Why don't they see you? Adrian and others - you were there in the morning, but they didn't notice. Are you just a hallucination? In my head? I’m going insane, am I? - Shari asked. The ghost sighed in response, lowering her head.

- No, no. I believe, you... Crossed some border because of almost dying. You aren't supposed to be seeing me now, it never happened to me before... Maybe you are able to see the other dead too. Maybe it's just me because I tried to connect to you, - Lisa answered, unconfident, studying the girl's face. - I was never exactly an expert in the paranormal field.

- You raised a vampire son.

- That's different!

Pause.

- I'm still not going to go looking for Dracula, - Shari stated.

- You can go looking for his castle instead then, - Lisa was seemingly unworried about her decision.

- Looking for his castle?! Do you even hear yourself? How is that supposed to be "instead"? How.. Wait, why?

- Well, as you said, you want to hold onto your life - he has the answer to your sickness, your salvation - I know, I remember, I've been to his library - if you manage to find the castle, you will as well find the cure, - Lisa smiled knowingly at Shari's visible confusion. The healer wrinkled her nose, thinking. Now there was something to it – could be possible; a chance for longer survival, if the stories didn’t lie; besides Dracula is quite busy and Lisa had told her she watched over him. But still...

- Oh no, I'm not buying this. You're just telling this to me, because you want me to encounter him. He very obviously will be there and will certainly be not happy about a human intruder. I won't go, nope, - Shari replied.

- Don't you think it's the better option of not encountering him? - there was a smirk on the ghost's face now.

- Oh, yes, why would that be?

- He's following you four around, he said it himself, so he will definitely notice you are still alive and quite soon. But I do know he is not as often in his castle nowadays - so if you leave the others, in fact, you will have better chances of...

- Alright, alright, Lady Logic, I get it. What's in it for you then? Making me search the castle? Sounds all too good for me and nothing for you, as you place it. What do you have in mind?- Shari stared at the ghost suspiciously, waiting for the answer.

- His castle and all its movement is controlled only from the inside, I know it for sure. And maybe, just maybe, together we could find a way to reverse this war with minimum blood. If we find a way to stick the castle to one place, he will have to be more careful, because his safe place will grow more vulnerable. As for Adrian and your team out there – they wouldn’t be able to ambush him. Drawn in that condition they may have more time and necessity to… reconsider some of their tactics. Who says diplomacy should work without a little destructive help? You and I – together we can create the needed mess, - Lisa responded. This sounded almost like a rehearsed speech. - Magic and knowledge: if you help it may actually work out.

- And that's all? - Shari raised an eyebrow.

- Yes.

- Too simple.

- Only on speech, - Lisa tilted her head towards Shari. - Do we have a deal?

- I don't trust you, - Shari cut back. - You're nice and all, but I don't trust you, - she stood up from the tree trunk.

- You don't have to. But we need each other, you have to admit it, - the ghost responded with an amused smile. Shari really wanted to shut her ears and run away. This was no good. There was no way the ghost wasn't lying about Dracula deserting his castle; Adrian said he wouldn't... Though Adrian didn't expect him to be watching them either.

- Okay. Say I do trust you – for now. What do I do? How do I get away and to his castle without Adrian?

- Leave tomorrow. Tell them you need to go and settle some personal matter – or rest somewhere peaceful, that you know of a small village to rest in for a while. That you're sick and solving it - it's not far from the truth. You'll catch up with them in some time… possibly, - Lisa told it all as if she had planned the whole thing a long time ago, which unnerved Shari quite a lot.

- Will I though? - mistrust once again.

- Depends on you, - the ghost dissolved into thin air. - Remember, we both need each other.

[just-horrible-things]

Caution for: a little gore and body horror

---

Atna

Between the encampment palisades and the edge of the forest is a cleared zone, empty as a fresh page. The smooth expanse of fallen snow belies the broken earth beneath. Dusk gathers, and the first gusts of the night wind moan in the trees. A weary figure trudges out from the treeline. Without skis to spread her weight, she ploughs through snow up to her thighs. The makeshift sled behind her is heavy, laden with an unmistakably human form.

The call goes up from the sentries, and the figure -- dark against the snow and featureless in the gloom -- stops to wave her arms in response. The dogs, loosed, run out to greet her, barking up a storm. They race across the open snow only to prance around her, throwing up great white plumes. When she continues her slog, they race back and forth ahead of her, churning the snow unhelpfully in their enthusiasm.

Two more soldiers emerge from the gates to meet their returning comrade partway. "Captain!" the scout calls in acknowledgement. She is too weary to salute. "What happened?" the Captain demands. "This man is hurt, his ankle is broken." "Where is Ionas?" "He's not here? He was just ahead of me --" "You split up? Vanei, scrip, are you stupid?" The scout does not hang her head. "He went ahead to warn you! We only split at the brook."

As the Captain approaches the sled with lamplight, she examines the injured man. His furs are strange, bound close against his body. Beneath the coat of snow thrown up by the dogs, they are marbled dark and light like no animal she has ever seen.  In place of hat and scarf he wears a hood made from a single length of fur wound around head and neck and crossed over itself until only his eyes are visible. "Atna," the Captain breathes. 

She rounds angrily on the scout. "Dellie, what are you thinking?" "He can't walk. Nightfall would have killed him! He's done us no harm, we couldn't just--" "You split up, broke with orders, and endangered yourself and your partner for this? You know as well as I do that the forest isn't safe. Ionas may be dead already. I hope this atna's life is worth his!" "I'll go back," Dellie promises, "It's not far, I'll follow his tracks –" "You will do no such thing. You need decontamination. And I'll not have anyone else touch the atna. You're both going into quarantine immediately. If Ionas lives, he'll be joining you. Come on, hurry now. Did any of the dogs touch him?"

By the time the little party reaches the gate, a small crowd has gathered to see the atna. At the Captain's angry words they salute and disperse. But a handful of the scrips make themselves busy very nearby, and trail carefully after as the injured man is dragged to the quarantine tent.

"Stoke the fire," the Captain orders Dellie. "You're shaking like a fish, and he can't be any better. Once it's warm enough you will strip him and burn everything. Be sure to check his mouth. Yourself as well -- strip to your underthings and burn the rest." "I barely touched –" "Don't argue with me, scrip. You handled him enough to tie him to your skis. Everything burns." "This is my only coat." "You'll have another from the stores." "My mother made it!" "Then you should have been more careful with it! This is not up for discussion. Who knows what contagion he might be carrying?" Dellie's shoulders slump. "Yes, Captain." "Move then, hurry it up!"

The inside of the tent is warmer than the outside air, but not by a lot. In the large central fireplace, the coals burn low. No one has been using the tent, so the fire is tended only often enough to keep the fire alive. Dellie brushes the snow off the atna and herself, then parks the sled close to the fire and starts raking out ashes in preparation to pile on more fuel. The man is silent and still, and Dellie could almost forget he's there as she shovels coal and fans the fire to life.

But as the flames begin to take and the fire breathes in in earnest, he finally speaks. Dellie almost drops the poker in her surprise. His voice is low, and she thinks tight with pain and stress, but it is hard to decipher tone through the foreign sounds and the muffling of the fur over his face. "I don't understand you," she tells him uselessly.

She can guess that he might want to be untied, and she can't imagine that he's any danger to her in his current state. So she sets the poker back on its stand and crouches beside him to start undoing buckles. It's warm enough now to take off her gloves, which makes the whole process easier. The atna lies still even once the straps are removed, but he speaks again and it could be gratitude.

Dellie spends a little longer fanning the flames and nudging the coals around. It's not often she gets to bring a fire to a roaring blaze like this, but the injured man is an excuse to bring the temperature of the tent up to a heat like she hasn't been able to enjoy in months. She shrugs out of her coat to soak up more of the fire's glow, letting it seep through her shivering flesh and lift the cold from her bones.

Her orders are to burn the coat, but she folds it out of habit and lays it across the bench beside her gloves. Her eyes skim over the familiar curls of her mother's embroidery. Her heart twists at the thought of destroying it. She turns away.

Crouching beside the atna, she takes a deep breath. His eyes are shockingly green, brighter in the firelight than they were in the shade of the trees. They watch her steadily. "Come on then," she sighs, more to herself than to him. He doesn't fight her as she sits him up, but he doesn't cooperate much either. He makes a low, breathless sound that could mean anything at all.

Dellie leans him against her body as she searches for the fastenings of his clothes to start undressing him. Layers cross over layers and she isn't sure where to begin. There's no buttons, only the many lengths of leather thonging that hold the furs against his body. She chooses a knot at random and starts to pick it undone. The atna lifts one shaking hand to stop her. His eyes, very close to hers, crinkle in a smile, and he reaches for a different knot instead. Dellie watches his gloved fingers grope clumsily at the hanging tail of the cord, then reaches hesitantly to drop. He lets his hand drop. 

The knot unravels easily with a simple tug. He says another incomprehensible thing, then indicates two more knots for her to undo. When the third loosens Dellie can suddenly see how to unfold the furs. With his cooperation, she peels them off his body.

Underneath the outer layer, his clothes are shockingly vibrant. Pink and blue like summer flowers mingle and flow together. The fabric is thin and clinging and seems to be his only layer beneath the fur. No wonder he was freezing so fast. Dellie lays him back on the sled -- it'll do as a bed for now, while he needs to be as close to the fire as possible -- and gets to her feet. Clumsily he begins to unwind the wrap from around his head and neck, while Dellie inspects the garment she's just taken off him.

She can't really call it a coat. It looks like nothing more than a collection of fur scraps fastened together at odd angles. It seems as though it should fall apart in her hands into patches and cords, but it holds the shape of his arms and upper torso remarkably well. It reminds her of holding an animal skin. Not all the patches are of the same fur, but there's a kind of haphazard elegance to it. It didn't come together this way by accident, but by some exotic design.

She bundles it up and throws it into the fire.

The atna gives a strangled yell and lurches forwards. He's so weak still that he can barely push himself up to sitting. As he tries to get his good leg under him, he pitches forwards towards the flames. Dellie yelps and grabs him to pull him back, but he squirms with remarkable vigour, hands grabbing in the air as she wrestles him away from the flames. "You -- moron -!" she squeaks over the babble of his strange language "-- do you want to burn --!?"

He fights her for a couple of seconds more, then stops. The stink of burning hair fills the air. She lets go only tentatively, half expecting him to throw himself back at the fire. He glowers up at her, panting, then starts talking again. Dellie doesn't understand a word. But she gets the distinct impression that he's cursing at her. "I'm sorry!" she snaps. "I don't like it any more than you do. But it's going to happen whether you like it or not!"

She grabs at the head-wrap in his hands, and he pulls it closer against his chest. "Dja!" he growls, and that's one word Dellie does know. No. "Yes," she hisses back. "Dja!" Her hand snaps forwards and manages to catch a fistful of fur, but he rolls away from her and she loses her grip. The fur is trapped under his body as he lays sprawled on the canvas floor, glaring daggers at Dellie.

"Is everything alright in there?" calls a voice from the door-flap. "Yes," Dellie grouches. "He doesn't want me to burn his clothes." "No surprise there." Mannel ducks into the tent just far enough to see. "Can you handle it?" "Yeah I think so." "Well, I brought new clothes. Don't touch them until you're both decontaminated." "I know, I know." He leaves the thick bundle on the side beside the door, ducks back out, and returns a second later with a second bundle. "Good luck in there," he chuckles. "Call for backup if you need it."

Dellie sighs dramatically. She looks at her unwilling charge, still face down and looking fit to kill her if he could only get up. "We saved your life, you know." He says nothing.

Dellie stomps over to the bench where she left her coat and gloves. "Look," she says, picking the gloves up. "It's not just your stuff." She chucks them one at a time into the fire to join the shrivelling husk of the atna's garment. The wild-coloured fur has burned away, but the leather is reluctant to catch. The smell of char intensifies as the fire finds the furry insides of the gloves.

The man is staring at Dellie with naked incomprehension. It takes the hard edges off his anger and leaves him looking lost and vulnerable. Dellie holds her hands out for the fur. "Come on," she coaxes, "It has to happen." "Dja," he growls, and starts blabbering again.

Patience exhausted, she resorts to force. He is still weak from the cold and he has a broken ankle. The conclusion is foregone. He fights her as she wrestles the fur wrap off him. He lashes out with fists and elbows. He tries to headbutt her. He even bites like a feral animal, sinking his teeth into the sleeve of Dellie's jacket hard enough that she cries out with pain as well as surprise. She feels fewer compunctions after that about pinning him until he hollers.

Inevitably, the fur goes into the fire to join the rest.

Dellie starts to worry about putting too much on at once and smothering it. But the first piece is smouldering now and starting to burn away. The stench is enough to make her gag, but the smoke exits through the top of the tent and they will not choke on it. It just feels like she might.

Between the fire and the exertion, she is starting to get over-warm. She peels her fur trousers off and adds them reluctantly to the pyre, then paces to the edge of the tent to cool off a little while the fire chews through their clothing. She thinks about taking her jacket off too. But she can still see the indentations of tooth-marks in the leather.

Piercing green eyes watch her with suspicion. When she is still for a little while, the atna pushes himself carefully up to sitting. But he doesn't try anything else. Dellie returns to the fire, scrapes away the ashes and adds a few more coals. She looks at the coat that her mother stitched for her. She looks at the atna. "I should have left you to die," she grumbles.

He fights her again as she peels off the rest of his furs, but the fight goes out of him when she has to pull them over that broken ankle. He holds still so that she can go gently, and contents himself with lowering blackly at her while she unlaces the cords and threads his foot out from the furs. He is silent, this time, as his clothing goes into the fire. Dellie dares to hope that he's done with making this difficult for her. But when she comes back for the rest of his clothes he gets frantic again.

His struggles are outright frenzied as Dellie tries to pull his colourful shirt over his head. His voice pitches up through anger into desperation. She has to sit on him to stop him pulling away. He shrieks like a rabbit and bites her again and again. He was so human just a minute ago, but now he is every bit the wild thing that she knows the atna are.

"What's going on in here?" "Captain," Dellie answers breathlessly, still wrestling with him. "He's -- fighting me, Captain!" "Do you need support?" "I can handle it -- I think!" She gets the fabric over his face and at least it stops him biting. "I'm not sure!" "I'll have someone standing by."

The colourful shirt is firmly caught around both arms, and he will not relent. Dellie gives up, grabs the knife off her belt, and starts cutting into the fabric where it's pulled taut. He jerks sideways and the knife slips, scoring a shallow line up his arm. He shrieks again. Cursing, Dellie lets go of his arms. He pulls the shirt down off his head immediately, and freezes when he sees the knife. "Stop fighting me," she snarls.

Miraculously, he does hold still while she slices the shirt clean up the back. His eyes are wide and wild, his lips pulled back from his teeth as if he's more dog than man. But he holds still. Dellie cuts the sleeves off him too, and drags the rags out from under his body. He doesn't make it any easier for her, but he doesn't fight it either.

The brief spell of cooperation breaks the instant she takes the knife to the waist of his leggings.

"You animal," Dellie curses him as he struggles underneath her. She has to drop the knife for fear of cutting him. He wails and babbles and snarls, and she pins him with a knee on his bare back and strips him like a recalcitrant toddler. There is laughter from the door-flap, where her promised reinforcements form an audience of two.

When she finally has both his leggings and his boots off, the atna scrambles away as if afraid for his life, dragging the broken ankle behind him. He cowers against the back wall of the tent while Dellie straightens her clothes in a huff. Into the flames the last of his clothing goes.

"You rescued a wild animal, Dellie," Alan laughs. "What did you think was going to happen?" "I should have left him," she agrees. "Maybe his own kind would have come back for him, like with baby birds." "That would have saved me a whole lot of trouble. Ugh, the Captain wants me to search his mouth -- he'll bite my fingers off! Can't we get one of the dog trainers in here?"

As she approaches, the atna does indeed bare his teeth at her again. He curls up a fraction tighter. "I really don't know if I can do this without help," Dellie confesses. He's more lively now than he was, and she isn't as confident. "Decontaminate first," Mannel suggests, "then I'll come in and help." "You lazy bastard," Alan accuses. "You just want to get out of work."

Shaking her head, Dellie returns to the hearth and strips down. Her jacket goes into the fire. Her boots she sets aside. They didn't touch the atna -- maybe she can keep them if they go through quarantine and nothing grows. Her socks go into the fire. Her leggings she will burn, but she leaves them on the bench for the moment, lest she smother the flames.

The Captain only said she had to strip down to underthings. She could keep her shift and hose. But Dellie thinks about sharp seeds burrowing into fabric, lying dormant waiting for the host to sleep. She shivers, and peels off the woollen things too.

There's a barrel of carbolic among the stacked supplies. Dellie ladles it liberally over herself, making sure to soak her hair to the roots and to rub it into her skin from top to toe. It itches on the skin, and even in the growing heat of the tent she will be cold with wet skin. But it eases Dellie's nerves to know that it is killing any foreign germs that the atna has left on her skin. She fills a bucket, and hauls it over to the atna.

The brief reprieve hasn't calmed him down at all. He snaps his teeth fiercely and balls his hands into fists. Dellie stops a pace short of his reach, casts a rueful glance at her thoroughly amused backup, and takes a deep breath. Then she throws the content of the bucket over him.

The atna sputters and gasps, anger momentarily displaced by shock. He goggles up at Dellie. "Wash with it," she tells him slowly, miming rubbing her own skin like she was a moment ago. "Dja," he refuses. "Look. You wash yourself," she jabs her finger at him, "or I wash you."

He flinches back when she moves forward, and tries to hit her as she grabs his arm. She fends him off long enough to demonstrate rubbing the antiseptic into his skin. He pulls violently away from her. She lets go and watches bemusedly as he scoots frantically backwards along the tent wall away from her. "Wash," she orders him again. Very reluctantly, he puts his hands on his own arms and mimics her gesture. "That's right! Just like that. Thank fuck, he gets it."

She stomps off to refill the bucket. It's the last of the carbolic -- "Fetch me some more, would you?" -- but it should be enough. The atna flinches when she brings it close and turns his head away, eyes screwed shut in anticipation of another dousing. But this time she just sets it down on the canvas beside him. She dips her hand to demonstrate, and wets her hair a little more. He stares flatly at her, so she cups a palmful and splashes it over him. 

When she reaches to touch him again, he snaps out another quick sequence of syllables and pulls away. Dellie withdraws her hand, but she points firmly at the bucket. Reluctantly, he dips his hand in and wets his hair.

Every single step requires a similar level of prompting. Dellie demonstrates persistently. It's like he's never washed before, and perhaps he hasn't. Do atna bathe? Frequently she has to threaten to do it herself. She can't understand why he is so afraid. She itches to just get on with it. But so long as he will do it himself she won't force him. He seems so scared. 

He is particularly reluctant to uncurl, preferring to hide his belly behind his arms and legs wherever he can. When she prompts him to wash that area, he shuffles awkwardly round to put his back to her. "What's he hiding?" Mannel chirps from the door. "I can't tell. Get in here and help, and we'll find out." Mannel saunters in in no particular hurry. "Wow, it's hot in here," he remarks. "I hope you're not intending to keep it like this all week."

They corner the feral atna between them. He repeats his foreign no over and over. Dellie despairs of communicating. All his squirming and flailing is futile. Between the two of them they have no difficulty securing him. Mannel kneels behind the atna, holding his arms behind his back, while Dellie levers his legs down to expose his stomach.

"Vanei," Mannel gasps.

The skin of the atna's stomach is marred by a ragged-edged patch of brown the size of Dellie's palm. She takes it for mud at first glance, or perhaps a scabbed-over wound. But as she takes in the rippled texture, she realises that it is tree bark.

The atna takes advantage of her shock to wrest his legs out of her grip and curl up again, still babbling in his garbled foreign tongue. "What is that?" she wonders aloud. "I don't know." Mannel twists the man's arms harder to make him holler and stop trying to kick Dellie with his one good leg. "But it can't be anything good."

It only takes a brief tussle to pin him again. Dellie sits on his thighs as he shrieks his head off. "Shut up!" she yells back in his face. "Shut up shut up shut up!"

His frantic squirming stills momentarily as she brushes cautious fingers over the patch. Dellie can hear Alan at the door, explaining the situation to whoever is outside. Mannel nudges the bucket towards her with one knee, and she snaps out of her confusion. She splashes carbolic liberally over the whole area. Then she touches the bark again. It doesn't easily come away from his skin. "It's stuck," she informs Mannel. The atna's voice is low with a different kind of urgency as repeats "dja" again. But Dellie still can't understand another word of his jabbering. "Creepy," says Mannel.

Dellie forces her fingertips under the edge. The bark seems glued down, separating only stickily and reluctantly from the skin. There is warm wetness beneath, and Dellie jerks her hand back in surprise. The liquid is clear and colourless on her fingertips, both slicker and tackier than the carbolic. She grimaces at Mannel. Their unwilling patient's protests have taken on a fresh pleading tone. There's nothing to be done to reassure him. She prises the bark away from the skin carefully, sliding her fingers sideways beneath it to widen the gap. Near the centre there is heat, and the atna howls. Dellie falters. "Gods alive," she swears, "I think it's growing into him." "The poor fuck." "Just stay still," she tells the atna. "We can heal this. -- I hope." His struggles have grown weaker. He still pulls against Mannel's grip, but he is panting hard. His eyes are mad and inhuman.

There's nothing else for it. With her fingers far enough under the bark to get a solid grip, Dellie pulls. The atna convulses. His voice rises in another raw howl, climbing and climbing until it breaks. Red blood wells up and soaks her hands as the bark comes free. As she feared, it was not just stuck to his skin. As she pulls, a wet tangle of pale roots slides sickeningly out of his abdomen, dripping with his blood. The wound left behind is deep. Dellie stares in horror for a second, then lurches away as bile rises abruptly in her throat. She hears Mannel shouting for a medic as she empties her stomach. He sounds far away.

By the time the nausea has receded, the medic is already in the tent. The atna is on his back on the floor again, with Mannel's hands clamped over his abdomen. The firelight paints the scene in stark, dizzying colours.

The medic spots Dellie staring. "Get that abomination into the fire," she commands.

Dellie jumps to do as she's told, and the tent spins. She tries not to look at the blood-soaked mass of bark and pallid fibres as she grabs it one-handed. The slimy feel of it has her gagging continuously until she can cast it into the flame.

She turns back just in time to see the medic forcing something - probably concentrated carbolic - into the wound. The atna shudders and screeches. Dellie winces hard in sympathy, but the hard-faced woman isn't dissuaded. "Hold his legs," she orders.

Dellie starts forwards. The medic grabs a piece of white rag and shoves it firmly into the wound. The sight of the fabric disappearing into the man's belly turns Dellie's stomach again. She stumbles, as her limbs go limp. Darkness closes in, blotting out the sight of all the blood.  She barely feels herself fall.

[tev-the-random]

What it Ursa took her children with her? - Pt.2

As we were saying:

Little over year has passed since the family arrived in Hira’a, and fateful news gets to them: Ozai remarried. His new wife is someone who is honoured to marry the Firelord and doesn’t mind the fact that his head is so deep up his own arse- anyway, and they are expecting a child, who is to be the Firelord’s legitimate heir.

Azula’s hopes and dreams are shattered. At age ten, she is quite literally being replaced in her beloved father’s life. It’s like she’s never even existed, and she can’t help but wonder what she did wrong.

Zuko is also upset, of course. All those years when Ozai told him he was unfit and worthless come flooding back. But somehow, he already expected things to turn out like this. Unlike Azula, he wasn’t so deeply feeding on hopes that things would go back to normal. He sees it more as a situation that was out of everyone’s control.

He convinces Azula it’s not her fault, and these kids will still be trying to understand and defend their father later down the road. There must be a reason for all of this, right? They start thinking of a reasonable scenario…

Ursa just feels sorry for the poor woman who has to deal with Ozai now.

So we get a timeskip: about three years came and went. Zuko and Azula – treated as kids and not as weapons – lead a peaceful and happy life whenever they’re not thinking of their father and everything they could be doing out there.

They have become known local troublemakers in their spare time. Kids know better than to challenge them, people know not to leave flammable goods out in the open – a strict policy regarding fireworks has been established after a chaotic incident – and failure to keep an eye on them this one time led to… well, let’s just say that the town is still unsure of whether or not they’re is being haunted by evil spirits.

They aren’t allowed anywhere near Forgetful Valley, but bold of you to assume they never tried. In-jokes arise.

‘No, I’m serious: that tree’s face looked exactly like yours, Zuzu. You really should befriend it,’ Azula mocks, remembering a particularly ugly tree they encountered in their adventure.

‘Sorry, I wasn’t looking at it. I was busy looking for whoever it was that asked you,’ Zuko retorts. ‘Since Forgetful Valley has all the kinds of crazy stuff.’

‘Maybe we should go back and look for your impulse control, then.’

‘None of you are going back in there,’ Ursa reprehends. ‘It was very irresponsible of you. Forgetful Valley is a dangerous place, you could have gotten hurt!’

‘Your mother is right, you know?’ Noren comments. ‘I’ve been to that jungle before, and it’s definitely not a playground. But I swear…’ He makes a dramatic pause. ‘I once saw Ursa’s sense of humour in there.’

The kids burst out laughing while Ursa sighs. ‘Since you can find such amazing things in the valley, dear, why don’t you go back there and find yourself actual funny jokes? I’m sure my sense of humour will be around the same corner.’

*More laughter*

(IDK, I write crappy comedy, ok?)

They still have a bit of a hard time making friends. I wouldn’t say they are shy, but they definitely have a talent to say the wrong things at the wrong times, and it’s hard to make deep connections. Sure, they would play with other kids from time to time, but in the end, Zuko and Azula are each other’s best friend.

They’ve cleared an area by the beach that any Hira’a resident knows to stay away from when they’re training.

Azula discovered a great passion for theatre. Not only are her acting skills fantastic, she also seems to be naturally aware of what makes a good scene. People say she’s Noren’s Little Assistant.

She hates being called Noren’s Little Assistant. She would much rather be called Ursa’s Little Star, because goddamn is she a good actress and she needs everyone to know that.

Zuko is more of a plant-lover guy. Unfortunately, he hasn’t inherited his grandmother’s green thumb, and despite Ursa’s best efforts to teach him, it seems like everything he touches dies.

He has grown to show a way with animals, however. Any variety of frogs and toads love him; lizards of all kinds are attracted to him like he’s a magnet; furry animals big and small adore him and any type of bird-like creature seems to think he is the best human being in existence. But his favourite animals are still the turtleducks.

Back in the palace, Iroh eventually learns of Ozai’s bullshit and how he got the throne in the first place. And you know what? The time has come for Iroh to draw a line in the sand. He confronts his little brother, who confronts him back by telling him that, should he try to tell anyone in the Fire Nation the truth – that Ozai was a top-grade traitor who actually had no right to the throne –, no one would believe him. Since his brother won’t be sensible, Iroh decides that’s it: he’s fucking out.

Now a fugitive from the Fire Nation, he somehow winds up owning a lovely traveling tea shop called the Jasmin Dragon. Most people don’t even suspect he is the fearful Dragon of the West, because he’s just so nice?

You can bet he serves blends of tea from all across the nations.

The tea shop is also a good cover up for his exchanges with the Order of the White Lotus. He gives and receives information, and does his best to help villages to either defend themselves or evacuate during Fire Nation attacks.

One day a member of the White Lotus travels to Hira’a for one reason or another and finds Zuko and Azula. This person then sends a letter to Iroh.

Iroh comes to Hira’a to visit the family. He’s glad to see they’re ok, even if he can’t stay for too long. But long enough for some Quality Time – these kids have grown so much!

Iroh doesn’t know of Ursa’s part in Azulon’s assassination, and only assumes she knew of Ozai’s plan. But now, it’s time that her children learned a couple of things, and he is willing to teach them, so that when the time arrives for them to meet their destiny, they should be able to choose wisely and face whatever comes their way. So he asks the children to accompany him in his travels.

Ursa doesn’t want to let them go. They’re children, they should be here living a peaceful life, not meeting some grand, dangerous destiny! What if something horrible happened to them?

Iroh understands the pain of losing a child. He doesn’t want to make Ursa spend her time worrying about losing two, so he respects her decision and soon leaves the town.

But the siblings are not about to just sit here when they know they’re destined for something greater. What incredible knowledge did their uncle hold? Did their father have something to do with this? They always knew there was more to their fate than just living in Hira’a for the rest of their lives, and this is their chance; it’s now or never.

Zuko and Azula are about to sneak out and follow Iroh when Noren spots them. But instead of trying to stop them – he is well aware that he can’t – he gives them two masks and some advice about never forgetting who they were.

Why yes, I am saying that they eventually take the masks and become partners in crime, Zuko as the Blue Spirit and Azula as the Red Spirit, because parallels.

They catch up with their uncle and adventures and shenanigans issue as Zuko, Azula and Iroh cross the Earth Kingdom.

Now imagine this trio: two of the most awkward firebending teenagers travelling with their old tea-loving uncle, who spits proverbs like he’s made of them. The possibilities for both hilarious and heart-warming moments are endless.

Iroh thinks himself a matchmaker. Whenever he thinks he sees some romance going on, he encourages his nephew or niece to make a move. His flaming cupid arrows do more damage than good, yet he only has good intentions at heart. Teens all around the kingdom encourage you to stop, sir.

Their new life is even more humbling than in Hira’a, since they are constantly travelling. But they manage, and they know their uncle is nothing but wise… even if Azula is still quite arrogant and manipulative, and Zuko is impatient and hot-headed, which can lead to a lot of conflict.

Iroh teaches them both how to create and redirect lightning. Zuko is better at redirecting than Azula. Creating it, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated, and both of them get their fair share of explosions while learning. Neither of them really gets a hang of it – although Azula is better at it than Zuko, that’s not saying much – for they still have a lot of identity-related turmoil inside them that won’t let them grasp the energy.

Guess who else teaches them? Other members of the White Lotus. Both Zuko and Azula get some swordsmanship Skills™ from Piandao, some different (and somewhat unwillingly taught) firebending technics from Jeong-Jeong and a lot of things from Bumi, including but not limited to: creative thinking, the art of patience, strategic planning, dealing with pirates and a surprising amount of rocks-related knowledge.

Bumi adopted Zuko and Azula and gave himself the role of Second Uncle. You cannot convince me otherwise.

So one day, little over a year after the siblings joined Iroh, they wind up in a city where this big circus is performing. Uncle Iroh decides to take his niece and nephew to see it. And oh, aren’t they surprised by who they see performing?

Even though Ty Lee was essentially the only one between her sisters to befriend Azula – and consequentially, the only one to periodically spend time in the palace with her –, Zuko and Iroh still have a hard time distinguishing her from the six other girls who look exactly like her, uncertainly calling her all different names before Azula snaps ‘you idiots, that’s Ty Lee!’.

The acrobat is so glad to see her friend again, because damn: it’s been nearly four years since they last saw or even heard from each other! And Zuko, I thought you were dead? This is such a neat reunion, there’s so much for them to talk about! And sure, the circus has to leave soon and so do the siblings, but Ty Lee reassures them that, if they ever needed her, she wasn’t hard to find. This isn’t the last we’ll see of Ty Lee.

Azula doesn’t let it show, but she resents Ty Lee a little bit for choosing to abandon her noble life. She really wishes she could have had a choice.

Uncle Iroh tells the siblings stories about the war that would have some day mesmerized them. But now, his opinions about those events and what he did as a prince general have changed; that, along with what the family sees in their journey – all the horrors brought to innocent people – gives Zuko and Azula a new perspective on what they used to think was a greater good. It will still take a while for Azula to understand that no, these people are no lesser than her and for Zuko to understand why any of that matters.

Iroh eventually tells them the truth about Azulon’s death. Or at least, what he knows of it: their father killed Azulon, banished them, took the throne by force and planned to gain more power at the expense of everyone. This is a lot to take in, and the siblings don’t quite believe it.

After four years thinking about it, Zuko and Azula decided to take their mother’s early words – they went to Hira’a to be safe – and formulate what for them was a reasonable scenario. They believe that Ozai never actually wanted any of this to happen. The whole family had to have been in danger, be it due to some political, social or personal threat, and Ozai wanted to take it all by himself to protect them. So he sent his wife and children away, concocted a plan with Azulon to cover for them and, once Azulon died and left him the throne, remarried to keep appearances. To Zuko and Azula, this makes perfect sense. And they thoroughly convince themselves of that.

They initiate an argument, thinking that Iroh is jealous of Ozai.

Their uncle sees these children are starting to stray from their path, but he knows this is a necessary journey for them. They will never be able to deal with reality unless they face it.

The siblings leave Iroh, planning to head straight to the Fire Nation capital and find out what really happened. Maybe now that they are older, it would be a perfect time to come back home; they surely could defend themselves from any threats.

Of course, they’ll be very disappointed to know that Ozai was just a bitch and never actually cared for any of them.

I don’t have a full formed idea about how their reencounter with their father would go down, but I say Ozai would officially banish both his children from the Fire Nation for trying to cause a commotion – which could easily be perceived as a threat. Not only that, but Zuko and Azula are the children of a traitor; cue for Ozai revealing what happened that night four years ago, confirming that he was the one to kill Azulon with Ursa’s help.

I also think that, after that day, the Firelord would have discreetly helped spread rumours about Ursa that would drag her name through the mud in the Capital – was she cheating on Ozai? Was she selling Fire Nation information to the Earth Kingdom? Was she planning a coup against the Firelord? Her crimes change from mouth to mouth. In the end, no one would take Zuko or Azula back unless Ozai wanted it. But he doesn’t. Not now, at least…

But Ozai also decides to play with his options: he plants a seed of doubt in his children’s minds; should they prove themselves useful later on, it would only take pulling a few strings for them to come crawling back to him. So he tells them that they needed to prove themselves for everyone to see that they weren’t traitors like their mother. They needed to prove their worth so that he could accept them.

Ozai goes a step further with Azula and tells her that, before his demise, Firelord Azulon had a plan. A plan to bring her back and put her in the leading, prestigious role she was always meant to get. But they needed to wait for the right time. There is a right time, Princess Azula. Your hopes were right all along, they will come for you eventually if you prove yourself.

The siblings have a lot to think about while they’re leaving the Fire Nation. They idolized Ozai so much all these years. But the undeniable truth came crashing down on their heads, spoken by the man himself. What would they do now? They didn’t think it possible, but their harsh actions made things so much worse: they couldn’t come back to their mother, they didn’t have many hopes of running into Iroh again, they can’t even set foot in their homeland anymore; Zuko and Azula are all on their own.

Maybe it’s time to turn a new leaf. It starts with them being fairly neutral, not completely loyal to either the Fire Nation or to the rest of the world. During this period, they would argue a lot about what to do or where to go next, getting separated and going their own ways before destiny makes them stick together again, over and over.

They manage to get a few deals and own a few favours here and there, become known thieves as the Spirits, and maybe meet up with Ty Lee’s circus every now and again. Life is hard.

But there is one thing that is about to be a beacon in their darkness…

Time to catch up to the show. Oh, you thought I wouldn’t go there?

Part 3 coming right up!

(I know I said this would be a two-parter, but it got ridiculously long, so I split it again. Three-parter now.)

[whyaretheyfictionalcharacters]

Kinktober - Day 5

Ok so, second Sterek instalment. Good stuff.

Originally posted on AO3.

xoxo Lexi

“I don't think anyone is really taking this seriously”, Stiles comments, stepping over a tree trunk with the same grace Derek has just showed. Exactly the same. He flays around his arms a tid bit but apart from that? They could be mistaken for the same person.

Derek twists around and goes to help him. “Are you?”.

“Well, considering who thought about this you're damn right I am”.

The treasure hunt was Lydia's idea, a way to build in-pack relationships and create a more stable net of connections among them. If Stiles thinks her intention was to simply prove again to everyone else who's the smartest in the pack—he's certainly not going to tell anyone, he's not suicidal. And that's exactly the same reason he's taking this (honestly a bit ridiculous) relationship building exercise seriously. Or as seriously as he can take it, anyway.

“Lydia scares you?”.

“Of course she does! Doesn't she scare you?”.

“Oh, I'm terrified of her”, Derek answers with a frown. “And she's tiny”.

Stiles laughs, dried leaves crunching underneath his sneakers. “Don't let her hear you”.

“She's not a werewolf”. A small shrug. “Jackson is the only one around and he's at least a mile away”.

As they walk in silence, the only noise around them being their footsteps thudding on the ground, Stiles finally finds some appreciation for the quietness of the preserve. Being here with Derek, letting their shoulders and fingers brush against each other after the messy few weeks they've had with threats in the supernatural world feels comfortable and surreal. And probably it's his leftover-teenage hormones speaking but he can't wait for this treasure hunt to end so Derek and he can run off to his room and blow off some steam. Or blow off something else. That does sound like a plan.

His dad would not come back until later that night, probably after dinner, and that'd give them – Stiles calculates quickly in his mind – five hours to get funky, to jelly roll. Scrog a bit and schtupp together. To take old one eye to the optometrist. To play hide the salami. To dip Derek's cookie in Stiles glass of milk. Numerous times, if the werewolf's refractory period gives any clue. They could start small; make out on Stiles bed and test the sturdiness of the frame – which they've already done, by the way and sneaking out a broken bed slat out of the Sheriff's home is not as easy as it might sound. Which doesn't sound easy. At all. So one can only imagine the uncomfortable conversation he's had to have with Mrs Wunderby from across the road – and then get rid of their clothes because Stiles is a selfless person and Derek's body is something that needs to be cherished and admired. Keeping it clothed would be like...like clipping wings off of a mighty eagle. Or shut down the Smithsonian. It'd have that much of a cultural backfire. It'd be immoral.

So Stiles would take Derek's clothes off and admire that chest of his, all wide and muscly and warm and furry in a sexy way. He'd dip his hand down to follow the line of hairs to his navel, go over it and open his jeans because if unclothing Derek's chest is a cultural aid for the entire state of California, than the sight of his cock is a spiritual experience.

Derek Hale is big. Not impossibly big – Stiles is sure he doesn't live in one of those ridiculous stories people read with enhanced and horse-sized dicks – but nevertheless he's...gifted. Must have something to do with those werewolf genes of his and if that's the case, dear Mother Nature, wolves are a gift to them all. What turns on Stiles though it's not just the size of his shaft – still has a pretty high place in the list of 'Reasons why Derek Hale is a gift from the gods and Stiles is grateful he's his boyfriend' – it's the utter difference there is between the two of them. And that's not a euphemism about his own cock, Stiles is pretty content with his genitals, no complaints there. No, that's not it at all.

Stiles still remember when he recognised what the issue was and he probably has to thank Erica for that.

“You're such a twink, Stiles”, she had said once during their weekly coffee meetings and Stiles has seen enough gay porn after his surprising epiphany in high school to know what a 'twink' is. He's not oblivious, or his name would've been Scott McCall.

He had tried to deny that in front of his salted caramel frappuccino but as usual Erica had her own arguments. “You are, Stiles. You and Derek are literally the epitome of a bear-twink relationship”.

And God, was she right.

The werewolf might be only slightly taller than him but his presence is mightier, his shoulders wider and his arms definitely bigger. Stiles always feels dwarfed every time he's in close proximity with Derek and he does not complaint about that. Not. One. Bit. Dude can pick him up without breaking a sweat and fuck him against the wall as if he weighted less than a baked potato with bacon sprinkles on top. Jeez, those are good times. Hot times. As in Death Valley hot.

“Stiles”.

Surely they can do something like that today. There are so many options to spend five hours sexing up a werewolf Stiles gets a bit dizzy sometimes: this is literally his teenage dream, with no skinny jeans on and a comfy mattress instead of bedsheets forts in a motel room. Take that Katy Perry.

“Stiles”.

“What? Whassup?”, he asks turning to look at Derek.

Who is currently staring angrily at him. He seems pretty pissed actually, if Stiles has to tell the truth. Unfortunately he thought he had left all those annoyed stares and growled words in the past so this is turning out to be a shocking turn of events. In a not-so-sexy way.

“Uhm...Der? Everything okay?”.

Green eyes seems to struggle to not turn bright blue, flashing dangerously between the two shades. “Where's your head at?”.

Okay, this does seem like a trick question. Lydia taught me about this sort of things. “On my...shoulders?”.

Derek does not seem impressed. “You smell—you're stinking up the place”.

“Oh. Sorry”, he mutters self-consciously.

He thought Derek liked his smell. Sometimes he also finds him with his face deep into his own pillow when he comes back from the bathroom after Derek spends the night; or he would dip his nose along Stiles' neck while they're watching a film on the were's laptop in his apartment. When they're in public and Stiles thinks about sexy-times-ensuring things Derek always can smell him and he gets this intense expression that almost resembles his old…

Oh. Oh.

“Oh”.

“Yeah”, Derek agrees tightly as he steps forward. “Oh”.

“I think—I think my head is not taking this, uh. This treasure hunt as seriously as before, big guy”.

One step forward. “Really now?”.

“Mmh-mm”. Stiles steps back. “I mean. Can you blame me?”.

“I don't know. We were just talking about Jackson”. Another step.

Urgh. “Let's not mention him, deal?”. Last step backwards and Stiles' back hits the thick trunk of a tree. “I really don't wanna think about him and sex together. That's just plain wrong”.

He can see a gleam of amusement and coyness as Derek stops in front of him, face just inches away from Stiles'. “Oh, is that what you were thinking about? Sex?”.

“Uh, duh. I was thinking about, you know, when this stupid treasure hunt is other and we can go back to mine and the fact that my dad is going to be out for at least five hours – I know, I counted them – and we could, you know. Get some stankie on hang down—”.

“God, Stiles”. Derek's face scrunches up horrified. “No”.

“No? You don't like that? Okay, how about I ride your flagpole?”.

“Stiles”.

“Storm the cotton gin”.

“Stiles”.

“Hit a home run”.

“Stiles”.

“Sorry!”, he says with a small smile at Derek's exasperation. “Thought you'd appreciate the baseball reference. But another thing I was thinking was—”.

Derek glares at him. “I swear to God, Stiles. If you say one more—”.

“—you said Jackson is at least a mile away and we're all alone now”. Stiles looks down bashfully and hooks his finger in Derek's waistband. “And who knows when this awful thing is going to end. Might not have time when we get home”. Looking up from under his eyelashes he smirk a bit. “We could save time and...do this. Now. Here”.

 He sees a shiver running up Derek's arms just before they're placed on the tree caging his head. “You want to do it here?”.

“Yes”, he whispers.

“Now?”.

“Yeah”. A breath and a whimper.

He has enough time to think about the possibilities when a mouth descends on him and sharp, human teeth bite his lower lip, pulling reverently before nipping it. Stiles gasps when Derek's body presses up against his through the many, too many layers of clothes they're currently wearing. Derek takes that opportunity to slip his tongue between the other's lips, teasing the wet muscle and probing the mouth with deep, hungry movements.

“Lydia's—shit. Lydia's going to be so angry”, Stiles weakly comments before moaning as Derek's hips press against his, trapping him between his warm, strong body and the cold trunk behind him.

“Do you care?”.

“Fuck no”.

He snakes his hands underneath Derek's t-shirt, revelling in the heat of his olive skin, the softness of his hairs and the hardness of his muscles. One of the wolf's thighs gets between his own, providing some blessed friction for Stiles' awakening cock. He rubs himself against Derek, feeling the need to open his legs for him and the sensation of emptiness is starting to get too uncomfortable to be ignored as they're kissing. He's never been an exhibitionist (he thinks, though he's discovering all kinds of kinks in his relationship with Derek) but the idea of having the wolf inside him, right here and now in the middle of the preserve with the afternoon light out still, the terrifying possibility of the pack finding them out—it seems to be exciting in all the wrong ways.

“Derek”, he sighs, lips sensitive from beard burn. “I need—God—I need you to—to fuck me. Like. Yesterday”.

Derek's mouth descends on his neck and at the deep inhale of his arousal Stiles shivers, feeling like the teenager he used to be five years ago. “We don't have anything”.

AH! With a dramatic flourish – probably more ridiculous than dramatic. If only that Sourwolf would stop doing what he was doing with his mouth on his ne—oh. Oh, that's nice – Stiles takes out his phone from his back pocket and slips off the case. “Speak for yourself”. The small packet of KY seems to shine in their eyes, a little lost treasure, their own small miracle. “I think I have a rubber in my wallet as well”.

“Have you always had lube inside your phone case?”, Derek asks with a shocked expression. “And do we need a condom?”.

“Don't want to leak all over my underwear. Especially not around a pack of werewolves, thank you very much”. Stiles takes out a wrapper from his wallet and hands it to Derek before he resumes touching underneath the other's shirt. “And the answer is yes. From the moment we've started dating”.

They kiss, lips open and sharing breath. “Nice to know”.

“We need to—god—”. An aimed thrust sends shivers up his legs. “Derek—we need to move”.

He gets one of his hands down, slipping in the tight fit of Derek's jeans and the hard, big cock he touches through his underwear makes him moan and spread his legs as he leans back to push his hips outward. Stiles has touched it an endless number of times yet every time seems like a new experience, a new discovery.

At Stiles' touch Derek exhales, relieved and aroused. Those lean, slender fingers massage his cock with experienced motions and the grip they use after teasing it into full firmness is heaven for Derek's spurred mind. It doesn't matter if they're in the middle of the woods with a pack of werewolves only a mile away and probably listening in, the Beta can't help but await impatiently to be inside Stiles body and thrust into that heated tightness in abandonment. Maybe there's a part of him – the wild wolf that seems to constantly seek out freedom and nature – that is turned on exactly by that fact; the possibility of being found out while collecting his prize and marking his territory, his mate in the open.

The moment their jeans are undone and their erections brush against each other, Derek grabs Stiles slim hips and turns him quickly but not violently, his cheek now resting on the roughness of the bark and ass pushed back to rub on the wolf's cock. There's only their erratic panting for what feels like ages as Derek rips the lube open and then, “God, Der—Fuck me already”.

“I'm not gonna hurt you, Stiles. Especially not out here”.

“Then shove your fingers in me!”, he cries out turning at an odd angle to plead the wolf with his eyes. “Please, I need you inside. Right now. Please”.

Derek wants that. Oh, he so wants that. And from around that pale, sinewy body he can see Stiles' red dick skim slightly against the trunk of the tree. It can't be comfortable nor pleasurable and even though Stiles seems to have other things in his mind, Derek pulls his hips back a bit more to put more space between the delicate part and the pine husk. He doesn't spend much time warming up the lube and the moment his forefinger touches the puckered hole in front of him he sees Stiles jerk up before quickly settling down again. He prepared him as swiftly and efficiently as standing in the preserve half-naked would allow, Stiles moans and whimpers accompanying each thrust of his fingers.

“Please. Please, just fuck me. Just fuck me, Der”.

Through his lust-fogged mind Stiles hears Derek opening the condom wrapper and sigh deeply as he rolls it on. He wants to reach behind him and touch his shaft, feel the girth of it and its size. Wrap his fingers around it and when noticing he can't fit it all in one hand envelope it with his other one as well. He wants to feel its thickness opening him up, make him almost worry he's gonna split in two.

The first few inches are painful, they always are: Derek might not be overworldly big but he's certainly packing down there and every time he slips inside Stiles needs to relax, bear down and bite his lip until the head is in. It's what happens now, particularly because it's not the most convenient place to have sex despite the packet of lube and the arousal he gets from being so exposed to the elements. After the head is in though...that's when Stiles can remind himself why he craved it so much in the first place. Derek is inside him balls deep and at Stiles' nod he starts to move, thrust in and out. In and out. It's slow at first, careful but they do need to be quick in this situation. The aim is a bit off, the head of the hard cock pounding him simply caresses his prostate in the most heavenly torture sending abortive shivers up from his toes, shocking through his hips and reaching the tip of his own erection like an electric shock. Each thrust, each withdrawal forces moan after moan from his mouth, noises he can't control. Mumbling reaches his ears and with a small sense of amazement he notices it's him.

It's not the best sex they've had but Jesus if it's not the hottest. Derek's hand gripping his hips in a tight hold, his puckered hole contracting around the fat shaft sliding inside and out of him in pure abandonment. Derek slides closer, t-shirt covered chest shaping around Stiles' back, and the slight change of angle causes the wolf to groan in the brunet's ear. It's a sound so primal, so inborn in Derek that Stiles needs to close his eyes not to come right in that moment.

He's so close, though. So close. After getting used to Derek being inside of him without a barrier the rubber desensitises the feeling of being fucked a bit but it's not totally unpleasant; it's smoother and easier. Stiles doesn't know if it's the build-up, the idea of being out here in the forest in broad daylight or Derek's fat, big cock beating into him but he's about to come. He spreads the legs as wide as he can manage with the jeans around his knees and he almost brings his hands back to grab his cheeks and expose himself even further. He doesn't. He needs an anchor and right now the roughness of the bark on his fingertips, under his nails is the thing that keeps him grounded.

“Oh, my God. Der—Derek. Oh, God. Fuck me. Please, fuck me”.

“I am. Shit. You're gripping me so tight”.

“What if—oh, fuck. What if they see us? What if they find us?”.

Stiles senses Derek breath itch next to his ear. “Let them. You're mine. Let them see”.

Oh. My. God. Possessiveness is certainly a kink he didn't know he had. “Say that again”.

“You're mine. Let them see, I don't care. I want them to see. I want them to see you're mine”.

Oh God. Oh God, oh Godohgodohgod.

The orgasm hits him like a blinding light. His back snaps and he arches with the force of it, his cock pulsating and trembling as his cum sprays white on the dark bark. It's seemingly artistic in an erotic way. His insides constrict around Derek and through the condom he can feel his rod vibrate as his thrust become irregular. Slower. Deeper. He misses the sensation of Derek's come hitting his walls but he guesses they still have five hours if they leave now.

“Derek—shit”, Stiles pants out after they both regain their breaths, cheek still against the tree and hips still held by Derek.

“Yeah”.

“Who would've thought? Public sex is hot”.

“What the fuck guys?!”.

They both jump at the disgusted shout from behind them, Isaac currently standing there dumbstruck, hand on his eyes. “I'm gonna need bleach”.

Yeah. Maybe not as hot around a pack of werewolves.

[imaginebabygurl]

Feeling Good Part 3 F.V-Imagine

Hey loves, since I had not posted in a bit This is gonna be a really long one I hope you enjoy the read and music that has been attached. P.s - sorry for any spelling mistakes it should still be a good read.

There were angry hisses and growls from Jacob and your family.  Edward's face grew cold with great concern for you: Bella started to panic "no, No!. There Not taking Her anywhere and she's not going to stay with those monster!... Wh-What if they Kill her because of the last time With Renesmee." " She's leaving, she can't stay here, I won't let them take her. She's going to live with my mom in Jacksonville". As Bella frantically tries to pack her things, Edward stops her "Bella", you know that's not going to work.  They have a tracker Demetri. They could easily find her, your mother, and Phil and Kill all three of them instantly. There's no point in putting others in danger." Carlisle spoke, " Edward is right, we just all need to be calm and there old friends of mine, they will come we'll have the meeting and clear the air, but we should also prepare they can be unpredictable." With that said, your mom still packed a small bag with your stuff just in case everyone started being more alert and wary of their surrounding. As for you. You had to start coming home earlier and stay out late less, which put a damper on your senior your but you didn't mind because you still thankfully have the chance, to even see and hang out with your friends. And coming home earlier wasn't such a bad idea since now it was November 1st, winter was approaching fast, and it started to get darker quicker. But that also meant the Volturi were on there a way you didn't know when exactly. And on the first week of December, they arrived, you were at school when they had come, and you had a group project to complete, which was already completed: you just stayed back at school to finalize the presentation of the slide show and sort out who did what in your project. You said bye to your girlfriend's Lily, Dee, and Kiki and told them: you'll see them when you've returned because you were going on a getaway trip just for the weekend with you and your sister only. Arriving home, you see a strange set of vampires with crimson red eyes. Anyone that saw them would be a fool to think they were normal or contact lenses. They all waited for you to step into the house,  soon as you turned to close the door behind you, you felt a presence standing quite close smelling you.  Remembering that they drank human blood while the Cullen's settled only for animals. "ahh...delicious." the voice quietly whispered into your ear. Quickly turning around facing them, but by the time you had done so, the vampire retreaded standing next to the other kings, the one that had spoken was Aro. The three were quite beautiful, you could tell who wash who and their personality: Aro with life in his eyes was the main king out of the three yes hey shared the same power, but he was the head and looking at you wildly with gleaming eyes. Next on his left was a bored and a perpetually sad-looking man, looking as if he had a sense of longing to end his miserable life and has seen the many secrets and mysteries of the world ad is not tired. On the right was Caius, the pure blond-haired man, which his hair was better than your aunt Rosalie's, not a single strand astray but put together and looked as if every strand is from silk. But his expression filled with such disdain you had never seen such a face, not even when Rosy disapproved of Bella and Edward taking you in the first place she grew to like you and became your second or third mother. As for the guards, you recognized every last one of them: Demetri, the world's best tracker no know can hide from him, then there were the twins' Jane and Alec, Jane could make others feel pain while her brother could take away peoples sense completely, and finally the man towering an over everybody else next to Demetri was Felix, and he was beautiful, and I couldn't resist him. I knew deep down he was most likely the killer of my parents only following orders.  I regained my composure and said "hello" anyway. Aro then grabbed my hand without hesitation and began to look through all the memories that I had lived through, "Interesting, you've had quite the bittersweet life." all the while, Aro still looking intensely into my Y/e/c colored eyes.  Pulling away completely and turning to look at my parents, "She'll be coming with us now." " She Won't be going anywhere!" my mother said while whirling me behind her back, not even realizing. But my body was feeling the after effect.  My dad Edward in front now in front of both of us. Aro looked at Felix, and Felix stared approaching, smiled,  "Edward seems like you've come back for round two."  Hisses were erupting from the room before Esme stepped in." please not in the house. I'm sure there must be some mistake. Y/n has done nothing wrong and she will be turned, in due time when its right Carlisle will take care of her." " Yes I already have the preparations in place Aro" and unexpectedly a "No!" had come from Felix. Aro looked at Felix and took his hand. Felix obeyed,  when Aro was done he laughed like a maniac and turn to me, repeating what he said earlier, " interesting." With everyone in the room at that point confused as to what was going on. I  spoke,  "What so interesting? and why do you keep saying that?" by this point, I was incredibly annoyed.   I just wanted to eat, " I'm going to the kitchen, I'm hungry and this whole dramatic crap, I'm over it." Walking away.  Nessie had made my favorite chicken parmesan with some pasta and salad.  Setting my plate down on the table, everyone was staring at me, but I ignored the burning stare put in my earphones. One of the King's Marcus taps me on the shoulder,  "May I join you?". I paused for a while unsure of what to say and he followed up the silence by saying "I had already drunk so, I won't bite."  Marcus offering me what appears to be a sympathetic smile on a sad-faced man. It was kind of nice to see him smile, " sure." I said plainly and he motioned everyone for us to be alone.  Everyone left, but the tall one hesitated to leave, which then Marcus said" Felix, she will be alright, I promise." The man only nodded and took his leave, "why is he so concerned about me? and what does he have to do with me?". Marcus replied, "Y/n your his mate." the man said point-blank. I looked at him as if he were mad, and he knew what I was thinking. He followed up by saying, " I know you're upset about the death of your parentings, and yes, he was a part of the cause that they're dead. But he simply follows orders if not he will suffer the consequences or maybe a fate worse." "Death." was all I said and a yes was retorted back at me. We sat in silence so I could digest what I have just learned. That the man that I'm supposed to be with: one was my lover and two a part of my parent's death. It was all too much for me to bear and, I ran away as fast as could I ended up taking a nasty fall down a hill and didn't remember a thing about my parent or how they died. All I knew was I falling for a man, I barely knew and I would soon come to know that he sweet but very flirtatious and that would one day get him into trouble and possibly lose all he had with me. He would flirt with everyone including my mother but she doesn't even realize and honestly, at first, I thought okay haha, but when I did decide to leave after graduation to be with him at the castle in Volterra. I was amazed and in awe of the building and come to realize that the rules they enforce I understand but the way they go about it is a little brutal but overall understanding, anyway back to Felix. That's when the boredom started to kick in, after that Felix was on missions constantly and flirting with every dead and living girl that was in sight but the living ones usually became the snack afterward.  it finally came tumbling down when we had a big fight. I was going about my business touring and sightseeing parts of the city I have never been to, one because my Italian wasn't that great and two I was scared being on my own, but boy when I started to speak a bit more fluently be able to get around on my own the sight and places, as well as the delicious pastries and goodies I got to eat, was great. The day was great until Felix angrily approached me, I swear if he still had life in his body his face would be mad with furry, practically dragging me by my wrist and how I know he was angry, Gianna said hello and he did not even bat an eye in her direction and with that, she tried to ask "Hey! Y/n what happened?" and before I can respond Felix picked me up and threw me over his shoulders. "Felix!!!" I shouted because at this point I was angry he was acting like this and he picked me up and headed to the throne room. Aro had looked at me and said "Y/n dove eri?" I responded, "Aro in un Citta in un Caffe". Felix then responded, " If you were in town at one of the cafes!, Why didn't you say anything! or tell someone when you left!". "I did if you had gone into the room to look Smartass! You would have seen It!".  and then the line was drawn " What kind of Girl are you!, You so free-willed, careless, would it kill you to use your head Y/n!?!, you could have been Kill or hurt by some low life!". "But I was-. before I could speak Felix pinned me to the wall and I then felt true fear of what others fate that had suffered at the hand of the great Felix Volturi and worst of all the thing that hurt the most " Y/n we should have killed you when we had the chance, like your mother and father!!." him not realizing what he said "Felix!!!" Aro called "put down the girl, she's terrified...". Once Felix snapped out of it "Y/n I'm sorry." But before he could touch you, you slapped his hand away and made your decision to leave but Caius spoke "What you did and said to Y/n was distasteful and I don't care for humans all the much, but I think some time in the dungeon would do you some good." Without Felix saying anything he simply nodded and took himself in and before he would have come to know you had already packed your things to go home.

[flippyspoon]

Note: I wrote a lil Halloween werewolf Billy whaaaaat. I got inspired by that werewolf moodboard that I can’t find now because I’m a dumbass and didn’t reblog it.

Wolfie

“There’s a werewolf in the woods,” Dustin said, his eyes bright as he shoved through a crowd of children, Max and the others following him as they made their way to another block of houses. “Two dead pigs last night Officer Callahan said!”

“What is a...werewolf?” Eleven said. She was wearing her white sheet with the holes in it. Everyone had suggested something a little fancier. But she had been adamant: white sheet. With holes. Boo!

Mike smiled at her and said, “Remember when we watched Teen Wolf?”

“Oooh!”

“There’s no werewolf,” Steve said, sounding a little tense as he brought up the rear. He was sucking on a Blow-Pop but his brows were furrowed as he got out in front of the kids. “You’re just saying that because it’s Halloween. There’s no such thing as werewolves. It’s probably a...bear. Or something. Or a regular wolf.”

“They say it’s bigger than a regular wolf!” Dustin said. “And it attacked a cow last month too! Then nothing. For exactly a lunar cycle!”

“Dustin!” Steve barked.

“What?” Dustin said, looking slightly hurt. 

“Nothing,” Steve said, sighing. “Sorry. Just uh…” He checked his watch and then squinted at the once orange glow of the horizon now dark. “I gotta go.”

“Aw,” Will said. “Come trick or treating with us.”

“You’re the only one who likes coconut,” Lucas said. “We’ll just throw out the Mounds.”

“Save em’ for me,” Steve said, shrugging. “I got plans.” He met Max’s eyes. She looked worried and he gave her a little nod and tried to project confidence. He was looking at her when he said, “We’ll be fine.”

She nodded back. She always got worried on nights like this too.

Dustin was still calling after him even as Steve took off for the BMW which he’d left parked a few blocks away. Time had gotten away from him. Ideally, there was no reason for him to be in a rush. 

But like, Max, sometimes he got worried.

For the millionth time, Steve reminded himself: No reported human deaths.

No one had even been bitten.

Steve drove all the way out to Hopper’s cabin, now abandoned. That was the spot. 

They’d boarded the place up and chained up the front door with a heavy padlock just that morning after Billy had escaped the night before. Steve automatically felt his ears perking up, listening for the sound of howling or scratching at the walls as he got out of the car.

Billy would have locked himself in. 

But there was nothing.

Maybe he’s asleep, Steve thought, and ran up to the front door only to stop short when he saw the chain in pieces on the front steps.

“Goddammit,” Steve said, sighing.

The wolf was pretty fucking strong.

In truth, he was not very worried for Billy’s safety, or even anyone else’s. Billy had only ever been interested in killing animals when he transformed, but killing animals could draw attention.  That was a potential problem.

But worse than that, at least to Steve’s mind, when Billy woke up naked and alone in the woods after a wolf night, he woke up utterly terrified. He wasn’t used to it yet and he sometimes panicked, thinking the Mind Flayer had been controlling his body again.

The wolf had saved Billy from death by the Mind Flayer at the end. He knew that. But it still scared him.

“One of the people I… One of the people I fed to him...must have been a werewolf,” Billy had explained to him one night in bed as Steve had traced the scars on his chest. “The shadow, the Flayer, whatever you call it… It absorbed the wolf just like everybody else. It was nothing to him. But the wolf got in my blood when it killed me. It made me stronger and ended up saving my life. But now I’m...this.”

“If it saved you, I’m glad then,” Steve had whispered, and kissed him long and deep.

Now Steve jogged back to his car and popped his trunk. He took out the blanket and the pair of sweatpants he now kept there and shut the trunk before heading out into the woods. 

There was only one way to do this. He’d done it before. He hoped it would work again.

Last time, Steve had whistled and that had helped. 

He had whistled “Yellow Submarine” for no particular reason, so now he tried that again and once he was well into the woods, he stopped and took off the scarf he had been wearing because it was nippy out and hung it on a tree branch. 

He kept whistling and walking and a few minutes later, he took off his jacket and dropped it on the ground. 

His sweater came next minutes later when he’d made it a little further in the direction of his house. He stopped for a minute, holding onto the sweatpants and the blanket, whistling his third rendition of “Yellow Submarine.” He listened for anything that sounded like a wolf.

Aaaaooooooouuuuu.

The howl made him smile. “That’s it, baby,” Steve whispered. “Come find me.”

Steve walked on and end up kicking off both his shoes and leaving his t-shirt on a log.

He was down to his socks and jeans now.

He was already cold and now he wrapped the blanket around him. He didn’t particularly want to get down to his underwear if he didn’t have to, and so he stopped now, and sat down at the base of a tree and kept whistling.

He suspected he was about a half a mile from his house maybe. He didn’t like being out in the woods alone, but he wasn’t afraid. 

He had a werewolf on his side after all.

When he heard a rustling not far off, he stopped whistling. “Billy?” He said softly. He wrapped the blanket around him a little tighter. He heard a snuffling sound and a plaintive whine that sounded like a hurt puppy and then a truly massive gray wolf appeared from between two pines. 

The wolf that was also Billy Hargrove had some blood along his snout. He had eaten already.

“Billy, come here, sweetheart,” Steve said. He sat forward, moving slowly, and opened the blanket. 

Billy ducked his head and came padding through the woods to Steve. He had doubtless caught the scent somewhere. Steve didn’t relish the thought of tracking down all his stuff again, but it was definitely worth it now as Billy nuzzled him and licked at his face and Steve buried his nose in Billy’s thick, soft fur and scratched him between his ears because Steve knew he liked that best. 

“That’s good, baby,” Steve whispered. “It’s okay. Did you eat? Did you eat a nice pig or something? Maybe a whole deer?”

Billy licked at his neck and he chuckled. Billy curled up half on top of him and they sat like that for a while and Steve wrapped the blanket around both of them. 

He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but the woods were as good as anywhere else. He wasn’t even cold with the big, furry wolf snuggled up to him.

***

Steve woke up spooning Billy and he hummed happily even though his shoulders were freezing where they peeked out from under the blanket. Billy was very human now and also very naked and his skin was hot and his muscles were firm where Steve hugged him around his chest. 

He felt Billy stir and whispered, “‘Morning, sweetheart.”

“Hmmm…” Billy turned over under the blanket and winced, probably because pine needles were poking him in sensitive places. He blinked at Steve blearily. “Chain didn’t hold.”

“Nope,” Steve said, chuckling. He licked his thumb and reached up to wipe a streak of blood from Billy’s chin. “We can try something else next time. But I’m not worried.”

“I didn’t hurt anyone,” Billy said softly. “I mean I ate a boar. But that’s it.”

“I know,” Steve said. “You’re so tame around me anyway when you’re the wolf. I should just hang out with you on wolfie nights. Bring you some meat. Maybe then you won’t run off.”

“Might work,” Billy said, shrugging. 

“My house isn’t far,” Steve said, his voice throaty because he’d slept outside in the cold. “And I brought you pants. We’ll go to my place and I’ll make you pancakes and sausage and bacon. I know how hungry you get the morning after. And I taped Miami Vice.” He emphasized his speech with a kiss to the tip of Billy’s nose.

Billy pursed his lips, seeming shy, and said, “Thanks for finding me. Fuckin’ sucks waking up out here without you.”

“Always,” Steve said, and leaned in to kiss him long and deep, hugging him close under the blanket.

[walker-journal]

Lion and Wolf

timing: At the start of the full moon parties: @letsbenditlikebennett, @laylacooke, @walker-journal summary: Adam meets Layla on the eve of full moon and has to decide if its stabbing time, Celeste saves the day.   

Adam was in Took’s General Store purchasing the essentials for “Big Moon” days. Previous trips to The Armory and Excalibur had taken care of most munitions and blade requirements. However there was always miscellaneous stuff. Materials for molotov cocktails, chloroform, poisons, and other essentials were all readily available within Took’s cheery confines.

Plus soap, gonna need ...lots...of soap.

To Adam’s surprise there was a small hesitation inside of him, a passing flicker of hope that none of the wolves he’d encounter were Winn or Lucas inside, or Lucas’ brother whom he’d never met. It was an unusual train of thought for Adam and he shoved it away. All threats needed to be eliminated no matter who they were. This kind of thinking wasn’t what he needed during this critical part of the lunar cycle. Focus.

However the athlete’s mental coaching actually made him lose track of where he was, leading him to almost run over someone in the aisle.

“Hey look where you’re…”

It was about this time that Adam’s eyes took in that the human roadblock also happened to be a bombshell. Brown eyes traced curves before finally arriving to her face with an appreciative smile.

“Sorry about that,” he said in a markedly more diplomatic tone. “My bad.”

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

Layla had only been in Took’s a few times. When she had managed to find some money here or there and could afford a small snack or something to drink. But being able to freely go in and just look was something she was able to do now. And since finding a home with Ari, Ulf, and Celeste, her mission was to explore the town and familiarize herself with everything without as much worry as she once previously held. Of course, tonight’s only issue was the full moon, which was rather big, and she knew she’d have to head back home soon.

Perusing the aisles, Layla wasn’t looking for anything in particular, however, she also hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, so when she ran into someone she quickly started apologizing, “I’m sorry, I got caught up in looking, and I didn’t...see you.” The guy staring back at her had caught her attention with his smile.

It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her like that, and while she was flattered, she was also reminded about the serious relationship she had been in for a few years now, “It’s cool. I should have been paying attention to where I was going.”

---------------- “No problem,” Adam said with a lavisciously distracted grin.

Yet with the young woman’s (was she legal...oh god, hopefully?) presence came a feeling of cold that prickled long his skin in ripples of goosebumps and washed down his spin like he’d stepped under a waterfall. Something about this chick’d set off his Hunter senses. She was likely an inhuman, but of what kind he had no idea.

“Adam Walker,” he said, reaching a thewy arm across the card to offer his hand, trying not to let the heeby jeebies change his expression. “You from around here?”

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

Was this guy flirting with her? He had to have been. That smile that seemed to be permanently etched on his face was alerting her to the fact. She had seen it so many times in high school and when she would go out with Frankie and their friends, but the biggest difference now was that Frankie wasn’t here.

“It’s nice to meet you Adam Walker.” She stuck out her own hand to meet his and shook it gently. “Layla Cooke. And no. I’m actually from the South, but I decided to give White Crest a shot. What about you?”

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

“Going to college here,” Adam replied, keeping his expression neutral as the touch of her hand brought a rush of inhuman wrongness into his nervous system. The conditioned response of adrenaline entered his veins, years of training and violence filling Adam’s brain with visions of throwing Layla against the mental counters and slamming her skull against the tile floor over and over..

Focus. This is a public place. He knew nothing about her.

“Part of Delta Iota Epsilon,” Adam continued, and  shoved a thumb towards the sleeveless t-shirt with the acronym of DIE he was wearing. “Parties all night on Friday and Saturday,” Layla received another appraising look that was devoid of shyness or shame. “You should come check it out...you’d be a great fit,” he assured with a slow nod.

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

“Yeah, I’m hoping I can go there one day, when I’m able to get my life in order.” She slowly pulled her hand back and let it drop to her side. She couldn’t tell anything different about Adam, just that he seemed to be a huge flirt. It was weird talking to a college guy, considering they were probably about the same age. But after the bite, life just didn’t seem real anymore.

Seeing him motion to his shirt, she smiled, but something about the letters he was pointing to began to make her uneasy. His smile never seemed to falter though, “You know, I wasn’t as big into the party scene as one might think. My parents weren’t too keen on the idea of their only child going out and getting drunk on the weekend.” No, instead they had her training how to hunt and kill werewolves and other creatures of the night. “But I guess one party sometimes couldn’t hurt.”

Looking past Adam, Layla had noticed it was starting to get dark outside, and that meant that the moon would be coming up sooner than she would have liked, “Well, this has been fun, but I think it’s about time I head home, you know, with it getting dark and all.” Layla started to feel faint and sweat slowly began to build on her brow.

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

Adam’s sinewy shoulders shrugged. “Sounds like a drag...but guess its better than them now caring?” The footballer seemed a little uncertain on that last point. “But hey definately welcome anytime.”

She excuses herself and Adam had far more preparations to complete before the moon was high. “Yeah no prob see you arou….um, Lyra” (it was an L name right?) “you ok?”

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

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” She was starting to get worried for multiple reasons. “I’ll look you up.”

Layla began moving forward, but stumbled slightly. And there it was. The feeling she dreaded with a passion of a million fiery suns, “Layla. It’s Layla.” Forcing back the lump in her throat, she looked to him with an uneasy smile, “Yeah. Totally. Just need some water.” She began looking around for a cooler with drinks in them. She had to get away from him. Had to get out of the store. Get home.

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

Adam frowned in concern as L-chick stumbled. Her weak smile only deepened his downturned expression. Adam went down one of the aisles to the coolers in the back. He placed a water bottle by ?Laura? And went up to the cash register to pay.

“Any better,” he inquired upon returning.

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

Layla felt like she was going to leave a lung on the floor of the store. Seeing the water, she grabbed the bottle and opened it, chugging it down. She had never changed in front of anyone before. She had always managed to find privacy, but tonight might have been the night, and Adam was the last person she wanted to know or see what she was.

Finishing the water in one long drink, she let the empty bottle fall to the floor, “Thank you. A little, but I really...I’ll see you around, yeah?” Heading for the door, she forced the door open allowing the cool night air to hit her in the face causing some relief to her pale, clammy skin.

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

After a courteous goodbye Adam gave Layla a minute or so headsteart. He was strapped for time but his instincts were picking up weird vibes here. All kids of weird shit went down around the Full Moon, furry and otherwise. If this chick were a supernatural and acting weird, then that's something he needed to follow up on for security’s sake, at least until he was sure it wasn’t going to be a public incident or Pet Shop of Horrors in some back alley.

Adam’s eyesight wasn’t human, thus he could give Layla a very wide berth while trailing her, keeping it casual and hoping to blend in with the crowd.

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

With each passing moment, Layla could feel her human side getting weaker and the beast growing stronger. She just wanted to shed her skin and feel better. To have this continual growing ache to disappear, so the animal inside her could be free, but at the same time, she wanted it under control. So far, with every shift, she hadn’t been able to remember what had happened the night before, and it scared her. Hurting someone or something was the last thing she wanted to do, but everytime it happened, Layla seemed to wake up covered in some kind of blood.

Clutching at her side, she could already feel things starting to happen, and the pain had been worse from her little scuff with Francesca and Orion a few days prior. Unable to control it, Layla let out a yowl of pain. With people staring at her, she began running back towards the place that had been discussed with Celeste as a good place to be locked up for this very occasion.

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

Adam darted into the back allies, mentally visualizing the direction Layla was probably heading. Unimpeded by the crowd, the Hunter place the purchased gear in his backpack and broke into a full sprint, vauling over obstacles, and scale fences in a few alacitious motions. Adam let his mutant physiology take control, hurtling forward over, around, and through the gaps in obstacles as he tried to gain on Layla.

He swung over a chainlink fence and out into the street again. He advanced after Layla with cold purpose, feet pounding on the broken sidewalk. “Heya Layla…,” he piped up, warm amiable tone not matching the hard agates of his eyes. “You ok?...Do you need me to call emergency services?”

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

Her mind was focused on getting to safety. She just wanted to be left alone, aside from someone to keep watch to make sure she stayed locked up. Layla definitely didn’t want to die, but if she had gotten out, she knew it was a real possibility and one she could support, despite her every effort to convince her parents not to hunt or kill wolves, but to subdue them by safer means.

However, her ears had picked up on something as she was scrambling to get home. The sound of feet hitting the ground at a rapid pace, and it wasn’t long until she knew exactly whose feet it was chasing after her. “Adam?” Her eyes were filled with shock, but also worry, “I don’t know how you got here. Or why.” By now she had a pretty good idea why, “But it’s not safe okay? That’s all I’m saying. So you need to leave.” She hated being blunt, but she couldn’t handle the possibility of attacking him or lashing out unintentionally.

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

Adam advanced in firmly purposeful steps, his expression steadily losing its warmth until it had cooled into an iron neutrality. Eyes that once regarded her with playful lewdness were now sizing her up with a calculation that held a surgical edge, something to be assessed and possibly disposed of rather than a woman to court.

“Why is it not safe Layla,” he asked with level calm.

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

Layla’s strength was diminishing. She was going to have to change sooner rather than later, and along with her strength, her patience was growing thin. It was the animal inside that made her want to lash out and rip his head off, but she resisted the urge, knowing deep down inside, she couldn’t live with herself if she ever did hurt someone, “Because, Adam, I’m not feeling too good, and I wouldn’t want you to get sick…” She looked over to him, the softness of her own expression gone and easily turning into something harder.

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

Adam looked around at the courtyard we were in. Cracked cement and empty storefronts long closed where dotted around them. Small plants and mosses eaked out starved existences in the small fissures spidering through cement and tarmac. The dusk cast waning crepular light over the patch of urban decay that Layla and Adam found themselves. The street’s activity was muted in the distance. “Thanks, that's very considerate of you,” Adam said, still advancing. He lifted a necklace from under his thin shirt. A six-pointed star caught the wan light, pure silver contrasting with the young man’s skin, still ruddy red from the sprint over here.

“You should really let me help walk you home though,” Adam said, winding the sliver symbol through his fingers as he drew closer. “This town can be pretty dangerous at night.”

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

Layla hadn’t yet been in contact with silver, since the night she received the bite that changed her. Seeing the glint in the rising moon, the girl’s demeanor completely changed and a low guttural growl escaped her lips, “What do you want with me?” Her body ached and the animal raged inside of her begging to escape, but the moon still hung too low in the night sky. Her breathing was rapid, and she could feel the sickness in her growing, “Are you gonna kill me? Is that why you won’t just leave me alone?” Tears formed in her eyes. Was tonight the night Layla was going to die at the hands of a hunter not much older than she?

She continued to move forward. Her only goal at this point was trying to make it back to Celeste, unless a fight were to ensue, which there was a very good chance she wouldn’t survive.

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

Perhaps seeing that subterfuge held no further purpose, Adam reached his free hand behind his back and under his shirt and withdrew one of the two blades he kept there. A cruelly serrated and silvered tactical knife danced easily in the Hunter’s fingers as he readied it.

“Depends,” Adam said coldly, keeping a steady pace but not yet rushing forward. “Where’re you going this Full Moon? If you're going to be out and about then yeah,” the athlete affirmed with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’d be too much of a danger to let live.”

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

Layla’s entire body was starting to ache, but she knew she was getting closer to where she needed to be. However, it didn’t deter Adam from continuing to follow along or threaten her. Finally at her wits end and her breathing growing shallow, she stopped and confronted him, “I’m trying to get to the place I was told to go so I can lock myself up, you nosey piece of human garbage.” Sweat was pouring down her pale face, and it was taking everything within her not to just give up and let the monster take control of her body.

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

Adam stopped when Layla did, posture slightly slanted as he kept his weight ready on his back foot. The insult didn’t seem to phase him however her claim provoked a moment of contemplation, brawny arms folded in front of him. However the way the silver tactical knife was nevertheless held in the outermost arm in readiness hinted at the deception within this face of casualness. The muscles within the Hunters arms and shoulders were still taut and knotted in this state of stillness, as if he genuinely expected Layla to drop this obvious charade and lunge at him any second.

“Really now.” Dubiety dripped from the worlds as tawny eyebrows raised in an expression that asked Layla if she ...really...wanted to play this way. There came another shrug. “Cool, let’s go and make sure you’re chained up nice and safe.”

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

Layla knew hunters. She knew the tricks they played. She was taught how to play games by her parents. And if she had really wanted to snack on his flesh, she would have done it already, but the idea of meat grossed her out, and that idea still lingered behind all the rage and thirst bottled up inside her, “Geeze, yes. Really. Quit acting like a smug, fuckboi hunter and just help me get to the place I’m going. Unless you’re really just looking for a fight, because, yes, you’d probably win. I’m a baby wolf that doesn’t know shit, except animal instinct, which you’re going to experience, if you don’t quit slowing me down. Embrace this moment, you ass. Cherish it, because I’m sure it’s not often you get a willing participant to play your little cat and mouse game that actually just wants to go lock herself up.” She growled at him, before resuming the walk at a quicker pace. She was dispelling more energy, but if it got her away from him and in chains faster then so be it.

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

Adam let out an exhalation that evinced that confusion was stronger then frustration. “Yup, it definitely is different,” he admitted while keeping pace. “This isn’t cat and mouse so much as if you're lying, I size you down to fit in those dumpsters,” Adam replied with tactless frankness, nodding towards some waste receptacles they passed.

“Kay, so should I hold you up, carry you..” Adam asked in a more amenable tone, not about to throw an angry she-wolf over his shoulder without permission.

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

Layla rolled her eyes at his comment about the dumpsters, “Let me make it easier on you, Adam. You don’t have to size me to fit into anything. I know I fit in dumpsters for a fact. No shame here, because it’s where I used to get my food. So if you want to murder me, then go ahead.” She had almost regretted saying that. Almost.

The teenager closed her eyes in defeat, before reopening them and training them on the hunter in front of her, “If you think you can get me there faster, then be my guest.” She held out her arms waiting for him to pick her up.

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

There Hunter shook his head at his quarry and companions second slip into submitting before the knife. “Not that I don’t appreciate an easy kill to move the night along and all,” he began. “But you give up too easy Layla. It doesn’t matter if you’re small or young. Hit the right tendon it doesn’t matter. Fuckin dead is dead.”

On that cheery note, the Hunter put away the silver chain and sheathed his blade. He took the girl into his arms and hefted her weight without visible effort. This done, the athlete took off in a brisk run that steadily accelerated as the mutant fell into a stride that’d have had most fully-human soldiers panting before long.

“So, where is this place?”

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

He was right. She did give up too easily. Somehow she had made it this long on her own, but why? Why had she still been spared? Layla couldn’t figure it out. The one thing she did know was that she was angry at the world. Her parents. The wolf who had bit her. The people who had turned her away when she was at her lowest…

The only semblance of hope that had started to return was the day Ariana had offered her a hot meal and a bed to sleep in.

Feeling him lift her up, without resisting, she tried to hold herself up so as to not put all of her weight on him, but it didn’t seem to be much of an issue, “It’s deep in the woods, just past the drive-in theater. Adam, why are you helping me? Why not just kill me when you had the chance?”

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

“Because it's not the killing that’s important,” Adam huffed as he continued in a boot camp pace up various hills, across cul de sacs, vaulting over property fences using his free hand, and ignoring the residents cry of outrage as he just took the next fence at a run without responding to their questions.

“It’s about removing threats to mankind,” he continued between breaths while running off the paved streets onto the more rugged roads that signaled one was drawing nearer to the drive-in-theatre and woods. “If you stay out during the full moon then you’ll lose control and be a threat to everyone.”

Dusk deepend and shadowed lengthened, even with the Hunter’s superhuman stamina nightfall proved an implacable pursuer.  

“But if you're inside and chained up then you’re not a threat and I don’t have to kill you,” the Hunter finished with the brutally linear logic that the Code demanded. “Me helping you means less people die.”

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

Layla latched onto Adam. He was so much stronger than he looked, and she was impressed. And as she watched the town fly by as he ran, she listened to him explain the answer to her question. The fact that he didn’t outright want to kill her, she could respect, and it reminded her of the many arguments she had with her mother and father about that very issue; killing. However, where they differed was that she didn’t want to kill at all. She had just wanted to subdue the beast, despite knowing that there were wolves and other creatures that would kill regardless. And it’s part of the reason she was in the situation she was currently in.

“Well, I can respect that, and I greatly appreciate you giving me a chance. Not all of us want to be killing machines. Some of us just want to be normal human teenagers that go to college and spend time with their girlfriends and paint our nails.” She sighed. “And not have to be locked up every time there’s a full moon.”

She rested her forehead into his shoulder in defeat getting a whiff of his body spray, “Huh, you actually smell really good.” Looking up, she noticed the small structure just up ahead. “There. Celeste should be waiting.”

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

“You’re welcome,” grunted Adam as he leapt over the makeshift barricade at the far end of the drive-in theatre. Cicadas whined as the Hunter bounded through the open field towards the woods. Tall grasses and thorns tore at his fatigues, staining the light beige with slashes of green and yell as his breakneck pace barreled through dandelions and knots of knee-height weeds. The air was filled with the smell of fields yielding to the seedy pungence of the woods.

“Heh well I can’t really pretend to know what normal is like,” admitted the mutant who as a child needed to be carefully taught how to interact with non-Hunters so he didn’t accidently break his classmates.  “Glad your’re more ...Ya-Ya sisterhood stuff then... murder though,” he huffed as they cleared the treeline, branches snapped with like firecrakers under his pounding feet. “And I guess that’s just life ...when you got’ crazy moon virus,” he said with characteristic tactlessness on the matter of being locked up. “It isn’t fair...but that shits the breaks. “Heh, you mention your girlfriend ...then tease me with the smelling good and getting up close in my grill like that,” Adam noted with a hoarse laugh as they entered the home stretch up towards the woodland house, blinking as sweat stung at his eyes. “You're cruel,” he joked. While the relative intimacy of her so up close against him might’ve been more..distracting...under different circumstances, Adam was actually more concerned about Layla shifting in his arms and taking a big ‘ol bite out of his neck.

“Kay here we are, not much time”

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

Layla continued to stay latched on, but she could feel her body starting to make miniscule changes. Things got a little brighter in the night. Smells were more apparent and distinct. And she started to feel sick again. She had done a good job of suppressing it as Adam raced her towards the safety of a makeshift cage, but it was getting harder now. And she could start to hear the blood pumping through his veins, which left her mouth watering. But, of course, she kept her sudden needs on the DL.

“Crazy moon virus. Best name for it yet.” She felt her arms go around him a little tighter in both a manner of trying to hold on, but for deeper innate reasons. She was praying they would make it there soon, and despite him being kind of an ass, she didn’t want to hurt him. There was something about him that she valued, especially considering he was willing to risk his life to get her to where she desperately needed to be.

“What can I say? I must just be a heartbreaker.” She laughed weakly as they inched closer, and when they had finally made it, she slid off his back, nearly collapsing to the ground. Her eyes searched for Celeste as she tried to make her way to her feet, “Celeste! Please tell me you’re here...Please be here…”

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

As it got darker, Celeste found her nerves were dancing under her skin. Layla should have been here by now. She’d headed over to their spot early to ensure the chains were set up and ready to go for Layla. After many tests to make sure they’d be safe, she’d waited patiently, her fingers idly drumming over the tranquilizer gun on her hip. Except as the sky got darker, her patience soon wore thin. She was practically pacing a hole into the ground beneath her feet.

When she heard people approaching, she briefly felt relieved until she heard another voice with Layla’s. Her brow furrowed, she wasn’t keen on anyone else knowing about this spot. “Layla,” she called out, running toward Layla and the man carrying her. She looked over him carefully, waiting for him to set her down. “You’re late,” she said simply before asking, “And who is this?” With Ariana not too far off, Celeste felt on edge having someone else here.

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

If Layla consented, Adam set her down. He leaned back and placed both sinewy arms behind his head. The run here carrying another person had been taxing even by Hunter standards, and the footballer’s shoulders rose and fell in a steady rhythm as he tried to get some breath back.

“Adam,” he said with a flushed grin despite his brown eyes scanning the area, looking for if this lock-up was legit or if his sweaty gullible ass was about to be ambushed at this murder-cabin. “It’s ok, I’m used to hot gingers climbing me like a tree.”

He looked to the sky and then cautiously between both women. “So...where’s this safety room?”

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

“I know. I got held up.” She shot Adam a look. But as the moon was nearly high in the sky, the young wolf started to feel a more severe shift, and without being able to control it, cried out in pain. It was starting, and if Layla didn’t get chained up soon, then bad things were bound to happen.

Stumbling towards Celeste, Layla’s eyes held agony, “Do it. Whatever you’ve gotta do, do it.” She had done this many times alone, but there was no one around her that she feared she would consume. Of course, that wasn’t to say she hadn’t eaten people before, she just couldn’t remember it, and that always scared her.

Looking between Celeste and Adam, she had hoped they would both be safe and leave when need be. She had also wondered about Ariana, and if she was being locked up as well, but she didn’t want to say anything with fear of Adam trying something.

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

The idea of bringing a stranger into the space she’d set up was not something Celeste was keen on doing. Gently grabbing on Layla’s arm, she looked at Adam with narrow eyes. “I’m Celeste. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t really have time to give you a tour.” There wasn’t much time for a debate either, so she led Layla over to the abandoned underground room she’d found. It’d taken a little work to get the chains adequately reinforced and Ulfric didn’t love the idea, but it was what Layla wanted. If this Adam followed then he followed. Once Layla was restrained, she could pay more attention to him and determine if he was a threat.

Layla’s pain was apparent as her bones were shifting. She rushed down the stairs of the abandoned building and kept Layla close to her, placing the cuffs of the chains around her wrists as quickly as she possibly could before looking back to see if he had followed.

--------------- Adam would like to say that he was the kind of person that could’ve just accepted that this Celeste chick, though she felt human to his Hunter senses, was some nice wonderful person who definitely wouldn’t just let the almost shifted out to run free and gnaw off citizen’s gnads. Celeste’s concern looked genuine.

But Adam’s life hasn't been the kind that really left much room for faith in anyone. Faith was too dangerous.

Thus, he followed the two women with a feigned expression of mere idle curiosity.

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

Following Celeste as she grabbed onto Layla’s arm, the young wolf could already feel the crack and tearing of bone and muscle begin. But it wasn’t long before she was on the ground being chained up. It was the first time the girl had ever had chains around her body, and it scared her. But her mind couldn’t process words to speak from the pain that was taking over her form.

Curling up into a fetal position, she wailed out in pain as the horrific transformation continued to take place. It seemed like an eternity, before all was said and done, but when she had fully shifted, she lay on the floor panting, regaining her strength, before she managed to climb onto her two hind legs. She was smaller than most of the wolves, but she stood at least another foot taller than she previously had. Her fur was a warm, reddish-orange, and her eyes glowed brightly.

Sniffing the air, she looked around until she had laid eyes on Celeste and Adam. Food. Lunging came naturally, but she was quickly jerked back and hit the floor moaning slightly, before crawling forward trying to reach out swatting at both the hunters, but restrained from the large, heavy chains.

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

Celeste watched closely as Layla transformed, making sure the chains held. When she lunged and got jerked back immediately, she allowed herself to relax  a little and look back over to the man who’d brought Layla here. “Adam,” she said slowly, “I suppose a thank you is in order. I appreciate you getting her back here safely.”

She scanned him carefully, he was young and looked strong. It seemed likely they had a shared background, but he’d brought her here instead of killing her. “So, I can assure I have things under control here. I went through rigorous testing with the chains and have a little help handy if I need it.” She patted the tranquilizer gun on her hip, “Do you normally pick up shifting werewolves on the full moon?”

--------------- “No problem Ma’am,” Adam said in a distant distracted voice as he looked on the russet monstrosity that Layla had become. The air of inhumanity Layla brought to his Hunter sense came off the Werewolf in choking waves now that she’d shed her human shape. The silver knife tucked secured in the back of his pants under the sweat-soaked shirt seemed to dig painfully into his spine. There was a moment of regret where Adam’s heart faltered in the conviction that was the right choice.

Look at that thing. Why save Layla when it just meant that an innocent would likely pay the price for Adam’s weakness on a future full moon?

Adam pressed the thought from his mind, knowing first hand where that line of reasoning often led.

“Thank you for making sure the creature’s secure,” the Hunter said with an unconscious lapse into depersonalization. “Not usually how I roll,” he admitted, brown eyes drawn again to the luminous gaze of the straining lycanthrope. “But this seems a regular thing for you...Celeste, right?”

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

The young, wild animal paced back and forth knowing she was limited in her range on the chains, but she was hungry. Saliva dripped from her long fangs as she continued to snarl and growl at the two humans in her presence. And when innate hunger became too overpowering again, she took a harder lunge, only to be yanked back once again; her efforts proving fruitless.

Any indication of Layla was gone. She was just an animal looking to fill her stomach with anything, and they had been her targets. She was young and dumb, still new in her ways as a werewolf. She had many lessons to learn, but right now she was running simply on endorphins and the animal instinct that had come with the curse.

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

She wasn’t sure why it was so hard for her to believe that maybe another hunter had a more reasonable code than her parents had, but Celeste would be grateful for it. She’d have to find a new spot for the next month though. She didn’t want anyone outside of them knowing where they were. Too much of a risk. “I see,” she said, calmly and slowly, blinking a few times before she finally added, “I think I can figure out the rest, thank you.”

With a more serious face, she assured, “It is, yes. I’ll make sure she’s on time next time. She cut it entirely too close for my liking.” She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Just another layer to this whole fucked up puzzle of keeping both the kids and others safe. She figured she’d refrain from mentioning the bit about being what her parents would call a deserter. Most didn’t take kindly to that. ---------------

Although this particular encounter had ended happily, Adam’s night had really only begun. By this point those wolves that were still out had already changed, and Adam’s duty shifted from containment to elimination. “Thank you ma’am appreciate it,” the Hunter said, wishing he still had enough faith left to take Celeste’s assurance at face value.

Making a polite excuse to leave, Adam began the long trek back to town to retrieve his supplies and take up the night’s patrol

Adam was in Took’s General Store purchasing the essentials for “Big Moon” days. Previous trips to The Armory and Excalibur had taken care of most munitions and blade requirements. However there was always miscellaneous stuff. Materials for molotov cocktails, chloroform, poisons, and other essentials were all readily available within Took’s cheery confines. 

Plus soap, gonna need ...lots...of soap. 

To Adam’s surprise there was a small hesitation inside of him, a passing flicker of hope that none of the wolves he’d encounter were Winn or Lucas inside, or Lucas’ brother whom he’d never met. It was an unusual train of thought for Adam and he shoved it away. All threats needed to be eliminated no matter who they were. This kind of thinking wasn’t what he needed during this critical part of the lunar cycle. Focus.

However the athlete’s mental coaching actually made him lose track of where he was, leading him to almost run over someone in the aisle. 

“Hey look where you’re…”

It was about this time that Adam’s eyes took in that the human roadblock also happened to be a bombshell. Brown eyes traced curves before finally arriving to her face with an appreciative smile. 

“Sorry about that,” he said in a markedly more diplomatic tone. “My bad.”

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

Layla had only been in Took’s a few times. When she had managed to find some money here or there and could afford a small snack or something to drink. But being able to freely go in and just look was something she was able to do now. And since finding a home with Ari, Ulf, and Celeste, her mission was to explore the town and familiarize herself with everything without as much worry as she once previously held. Of course, tonight’s only issue was the full moon, which was rather big, and she knew she’d have to head back home soon.

Perusing the aisles, Layla wasn’t looking for anything in particular, however, she also hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, so when she ran into someone she quickly started apologizing, “I’m sorry, I got caught up in looking, and I didn’t...see you.” The guy staring back at her had caught her attention with his smile.

It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her like that, and while she was flattered, she was also reminded about the serious relationship she had been in for a few years now, “It’s cool. I should have been paying attention to where I was going.”

---------------- 

“No problem,” Adam said with a lavisciously distracted grin. 

Yet with the young woman’s (was she legal...oh god, hopefully?) presence came a feeling of cold that prickled long his skin in ripples of goosebumps and washed down his spin like he’d stepped under a waterfall. Something about this chick’d set off his Hunter senses. She was likely an inhuman, but of what kind he had no idea. 

“Adam Walker,” he said, reaching a thewy arm across the card to offer his hand, trying not to let the heeby jeebies change his expression. “You from around here?” 

---------------- 

Was this guy flirting with her? He had to have been. That smile that seemed to be permanently etched on his face was alerting her to the fact. She had seen it so many times in high school and when she would go out with Frankie and their friends, but the biggest difference now was that Frankie wasn’t here.

“It’s nice to meet you Adam Walker.” She stuck out her own hand to meet his and shook it gently. “Layla Cooke. And no. I’m actually from the South, but I decided to give White Crest a shot. What about you?”

---------------- 

“Going to college here,” Adam replied, keeping his expression neutral as the touch of her hand brought a rush of inhuman wrongness into his nervous system. The conditioned response of adrenaline entered his veins, years of training and violence filling Adam’s brain with visions of throwing Layla against the mental counters and slamming her skull against the tile floor over and over.. 

Focus. This is a public place. He knew nothing about her. 

“Part of Delta Iota Epsilon,” Adam continued, and  shoved a thumb towards the sleeveless t-shirt with the acronym of DIE he was wearing. “Parties all night on Friday and Saturday,” Layla received another appraising look that was devoid of shyness or shame. “You should come check it out...you’d be a great fit,” he assured with a slow nod. 

---------------- 

“Yeah, I’m hoping I can go there one day, when I’m able to get my life in order.” She slowly pulled her hand back and let it drop to her side. She couldn’t tell anything different about Adam, just that he seemed to be a huge flirt. It was weird talking to a college guy, considering they were probably about the same age. But after the bite, life just didn’t seem real anymore.

Seeing him motion to his shirt, she smiled, but something about the letters he was pointing to began to make her uneasy. His smile never seemed to falter though, “You know, I wasn’t as big into the party scene as one might think. My parents weren’t too keen on the idea of their only child going out and getting drunk on the weekend.” No, instead they had her training how to hunt and kill werewolves and other creatures of the night. “But I guess one party sometimes couldn’t hurt.”

Looking past Adam, Layla had noticed it was starting to get dark outside, and that meant that the moon would be coming up sooner than she would have liked, “Well, this has been fun, but I think it’s about time I head home, you know, with it getting dark and all.” Layla started to feel faint and sweat slowly began to build on her brow.

---------------- 

Adam’s sinewy shoulders shrugged. “Sounds like a drag...but guess its better than them now caring?” The footballer seemed a little uncertain on that last point. “But hey definately welcome anytime.” 

She excuses herself and Adam had far more preparations to complete before the moon was high. “Yeah no prob see you arou….um, Lyra” (it was an L name right?) “you ok?” 

---------------- 

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” She was starting to get worried for multiple reasons. “I’ll look you up.”

Layla began moving forward, but stumbled slightly. And there it was. The feeling she dreaded with a passion of a million fiery suns, “Layla. It’s Layla.” Forcing back the lump in her throat, she looked to him with an uneasy smile, “Yeah. Totally. Just need some water.” She began looking around for a cooler with drinks in them. She had to get away from him. Had to get out of the store. Get home.

---------------- 

Adam frowned in concern as L-chick stumbled. Her weak smile only deepened his downturned expression. Adam went down one of the aisles to the coolers in the back. He placed a water bottle by ?Laura? And went up to the cash register to pay. 

“Any better,” he inquired upon returning.

---------------- 

Layla felt like she was going to leave a lung on the floor of the store. Seeing the water, she grabbed the bottle and opened it, chugging it down. She had never changed in front of anyone before. She had always managed to find privacy, but tonight might have been the night, and Adam was the last person she wanted to know or see what she was.

Finishing the water in one long drink, she let the empty bottle fall to the floor, “Thank you. A little, but I really...I’ll see you around, yeah?” Heading for the door, she forced the door open allowing the cool night air to hit her in the face causing some relief to her pale, clammy skin.

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

After a courteous goodbye Adam gave Layla a minute or so headsteart. He was strapped for time but his instincts were picking up weird vibes here. All kids of weird shit went down around the Full Moon, furry and otherwise. If this chick were a supernatural and acting weird, then that's something he needed to follow up on for security’s sake, at least until he was sure it wasn’t going to be a public incident or Pet Shop of Horrors in some back alley. 

Adam’s eyesight wasn’t human, thus he could give Layla a very wide berth while trailing her, keeping it casual and hoping to blend in with the crowd. 

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

With each passing moment, Layla could feel her human side getting weaker and the beast growing stronger. She just wanted to shed her skin and feel better. To have this continual growing ache to disappear, so the animal inside her could be free, but at the same time, she wanted it under control. So far, with every shift, she hadn’t been able to remember what had happened the night before, and it scared her. Hurting someone or something was the last thing she wanted to do, but everytime it happened, Layla seemed to wake up covered in some kind of blood.

Clutching at her side, she could already feel things starting to happen, and the pain had been worse from her little scuff with Francesca and Orion a few days prior. Unable to control it, Layla let out a yowl of pain. With people staring at her, she began running back towards the place that had been discussed with Celeste as a good place to be locked up for this very occasion.

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

Adam darted into the back allies, mentally visualizing the direction Layla was probably heading. Unimpeded by the crowd, the Hunter place the purchased gear in his backpack and broke into a full sprint, vauling over obstacles, and scale fences in a few alacitious motions. Adam let his mutant physiology take control, hurtling forward over, around, and through the gaps in obstacles as he tried to gain on Layla. 

He swung over a chainlink fence and out into the street again. He advanced after Layla with cold purpose, feet pounding on the broken sidewalk. “Heya Layla…,” he piped up, warm amiable tone not matching the hard agates of his eyes. “You ok?...Do you need me to call emergency services?” 

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

Her mind was focused on getting to safety. She just wanted to be left alone, aside from someone to keep watch to make sure she stayed locked up. Layla definitely didn’t want to die, but if she had gotten out, she knew it was a real possibility and one she could support, despite her every effort to convince her parents not to hunt or kill wolves, but to subdue them by safer means.

However, her ears had picked up on something as she was scrambling to get home. The sound of feet hitting the ground at a rapid pace, and it wasn’t long until she knew exactly whose feet it was chasing after her. “Adam?” Her eyes were filled with shock, but also worry, “I don’t know how you got here. Or why.” By now she had a pretty good idea why, “But it’s not safe okay? That’s all I’m saying. So you need to leave.” She hated being blunt, but she couldn’t handle the possibility of attacking him or lashing out unintentionally.

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

Adam advanced in firmly purposeful steps, his expression steadily losing its warmth until it had cooled into an iron neutrality. Eyes that once regarded her with playful lewdness were now sizing her up with a calculation that held a surgical edge, something to be assessed and possibly disposed of rather than a woman to court. 

“Why is it not safe Layla,” he asked with level calm.

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

Layla’s strength was diminishing. She was going to have to change sooner rather than later, and along with her strength, her patience was growing thin. It was the animal inside that made her want to lash out and rip his head off, but she resisted the urge, knowing deep down inside, she couldn’t live with herself if she ever did hurt someone, “Because, Adam, I’m not feeling too good, and I wouldn’t want you to get sick…” She looked over to him, the softness of her own expression gone and easily turning into something harder.

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

Adam looked around at the courtyard we were in. Cracked cement and empty storefronts long closed where dotted around them. Small plants and mosses eaked out starved existences in the small fissures spidering through cement and tarmac. The dusk cast waning crepular light over the patch of urban decay that Layla and Adam found themselves. The street’s activity was muted in the distance. 

“Thanks, that's very considerate of you,” Adam said, still advancing. He lifted a necklace from under his thin shirt. A six-pointed star caught the wan light, pure silver contrasting with the young man’s skin, still ruddy red from the sprint over here. 

“You should really let me help walk you home though,” Adam said, winding the sliver symbol through his fingers as he drew closer. “This town can be pretty dangerous at night.” 

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

Layla hadn’t yet been in contact with silver, since the night she received the bite that changed her. Seeing the glint in the rising moon, the girl’s demeanor completely changed and a low guttural growl escaped her lips, “What do you want with me?” Her body ached and the animal raged inside of her begging to escape, but the moon still hung too low in the night sky. Her breathing was rapid, and she could feel the sickness in her growing, “Are you gonna kill me? Is that why you won’t just leave me alone?” Tears formed in her eyes. Was tonight the night Layla was going to die at the hands of a hunter not much older than she?

She continued to move forward. Her only goal at this point was trying to make it back to Celeste, unless a fight were to ensue, which there was a very good chance she wouldn’t survive.

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

Perhaps seeing that subterfuge held no further purpose, Adam reached his free hand behind his back and under his shirt and withdrew one of the two blades he kept there. A cruelly serrated and silvered tactical knife danced easily in the Hunter’s fingers as he readied it. 

“Depends,” Adam said coldly, keeping a steady pace but not yet rushing forward. “Where’re you going this Full Moon? If you're going to be out and about then yeah,” the athlete affirmed with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’d be too much of a danger to let live.” 

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

Layla’s entire body was starting to ache, but she knew she was getting closer to where she needed to be. However, it didn’t deter Adam from continuing to follow along or threaten her. Finally at her wits end and her breathing growing shallow, she stopped and confronted him, “I’m trying to get to the place I was told to go so I can lock myself up, you nosey piece of human garbage.” Sweat was pouring down her pale face, and it was taking everything within her not to just give up and let the monster take control of her body.

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

Adam stopped when Layla did, posture slightly slanted as he kept his weight ready on his back foot. The insult didn’t seem to phase him however her claim provoked a moment of contemplation, brawny arms folded in front of him. However the way the silver tactical knife was nevertheless held in the outermost arm in readiness hinted at the deception within this face of casualness. The muscles within the Hunters arms and shoulders were still taut and knotted in this state of stillness, as if he genuinely expected Layla to drop this obvious charade and lunge at him any second. 

“Really now.” Dubiety dripped from the worlds as tawny eyebrows raised in an expression that asked Layla if she ...really...wanted to play this way. There came another shrug. “Cool, let’s go and make sure you’re chained up nice and safe.” 

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

Layla knew hunters. She knew the tricks they played. She was taught how to play games by her parents. And if she had really wanted to snack on his flesh, she would have done it already, but the idea of meat grossed her out, and that idea still lingered behind all the rage and thirst bottled up inside her, “Geeze, yes. Really. Quit acting like a smug, fuckboi hunter and just help me get to the place I’m going. Unless you’re really just looking for a fight, because, yes, you’d probably win. I’m a baby wolf that doesn’t know shit, except animal instinct, which you’re going to experience, if you don’t quit slowing me down. Embrace this moment, you ass. Cherish it, because I’m sure it’s not often you get a willing participant to play your little cat and mouse game that actually just wants to go lock herself up.” She growled at him, before resuming the walk at a quicker pace. She was dispelling more energy, but if it got her away from him and in chains faster then so be it.

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

Adam let out an exhalation that evinced that confusion was stronger then frustration. “Yup, it definitely is different,” he admitted while keeping pace. “This isn’t cat and mouse so much as if you're lying, I size you down to fit in those dumpsters,” Adam replied with tactless frankness, nodding towards some waste receptacles they passed. 

“Kay, so should I hold you up, carry you..” Adam asked in a more amenable tone, not about to throw an angry she-wolf over his shoulder without permission. 

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

Layla rolled her eyes at his comment about the dumpsters, “Let me make it easier on you, Adam. You don’t have to size me to fit into anything. I know I fit in dumpsters for a fact. No shame here, because it’s where I used to get my food. So if you want to murder me, then go ahead.” She had almost regretted saying that. Almost.

The teenager closed her eyes in defeat, before reopening them and training them on the hunter in front of her, “If you think you can get me there faster, then be my guest.” She held out her arms waiting for him to pick her up.

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

There Hunter shook his head at his quarry and companions second slip into submitting before the knife. “Not that I don’t appreciate an easy kill to move the night along and all,” he began. “But you give up too easy Layla. It doesn’t matter if you’re small or young. Hit the right tendon it doesn’t matter. Fuckin dead is dead.”

On that cheery note, the Hunter put away the silver chain and sheathed his blade. He took the girl into his arms and hefted her weight without visible effort. This done, the athlete took off in a brisk run that steadily accelerated as the mutant fell into a stride that’d have had most fully-human soldiers panting before long. 

“So, where is this place?” 

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

He was right. She did give up too easily. Somehow she had made it this long on her own, but why? Why had she still been spared? Layla couldn’t figure it out. The one thing she did know was that she was angry at the world. Her parents. The wolf who had bit her. The people who had turned her away when she was at her lowest…

The only semblance of hope that had started to return was the day Ariana had offered her a hot meal and a bed to sleep in.

Feeling him lift her up, without resisting, she tried to hold herself up so as to not put all of her weight on him, but it didn’t seem to be much of an issue, “It’s deep in the woods, just past the drive-in theater. Adam, why are you helping me? Why not just kill me when you had the chance?”

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

“Because it's not the killing that’s important,” Adam huffed as he continued in a boot camp pace up various hills, across cul de sacs, vaulting over property fences using his free hand, and ignoring the residents cry of outrage as he just took the next fence at a run without responding to their questions. 

“It’s about removing threats to mankind,” he continued between breaths while running off the paved streets onto the more rugged roads that signaled one was drawing nearer to the drive-in-theatre and woods. “If you stay out during the full moon then you’ll lose control and be a threat to everyone.” 

Dusk deepend and shadowed lengthened, even with the Hunter’s superhuman stamina nightfall proved an implacable pursuer.  

“But if you're inside and chained up then you’re not a threat and I don’t have to kill you,” the Hunter finished with the brutally linear logic that the Code demanded. “Me helping you means less people die.” 

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

Layla latched onto Adam. He was so much stronger than he looked, and she was impressed. And as she watched the town fly by as he ran, she listened to him explain the answer to her question. The fact that he didn’t outright want to kill her, she could respect, and it reminded her of the many arguments she had with her mother and father about that very issue; killing. However, where they differed was that she didn’t want to kill at all. She had just wanted to subdue the beast, despite knowing that there were wolves and other creatures that would kill regardless. And it’s part of the reason she was in the situation she was currently in.

“Well, I can respect that, and I greatly appreciate you giving me a chance. Not all of us want to be killing machines. Some of us just want to be normal human teenagers that go to college and spend time with their girlfriends and paint our nails.” She sighed. “And not have to be locked up every time there’s a full moon.”

She rested her forehead into his shoulder in defeat getting a whiff of his body spray, “Huh, you actually smell really good.” Looking up, she noticed the small structure just up ahead. “There. Celeste should be waiting.”

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

“You’re welcome,” grunted Adam as he leapt over the makeshift barricade at the far end of the drive-in theatre. Cicadas whined as the Hunter bounded through the open field towards the woods. Tall grasses and thorns tore at his fatigues, staining the light beige with slashes of green and yell as his breakneck pace barreled through dandelions and knots of knee-height weeds. The air was filled with the smell of fields yielding to the seedy pungence of the woods. 

“Heh well I can’t really pretend to know what normal is like,” admitted the mutant who as a child needed to be carefully taught how to interact with non-Hunters so he didn’t accidently break his classmates.  “Glad your’re more ...Ya-Ya sisterhood stuff then... murder though,” he huffed as they cleared the treeline, branches snapped with like firecrakers under his pounding feet. “And I guess that’s just life ...when you got’ crazy moon virus,” he said with characteristic tactlessness on the matter of being locked up. “It isn’t fair...but that shits the breaks. 

“Heh, you mention your girlfriend ...then tease me with the smelling good and getting up close in my grill like that,” Adam noted with a hoarse laugh as they entered the home stretch up towards the woodland house, blinking as sweat stung at his eyes. “You're cruel,” he joked. While the relative intimacy of her so up close against him might’ve been more..distracting...under different circumstances, Adam was actually more concerned about Layla shifting in his arms and taking a big ‘ol bite out of his neck. 

“Kay here we are, not much time” 

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

Layla continued to stay latched on, but she could feel her body starting to make miniscule changes. Things got a little brighter in the night. Smells were more apparent and distinct. And she started to feel sick again. She had done a good job of suppressing it as Adam raced her towards the safety of a makeshift cage, but it was getting harder now. And she could start to hear the blood pumping through his veins, which left her mouth watering. But, of course, she kept her sudden needs on the DL.

“Crazy moon virus. Best name for it yet.” She felt her arms go around him a little tighter in both a manner of trying to hold on, but for deeper innate reasons. She was praying they would make it there soon, and despite him being kind of an ass, she didn’t want to hurt him. There was something about him that she valued, especially considering he was willing to risk his life to get her to where she desperately needed to be.

“What can I say? I must just be a heartbreaker.” She laughed weakly as they inched closer, and when they had finally made it, she slid off his back, nearly collapsing to the ground. Her eyes searched for Celeste as she tried to make her way to her feet, “Celeste! Please tell me you’re here...Please be here…”

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

As it got darker, Celeste found her nerves were dancing under her skin. Layla should have been here by now. She’d headed over to their spot early to ensure the chains were set up and ready to go for Layla. After many tests to make sure they’d be safe, she’d waited patiently, her fingers idly drumming over the tranquilizer gun on her hip. Except as the sky got darker, her patience soon wore thin. She was practically pacing a hole into the ground beneath her feet. 

When she heard people approaching, she briefly felt relieved until she heard another voice with Layla’s. Her brow furrowed, she wasn’t keen on anyone else knowing about this spot. “Layla,” she called out, running toward Layla and the man carrying her. She looked over him carefully, waiting for him to set her down. “You’re late,” she said simply before asking, “And who is this?” With Ariana not too far off, Celeste felt on edge having someone else here. 

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

If Layla consented, Adam set her down. He leaned back and placed both sinewy arms behind his head. The run here carrying another person had been taxing even by Hunter standards, and the footballer’s shoulders rose and fell in a steady rhythm as he tried to get some breath back. 

“Adam,” he said with a flushed grin despite his brown eyes scanning the area, looking for if this lock-up was legit or if his sweaty gullible ass was about to be ambushed at this murder-cabin. “It’s ok, I’m used to hot gingers climbing me like a tree.” 

He looked to the sky and then cautiously between both women. “So...where’s this safety room?” 

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

“I know. I got held up.” She shot Adam a look. But as the moon was nearly high in the sky, the young wolf started to feel a more severe shift, and without being able to control it, cried out in pain. It was starting, and if Layla didn’t get chained up soon, then bad things were bound to happen.

Stumbling towards Celeste, Layla’s eyes held agony, “Do it. Whatever you’ve gotta do, do it.” She had done this many times alone, but there was no one around her that she feared she would consume. Of course, that wasn’t to say she hadn’t eaten people before, she just couldn’t remember it, and that always scared her.

Looking between Celeste and Adam, she had hoped they would both be safe and leave when need be. She had also wondered about Ariana, and if she was being locked up as well, but she didn’t want to say anything with fear of Adam trying something.

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

The idea of bringing a stranger into the space she’d set up was not something Celeste was keen on doing. Gently grabbing on Layla’s arm, she looked at Adam with narrow eyes. “I’m Celeste. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t really have time to give you a tour.” There wasn’t much time for a debate either, so she led Layla over to the abandoned underground room she’d found. It’d taken a little work to get the chains adequately reinforced and Ulfric didn’t love the idea, but it was what Layla wanted. If this Adam followed then he followed. Once Layla was restrained, she could pay more attention to him and determine if he was a threat. 

Layla’s pain was apparent as her bones were shifting. She rushed down the stairs of the abandoned building and kept Layla close to her, placing the cuffs of the chains around her wrists as quickly as she possibly could before looking back to see if he had followed. 

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

Adam would like to say that he was the kind of person that could’ve just accepted that this Celeste chick, though she felt human to his Hunter senses, was some nice wonderful person who definitely wouldn’t just let the almost shifted out to run free and gnaw off citizen’s gnads. Celeste’s concern looked genuine. 

But Adam’s life hasn't been the kind that really left much room for faith in anyone. Faith was too dangerous. 

Thus, he followed the two women with a feigned expression of mere idle curiosity. 

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

Following Celeste as she grabbed onto Layla’s arm, the young wolf could already feel the crack and tearing of bone and muscle begin. But it wasn’t long before she was on the ground being chained up. It was the first time the girl had ever had chains around her body, and it scared her. But her mind couldn’t process words to speak from the pain that was taking over her form.

Curling up into a fetal position, she wailed out in pain as the horrific transformation continued to take place. It seemed like an eternity, before all was said and done, but when she had fully shifted, she lay on the floor panting, regaining her strength, before she managed to climb onto her two hind legs. She was smaller than most of the wolves, but she stood at least another foot taller than she previously had. Her fur was a warm, reddish-orange, and her eyes glowed brightly.

Sniffing the air, she looked around until she had laid eyes on Celeste and Adam. Food. Lunging came naturally, but she was quickly jerked back and hit the floor moaning slightly, before crawling forward trying to reach out swatting at both the hunters, but restrained from the large, heavy chains.

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

Celeste watched closely as Layla transformed, making sure the chains held. When she lunged and got jerked back immediately, she allowed herself to relax  a little and look back over to the man who’d brought Layla here. “Adam,” she said slowly, “I suppose a thank you is in order. I appreciate you getting her back here safely.” 

She scanned him carefully, he was young and looked strong. It seemed likely they had a shared background, but he’d brought her here instead of killing her. “So, I can assure I have things under control here. I went through rigorous testing with the chains and have a little help handy if I need it.” She patted the tranquilizer gun on her hip, “Do you normally pick up shifting werewolves on the full moon?” 

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

“No problem Ma’am,” Adam said in a distant distracted voice as he looked on the russet monstrosity that Layla had become. The air of inhumanity Layla brought to his Hunter sense came off the Werewolf in choking waves now that she’d shed her human shape. The silver knife tucked secured in the back of his pants under the sweat-soaked shirt seemed to dig painfully into his spine. There was a moment of regret where Adam’s heart faltered in the conviction that was the right choice. 

Look at that thing. Why save Layla when it just meant that an innocent would likely pay the price for Adam’s weakness on a future full moon?

Adam pressed the thought from his mind, knowing first hand where that line of reasoning often led. 

“Thank you for making sure the creature’s secure,” the Hunter said with an unconscious lapse into depersonalization. “Not usually how I roll,” he admitted, brown eyes drawn again to the luminous gaze of the straining lycanthrope. “But this seems a regular thing for you...Celeste, right?” 

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

The young, wild animal paced back and forth knowing she was limited in her range on the chains, but she was hungry. Saliva dripped from her long fangs as she continued to snarl and growl at the two humans in her presence. And when innate hunger became too overpowering again, she took a harder lunge, only to be yanked back once again; her efforts proving fruitless.

Any indication of Layla was gone. She was just an animal looking to fill her stomach with anything, and they had been her targets. She was young and dumb, still new in her ways as a werewolf. She had many lessons to learn, but right now she was running simply on endorphins and the animal instinct that had come with the curse.

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

She wasn’t sure why it was so hard for her to believe that maybe another hunter had a more reasonable code than her parents had, but Celeste would be grateful for it. She’d have to find a new spot for the next month though. She didn’t want anyone outside of them knowing where they were. Too much of a risk. “I see,” she said, calmly and slowly, blinking a few times before she finally added, “I think I can figure out the rest, thank you.” 

With a more serious face, she assured, “It is, yes. I’ll make sure she’s on time next time. She cut it entirely too close for my liking.” She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Just another layer to this whole fucked up puzzle of keeping both the kids and others safe. She figured she’d refrain from mentioning the bit about being what her parents would call a deserter. Most didn’t take kindly to that. 

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

Although this particular encounter had ended happily, Adam’s night had really only begun. By this point those wolves that were still out had already changed, and Adam’s duty shifted from containment to elimination. “Thank you ma’am appreciate it,” the Hunter said, wishing he still had enough faith left to take Celeste’s assurance at face value. 

Making a polite excuse to leave, Adam began the long trek back to town to retrieve his supplies and take up the night’s patrol 

[anxiouslymalicious]

Until the sun sets

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

Summary: A continuation of Until we meet again in which the reader is doing bad after the break up and meets Ben again.

Word Count: 3195

Warnings: Bad writing? mentions of alcohol and getting tipsy

A/N: I’m so sorry this took me so long to write! The last few days have been quite busy, but now I’m back at it again! Hope you enjoy!

Also, this is more of a filler than anything else and the next parts is already in the works!

Ever since Ben told you to leave, he hadn’t been the same. He couldn’t do anything anymore. Working was hard, he barely managed to get through the day and as soon as he got home, he curled up with Frankie. Ben managed to eat somewhat properly, but he couldn’t usually motivate himself to work out. It reminded him too much of how you used to do these things together. It was like your ghost was still there, although a big part of your clothing and other belongings was not anymore.

You must have picked them up when Ben was at work, knowingly avoiding him. It hurt. A lot. The minute he saw you leaving, he had hoped to see you come back to him, see you open that door and yell at him. It was selfish of him, and he knew it, but Ben couldn’t help but hope that you would forget what he did, that you would forgive him and come back to him. That there was no one new, who is already treating you better than he did. That there wasn’t someone who caught your eye and swooped you off your feet. Ben couldn’t help but wonder if you felt the same way about him. If you felt the same pain, the same heartache, the same loneliness.

And you did.

But your best friend wouldn’t let you.

Ever since you had left the flat that morning, you had been staying with your best friend, Helen. She had been one of your closest friends ever sine you were 3. You met one sunny morning, both of your parents had decided that it was a nice day to go to the local playground. You had already built the prettiest and biggest sandcastle you could imagine when the little girl with the brown pigtails came over and stared at your sandcastle. Then, she smashed it and, before you could start crying, told you that you could build a better one with her. She was a proper asshole as a kid, but a very loveable one. She wasn’t much better now, but you loved her and couldn’t imagine a life without her by your side. Right now, she was the only support you felt like you had.

Your parents had always told you not to date an actor, he would only break your heart and be good for nothing, but you didn’t want to believe them.

“Ben is not like that. He cares about me. He loves me. He wouldn’t hurt me.”, you told them as you sat together the night after he had met them for the first time. They had just explained their worries to you and, to some extent, you could understand them. It wasn’t easy for you either, seeing Ben with all those women, knowing that a lot of fans were behind him, supporting him, adoring him, but you trusted him. There was something about him. When he first introduced himself to you in that theatre as you were seated next to each other, both on your own. Something about him felt calm, yet so full of life and energy. After the movie, he had asked you to join him in a pub nearby to have a drink and ever since, you had been close friends, star-crossed lovers, loving parents of a furry baby.

“Y/N, baby, we just want what’s best for you. And you have to know that this life won’t be easy.”, said your mother. She put her hand over yours as you were seated at the table, your cup of tea still stood in front of you, untouched, slowly cooling down. Your father was leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest, the look in his eyes more than unhappy. He was fuming, but he had yet to say a word. Your mom, meanwhile, was sitting across from you. She had a soft look on her face, her whole body leaned towards you, her gaze trying to find yours. You wouldn’t let her, though.

“I know that this is not going to be easy, but nothing in life ever is. Some things are just worth fighting for, and I know that this is. And I know that Ben feels the same. You should have seen the look on his face when he introduced me to his family. I have never seen this much love and adoration on anyone else when they looked at me. I have never felt this way. Besides, wasn’t grandma wary of dad, too when you first started dating?”, you asked, pulling your hand away from your mothers. She had never acted like this, she had always told you to follow your heart and now that you did, she was practically telling you not to. It was infuriating.

“That was different.”, your father suddenly said. It was the first time he was talking since saying goodbye to you and Ben the night before.

“How is that different? How was you being a business man with very little time and many other successful women surrounding you different to Ben being an actor with women being his co-stars?”, you were now raising your voice. Your heart was aching. Both, your parents and Ben, were important to you. You were sure that neither of them would hurt you intentionally, that they would support and love you unconditionally. That day, you ran out on your parents, too hurt by their words, hurt that they did not trust you. You only texted your mother every once in a while, asking how she was, telling her how you were, but you hadn’t seen either your mother or your father ever since. Now, you regretted it. You regretted it deeply. All you wanted was to do was knocking on their door and telling them what Ben did, but you couldn’t. Your father would look at you disapprovingly, telling you that you should have listened to them and their warnings. Your mother, however, would look at you, torn apart inside. You knew that she would want to let you in, embrace you and comfort you, but she was also on your father’s side, wanting to tell you off for being so incredibly disrespectful to them.

“Are you thinking of him again?”, asked Helen as she plopped down on the couch next to you. You had curled up there earlier under a blanket she had lying around in the living room.

“Obviously. What else would I be doing?”, you asked, almost preparing yourself for the unempathetic response you were about to get.

Going out. Celebrating single life. Dying.

“I’m sorry, my love.”, she said honestly with a sigh. Her hand landed on your thigh. “But you do look like you’ve died a few days ago. A shower won’t hurt you, you know?” Your heart ached slightly less as you playfully scoffed at her. Usually, she tried to cheer you up by not letting you sulk, but this was different and she knew that.

“I’ve got to leave for work in a few, but I’ll bring home some takeout and ice cream. But you’ll only get the ice cream if you showered and cleaned up a bit until I get back. Can’t have you staying here for nothing, now can I?”, Helen asked with a smirk, pushing you lightly. You suddenly moved and wrapped your arms around her dainty frame tightly. She embraced you just as tightly.

“I love you, you know that, don’t you?”, you asked and felt tears filling your eyes. You sniffed lightly and hoped that she hadn’t heard it, but how could she not when her chin was resting on top of your head, your ear pressed against her chest, listening to her heartbeat. It was slow and steady. Strangely comforting. You knew that she was actually there.

“Of course, I do, princess. I love you just as much.”, she replied as she moved one of her hands to gently caress your head.

“And you won’t leave me?”, you asked, your voice breaking, just like the dam that held your tears. You were full on sobbing now.

“You already fucked up when I started stealing your toys. Your stuff is always way too cool. There is no way you’ll ever get rid of me.”, Helen said, giving you another squeeze before pushing you away lightly, holding you still, but in a way that she could look into your eyes.

“And I still think you should get the rest of your stuff and end things with Ben altogether, but that’s your decision to make. You know that I’ll be there to support you through everything.” You knew that she was right, but you had gone through so much with him, it just did not feel right to end all that so quickly. On the other hand, he had been able to end things in the blink of an eye, he threw a long-lasting relationship out of the window and it still stung.

You nodded, wiping away your tears as you watched her get up and leave the room.

“I’m stealing your headphones, by the way! Mine are broken!”, she yelled just before you heard the door close behind her. A breathy chuckle left your lips as you shook your head. Helen had a way of saying the absolutely wrong things, but making them sound so incredibly right. You were glad she was your friend.

Slowly, you let your body sink back into the cushion of the couch, gnawing on your bottom lip, lost in your own thoughts. It had been quite some time since you functioned like a proper human being. You had taken time off from work, barely saw the sunlight anymore. You only did what was necessary to survive, and sometimes not even that. You missed Ben and Frankie. Almost everyday either of them, on rare occasions even both of them, were the first thing you saw when you woke up. You were rarely ever alone, Frankie was always following around and, whenever he was there, so was Ben. Everything was a lot more fun with them.

Silent tears rolled down your cheeks and the bawling started anew.

You spent the day doing as Helen told you and, as she came back, you were curled up on the couch again, using her Netflix account, watching some brainless show that you really didn’t pay attention to. She set the takeout down on the coffee table in front of you before leaving the room to get some cutlery while you sat up and made some space for her under the blanket.

“I saw Ben today. He and Gwil were in the queue before me. He looked even worse than you.”, Helen said as she picked at her food. She felt like she needed to tell you. Almost like you had a right to know.

“Really?”, you asked, a glimmer of hope in your voice. It may have been selfish of you, but it made you feel better to know that Ben was doing just as bad. You didn’t feel as alone.

“Yeah. Seemed like Gwil had a hard time getting him out of the flat.”

“Maybe I should call him.”, you whispered, earning an unimpressed glare in return.

“You really think you should call him? He hurt you. Ben has to apologise.”, Helen said before poking you with her fork.

“OW! I know he did, but I miss him.”, you mumbled.

“I know you do, but I’m afraid of the person you might become if you run after him like that. I’m just looking out for you. But I also know that you’re an adult and I can’t tell you what to do.”, Helen told you, the last part was almost inaudible though. You still heard her over the sound of laughter on the show you two were watching, causing a tiny smile to grow on your face.

At the end of the night, you two ended up slightly tipsy, stalking Ben’s social media and eating ice cream straight out of the tub. He hadn’t posted in quite some time, the pictures you two had taken together were still online and his fans were actively asking in the comments of his last picture if he was alright. His last picture being of you, Ben, Gwil and his fiancé as you had spent the day together. It wasn’t anything special, but all of you needed that day off.

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat as you thought about it and instead went to bed.

The following week, you went back to work. At the end of that week, you went grocery shopping with Helen. The weekend after, you two had a picnic and the week following said weekend, you started going outside on your own again. It didn’t feel like the whole world was watching your every step anymore. It felt like you were freeing yourself from Ben.

Well, that was until a sunny Saturday morning. You decided to go out for a walk on your own, wanting to enjoy the surprisingly nice weather for a change. After spending so much time cramped up in your best friend’s flat, you were desperate to get out an do something.

Just as you had paid for a coffee to-go and a pastry in a small café and turned to leave, you saw that all too familiar mop of blonde hair. Ben looked like literal hell. He had dark circled under his eyes, a light stubble covered his chin and his hair was unkempt and looked as though he hadn’t gotten it cut in quite a while. He was wearing light grey sweats and a simple black sweatshirt. One of your favourites. You always loved seeing it on him, but wearing it yourself was always better.

Frankie barked happily. It was quite evident that she missed you. After all, you had been one of the humans she was close to for a long time. She tried to pull Ben into your direction, pulling at the harness with all her power. Against your free will, a smile built up on your lips at the small creature’s excitement. Hesitantly, you lifted your head again slightly to look at your ex-boyfriend. You silently asked him whether he was alright with you coming closer and petting the dog.

And the look he gave you in return was almost begging you to come closer.

So, you did.

“Hey.”, you said quietly, more to Frankie than Ben. Your gaze was solely focused on the dog who was looking at you with those huge eyes you just couldn’t say no to. You were afraid of looking at the man himself, scared that you would break down if you looked at him for too long.

Carefully, you kneeled down in front of Frankie, enjoying the affection she was giving you. You missed her deeply.

“Hi.”, Ben replied, watching you intently. His voice was coarse. Like he hadn’t really been talking. Like he had been crying. No more words were exchanged between you two, neither of you knew what to say.

“How have you been?”, Ben suddenly asked, trying to make some conversation. His question was genuine, he needed to know. You looked as though you were doing much better than him and it hurt.

“Are we really going to be like this?”, you asked with a sigh, getting up to stand straight.

“Like what?” Ben was now anxious. He didn’t want you to leave just yet. He couldn’t let you go again. Not after what he called fate pulled him into that little café that he barely noticed.

“Asking each other awkward questions, trying to figure out who is doing worse than the other, maybe even trying to be friends even though both of us know that we can’t be friends. Not after all we’ve been through together.”, you said, your arms crossing in front of your chest and tears welling up in your eyes.

“No, I don’t mean for it to be like this. Please, let’s have a coffee together and I’ll explain, just please don’t go. Don’t leave me. Please.”, Ben was full on begging. Tears stained his cheeks and you had to physically restrain yourself from wiping his tears away. Ben had to physically restrain himself, too. But he had to do so as to not hug you tightly and not let go again.

“One coffee.”, you said before motioning for him to order one, then sat down at one of the little tables. Ben quickly handed you Frankie’s leash before moving to order his own drink. He was looking back at you every now and then, almost like he was scared that you would run off if he turned his back to you for a longer time than half a minute.

Once he had his coffee, he hurried back to the table, sitting down in front of you.

“Talk.”, you said, taking a sip from your coffee. Frankie was contently resting under your chair, happy to be close to you again.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. So sorry. I don’t know what was going on with me, I don’t know why I said all those unforgivable things.”, Ben was sobbing. Other people in the café were eyeing you curiously, but you tried to pay them no mind. You were nibbling on your bottom lip, trying your best not to cry, wanting to stay strong.

“Are you really, though?”, you asked, your own voice on the verge of breaking. “Because you didn’t seem to regret a single word you said back then. You didn’t call or text. You did not make any effort to apologise. Why would I believe you now?”

“I was so scared. I- I thought you hated me and you would block me and not listen to me. I was scared that you had already found someone else. And I thought that you wouldn’t forgive me anyway. I hurt you so bad and it hurt me and I regret every single thing I said, please believe me. Please. I miss you so much and I still love you so much. And Frankie, she misses you just as much. Every night, she is sitting in front of the door and is waiting for you to come home, but you don’t.”, Ben was rambling, trying to get everything out at once.

“Oh, Frankie…”, you mumbled, leaning down again to gently pet her head. “And how am I supposed to believe you?, you asked Ben.

“I’ll prove it! I’ll prove that I’m sorry and I’m worth a second chance, please. Y/N, you mean the world to me and I would do anything to get you back.”, Ben’s lips were slightly parted, his eyes huge with hope. He looked like he couldn’t believe what was happening, how lucky he was.

“Okay.”, you said. “Okay. You’ve got until the sun sets to prove it.”, you continued with a little smirk. If he was that sure, he would surely be able to redeem himself in the course of one day. And if he really knew you, he’d know exactly how.

That was truly the beginning of an extraordinary day.

[necrokittytales]

Necrokitty Tales: Trouble in Inkwell Isle (Chapter 28)

Authors’ note: Necrida’s writing will be in italics and SPKC’s writing with be regular font. If you have no idea what this roleplaying thing is, you can start from the beginning here. NSFW here!

———————————————————————————

Hilda woke up to the loud sound of machinery, making her entire house shake. Her first thought was that the actual dragon came back to finish what it started. She leapt out of bed and ran to the observatory, already started to transform into one of the constellations. But she stopped abruptly when she recognised the giant robot from Dr Kahl standing outside her observatory.

“Mowrning Miss Berg!” The man, and the robot, saluted her with a happy grin on their faces before seeing her outfit. "Hoho! You might vant to cover a little! I can tell you’re cold!” He chuckled, noticing Hilda’s breasts through the thin nightgown.

The woman immediately crossed her arms and frowned at the man. “You could have called before starting!” She shouted up to him.

“Calling is offerrated! Hologram or nothing,” Werner shouted, walking past Dr. Kahl with a scientific little doohickey . “You’re not blanning on sdaying inzide totay, are you? Ve may need to sbray zings zat do not like zee human skin,” he mentioned, eyeing Hilda.

Hilda raised an eyebrow at Werner. “Eh… actually I’m planning on seeing Cags today.”  She looked at the two men working with their machinery. For every piece of debris they picked up, another two fell from another place. It felt like they were destroying more than what they were clearing up.

The woman sighed and tried to comfort herself with the thought of a free telescope and a 50% reduction on the cost. “I see you guys have everything under control… just… please don’t destroy my house…”

“Ja, ja. Ve are professional!” Werner turned just in time to duck as one of Kahl’s inventions nearly sliced him in half. “Vatch vere you’re svinging zat zing, you idiot!”

“Hello, Hilda!” The woman turn to see a familiar large carrot hopping her way with a friendly greeting. He paused as he got a bit closer to the observatory and then whistled. “When did you decide to start renovating?”

“Oh! Hy Psy! Well, I wasn’t really planning for it. Ya see, what happened was…."  

The woman explained what happened to the observatory, excluding the details of her evening with Cagney. Psy nodded his head, making the appropriate facial expressions at the various points of her story.

”..and now, Dr Kahl and Werner are clearing all so I can start building up again. IF I can get the funding for it, that is!“ She sighed, a bit sad. "Anyway, you need something? I was about to head to Cagney’s.”

Psycarrot brightened up. “Well, I just decided to pop by after hearing all that noise. It’s awfully convenient for you to be heading that way as well. I got to give him back the key to his shed if he’s home. Do you mind if I join you?”

Hilda thought for a moment, and came to the conclusion that it would be less awkward if somebody else was present. Plus, it would be a good test to see if they were really back to normal or if there was still some tension left. “Eh, sure, let’s go.”  With a wave of her hands, she cast a cloud big enough for both of them. “Hop on!”

Psy hopped onto the cloud and away they flew toward Cagney’s field. “I haven’t seen him in a few days so it’d be nice to touch base with him about some of those honey suckles he’s been growing. Figure out what type of mulch he’s been using to get them as bright as they are.”  As the cloud cleared the forest and Cagney’s field came into view, the carrot peered inside. Psy groaned. “Darn, still not here.”

Hilda squinted her eyes and saw a figure in Cagney’s favorite tree. “Hey! Somebody IS down there!” She immediately approached the tree to find Carlos lying on the branch with his face covered by his hat. “Hey! I know you!” She yelled, waking up the cat and nearly sending him falling from the tree. “What the heck are you doing here?”

“Señorita Luna! Oh, por favor! Don’t hurt me!” Carlos held on to the branch with claws. “Petal’s said he wasn’t gonna be here for a few days, I’m just keeping his spot warm.” He smiled nervously.

Psycarrot glanced at Hilda slightly suspicious. “You haven’t been scaring guys again, have you Hilda?” He teased.

She looked at Psy confidently. “M-me? Naaah. I just had a very civilised conversation with him when he trespassed in my home the other day.” She looked at the cat and his multiple wounds and bruises, and shrugged, feeling slightly guilty for coming down so hard on him.

Carlos looked at the woman with wide eyes. “Well, if that was civilised, I don’t want to see what’ you think is barbaric!”

“Yeah, you don’t. Now get down from there before I make you get down,” she threatened the cat.

“Fine, fine!.” He climbed down. “But I don’t see why I can’t stay. I’m not bothering anybody, I have a place to sleep and I’m keeping an eye on his property. It’s a win-win!”

Psycarrot brightened up. “Say! You don’t know where that grumpy weed is, do you? He was all hush hush about it with us! I think he was going to another isle.”

Carlos and Hilda chuckled at Psy’s pun.

“Maybe something happened to him on the way?” Hilda said, worried. “It’s a long way for him…”

“Hmm…I remember he was in a hurry. He needed to take care of something really serious.”

Psy flexed and cracked his fingers. “I see that my vast psychic skills are necessary to see more than what this simple minded feline realizes he can provide us! Step this way, my good fellow and allow me into your mind!”

Carlos raised an eyebrow. “Read my mind?” He got closer to Psycarrot and crossed his arms. “Are you one of those charlatans at the circus?” He said not convinced of the carrot’s habilities.

“No, the real deal, my feline fellow!” Psycarrot had the cat stand in front of him and he began to massage his own head. “You…originally thought he was a girl. A very angry girl…your mind is telling me about a different flower in New York that you…oh. OH! Oh, eh, well looks can be deceiving I suppose!” Psy managed, seeing an image he would have rather not seen, or at least not in public.

Carlos paled and stepped away from the carrot. “I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Hilda laughed. “You looked a little too far, Psy, hahaha!”

Psy nodded, wiping his brow. “Ye-yeah.”  He had to admit he wasn’t quite sure what he would do if he ever saw the flower from the cat’s memories but he doubted he could keep a straight face. So he concentrated on the day Cagney left. “Cagney said he was going to…well either fix things or fuck things,” Psy admitted sheepishly. “Sorry, just wow, uh…”

“Fix things?.” Hilda started to have an idea of her best friend’s plan. “Shit! I think I know what that dumb dandelion is up to…”

____

Cagney woke with a clanging and a yelling outside of his prison. He blearily blinked and looked up to see bee guards storming through, smacking their batons along the bars of the cages as they walked through. “Rise and shine, sweethearts!” one guard yelled.

“What’s going on?” Cagney grumbled, wiping his eyes. He didn’t know how long he was asleep or if the sun was up or not and the yelling was certainly not helping his mood. Granted, he did feel a lot less pent up than he had the last few days, but the circumstances leading up to and following that point were a bit…stressful to say the least.

The old bee shook worriedly. “They’ve come to take us to the Reprogramming camps!”

“What are you talking about, old timer?” he asked, as the bees walked toward the cat’s cage first.

“The Camps. It’s where they take problem bees and turn them into mindless drones, or "model citizens” as our Queen puts it. It wasn’t so bad at first. First, they were just taking the real bad riff raff, the ones that were stealing and have repeated violence and stuff. But lately, it’s been anyone who’s so much as hiccuped in front of her.“

"Huh, then why are you in here?”

“I stole and sold royal jelly,” the old bee admitted.

“And you haven’t been to the camps before, because…?”

“Oh I’ve been! But I’ve got a metal plate in me head from the last war, so it hasn’t been so successful! But I hear now that they got some even stronger force that could change that!”

Cagney did not like the sound of that but shrugged. “Well, I’m not a bee, so I’ll be just fine.”

“Don’t be so quick to think that!” The old bee warned, “I’ve seen fellas with twice as much spitfire and sass as you come back as tame as a kitten.”

Despite the seriousness of the threat, the carnation couldn’t help but grin at that last part. He tapped on the wall connecting his and Amber’s cage. “Ya hear that, ya dumb feline? They’re going to turn you into a kitten….hello?” There was no reply and the carnation scratched his head as the guard bees stared into her cage.

“The feline prisoner is missing, sir,” one of the guards spoke up.

“What?” Another guard fluttered over and quickly unlocked the cell before stepping in. The carnation had to take a peek as well. Sure enough, Amber was nowhere to be found.

The guards flipped over all the furniture and blankets in the room yet there was no cat. The one with the key pushed the other one. “We have to find her!”

“What about the other two? Should we bring them down?”

“And risk Rumor finding out we lost one of the prisoners?! Are you mad?!? Quick, I think I smell something furry this way!” The bees took down the hallway, leaving the two occupants still locked up.

Cagney grumbled. “Least she could have done was take me with her,” he lamented.

“Weren’t you two at each other’s throats yesterday?” The old bee asked.

“Yeah, your point?” He groaned. “How did she even get out of the cell to begin with?”

“I didn’t.”

The two men turned to see one of the walls shifting until the little orange cat dug her way out, covered in dried honeycomb wall debris. She flicked the stuff off of her fur and pushed open the unlocked cell door. She stood in front of them, beaming.

Cagney gaped at her. “How the hell did you do that?”

Amber stuck out her tongue. “Trade secrets. Now, if I unlock your cage, are you going to try to kill me again?”

“Ooh, I’d really like to,” the flower admitted, much to the bee’s chagrin.

“Fine, then you can rot in there.”

“No, no! Wait. Ugh fine!” The carnation scowled, crossing his arms. “Fine, I won’t try to kill you.”

“Great, I accept your apology and also feel bad for what happened due to your actions,” Amber responded smugly, extending out a nail and starting to lock pick Cagney’s door. After a few rotations, the satisfying sound of a click echoed through the hallway and Amber was soon pulling open the second door.

“Wait, wait, you whippersnappers (young people) have to take me?” The old bee protested.

“What? Why? You actually have a reason for being here…I think

"Well, if you don’t let me out, I’m going to raise the alarm,” the old bee threatened.

Cagney nudged Amber. “Be a good girl and go unlock his cage.”

____

The three escaped convicts started to quickly travel down the length of the passage, looking for an exit. They couldn’t stick around here. It was only a matter of time before they were caught by some patrolling guards. It didn’t take long for them to get hopelessly lost.

“Cagney, really think, you don’t remember where they brought you or how we got in?” Amber asked as they rounded another corner in the hive.

The flower shook his head. “I didn’t. Thought we would be just lead out the way we came. Wasn’t expecting Rumor to be completely psycho.“

“And yet, you still had whoopie with her,” Amber grumbled, “didn’t your parents ever teach you not to stick it in goofy?”

“Considering my parents have split up, they didn’t,” the flower grimaced, “I honestly didn’t think Rumor was carrying a torch for me.”

Amber nodded. “The thought of anyone having feelings for you is hard to believe.“

“Bees are naturally attracted to flowers and vice versa, so if you two are done squabbling, we really need to keep moving!” The old bee hollered at the two.

The group stopped as the sound of buzzing drew closer. “Quick, through here!” Amber squeaked, scampering down another hallway.

The three came to a door and the old bee immediately panicked. “Oh! No, this is the worst place we could be!” The old bee cried.

“What? Why?”

“This is Rumor’s office!” the bee exclaimed, pointing at the royal insignia on the door.

Cagney hesitated. “Shit, he’s right.”  He had just been here 24 hours ago, negotiating with the queen bee. And this is one of the last places he wanted to end back up at.

Amber’s eyes lit up. “Think there could be some treasure in there?” She asked hopefully.

“Is that all you think about?” The flower grumbled.

“Well, no, sometimes I think about cream and a warm fireplace.“

The bee shook his head. “There’s no way I’m going in there!”

“Well, there’s no way back that way!” Amber hissed, pointing from whence they came. She glanced around. “The only other way is toward some place called the waste dump and considering honey is like bee throw up, I don’t even want to know what’s considered waste to them!”

“Anything’s better than the office!” The bee flew down the hallway before either Cagney or Amber could stop him.

The buzzing grew louder and the two exchanged nervous looks. “Office?” Amber suggested

“Office.”

They turned around and quickly entered Rumor’s office, shutting the door behind them. Cagney looked around some more. “Looks like Rumor’s not here.“

“Shh!” Amber shushed, putting a paw over his mouth, peeking through the keyhole. The Carnation leaned down and peeked through other one.

In the corridor, a couple of bees walked by, pushing a cleaning cart. The fugitives recognised one of the bees as the young fellow they met back in the cells, before he was taken to the reprogramming camp.

��…I’m telling you, I’ve never felt better! You should totally go!“

"I don’t know… I heard spooky stuff happens in there,” the other bee answered, cleaning some dust from the corridor decorations. "You don’t come back the same bee.”

“All lies! It was like a day at the spa! All I did was talk and enjoy massages! And I’m telling ya! Those ants really know what they’re doing”

“Ants? What are ants doing in here?”

“Oh! No no no! It’s cool! They made like a treaty or something with our beloved queen. Oh! And at the end of the day, after I let aaaall my stress and concerns out, they give you this lovely bracelet!” Cagney and Amber saw the young bee show his wrist to his friend.

“..WWRD?” He read. “What’s WWRD?”

“What Would Rumor Do! Isn’t it neat? Now, whenever I get too tense, I just look at this and think about our magnificent queen and all that she does for us, and I feel like I can do better! It encourages me!” He said, excited while leaving the corridor.

Amber heard some movement behind the royal chamber’s door in the office. The cat turned toward the door. Her fur stood on end as the door knob jiggled. “Hide!” She whispered, jumping under Rumor’s desk.

Cagney blanched. “Where the hell would I hide?!” He hissed back. The carnation wasn’t fast enough and braced himself as the door to Rumor’s bedroom opened.

“Thank you for seeing me, Queen Narween,” Rumor said to a slim winged ant, smaller than the bee, as they came out of the room. Rumor looked like she had been crying, her eyes were glassy. “You’re really a good~.” The bee opened her eyes widely at the view of Cagney. “friend?”

The ant noticed the surprise on the bee’s face. “Intruder!” She yelled, pointing at the flower. A couple of huge ants with massive jaws came out behind the royalty and threatened the carnation with their teeth.

“NO! No! Wait!” Rumor yelled, stopping the ant guards. “Its…um…my appointment. Just a pollen gardener!” She tried to calmly say. “I’ve been expecting him.”

Narween looked at Rumor skeptically but ordered her guards to stop with a gesture of her hand. "Oh… my sweet dear.” She caressed Rumor’s cheek softly. “Friends don’t lie to each other. Who is this?” She gestured to Cagney with an open hand.

Rumor’s eyes brighten at the touch of the ant. “He-he’s Cagney…" 

A creepy smile appeared on the ant’s face and she took a couple of steps towards the flower. The ant guards remained defensive. "I’ve heard so much about you…Cagney.” She pronounced his name with disgust. “You’ve really hurt my sweet Rumor. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Cagney had a very bad feeling about all of this, especially with how Rumor almost responded passionately to the other woman’s touch. Was this her girlfriend or something? He hoped not, otherwise, there would be some explaining about the events from yesterday. He almost glanced toward Amber’s hiding spot but stopped himself. The ant appeared very perceptive and no doubt might pick up on the fact that he wasn’t alone.

He puffed up his chest and gave the ant an intimidating glare. “What do I have to say for myself? I have quite a lot to say for myself. Like, who the hell are you? And what the hell is going on here?” He turned to Rumor. “Because right now, it’s looking more like a loony bin than a hive, Rumor.”

Amber could have slapped herself. Her many, many brushes with possible injury and impairment had made her hyper aware  of potentially deadly situations and this just screamed ‘Danger!’ to her. Cagney had no idea what he was getting into but he was smart enough not to look her way. She had crawled into a tight crevice of the desk and watched the scene anxiously through a slit in the wood.

Narween looked at Rumor to see what she was going to do about the flower’s insolence. The bee frowned at Cagney angrily.

“Looney? YOU want to talk about looney? What about yesterday? Uh? Sleeping with me to get what you want for that fucking witch!?” She took a deep breath to cool down and looked at her desk. “You know what.? I’m tired of this.” She took out her scepter. Cagney noticed something different in it, it looked as if it had loosened his golden brightness and was a bit cracked, like a branch.

Rumor waved the scepter muttering a chant and in her hand appeared a dark red silk cloth. “There!” She wrapped it up in a ball and threw it at the flower’s feet. “This bandana will allow to see the solution to every problem! You’ll be able to help her on your own.” She said sadly. “You simply have to wear it whenever you need to think clearly”

Narween ordered her guards to stand back to leave some space for the flower to pick up the fabric, and looked curious at the carnation.

“Take it and get out of my hive, Cagney.” Rumor said, crossing her arms and turning her back to him. She had to do an effort not to cry.

Amber looked at the piece of fabric fearfully. “Don’t touch the cloth, don’t touch the cloth, don’t touch the cloth,” she silently prayed to herself.

Cagney resisted the urge to snarl at the bee. “You wanna blame me for this? Really?!” He knelt down and scooped up the bandana, clenching it in his fist as he drew closer. “I’m not the one who asked for sex, Rumor. That was YOU, asking me to give you the 'greatest orgasm of your life.’ And not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty damn sure I did just that!”

Cagney threw his arms in the air. “Yeah. I’m just as responsible for what happened next, I’ll give you that! And if I had known what I knew now, I would have had a hell of a lot more questions before I’d have done that with you!”

His head drooped and he looked away. “I came here to ask for your help, Rumor! And I was willing to work for it, sure! You could have told me no or to buzz off. You were my friend, I would have listened!” He looked back up at her, daggers in his eyes. “But you saw an opportunity and you took it. So here we are. Congratu-fuckulations!”

He didn’t dwell on Rumor’s hurt expression, instead dangling the piece of cloth in front of her. “You want me to put this on?”

“Please don’t put it on, please don’t put it on, please don’t put it on,” Amber desperately begged to herself.

“Fine! I’ll put this on!” Cagney snapped, tying the bandana around his neck. “You think it’ll help me think clearly? Because I haven’t been thinking straight for the last week and if a piece of fabric is going to suddenly change things, I’d like to see it try!”

Rumor felt worse at each word the carnation yelled at her, turning red in embarrassment for her moment of weakness. She turned slightly to see the flower putting on the fabric and she looked at him wondering if she had done right.

Seconds later, Cagney started to feel a bit light headed. His angry thoughts started to fade away at the view of Rumor’s glassy eyes. Had he just been saying horrible things to the friend who was willing to give him what he needed to help Hilda? Hilda… that name made him feel slightly angry for some reason.

Narween seemed very pleased to see what she was witnessing, the guard ants still at the defensive.

“Cagney?” Rumor asked worried. “Y-you ok?”

Cagney blinked unsteadily. “What were we talking about just now?” He asked.

Amber gaped at the scene. The carnation had been outright yelling one minute and the next, acting like someone had just kicked him in the head.

The bee looked at Narween worried but the ant reassured her with a nod.

“You-you were yelling at me for trying to help you with…Hilda.” She despised the witch so much, she could barely say her name. She looked Cagney into his eyes, trying to identify any sign of change in him.

Cagney shook his head. “Yelling at you? Why would I be yelling at you? About Hilda? Why the heck would we be arguing about her?” He asked, the very name eliciting a bad taste in his mouth.

Rumor’s expression lightened and she looked back at Narween. The ant smiled back at her. “Well, I see you have everything under control here.” She walked towards the door, accompanied by her guards. “I leave you with your…meeting.” She left the office, closing the door behind her.

Rumor turned back to Cagney. “Eh… d-do you remember anything from yesterday?” She needed to see if her magic erased everything prior of being worn, or simply it distorted the memories, but she knew it might be a little too soon to really know. Some magic artifacts required some time to fully act.

Cagney struggled to make sense out of yesterday. It seemed like a muddled mess but gradually pieces started to fall into place. “Well, uh, I remember coming here cause I had to ask you for a favor.”

The flower scrunched up his face. “Hilda’s dome was broken. I accidentally broke it, and she said I had to fix it. I had to come bother you to try to fix it, I think.”  He made a face. “Why the hell would she have made me bother you? You’re really busy! If she wanted it fixed, she should have come here herself, right?”

“Right!” Rumor said, happy to see Cagney realizing that. He just needed a little push. “Uh… d-do you, do you remember what we… 'talked’ about… in my chambers?” she asked, blushing slightly, remembering their love making session and how abruptly it ended.

“You were offering to help but the more we talked, the more I realized how right you were about everything. And we got to flirting and we…did, holy shit” Cagney turned red in the face as he recalled their coital session.

The bumblebee underneath him, squirming and squealing in pleasure. He couldn’t even remember how long he was waiting to hear her make those sounds.

Rumor smiled shyly as she noticed his redness. “Yeah. That was… pretty amazing, actually… w-was it good for you?”

Cagney tried to play it cool. Rumor was asking him if he enjoyed their magical night together. “Y-yeahh!” He stammered before clearing his throat, “I mean you’d have to have honey for brains to not see how much I enjoyed myself.”

Rumor’s heart beat so fast. Her spell seemed to be working perfectly. Cagney now realized she was the one for him, and not that filthy human. She looked at her feet. She needed to be certain of the efficiency of the magical cloth. “Eh, and…do you remember how it ended?”

The flower concentrated. “The end?” For how muddy the rest of the memories were, for some reason the end was still fairly vibrant in his mind. Perhaps it was because it was such an emotionally fueled moment that it didn’t melt away with the rest of the memories?

He brightened as he remembered he had imagined he was making love to Hilda in that moment. “Oh, yeah I said Hil-!” His voice was cut off mid-speech as the bandanna constricted against his neck.

He tumbled down, knocking some items off of Rumor’s desk before he collapsed to his knees. The thought of Hilda moaning in sublime ecstasy within his grasp turned painful and he couldn’t breath.

Amber had been bracing herself to hear some really disgusting sex stuff about this Carnation that she really didn’t want to hear, but watching him fall to the ground almost made her leap from her hiding place. What the hell was going on?

“Cagney!” The queen yelled and she reached for him. “Cagney, look at me!” She forced him to face her. “Focus on me! Please, Cagney! Look into my eyes and breath slowly!”

After struggling a bit, Cagney finally focused on Rumor. He felt how the silk cloth relaxed around his neck, allowing air to finally pass into his lungs.

He rubbed his neck, continuing to breathe carefully, lest that happen again. “Christ, Rumor, you’d think they’d make this bandanna a little softer,” he grumbled. He softened at her worried expression. “Hey, hey, no, I’m okay, don’t freak out, dork,” he chided. He leaned in to her touch. “This feels nice though, you can keep doing this.”

The queen worried expression turned into a blushing smile, even though she didn’t appreciate being called a dork, she kept caressing his cheek.

If only thinking about Hilda almost made him choke… what would happen if he actually saw her? She would have to work fast to erase every memory of the witch before that happened…not that Hilda would show up in her hive. 'That’s it!’ She thought to herself, 'I’ll keep him in my hive until he forgets all about that blimp!’

Rumor cleared her throat. “ I’ve been thinking… Since we’re doing business together maybe-maybe you would like to work in my Royal Gardens? That way you won’t have to walk all the way here every time. You will have your own room, of course! As well as a team of gardeners. Everything you need will be take care of!” She said with bright eyes, hoping he would accept.

“That, that would be amazing! I mean, I have to get my old garden taken care of, but that shouldn’t be too hard.”  Cagney eyed her sideways with a smirk. “You’re being awfully nice to me, what’s the catch?”

“Catch? Well, I guess you’ll technically be working for me. Does that bother you?”

“I think I could get used to the idea of having you on top,” he chuckled.

Rumor blushed heavily, laughed and pushed him slightly. “Oh! You! You better watch your tongue in front of my workers!” She was really liking this. It felt so right!

He stuck his tongue out and waggled it at her. “Just let me know how you’d like to see it when the workers aren’t around.”

Amber was wondering what the hell was happening.

He glanced toward the direction of where the ant went. “Unless your girlfriend has an issue?”

“Girlfriend?” She took a second to understand what he was referring to. “Oh! Narween? She’s just a friend. A very good one. And to think we used to be rivals! She bought other small hives to make honey but my high quality has always beat hers in the market.” She helped the flower to stand back up. “And then one day, she came in peace. We had a looong talk and now we’re partners and best friends!” She said, a little too excited, as if she was over acting it.

Cagney pulled a petal. “Huh. Yeah, I don’t even remember seeing the honey she makes in the village store. Best friends, huh? Well at least you’re not lonely,” he teased

Rumor frowned at him but kept her smile. “You know… I’ll be less lonely if you accept the job.” She held her hands on her back and gave him a hungry look. “I could show you where your room would be right now….” This felt incredible for the queen, to speak freely, to the point, with naughty overtones. Is this how he felt with Hilda? No! She shouldn’t waste her thoughts on that witch. If everything worked out, in a few days Cagney wouldn’t even need the bandana anymore. He would be completely free and, hopefully, they would finally be together.

Cagney nodded. “If you got the time… And the energy,” he hinted, the allure of the bee once again stimulating his interest, “I’d love to see it.”

She bit her lip and walked to the door. She stopped in front of it and took a deep breath, stood straight, changed her expression to her typical noble stare and opened the door. She had to make sure nobody would get any ideas about them. Gossip literally flew in this hive.

They both left the room, leaving the little cat burglar alone in the office. The door was closed after they got out with the sound of a few locks.

Amber popped her head up and looked around. “What the hell is going on around here?!” She exclaimed. She looked around the room for something. Magic mirror? Evil puppet? Hypnotic ant monster?

The bandana. Cagney was all ready to brawl until he put it on and then suddenly he and the crazy queen were flirting and oh man was she glad they didn’t start anything on the desk.

And the staff that the bee have been holding; it made the bandana come out! “The staff has got to be the source of this,” she realized, “I have to get out of here!”

She started to make a beeline in the opposite direction of Rumor and Cagney only to stop. That scepter was dangerous. Really dangerous. And from what she had just seen, it wasn’t restricted to bees. Anyone could suddenly find themselves wearing a bandana or a bracelet and their brains turned to mush. Plus, she really couldn’t leave Cagney to his fate. She groaned and plopped herself down on her butt. “I hate being the hero,” she grumbled.

She had to get that scepter out of the bee’s hands.

But how? Amber wasn’t good at magic, having none of her own, and so there was no way she could just confront Rumor head on. She couldn’t take on a bee and her really unsettling ant friend. And if Cagney was really zonked, he might attack her too!

She had to play to her strengths. And her strengths were being sneaky and stealthy. Amber glanced around the room, already planning out her route to follow the two bosses.

____

Cagney followed Rumor to what he assumed was his room. For the most part, the workers did not give him a second glance. Word did travel fast in a hive. No doubt they heard that he had accepted the gardening position and realized he didn’t need to be arrested.

But the cat he was with. Amber. She was still around. He really should have mentioned to Rumor that she was in the room, but something deep in his gut had prevented him from doing that. Oh well, maybe he could help her look for the cat later. After she showed him the bedroom.

She finally came to a door and opened it up, revealing a very similar set up to her own chamber with access to ground and water. Even in the privacy of the room, Rumor still remained calm and regal like. He wondered if he could get her to drop the act now that they were alone.

Or so he thought.

Amber clung to the beams holding up the ceiling of honeycomb. It was fortunate that they had some form of structure for her to even grab onto, much less hide behind. Honeycombs were strong and all but a place of this size and capacity probably needed a bit of help to stay intact. She had been following Rumor and Cagney, hoping the queen might hand off her scepter to someone less capable but no such luck. She squeezed through a gap in the rafters to get into the room only to freeze as she saw the way the flower eyed the bee.

Oh, she definitely did NOT want to see this. She turned and tried to hightail it out of there only to remain stuck. She looked to see her tail tangle on some of the nails. She tried to pull it out quickly only to stifle a pained gasp. She had to go slow otherwise they would hear her. She regrettably go to work on freeing her tail as quickly as she could.

Cagney planted his roots into the moist soil, enjoying the feeling of dirt again on his feet.  When this was all over, he was going to go home and stay burrowed in his garden for a week. He paused. But he wasn’t going to go home. Not yet at least. This was his home now, right? There was a reason he wanted to go back to the isle but he couldn’t quite figure it out.

The line of thinking distressed him and he chose instead to play with Rumor. He placed his leafy hands around Rumor from behind, fiddling with top of her breasts. “Ready for round two?” He asked.

Rumor bit her lip, wanting very much to have a Round Two but stopped herself from just submitting once more. Yesterday’s events were still very much in her mind, especially how Cagney blurted out Hilda’s name at the end of what was supposed to be very stress relieving coitus. “Cagney, I don’t think I have the time at the moment.“

Cagney nuzzled against her. “You’re the queen, ain’t ya? You’re saying you don’t want to mess around just a little bit?”

She was the queen, wasn’t she? She could allow herself to indulge in this again. Besides, the bandana looked like it was already doing its job. Cagney had barely mentioned Hilda ever since he put it on. “I suppose there’s some time,” Rumor admitted, sitting down on the bed and beckoning him closer.

The flower approached her but paused. “Ya gonna hit me again?”

“Depends on how good you are,” she smirked.

“Great.”

Keeping his position in the dirt, Cagney leaned over in front of Rumor and pressed a surprisingly gentle kiss to her lips.

The bee was caught off guard, expecting the roughness from yesterday. She quickly responded in kind, taking her hands and softly stroking along the sides of his face, rubbing the sensitive spots on his petals that her bee vision could see. The flower shivered at the contact, his tongue slipping out and begging for entrance to Rumor’s. She granted entry and met his tongue with her own, enjoying the sweetness of his nectar.

His fingers crept alongside her shoulders and pulled away the royal garments she wore, exposing her black and yellow skin. She shivered at the contact with air and she reached out to pull his stem against her. She enjoyed how warm the plant felt. She started to rub down his rough stem to shamelessly try to coax out his piece already.

Cagney squeaked in surprise at the bold gesture. He pulled away from the kiss and smugly eyed her. “Guess you really don’t have a lot of time if you’re already wanting the big finish.“

Rumor blushed at being called out. “It’s just, well after yesterday…”

“Yesterday?” He asked, “didn’t we have some fun yesterday?”

‘Yes, and you screamed out another woman’s name during sex,’ Rumor wanted to remind him but stopped herself. Ugh, Hilda wasn’t even here and she was already putting a damper on this ardent affair. “Never mind yourself,” she replied sharply, “just hey!”

In his absent-mindedness, Cagney had torn a little bit of one of the garments. He looked at the piece of cloth in his large hand. “Oops.”

“Oops? That’s silk, how did you rip silk? You better fix it after this!” She gasped, trying not to let on to the fact that the thought of the Carnation ripping her clothes off was actually kind of hot.

Cagney nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m going to fix this…” there was an odd feeling inside of him as he said those words. Like he had said them before.

Rumor rolled her eyes. “I’ll just have the Royal tailor fix it, don’t concern yourself further…“

Why had he said those words? He remembered clutching someone tightly to his breast, repeating those words. Hoping he could make them true.

“Cagney?”

The flower looked back in her. “Huh?”

“Is everything alright?” Rumor asked, trying not to look too worried.

“Yeah, yeah everything’s fine,” he said, even as he swore he could feel someone small in his arms.

Rumor eyed the flower a bit worried before gently pulling him towards her lips. She focused on the moment and try to keep the thought of the meteorologist out of her her mind. 'Better keep her away from his thoughts as well…’ she said to herself, raising the intensity of her kiss and stimulating him. "On second thought, maybe you could give more work to my tailor,” the queen said, sensually looking at her torn up clothes.

Cagney returned the kiss, trying to match the intensity of it while trying to ignore the weird feeling that festered within his chest.

He ground himself into her touch and pressed kiss after kiss along her cheeks and her neck. His fingers tugged at the garments, trying to pull them off, but now shying away from outright ripping them. He already had so much to try to do, he didn’t need to add more to it.

What did he come here to do? He was here to work for Rumor, right? He came here to try to fix something but the more he tried to focus on what it was, the more it slipped away, agitating him further.

He could feel his stem starting to thicken as he continued to paw at her breasts and her hips

Rumor let some soft moans escape from her throat, rubbing her body impatiently against his. She caressed his sensitive spots behind the petals slowly leaning on him. “Take me,” she moaned between playful tongue kisses. “Take me now!” She ordered, stealing a really heated kiss from the flower.

The order reverbated deep within him and he couldn’t help but growl at the authority behind her words. He resisted the urge to just forget and submit. He grabbed Rumor and pulled her fully into him, his tongue darting out and caressing the insides of her mouth. He could feel a heat growing within him as his stem continued to thicken and his petals turn ragged with her touches. The frustration of it all, wanting to screw Rumor into oblivion yet still remember what he had come here for was proving too much for his regular form to take and he felt himself gradually transform.

The queen abandoned herself to the flower’s needy and gradually rougher touches. This was surreal for her. Two days ago their relationship was purely business, and now, here she was, quivering and almost dripping from their still covered crotch.

She rubbed herself against the thicker part of his stem looking at him with preying eyes, not paying attention to the slightly changes that started to appear in his body.

He flipped her around so her back rested against his chest and removed the garments around her pelvis, exposing her sex. His fingers dipped down and spread her vaginal folds, fingering the  sensitive tissues to prepare her for penetration.

He felt so pent up. He wanted nothing more than to pollinate the queen bee, make her scream, hoping that her shrieks of pleasure would shake him from whatever lingering thoughts kept him from accepting this was what he wanted.

“Are you ready?” He groaned, rubbing his penis against the outside of her vulva, silently begging for her to let him in.

She gasped in surprise and spread her legs to allow Cagney to reach better. Her body was burning with desire. “Hhnng… yes! Don’t make me wait any longer!” she cried, caressing his neck and moving her hips to the touches.

He slipped it in easily as her entrance was already slick with desire. He lingered inside her without moving, enjoying the feeling of her warm walls wrapped snugly around his cock.

This felt even better than yesterday! He ran his hands along her body pausing as he felt the bareness of her wrists. There was supposed to be something there. He grit his teeth, growing increasingly frustrated by how his mind refused to remember. He knew there was supposed to be something there. So why couldn’t he remember?

He should start soft. She asked him to…right? But Rumor didn’t ask for that. Someone asked for that. But it wasn’t Rumor. He thrusted into her slowly at first but quickened his speed as she wiggled impatiently.

He felt like he was losing his mind. His teeth elongated and sharpened as he warped his shape. His petals looked bedraggled and his stem had thickened and fleshed out. She felt increasingly tight on his growing member as he continued to rut into her, his lustful groans turned into a growls

Rumor moaned at the slow friction and turned around when she noticed the tightness in her womanhood. “Cagney, what are you~CAGNEY!?” She yelled, surprised to see the monstrous figure of the flower thrusting and growling. The queen tried to pull him out and release herself from of his grip. “What’s going on!?”

Rumor’s desperate wriggling to escape only led to Cagney tightly grasping her, pinning her arms to her sides, and jerking her back down roughly on his enlarged penis.

He hadn’t been in this form for a while, not since he broke the dome. And he was supposed to be fixing it. But he wasn’t. He was here, abusing this sexy bee. The more he touched her, the less he started to care about anything else. Except for screwing the honey out of her.

The carnation’s capacity of speech in this form wasn’t the best but he managed another snarl, “What’s wrong, Rumor? Can’t handle me like this?”

“Handle you!?” She moaned. “Since when you can turn like this?” She was more surprised than worried. The thick member of the flower pounding her wet vagina, sending waves of pleasure all over her body, making her shiver and groan loudly.

She started to love this feeling of being trapped like a fly between Cagney’s strong vines. It didn’t take long for the bee to accompany the carnation’s rough love making with her hips.

He didn’t answer the bee, instead choosing to nip and bite at her neck. He could feel himself close to climaxing as her walls started to spasm around him, indicating she was also near her edge. He continued to keep her pinned, his vines rubbing and stroking the front of her clitoris as he erratically rammed into her.

A final thrust of his hips sent him shooting his load deep inside her, coating her with the sweet, sticky nectar. He let out a rather monstrous growl, unable to call out an unknown name. He kept Rumor planted firmly as she started riding out her own orgasm.

Rumor screamed Cagney’s name as her orgasm exploded like a bomb through her shivering and wet body. That was the best orgasm she ever had, including the one from yesterday.

“My queen! Everything o~OH GOD!” The cleaning bees from before opened the door and saw the weird scene in a flash before shutting the door again. “W-we’re so sorry my queen!!!”

“P-please don’t kill us!”

Rumor’s reaction was slow, she was still panting, lost in the afterglow of her exquisite orgasm when she tried to speak and sound like her usual self.

“Hhh… you’re…hhh… you’re dead, if hhh you say anything… hhh.” She could only think about Cagney and how much she wanted to be with him, even in this monstrous form. She wondered if the silk cloth was responsible of his transformation.

“Of course, my Queen!”

“We won’t say anything my queen”

“We heard and saw nothing!”

The cleaning bees kept reassuring the queen as they walked away from the door.

Their problems continued even into the hallway. A large female bee guard stopped the smaller workers, startling them. “Why aren’t you cleaning?” She demanded.

“AH! Oh! Eh… uuuhh… we … we thought we heard something but.. eh…~!”

“Turns out was just a bird smashing into the window….” They replied nervously.

The guard narrowed her eyes. “Get back to work,” she said in a severe tone. The little bees nodded and continued their cleaning routine.

The guard eyed the door they were standing by and paid attention to any sound. They were still looking for the fugitives and it would be horrible if their Queen found out they managed to reach this level in the hive.

____

Amber knew what sex was. She had had it a couple of times. She liked it, usually.  She had actually been wanting some sex for a while now and it was getting to the point where she was seriously considering offering herself to anyone as long as she got a screw. There was only so much self loving could do for her. The point being, despite how long it had been since she had sex, she was fairly certain she could recognize it when it was happening.

This was not sex.

Amber had watched the entire thing with the expression of someone who was watching two trains not only crash but also start screwing each other like spring fueled rabbit. She had freaked out once or twice but thankfully her voice was drowned out by the vocalizations of the bee and flower. She was incredibly heated and knew she could probably pass for a furry strawberry with how red she was.

She held her freed tail in her paws, frozen to her spot until the door slammed open, jarring her back to reality. She fled the way she came, wondering how long it would take for her to forget the image of Cagney screwing the bee into oblivion that was burned into her mind.

____

After a while without hearing the bees, Rumor pulled Cagney out of her dripping sex of his big load. She tightened her thighs together, enjoying the warm fuzzy feeling inside her, and turn slowly towards Cagney, still in his last stage. He seemed a bit confused, still panting from the effort and releasing soft growls.

The queen wanted to comfort him, she  extended her hand and reached for his cheek. “You ok, Cagney?”

Cagney blinked unsuredly and growled at the hand before realizing it belonged to Rumor. He allowed it to make contact with his head briefly before wrapping a vine around it and growling quietly. He was still very much coming down from his high, unsure if he enjoyed the touch or not..

Rumor didn’t dare to move and looked at the carnation worried. Did she turned him into this? Maybe she did the spell wrong…

At the sound of the growling the guard from outside stepped in, pointing a gun at the couple. “HOLD IT TheoooOOOOHMYGOD!” She saw the flower holding onto a naked Rumor who didn’t seem very comfortable with the situation. The carnation must be assaulting her beloved queen! “LET HER GO! NOW!” She yelled, pointing the gun at Cagney.

Cagney turned at the shout, still somewhat confused. When he saw the gun being aimed at him, he bared his sharp teeth. He released Rumor and advanced upon the bee. “I’m going to break you like a ceramic pot,” he snarled.

The guard shot a few rounds, planting a couple of bullets in his stem, but it only seemed to make the monstrous plant angrier.

“STOP SHOOTING!” Rumor covered herself with her clothes and shouted at the guard who obeyed immediately lifting his hands.

“B-but… my Queen?.” The large bee said confused.

Getting shot did not feel good. So Cagney was fairly sure he was about to make the large guard bee feel worse than him. Before the guard could lower his hands, Cagney backhanded him through the door with a vine. “Ha! Hahahaha!” He cackled. “Bet that didn’t feel good!”

“CAGNEY!” She quickly put on her dress, picked up her scepter and turned the dirt into salted water.

The result was instantaneous. One second, Cagney was raring to knock out the next guard. The next second, he had collapsed, the saltwater stinging his roots. Without the dirt to support his greater form, he quickly shriveled back into his second form.

He wasn’t shrinking in pain persay, but he definitely wasn’t being quiet about it either. “What the hell? What the hell is going on?! Ow, ow, ow!” He hissed, trying to get out of the water.

“I haven’t hurt this much since Tauros landed that lucky shot the last time Hilda and I went at it!” He groaned, just the memory of it making his stem sting even more.

Rumor growled, angry at the sound of the sky witch’s name. She clenched her fists and got to the door. “I hope you enjoy your new home.” She got out and slammed the door behind her. A series of clacking noises came out of the door suggesting it was being locked.

Rumor stood for a while in front of the door looking down. She was feeling horribly guilty. This was the second time her passionate time with her beloved flower had ended with him blurting out Hilda’s name and being locked up. She was seriously starting to believe their relationship wasn’t meant to be.

“My Queen!” The large bee approached Rumor worried. “You ok, your Majesty?”

“..I’m fine”

“I’m sorry I didn’t react sooner, my Queen. I will execute him inmediate~”

“No,”  Rumor interrupted. “You will NEVER speak of this. You saw NOTHING.” She threatened the female guard. “And the two cleaners who were here earlier. Send them to my office.” She walked towards her room. “Cagney is the new royal gardener. Make sure everybody knows”

The guard looked at her unbelieving, but nodded softly. “As you wish, my Queen”

____

Cagney tried to follow her but couldn’t open the door. Had she really locked it?! He didn’t have the strength to break it down. And without the soil, he was stuck like this.

“UGHHHH!” He growled and proceeded to punch the bed, trying to figure out what had gone wrong once more.

____

“Ugh. Here he comes again,” one of the bee guards at the entrance of the Honeybottom building said to his colleague, when he saw a familiar reptilian silhouette, approaching fast and dripping with water.

Sullivan was livid. He had spent an entire day explaining the incident to his superiors and authorities, and no-one cared about the individuals the bees arrested. He stomped up to the guards. “Let her out!” Sullivan yelled. “Or I’ll get her out myself!”

“C'mon, pal! don’t make me throw you over the bridge again!” The bee replied.

“Go ahead! I’m an amphibian! I’ll just swim back out again! At least let me see her, you brutes!”

At that moment Hilda approached on her cloud accompanied by Carlos, who was clutching desperately to the cloud. “Oh great, more weirdos,” the other guard murmured, watching the woman land softly in front of them.

Hilda heard the salamander yelling and quickly approached the entrance of the hive. “Wow. What’s going on here?”

“Hey! Mi amigo! How are you doing?” Carlos said, happy to see the amphibian. After the fiasco at the docks, Amori ordered him to keep an eye on Sullivan and to find the masked cat he claimed was the cause of his failure.

The sailor turned to the familiar voice. “Carlos? What are you~Miss Berg? H-hi!” He said, surprised to see the meteorologist.

“Eh, hey there…you.” Hilda completely blanked. She knew the amphibian had something to do with boats, and he often came asking for detailed weather reports, but she never managed to remember his name.

“Sullivan.” The sailor said, noticing the doubt in the woman’s face.

“Suuullivaaan! Yes! Of course! I knew it! Just…you know…my head is always in the clouds,” she chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh! You know each other? What a small island.” Carlos smiled. “What are you doing here? Anything I can help you with, my friend?”

“Ugh, not really. Unless you know how to get in there and out. Alive.” The bees looked at them listening carefully. The group noticed their dirty looks and stepped away.

Sullivan explained what happened at the docks and how Amber and Cagney got arrested by Rumor’s guards and never got out.

“..and now, I’m trying to at least see Rumor and talk some sense to her! She’s not the queen of the world! She can’t just arrest people as she wishes!” Sullivan finished talking, pacing in circles angrily.

“Ugh, dumb weed! He must think all cats are burglars now!” Hilda said, a bit pissed herself. “I’ll go in Sebastian”

“Sullivan.”

“Sullivan.” She corrected, and walked towards the guards.

“Hi there, I want to talk with Cagney,” Hilda said to the guards at the door. The bees looked at each other and back at the woman.

“No visitors, miss,” one of them finally answered.

“Look,  I know Cagney. He must have said something stupid and made things worse. I want to talk to him so I can make sense of what actually happened and clear this whole thing up with Rumor.” The bees were starting to lose their patience.

“Only bees allowed inside miss. Please, go away!” Hilda was about to yell at the bees when a hand pulled her roughly away from the bees.

“Señorita Luna, mire!” Carlos pointed at a large group of tourists getting inside from another large gate. The bees took a look at their yellow and black stripes badges and let them in without paying any more attention to them.

Hilda smiled maliciously. “That’s a great idea, kitty cat! We’ll CRASH the bus into the door! No-bee is gonna be able to STOP US!”

“Qué dices loca? No! The tourist group! We can get in as a tourist group, you psycho,” Carlos said, surprised to her enthusiasm to crush the vehicle.

“But that was the last tour for today! We’re going to wait for tomorrow! And who knows what horrible things they might be doing to my poor Amber!”

The woman sighed, tired. “Fine, but I like my plan better…” .

____

Amber tiredly plodded down the halls. This place was a giant maze and her normally acute sense of direction was horribly messed up by all the sweet smelling honey. She figured it had to be night by this point, right? She would need to sleep soon since she didn’t have an opportunity to take a cat nap during the day.

However, she was very wary of where she could sleep. The hive was swarming with bees and she constantly had to be on the lookout for the next patrol or cleaning crew. She had to find a safe place and there were very few places that the bees did not barge into.

Well, there was one.

The Queen had made Cagney’s room practically off limits to anyone other than herself. Amber grit her teeth. Cagney had been acting real goofy ever since he put on that dumb bandana. And he wasn’t exactly fond of her before either.

The sound of wheels clattering indicated that one of the cleaning crews was returning, and she scampered back up near the ceiling. She had to think of some way she could get in there without the large Carnation murdering her on sight. She watched the cleaning crew as they swept and dusted the hallway.

Geez, didn’t the cleaning crews ever stop? She’d imagine a hive could get very messy really quick without them, but seriously it felt like they were here every. As one of them pulled out of cloth to polish something, Amber’s eyes lit up. “Hey, that could work.”

____

Cagney grumbled to himself as he observed his stem. The wound had pretty much healed at this point, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t sore to the touch. He was glad? Yeah, glad, he’s supposed, that he got shot in his third form and not the second. There could have been a lasting injury with the second form.

He heard the door knob rattle and glanced over to it curiously. The doorknob stopped rattling and he shrugged. “Must have just been someone trying the wrong door,” he figured. He paused again, this time he swore he could hear scratching above him. A small figure landed near him and he turned on it.

It was Amber. “Heya, Cagney!” She greeted cheerfully, taking a step forward.

There was suddenly no more ground underneath her paws as the flower scruffed and dangled her in the air. “Rumor’s been looking for you,” he evilly grinned, “kind of a dumb move for you to come here, don’t you think? Maybe I oughta dunk you in the salt water before I call the guards.”

Amber’s fur raised at the sight of the water but quickly waved her paws at him. “No, no no! Rumor already found me! See?” Her little paws gestured to her neck. Tied around it was a bright yellow bandana. “We’re on the same team now! Go bees! So no need to dunk the kitty!”

“…You’re lying. I’m going to call the guards.”

Amber shrugged. “Oh, sure, sure, go ahead and call them, I guess. And I’m sure they’ll come take me away, but man, the Queen is going to be super mad about it when she finds out you woke her up to turn in her secret agent.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

The cat batted her eyes at him. “How do you think I was walking around all day in the hive? You think I’ve been hiding this entire time? No, sir. Rumor made me one of her Secret guards. And only she knows about it.”

The carnation stared at her. “I thought I was the only one to get one of those bandanas,” he mumbled, putting her down.

Amber raised an eyebrow. “Really? You’re unhappy because you think you’re not the only one to get mind controlled by a bandana?”

“What was that?”

“Oh, eh, I mean. You’re still special. Mine’s slightly different from yours. I’m here to guard you.”

He chuckled. “Guard ME? Really? That’s hysterical.”

“I don’t know, you look a little bit beaten up. And no offense, I don’t think it’s from the sex.”

His eyes widened. “How the hell do you know about that?!”

Amber smiled. “Secret guard, remember?”

Cagney groaned. “Just, whatever, fine guard me.”

“Awesome! I’ll start by checking out that bed!” The cat crawled onto the small bed and began to knead the blankets.

The carnation walked over to her and stared down at her. “Hold on, aren’t you supposed to guard me?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, wake me up if someone comes in and I’ll -yawn- defend your honor or whatever,” Amber yawned, curling into a small ball.

Cagney rolled his eyes and sat down next to her. “Well…this sucks.”

Amber flicked an ear at him. “You know what helps make things suck less?”

“What?”

“Petting a fluffy animal.”

The carnation scoffed, crossed his arms and looked away. “Yeah, right.” Amber hummed and remained lying down. There were a few quiet seconds that passed before Cagney glanced at her. “Really?”

“Mmhmm.”

He uncrossed his arms and extended a hand out to her. “So, I just, pet you?”

“Yes.  But only one direction. And not my belly unless I say so.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“Only if you’re a moron.”

He scowled but very cautiously placed a hand on her and began to carefully pet her. He raised an eyebrow. “Huh. This isn’t hard.” He froze as she started to vibrate. “What is that?!”

“I’m purring,” Amber explained, not opening her eyes.

“Is that good?”

“It’s good, it feels nice. That’s my way of saying this feels good and I like it.”

“Why don’t you just say that then?” He snorted, continuing to pet her.

“I think purring gets the point across better, don’t you?”

The cat had a point, carnation could feel himself relaxing the more he petted the small asshole, her vibrations making him feel unnaturally calm. His thorns started to recede and he could feel his leaves start to perk up. He sighed. “I wish I could figure out what’s going on with me and Rumor. Like, everything’s going well and then suddenly she’s kicking me out or turning my soil into ocean water. Something feels wrong.”

Amber grunted. “Maybe you guys aren’t as close as you think.”

The flower did not like her questioning his relationship with the bee. “What are you trying to say? Rumor’s the whole reason I came here!”

Amber sighed. “Yeah, I hear you.”  

He eyed her belly curiously. “What happens if I pet your belly?”

Amber opened one eye. “…Do it and die,” she warned. The flower smirked.

“I’d really like to see you attempt that.” He reached down and stroke to rub her belly…only for Amber to clamp down on him like a bear trap and bite his hand. His eyes widened and he pried her off. “Dammit! That hurt more than Berg’s sewing needles!” He swore. He stopped midswear, still cradling his hand.

Amber licked herself. “Good, I warned you.” She squeaked when he grabbed her.

“Do it again.”

“Do what again?” She asked.

“Bite me again.” He looked completely serious.

“Are you serious?” Amber gaped at him.

“Yeah, because -AH!” Amber bit him on the hand once more, this time breaking the skin. The flower had to resist the urge to fling her off. He grasped the bed and whined. “You didn’t want to listen to why?!”

Amber giggled, leaving the carnation to swear. “Things start to get clearer when it hurts!” He growled, “And I-I didn’t come here just for Rumor! I came here to help Hilda!”

The cat released him. “Yes! Yes! And what else?” She asked excitedly. Cagney opened his mouth only for his hands to claw at his throat as the bandanna. He coughed and choked and Amber could only rub up against him. “Hey, hey! You okay?” She asked.

The carnation swallowed hard. “I,  uh, really wish I had some water. Some unsalted water,” he coughed, rubbing at his throat. “You think Rumor will bring some tomorrow?” He asked hopefully, “Could give me a chance to apologize to her too!”

Amber sank onto the bed. “I’m sure she’ll do SOMETHING,” she resigned herself. She wasn’t going to try biting the carnation again. If he actually choked and perished, lord knows she would feel intensely guilty about it all.

She curled back up only to perk up once more as she felt a hand on her. She looked to see Cagney petting her again. He looked embarrassed. “I’m still kinda stressed,” he admitted.

Amber sighed. “You may pet the belly. But only for a few seconds.” She rolled onto her back, exposing her tummy to the confused carnation.

He gently touched the area, wincing although he couldn’t quite remember why. He broke into a silly grin. “This is so soft!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Amber grumbled, “Softest part of the cat.”

“Like the feathers on baby birds!”

The cat batted his hand away. “Okay, no more belly rubs!”

“Fine, fine. Man, that was really soft though.” The carnation resolved himself to petting the cat who started to yawn again. “Think things will make more sense tomorrow?” He asked.

“Hopefully,” Amber purred, nuzzling into his hand.

“You sure?” He was greeted with only the sound of snores and he turned to see Amber had fallen into a deep sleep. He exhaled. “Well, shit, it better start making sense soon. I feel like I’m going crazy here.” The carnation passed out next to her shortly thereafter, his hand still midscratch on her ear.

———————————————————————————

CHAPTER 01,  CHAPTER 02,  CHAPTER 03,  CHAPTER 04,  CHAPTER 05, CHAPTER 06,  CHAPTER 07,  CHAPTER 08,  CHAPTER 09,  CHAPTER 10; CHAPTER 11; CHAPTER 12 ; CHAPTER 13 ; CHAPTER 14  ; CHAPTER 15; CHAPTER 16 ; (nsfw) CHAPTER 17 ; CHAPTER 18 ; CHAPTER 19 (nsfw) ; CHAPTER 20 ; CHAPTER 21 ; CHAPTER 22 ; CHAPTER 23 ; CHAPTER 24 ; CHAPTER 25 (nsfw) ; CHAPTER 26 (nsfw) ; CHAPTER 27 ; CHAPTER 28 (nsfw)

[gosecretscribbles]

MonthofMaybel2019 Week 2: Cryptid Cuties

Summary: Two warring insectoid societies turn the Pines' backyard into a battlefield.  Mabel and Dipper care for an outcast from one of these societies, then realize that he is the key to ending the conflict.  

A/N:

Well this turned out way longer than expected.

And also way more intense??  I have trigger warnings, just in case!

We don't see it, just the after effects, but our Cryptid Cutie got beat up by his society and made an outcast.

There's a quick battle between cryptids at the end and someone's limbs go crunch.  Nothing graphic, limbs are shown healed but a bit bent later.  It's minor but it's in there.

It was Saturday and the room was warm without being stuffy.  Mabel snuggled deeper into the covers.  Waddles was still sleeping, Dipper was mumbling dork words in his sleep, and she could hear her mom making Saturday pancakes in the kitchen.  She yawned and, without opening her eyes, reached under her pillow for a pre-breakfast snack of sugar packets.

They weren't there.

Huh?

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Mabel propped up her head and lifted the pillow.  No, they were there, only they'd been shoved to the edges of the mattress.  And every last one of them was empty!  They were as flat as Dipper's bow tie after Waddles had sat on it!

Suddenly Mabel heard a hair-raising shriek from the kitchen, followed by a really loud crash.  Instantly she, Dipper, and Waddles ran down the hall.

“Mom!” Mabel called.  “Mom are you – what happened?”

Their mother was standing clear across the room, arms plastered to the fridge, staring bug-eyed at an open kitchen cabinet where they kept the flour and sugar.

“Uh, Mom?” Dipper asked.

“You – it – thing!” she said, pointing emphatically at the cabinet.  “I told you no more supernatural pets!  Especially hair eyeballs that go rooting through the sugar!”

“Hairy what now?!”

Mabel stifled a laugh.  She could already see the Grunkle-Ford-like gleam in her nerdbro's eye.

Evidently their mother say it, too.  “Oh no you don't.  Whatever it, we are not keeping it, you are marching it straight to the backyard and Mabel you make sure it actually gets there and doesn't end up under the bed.”

Mabel gave her a thumbs-up, then grabbed two cereal bowls while Dipper grabbed a spatula and a ladle.  The two glanced at each other, nodded, then slowly approached the cabinet.  

The sugar container was already open.  They couldn't see anything yet, but the piles of sugar were quivering ever so slightly, granules sliding down the sides of the snowy mini-dunes.  She held her breath. Dipper slowly extended the spatula...

“GREEEEE!”

The second the spatula touched it, a huge hairy eyeball sprang out of the sugar and zoomed straight for Dipper's face.  He shouted and executed a terrific backhand, sending the ball of blurred fur right at Mabel. She caught it one bowl and clamped the other neatly on top.

“Tada!” she trilled.  “Thank you, thank you!”

“Did you see that, did you see?” Dipper said excitedly.  “I didn't see any wings, do you think it's another kind of eyebat, I only got a glimpse but –”

“Get. It.  OUT!”

They got.

They'd barely made it to the back porch when Dipper grabbed her arm.  “Wait wait, Mom didn't say anything about recording it!  Just let me get my fish tank, we can trap it and I can make a video recording before we let it go!”

“Okay but then we're actually letting it go, right?” Mabel said. “Because Mabel ain't riskin' her pancakes for an eyeball.”

“Yeah okay be right back!” He dashed into the house.

Mabel sighed and sat down, the bowls still in her hands.  Guess the pancakes would have to wait a little longer.  Waddles settled in next to her with an oink.   That was when she noticed it.  

Their backyard was a biggish square with low jasmine hedges on either side of the porch, one tree each against the left and right walls, and a nice spread of grass perfect for picnics and leaf-pile-jumping and the occasional mowing of crop circles (Dipper's handiwork, she was 90% sure).  But somehow twin termite mounds had been created in each of the yard's back corners, both of them over four feet tall and ringed with piles of dirt that made them look like tiny gopher playgrounds.

“Hmmm...I don't suppose you had anything to do with that?” she asked the bowls.

To her surprise, she heard a very small but unmistakeable groan.

She hesitated.

Should I do it? she asked herself.

You should absolutely look at and nurture what is obviously the cutest fluffy kitten version of an eye bat ever to exist in the universe! (said herself).

“Welp, when I'm right I'm right!” Mabel said cheerfully.  She cracked open the lid –

The back door banged open.  “Okay, I got the tank, let's – ack, Mabel, close the lid, close the lid!”

“Dipper, look!”

She held up the bottom bowl.  Cradled at its center was a creature six inches high, with a brown furry spider butt that turned seamlessly into the torso of a young human boy.  The butt part was complete with eight spider legs and a design on the back that looked exactly like an eye, and the boy part of him was a lean athlete's build right down to his chiseled arms and back, with a sprinkle of chocolate-colored freckles under a pair of huge wounded innocent puppy dog eyes. Mabel's heart wanted to burst right out of her chest and proclaim her undying love for him on the spot.

Only two things stopped her.  One, his muscular torso was covered in deep cuts and purple bruises, with his two front right legs were twisted at definitely broken-looking angles.  

Two, he was curled up as small as he could get, looking absolutely petrified.

“Oooookay,” Dipper said slowly.  “So, not an eyebat.”

“Dipper, I think we really hurt him,” Mabel said urgently.  “Can you get some floss and toothpicks or something?  For splints?”

“Well, sure, but a lot of spiders can be poisonous.  What if it bites you?”

“I won't bite.”

It was just a whisper, but it was so unexpected that Dipper jumped and Mabel nearly dropped the bowl.  Then she squealed so loudly both boys flinched and covered their ears.

“OMIGOSH YOU ARE SO CUUUUTE!  Don't worry, we're going to fix you right up and then we'll go on dates but we're from two different worlds so our romance could never last and we'll be star crossed lovers it's so ROMANTIC!”

“Interesting bedside manner,” Dipper said drily.  Then he turned to the spider. “Give me a second to get some first aid stuff.  Mabel, try not to plan the wedding while I'm gone.”

“I make no promises!”

She didn't plan the wedding (out loud), but she did take care of the actual bandaging part, using tweezers to tie floss around splints made from toothpicks.  Waddles assisted her by oinking encouragement, and Dipper held up a magnifying glass for her to make it easier.  He also kept up a running conversation to distract her patient.

“So you are poisonous?”

“Yes,” Anansi said, a little breathless.  (He'd told them his name, but they didn't have the extra vocal cords to pronounce it, and he'd agreed that this was a decent substitute.)  “But we don't...generally bite...we coat our spears with it...”

“Who's 'we'?”

“The Spider-People.”

“Shoulda seen that coming.  But what do you need the spears for?”

“To fight...the Mantis-People...”  His face twisted.  “Please, is this almost finished?  This last splint really ow ow OW OW!”

“Done!” Mabel said quickly, sitting back.  “Sorry, I think I tugged the floss a bit when I cut it.  Better?”

“Much, thank you.”  Anansi got shakily to his feet.

“So I'm guessing those mounds over there, they're for the Spider- and Mantis-People?” Dipper asked, nodding to the termite skyscrapers.

Anansi drew himself up to his full height (he looked so ruggedly angsty.)  “Yes.  This land belongs to the Spider-People, but it was stolen from our forefathers when they were tricked into signing the Contract.  We warriors have fought for generations to reclaim what is ours from the cowardly Mantis.”

“And the land you're fighting for is...?”

Anansi glanced at the backyard.

Dipper groaned.  “Of course it is.  Look, Anansi, pretty sure we can persuade our mom to leave the yard alone, but we should really get you back before our mom gets antsy.  No insect pun intended.”

Mabel sighed, but she got up with Dipper as he scooped up Anansi and started towards the left-hand mound.

“Wait – NOT THAT WAY!” Anansi screeched.  “Those are the Mantis-People, they'll kill me on sight!”

“Oh, oh!  Sorry.”  Dipper started toward the other mound.

“Not them either!  They – they'll probably kill me, too.”

They both stopped short and stared at him.

“But what about your family?” Mabel asked.  “Even if you're the lone wolf-spider type, every angst warrior needs a family!”

“But...I'm not a warrior.”  Anansi hung his head.  “Every time we fight the Mantises, all I do is run away.  My brother won't even look at me anymore.  But all I really want to do is crawl up to the tallest mounds and listen to the stars, to write the poetry of a river, the whispers of a stone...I want to create beautiful works of art.  Like the Weaver.” He glanced up at Mabel, guilt written all over his face.

“The Weaver?  What're you – oh, oh!  The sweaters!”  Then she gasped. “THE WISHING SWEATER!  The tiny writing, that was you!”

“Not so loud, please!” He thrust out both arms to quiet her and glanced anxiously at the mounds.  “Weaving is forbidden, no one else knows how!  If they heard you and realized I was here –”

“But you can't stay in our house,” Dipper pointed out.  “It was an accident, but you got pretty banged up.”

“That wasn't from –” He stopped short.  Mabel started to get a squirmy feeling in her stomach.

“Anansi,” Dipper said slowly, “I thought you said you ran away from battles.  How did you get all those other injuries?”

He swallowed.  “They...caught me weaving...”

Mabel gasped.  Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.  She locked eyes with Dipper, who looked equally grim.

“You know what?  Never mind,” Mabel told him.  “You're staying with us.  Dipper's got an empty fish tank and Mom's got two pounds of sugar she'll probably toss out anyway.  And if anyone from anywhere tries to hurt you, he'll have to get through me, Dipper, and a seriously adorable pig.”

Their mother was displeased.

But once Dipper and Mabel explained the story, she agreed to let him stay, as long as he mostly kept to their room to avoid her (or their dad) squishing him on accident.  She even went out to the pet store for little colored rocks, and then to the fabric store for a tiny pair of silver needles, so Mabel could teach him how to knit.  Within a day, Anansi had settled in and started Weaving like crazy.  His masterpiece was a web that stretched straight across the bedroom ceiling and glittered like an indoor Milky Way.  Best of all, the runes in the Weaving were magic, so the constellations in the web moved just like the actual sky.  Both Dipper and Mabel <em>loved</em> it.  

The yard was a different story.  Every day at dawn, the Mantises would climb to their tallest tower and read the Contract, a tiny Weaving no bigger than a butterfly wing, and read it aloud.  (Neither Dipper nor Mabel spoke Mantis, but somehow it still sounded smug.)  The Spiders would hear it and climb their towers and shout battle cries, and then the two sides would run down and clash in the middle like teeny-tiny titans.  The Mantises had blades on their forelegs, which made them excellent in hand-to-hand fighting, but the Spiders could throw spears the way Mabel threw bubble-themed parties.

Mabel tried to do her Lilliputian Peacemaker thing, but that ended just as badly as the first time.  The Mantises scraped up her ankles and her legs stung for hours from the Spider-People's spears.  After that, Dipper tried to film some of the battle to show Grunkle Ford, but he stopped after just a few minutes.  

“It's literally war,” he'd told Mabel, walking into their bedroom and staring at his camera.  “Literal, actual war.  It's nothing like the movies.”

Anansi had turned away.

By the end of the week, Mabel and Dipper came home from school to find that their backyard had been pitted and cratered so much that it resembled the surface of the moon.  Dipper and Mabel glanced at each other and then hurried to their bedroom.

“Hey, Anansi?” Mabel called once they'd reached it.  He was sitting in his tank, staring at his sugar bowl, still full to the brim.

Dipper dropped his backpack with a thunk.  “Hey man. Listen, the battlefield's getting pretty close to the house.  I don't think anybody knows you're here, but just in case, maybe you should start coming to school with us.”

Mabel nodded vigorously.  “Yeah!  You'd make a totally cute boyfriend-in-a-pocket accessory!  Or you could hang out  in the Art Room with Waddles.  You could spin a web over him as a commentary on the advertisement and consumerism in Sheryl's Net! What do you think?”

He didn't answer.

“Anansi...?”

Mabel looked closer.  Anansi wasn't just sitting there.  He was all hunched over with his hair hanging over his face.  And she almost missed it, because he was so tiny, but his shoulders were definitely shaking.

He was crying.

“Oh, no, please don't cry!”  She hurried to her dresser, grabbed a cotton ball and handed it to him to use as a tissue.  “Tell us what's wrong, we can fix it!”

“I m-miss them,” he sobbed.  “They'd all k-kill me if they found me and I miss them anyway.  I can't stop m-missing them.  I don't even know if my b-brother's still alive. I'm sorry, you've b-been so kind to me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...” He buried his whole face in the cotton.

Mabel's heart squeezed and her eyes filled with tears.  “Oh, Anansi.”

Dipper started pacing.  “There's gotta be some way to end the fighting. Or at least get them to accept you.  Just because the Mantises can Weave doesn't mean...”  He slowed to a stop.  “Wait.  Anansi, how did you learn how to Weave if only the Mantises can do it?”

Anansi looked up, then down, twisting the cotton in his tiny fists. “I...when I went up to the tops of the towers...I didn't mean to look, but they read the Contract every morning, so –”

Mabel gasped.  “You read the contract?”

“I didn't mean to!  It was just there!  And then I noticed how some of the patterns matched the words –”

“Can you tell us what it says?” Dipper asked.

Anansi recited it instantly, word for word, but this time in English.  Mabel shook her head in disbelief.  Talk about a serious bookworm! Bookspider?  

Then Anansi got to the end of the Contract and both Dipper's and Mabel's eyes widened in realization.  When he was done, Dipper turned to look at her.

“You thinking what I'm thinking?”

She nodded, a fierce grin spreading over her face.  “Oh yeah.  Anansi, don't worry about a thing.  The Mystery Twins have a plan.”

The next morning was Saturday.  Dipper and Mabel waited at the back door, listening.  Anansi was hidden in the fluffy neck of Mabel's sweater, under her hair.  

The Mantis leaders climbed their tallest termite tower, the Contract glittering in their scythe-hands like a creepy gem.  But just as their leader took a breath to read it, the twins burst through the door.

“CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” Mabel roared.

The leader spun around so fast he nearly fell right off.  “Challenge?” he sputtered.  “What challenge?”

“The one at the end of the Contract,” Dipper said.  “The one where whoever wins three contests gets to amend any part of the Contract they want, or even nullify the whole thing.”

The Spider-People began crawling out of their mounds.  They'd been waiting, too, spears in hand, and were now staring back and forth between the twins and their sworn enemies.  

“The Challenge itself is null!” the Spider-Leader called out.  He was about as tall as the Mantis leader, but while the leader was thin with a turquoise shell, the leader was a bigger, buffer, way hairier version of Anansi.  “The entire Contract is a lie!  We refuse to be bound by any part of it.  Besides, it's rigged in the Mantis' favor! They get to decide all three of the contests!”

“You're just unwilling to admit inferiority!” the Mantis leader bellowed. Instantly war cries went up from both sides.

“Wait wait wait!” Mabel said quickly, stepping between them.  “You guys are tearing up the land you want with all your fighting!  Plus our mom is pretty much ready to hose you guys.  The Challenge is the best way to end it.  Dipper and I can be your impartial judges.  And, and! The Spider-People get to pick one of the challenges!”

“No they don't!” the Mantis leader screeched, just as the Spider guy yelled “ONE ISN'T FAIR!”

“Do you forfeit, then?�� Dipper asked innocently.  “I mean, either side is allowed to invoke the Challenge.  If the other side decides not to accept, it would be a pretty cowardly defeat.”

Within seconds both sides had not only agreed but were throwing Challenge-based puns that would have made Grunkle Stan proud.  

The Mantises picked close-range combat for the fist trial.  Dipper brought out a breakfast tray to serve as the fighting area and each side chose a warrior.  The one from the Mantis side was extra-tall, at least eight inches, with a carapace the color of pale jade and scythes that were the envy of every sushi chef alive.  The warrior from the Spider side was so ruggedly handsome he could've been the cover for Gentlespider's Quarterly, and his muscular body moved with a predator's grace.

Anansi gasped and shivered against her neck.  “That's my brother!” he whispered.

She swallowed and held up her hands.  “Okay!  You win if your opponent goes down for a count of ten.  No killing or you automatically lose.”

The Spider scowled darkly and the Mantis looked annoyed.  

“What if he's jus a little bit dead?”

“No killing!  Ready – GO!”

Both warriors lunged.  Anansi's brother dug a leg in the tray and swiveled his body in a half-circle so the Mantis' own momentum carried him straight past, then karate-chopped Mantis in the neck joint.  But the Mantis threw his armored head back, trapping his hand between the head and the shell, then swung both scythes sideways, hard.  The spider's front right legs snapped and he went down with a shout.

Dipper shouted and Mabel jumped to her feet.  

“I SAID NO KILLING!”

“You didn't say anything about maiming,” the Mantis said smugly.

“That doesn't – fine, whatever!  1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-you-win!  Now somebody please help him!”

Two of the Spiders moved forward, their faces stony, and helped their fallen comrade off the tray.  The Mantis side welcomed their warrior back with victory cries.  Anansi trembled against Mabel's neck the whole time.  

The Spider leader stepped forward.  “The second contest...IS SPEAR THROWING!” he shouted, and cries of challenge went up from his people.  “Let the Encroachers see how well they fair against a skill they deem inferior!”

Once again, each side chose a warrior who stepped to the center of the tray.  The Mantises didn't even make spears and had to borrow one, much to the vicious pleasure of the Spiders.  Both warriors had to throw the spear at the far wall as hard as they could, without hitting or hurting anyone on either side.  

The Spiders won.  It wasn't even close.

Once both sides had sort-of-barely calmed down, Dipper indicated the Mantises to announce the final contest.  This was the trickiest part of the plan.  They were counting on the Mantises choosing a very specific task.  If they didn't...

The Mantis leader smiled coldly.  “Let the Spiders' fate hang on a skill that they themselves deem beneath them.  The tie breaker will be...WEAVING!”

“WHAT?!”

The Spiders shrieked so loudly the windows of the house actually rattled. After three minutes of yelling and insults, Dipper had to threaten the hose to get both sides to calm back down enough for an actual conversation.

“THE ENTIRE CONTEST WAS A SHAM!” the Spider leader screeched.  “YOU'VE BEEN ON THE MANTIS' SIDE THE ENTIRE TIME!”

“YOU AGREED TO THE TERMS!” the Mantis leader screeched back.

“AND WE WERE DECEIVED AS YOU DECEIVED OUR FOREFATHERS!  WE'LL NEVER HONOR THIS CHALLENGE!”

“IS THAT A FORFEIT?!”

“THERE IS NO CHALLENGE IF THE CONTEST ITSELF IS A FRAUD!”

“You still agreed to the entire thing,” Dipper said, staring the Spider leader down.  “And it was discussed aloud, so you can't blame messed-up Weaving for this one.  Only a coward would ignore the consequences of his own promise.”

“But we don't even have a Weaver!”

“Yes you do,” Mabel said.

A quivering lump moved under Mabel's sweater, across her shoulder, down her sleeve.  She held out her arm, and Anansi stepped out in the open at the center of the tray.

There was dead silence.  

Mabel had thought his people would start shouting again, but somehow this was so much worse.  They were staring at his back as though they could drill straight through it.

The Mantis leader smirked and gestured to a youngish-looking Weaver at his left.  “A youngling of our own will suffice for us,” he sneered.  “Though even our novices would outclass every last one of you.”

“The Weaving has to be a poem about peace,” Mabel said quickly, before the Spiders could start yelling again.  She took out her stop watch and held it up.  “Both sides have five minutes.  Begin.”

The spinners began immediately, with the Mantis spitting a thin stream of saliva into sticky string.  They started in the corners of the tray and worked their way toward the middle.  One minute ticked by, then two.  No one moved but the weavers.

At three minutes, though, the Mantises began to shift and mutter.  Where Anansi's weaving was tight and even, his runes uniform, the other weaver's loops were too tight or too loose, and there were little knots everywhere that ruined the symmetry.  

The timer buzzed.  

“The appearance means nothing!” the Mantis leader screamed.  “It is the words themselves that hold true power!”

“You're right,” Mabel said.  “Weavers, if you please.”

The Mantis weaver stepped forward and read his poem.  The faint threads from the shadow grew under the weaving like a pool of lavender, and the knots glowed like stars.  It really was pretty.

Until Anansi stepped forward and read his poem.  The many delicate lines of his work seemed to shimmer and undulate like waves of grass. Then she realized the air above the weaving actually was shimmering.  Fresh greenery grew straight out of the threads, pouring over the sides of the tray, flowing across the broken earth until everything was covered in a fresh layer of moss and clover and tiny white flowers sparkling with dew.

“The Spiders win the Challenge!” Mabel called out, over the shouts on either side.  It took a while to get the Mantis leader to actually hand over the Contract.  Once the Spider leader had it in his hands, he ripped the whole thing in half.

“How are your legs doing?” Mabel asked.

It had been another whole week since the day of the Challenge.  The Mantises had left and the Spiders had stayed, although they mostly kept to their mound.  Anansi had retreated back to his tank in their bedroom.  He was currently working on a web over Waddle's bed, just like the one in Sheryl's Net.

He flexed his injured limbs.  “Better, thank you.  The bandages can come off soon.  Can I borrow the book again?  Human letters are so much harder than runes.  Too many curves.”

“Runes are human letters, too,” Dipper called from the bed.

Anansi actually rolled his eyes.  “Where do you think you got the runes?”

“Ohhhh were there tiny Norse Spider-People??  There were, weren't there?  I bet they had tiny little Norse hats with horns and everything!”

Dipper sighed audibly.  “Mabel, real helmets didn't have –”

Tap tap.

They looked up.  Three Spider-People stood at the windowsill.  

One of them was Anansi's brother.  

Mabel glanced at him, checking, but he nodded so she went over and opened the window.

“We are here for the Weaver,” Anansi's brother announced.  

“Uh, sure!”

“Not you.”  He right past her at Anansi.  “You.  Weaver.”

“Uh,” Dipper said, getting up.  

Anansi just sort of head-bobbed at them and skuttled awkwardly along the wall until he reached the sill.  Even with the brother's legs still bent funny, he was at least an inch taller than Anansi and twice as muscular.  Dipper hurried to stand next to Mabel and she grabbed his shirtsleeve, watching anxiously.

“The Mantises are contesting our right to the other lands,” the brother announced, like he was giving a public speech.  His two escorts stared straight ahead like they were being graded on how well they resembled statues.  “They claim that the Challenge was only valid for the land where we won.  We will Challenge them again and again until their own laws turn against them.  Therefore, we will send Egglings from every tribe, and you will teach them Weaving.”

Anansi looked stunned.  “Teach – warriors?  Weaving?”

“Warriors do not learn Weaving,” one of the other Spiders snapped, his tone harsh.  Anansi's mouth clicked shut.  Mabel stuck out her tongue and Dipper scowled.  

“We will send the first Eggling in a moonturn,” his brother continued, as if nothing had happened.  “I will relay further instructions at that time.  Prepare your lessons.  That is all.”

At once the other two spiders turned and scuttled away.  Anansi's brother turned as well, then sort of half-stumbled, so that his two injured legs brushed Anansi's.  Then he was gone.

“Nice guy,” Dipper said drily, moving to shut the window.

Mabel knelt down to put her face at Anansi's level.  “Hey, you okay?”

“Fine,” Anansi said, all wide-eyed like a spider in the headlights.  He looked at the spot where his brother had touched him.  “I'm fine. I'm – I'm wonderful. Did you hear them?  Nobody called me a coward!  They want me to keep Weaving!  They want me to teach Weaving!”  He actually jumped five inches straight up, making Dipper jump back and bang his head on their bunk bed.  

“Sorry!” Anansi said, not actually looking sorry at all.

Mabel squealed and pinched her cheeks as hard as she could.  “Omigosh you are so cute when you're all bouncy!”

“Uh-huh,” Dipper said, his eyes watering.  “Sorry to burst your bubble, but you realize we still have a problem.”

Mabel jumped to her feet.  “You're right, the Spiders still haven't embraced the true beauty of Weaving!  Grab your needles and spinneret-things, Anansi, we're gonna make Weavings so great we'll wow the spider-pants off every last Spider!”

“Not that,” Dipper said.  “I mean yes, obviously, but his brother just said he'd be sending a bunch of little baby spiders to hang out with Anansi.”

“So?”

“So – exactly how are we going to explain that to Mom?”

Uhhhhhh, tada?  I don't normally write stuff quite this intense (or with heavy political undertones??) but I hope you enjoyed it!  Please feel free to leave comments, and thank you for reading!  

[heyyyyadora]

I haven’t written in a while but finally I can post my Secret Santa gift to @caprisunns based off their amazing prompt image of Literal Big Furry Catra

really indulged in this one cause im a big slut for supernatural AUs

“Okay, go ahead! Coast’s clear.”

“Adora… I don’t know.”

“Come on, Catra, it’ll be fine! It’ll be awesome, actually! You deserve to have a good time.”

“I just… I don’t know, it still feels weird. Bad.”

This was Adora’s idea, of course. She knew Catra hated having to be stuck in such a feeble frame (as she put it), day-in-day-out, suppressing herself, her instincts, her self. As much as she protested she was fine, she was okay, it was just the way of things, Adora could sense her buzzing with need, the drive, to just let herself go.

She didn’t get on too well with most of the supernatural community. She’d… made kind of a name for herself. She had a couple of fae friends, maybe, but only one was more than a loose acquaintance and was kind of a bit much to deal with all-in-all.

But she still had a right to find a space that she could be who she needed to be, a safe space. And now Adora was in her life there was no way that she wasn’t going to be there for Catra, to be her support and help her find happiness and health.

“Catra, you will not be the weirdest looking girl in the house. In fact I think for once I’ll actually stick out the most of the two of us.”

“Well, you are pretty freaky lookin’…”

“Oh, you are not going to bait me into responding to that, I’m not falling for it! Now go on… I’ll look away.”

“I mean, heh… it’s not like I mind you looking.”

“Psh… just do it, okay?”

Catra sighed and nodded, and Adora turned her back to the girl to stare at the alley wall. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

Okay, Catra. Relax. You’re like, the most confident person out of everyone you know. Not to mention the most terrifying. Not like anyone would dare to mess with you now, let alone when… ugh. Okay. She put the bag she carried down and slowly started to undress. This was… the most annoying part of it all, really, that moment where you’re all gross and fleshy and exposed. It did encourage her to get on with it, though.

Catra breathed slowly in, then out. Then, trying her best to stay relaxed, she summoned herself up from deep within.

Her hands were first. It was a tingle in her fingers that spread up the back of them, like static electricity buzzing up her arms. It took a few seconds then slowly, barely noticeably at first, a few dark hairs began to appear… then more and more. Not a second or two later the same sensation began in her feet, then at the back of her neck.

As the fur grew so, too, did the underlying flesh and bone. This went in reverse to the fur, starting from her back and shoulders, which grew longer and wider; her neck, thicker, along with her thighs. She sneezed as whiskers sprouted from the sides of her nose and, immediately after, her face followed the lead of the rest of her body, stretching out and expanding; soon her nose was a snout that extended out under her eyes. Her vision blurred a little and she had to blink a few times to focus properly; the colours of the world were changing, growing less vivid, but she could see much further in the dim evening light than was possible just a few seconds ago.

A minute later from when it began she finally exhaled the breath she’d been holding, a good foot and a half higher from the ground than before. She flexed her claws, brushed them through the mane around her neck, guided some rebellious fur out of her eyes and ears.

“I’m done.” Her voice was deeper than before, rougher. She wasn’t used to the feeling of her tongue in her mouth, but at the same time her whole body felt looser, more relaxed, more natural. This was her. This was Catra. This was how she’d be all the time if she could.

Adora turned slowly, her eyes trailing up to meet Catra’s as she broke out into a grin. Immediately she reached up and offered a gentle scratch at the fluffy fur around Catra’s neck.

“You look great.”

Catra couldn’t suppress a purr but batted the hand away with a rumble in her throat. “Don’t push it.”

Her thick tail flicked with agitation and she shifted nervously from paw to paw. “Let’s go inside, quick.”

Adora bundled Catra’s human clothes into the bag and zipped it up before taking it up on her shoulder. Still smiling she took Catra’s hand, curling her fingers around just one of hers. Then she guided Catra out of the Alley and down the steps of the club to start their night proper.

As they stepped inside immediately they were hit in the face by the usual sights and sounds of a thriving nightclub – though of course a few of the sights were not so standard at all: vampires dancing with werewolves; fairies chatting up demons; dragons and mandrakes and kelpies alike drinking each other under the tables peppered with supernatural creatures of all shapes, sizes and colours.

Catra’s eyes hurt.

“Oh! There they are!” Adora chirped up and led Catra by the paw to one of the tables where two people were sat- well, one of them was, at least. Some sort of bird or angel girl with pink, sparkling hair and fluffy white wings she was obviously struggling to stay comfortable with as they pressed into the back of her seat. The other wasn’t sat at all because, well, there was no suitable means for him to achieve it with the body of a horse. He was the first to look up and call out brightly.

“Adora! Hey!”

“Hi, Bow! Hi, Glimmer! Sorry, we had some stuff to sort out real quick.”

“It’s cool! We got drinks already.” Bow looked from Adora, to Catra, to Adora again. His grin never faltered but he was clearly waiting.

“Oh- Catra, this is Bow! Bow, this is Catra.”

“Hiiiii, Catra! So cool to meet you!”

“Hey.” Catra offered plainly. Bow’s hand hovered in front of her. She grunted and took it in a paw to shake hands, which he did far too enthusiastically.

“Aaaaand this is Glimmer!” Adora next indicated the winged glitterbomb that had been too busy looking at Catra to say anything. “Glimmer? This is Catra!”

“Ohhh, hey, yeah, hi.” She was similarly curt which ticked Catra off. They shook hands too but with much less vigor from either side.

“Sure.”

“Sooooooooo,” Bow cut through the ice like a pro, annoyingly. “How long have you been seeing each other?”

“Bow! I told you all this stuff already!” Adora huffed.

“I know, I know! But I wanna hear it from Catra too! Besides, maaaaybe there’s some stuff you left out…” He wiggled his eyebrows and Adora snorted. Catra just sighed.

“Like… a month.”

“Aaaaaand? How did you meet?”

“…I’d got my fur stuck on her fence.”

Adora sniggered but Bow didn’t – he looked delighted, actually.

“And she totally didn’t freak out because she’d already met me and Glimmer, right?”

“I guess. I figured she must have been crazy but she was super cool about it all. Took me in her place and patched up a load of my cuts. I was too… shocked, I guess, to stop her.”

“So she knew you were a fae from the start?”

“Maybe. I dunno. But it probably gave it away when she went away for a minute and came back to find a naked girl raiding her wardrobe covered in barbed wire cuts.”

Adora choked. Bow clapped his hands joyfully. Even Glimmer gurgled into her drink a little bit. Catra raised her eyebrow at Adora. “You left that part out, huh?”

“Well, yeah! For your dignity, I thought!”

“Adora. I have no dignity.”

Bow, meanwhile, was beaming at the two of them, “Awwwww, but seriously, that’s so cute! Like an actual fairytale!”

“Bow, literally everyone here is like an actual fairytale.”

“It’s so romantic though!”

Catra sniggered. “Well, it probably would be less romantic if you knew I was gonna raid one of your horses…”

“You what?” Adora’s gaze locked onto her in outrage.

“I’m a cat, Adora! And when I get a big hunger, I gotta eat something big!”

“You are staying away from my horse field.”

“Soooooo, anyway!” Bow chimed in again. “That’s kinda how Adora and I met! And Glimmer, through me. She was just so like… obsessed with some of my herd, I was kinda sorta super flattered. So I like, begged Glimmer to say I should go up to her and well… she did kinda freak out, but in a sorta…” He put on his best Horse-Freak-Adora voice. “‘Oh-my-god-you-are-amazing-is-this-real-am-I-dreaming-etcetera-etcetera…’”

Adora put a hand over her face, blushing. “I do not sound like that.”

“Yeah, you totes do.”

“Okay! Well. Now that we’re all introduced! Catra and I are going to go and get drinks!” Adora was blushing harder by the second and moved quickly away from the table. Catra shrugged and followed, a slight smirk on her face.

“Okay! Seeya guys later!” Bow cheered after them.

“Later.” Was the only word from Glimmer.

They navigated the crowd slowly, a tricky task given the added difficulty of additional limbs sprouting in front of you at the worst of times, plus having to avoid stepping on the number of patrons who were less than a foot tall at times.

“Sorry about Glimmer. She’s… usually chattier than that. I dunno what’s up with her.”

“I caught her once.”

“You…” Adora stopped and looked at Catra. “You caught her?”

“She looked like a bird.”

“You were going to eat her?”

“I let her go, duh.” Catra shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

“Wh… why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I wasn’t gonna embarrass her in front her friends, Adora.”

“But…” Adora couldn’t argue with it and she decided against it. “…Fine. Okay. That’s cool. My girlfriend tried to eat my best friend.”

“I caught her, Adora, I didn’t try to eat her. Don’t be weird about it.”

“Don’t be…!” She stopped and just gripped Catra’s paw tighter, lurching forward for the bar. “I need a drink so bad.”

“Yeah… you and me both.”

“What? What is it?”

Catra sighed. She nodded her head to a small group that was at a booth to the left of the bar. The most notable of them was the Spriggan, a tree-person who had to crouch for her head not to be reaching the ceiling. She had long, wavy vines for hair with flowers tangled into them. With her was a human man who was entirely focusing his attention on the third person… a girl with dark, leathery scaled skin and terrifyingly sharp teeth, like those of an angler-fish or other deep-sea terror. Catra’s eyes were on her and they were filled with all number of mixed emotions.

“You okay?” Adora pushed in gently, noticing her distraction.

Catra snapped out of it, looking back to her girlfriend. Her shoulders sagged for a second. “Yeah. It’s nothing, forget it.”

“Who’s that?”

“Ugh… look, I told you I’ve not got a lot of fae friends right now. She’s…” She sighed. “She’s part of that. The fish girl. She’s… my ex-girlfriend.”

“Oh, god.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Catra.” Adora took both of her paws and looked her in the eyes. Despite Adora’s entirely mundane aura, just this once they seemed to glow with an unseen fire. “You are going to have a good time with me, and Bow, and yeah Glimmer once we get past the whole thing that I’m sure she’s totally actually cool about. You don’t have anything to worry about with her, or her friends or anyone she might think she knows here. She is not going to ruin your night.”

Catra looked back at Adora and swallowed. Her heart rose up to her throat a little and she had to push it back down hard. Eventually she offered a weak little smile. “I know. Just, like…” She paused for breath again, giving only the briefest of looks over to the deep-sea girl before Adora pulled her gaze back. “…It’s not her I’m worried about. It’s me. Can you… can you promise me- promise you won’t let me ruin my night?” Adora looked at her with such pure care and sympathy she wanted to die a little. “No, seriously. She’s… she’s okay. She’s cool. I just- don’t let me start anything. Keep me away from her. Please?”

Her response was a tender little kiss to the side of her face and a brush through her mane that got a soft rumble in response.

“Yeah, of course. Come on, Catra.”

She let her wonderful girlfriend she had to fight hard to believe she deserved, take her to the bar. Their night started right here.