pommom92

[rascheln]

on a less happy note, BB has something going on with her eye and my cousin wants me to get her eye drops for now and keep observing it in case it gets worse and i’d need to do an emergency vet visit. extra fucking stressful on top of all the holiday prep i still need to do and the time constraint of, y’know, the impeding holidays!!!

[glassesandswords]

Ease Our Burden

Summary:

Late at night, the Survey Corps veterans head to a bar after wrapping up their year-end paperwork. What happens after a few glasses of alcohol is just plain chaos.

( When I read one of Erwin's official smartpass AUs, I wondered what kind of shenanigans the scouts pulled in the bar they headed off to after work. This is a story I've been wanting to write for so long, as drunk vets live in my mind rent free. Hope you like it.)

Originally posted in Ao3  and dedicated to @someonestolemyshoes

---

It was late at night when the wooden door of the bar creaked open, the sound of raucous laughter and footsteps spilling in. The old barkeeper looked up from his counter to see the veterans of the Survey Corps entering his almost-empty establishment, headed by their commander, Erwin Smith.

He gave a quiet nod to him. Soldiers frequented this bar often, as it was the closest to the military quarters. His eyes went towards the two Military Police soldiers sipping their beers in one corner of the room. The barkeeper had planned to close for the night after the MPs left, but now that the Scouts were here, he did not mind tending to the bar a little longer. Besides, he knew Erwin well from his cadet corps days- days that felt so long ago now.

The Scouts settled down noisily around a large round table, dragging in chairs from the other empty tables to fit them all. The barkeeper recognized quite a few of them. The loud, bespectacled brunette was Hange Zoe, someone who was poked fun of by the MPs and Garrison soldiers alike on a regular basis in the bar. She was a usual topic of gossip and trash-talk, as he had seen the customers mimicking her for some laughs, as if they were trying to talk to the captured titans in the same way that one would approach a pet.

His gaze trailed to the short man next to Erwin, the infamous Captain Levi, humanity’s strongest soldier. Rumors- fueled by drinks- always spread like wildfire around the bar, and even the barkeeper himself had heard whispers of how the captain was, earlier, a thug from the underground. As for how much truth the rumor contained, he did not know.

Captain Levi sat opposite Mike Zacharias, the tall section commander who was one of Erwin’s longest comrades in the Scouts. He could not recollect the names of the four others- two men and two women- as well, although he supposed he might have seen their faces somewhere before. After all, these soldiers were the best that humanity had to offer- for going outside the walls to face the titans and exterminating them required immense internal courage. The barkeeper could never imagine him voluntarily putting himself through such an ordeal. No, he was happy here just doing his family business.

Erwin walked over to the old barkeeper and enquired about his day with gentle familiarity. The barkeeper answered in like. He remembered the times all those years ago when he’d come over there with Nile Doc, the current commander of the Military Police, to stir up some trouble in the bar and to steal looks at the pretty barmaid- Marie was her name, he believed- during the evenings after their training.

His lips involuntarily quirked up with a smile at that memory. What a rowdy bunch they were.

“What would you and your team like tonight?” he asked Erwin.

“A glass of whiskey for me,” he said and turned back to the others. “What about you all?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Levi replied, looking bored.

“I’ll have some simple lemonade,” the short blonde haired woman said.

“Can I get a mug of beer?” Hange piqued, “I’m in the mood for some beer today.”

“I’ll have whatever Section Commander Hange is having as well,” said the tall man who sat on Hange’s other side.

“Alright, two beers and one lemonade for Nanaba then,” Erwin said. “What about you Gelgar, Marlene and Mike?”

The other two grinned, “Mike’s going to choose for us.”

At that, Mike stood up and approached him. “May I check your collection out?” he asked politely in his deep voice, towering over the old barkeeper. The barkeeper craned his neck to look up at him and nodded timidly.

Mike hopped on the counter and crossed his legs to the other side with ease. He ran a finger through the array of glass bottles, gleaming in the soft yellow lighting of the bar. Keeping his face close to the bottles, he took a sniff now and then as he went through the assortment of liquors.

The barkeeper let him do his thing as he poured the beer and whiskey in their glasses and chopped up a lemon to make Nanaba’s lemonade.

“Ah… I’m relieved that we are finally here,” he heard Hange’s husky, drawn out voice from their table. “All that year-end paperwork sucked the soul out of me. To balance it out, let’s have some fun tonight, shall we?”

“I’m curious,” Marlene replied, “What do you have in mind?”

“We are going to get Erwin as drunk as possible. I wanna see what embarrassing stories spout out of his mouth.”

Erwin gave a small chuckle. “A brave quest. Good luck with that.”

“You don’t need to get Erwin drunk to embarrass himself,” Levi drawled. “Just place him in the midst of the younger cadets and ask him to make small talk. You’ll watch him flounder like a fish out of water.”

“There sure is a generational gap, but I’m not that old, Levi.”

“Bullshit. You scared away my entire squad that day when you tried to be friendly with them.”

“I was just trying out a change in approach rather than my usual authoritative tone. It is important to connect with the younger-”

“Right, right, I get it. But you should know you suck at that. Just keep doing what you do and you’ll be fine.”

Another smile stemmed from Erwin. “I’ll keep that in mind next time.”

The barkeeper walked over to their table with the tray of drinks in his hand, as all his waiters had left for home already. He set the glasses and mugs in front of them.

“You know what would be a great idea?” Hange’s voice filled the room again. “Let’s have a drinking contest between Moblit and Gelgar. I want to see which one of you two is the fastest to chug three mugs of beer in one go.”

“I place my bets on Gelgar,” Nanaba quipped.

“Gelgar is obviously going to win, this guy is a straight-up drunkard if I’ve ever seen one,” Marlene chuckled. Gelgar, despite his weak protests, seemed quite confident in himself and eager to take part. Moblit, on the other hand, looked resigned- like he was forcibly dragged into yet another messy situation he’d rather not be in, but had no choice but to appease his superiors by participating.

Hange put an aggressive arm around Moblit’s shoulder. “You all underestimate Moblit’s drinking capacity,” she chided, “I’d bet my life on him winning this contest.”

“You do realize his chronic alcoholism stems from your recklessness, right?” Levi asked dryly.

Hange ignored him. “Get the beers rolling!” she signaled the barkeeper with her hand. “Let’s see who downs them the fastest!”

As the others banged their fists on the wooden table yelling chug chug chug, egging the two of them on as they gulped down the mugs of foaming beer, Mike and Erwin checked out the wine selection. Even though the barkeeper was used to their shenanigans, he was still weirded out by seeing Mike sniff at each bottle and give his smirk rating. Apparently, the wider the smirk, the better the liquor.

This went on for a while till Mike’s nose finally rested on an expensive bottle of plum wine. He gave the widest smirk he could muster and nodded his shaggy head at Erwin. The commander took the bottle from him and examined it.

“What’s this one?”

“The Reeves company’s finest plum wine, sir. I’ll have to warn you that it’s very strong. And a little on the pricier side.”

A commotion from the table made them look back at Hange who let out a delighted, victorious cheer, jumping and punching her fist in the air as Nanaba and Marlene rolled their heads, moaning in disappointment. “Pay up,” Hange declared, as the other two pulled out their wallets amidst the grumbles.

“We’ll have this then,” Erwin turned towards Mike. “I’ll pay. Consider this a thank you gift from my end. You have all done so much to help me, so I wish to treat you all to something good tonight.”

Mike crossed the bar counter to the other side and slapped a broad hand on Erwin’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he said, his lips forming a smile that was way more heartfelt than one of his usual smirks. “Let’s go share this with everyone.”

There were whoops from the rest of the table as Erwin and Mike brought over the wine and uncorked it. Glasses, the barkeeper remembered, I have to take some glasses over and-

He stopped, his hand paused over the tray as he saw Mike chug down the wine straight from the bottle. Swiping the back of his palm over his mouth, he passed the bottle on to Hange, who took a deep gulp and handed it over to Levi.

The barkeeper watched in disbelief at the sheer disrespect towards the expensive wine as it got passed on to Erwin, who drank it in the same way. Apparently, he wasn’t the only flabbergasted one, as the two MPs on the other side of the room went quiet, their expressions scrunched as they watched all the veteran Scouts drink from the same bottle without a care in the world.

He did not have enough time to dwell on that, though, as Hange stalked over to the counter, looking slightly dazed. “That was good,” she said as she sat on a stool in front of him, “A little stronger than I expected, but I’m not complaining.” She rested her elbows on the countertop and leaned forward towards the barkeeper as if she were about to share a secret, her breath smelling strongly of the plum wine as she whispered, “Moblit’s birthday is coming up and I want to gift him something good. What are your recommendations?”

As the barkeeper put forth a few bottles of good liquor on the table, the door opened with a creak and an old man with salt and pepper hair entered the bar, his eyes darting outside as if to check that he wasn’t being watched by anyone. Once satisfied that he was alone, he walked into the room and sat on a stool next to Hange. One look at his wrinkle-webbed face and Hange let out a surprised sound.

“Commander Pixys?”

Pixys placed a finger on his lips. “I’m undercover,” he whispered, pointing towards his salt and pepper wig. “If Anka finds out I’m here, I’m screwed big time.”

“Don’t worry,” Hange smirked, “Your secret is safe with me.”

The barkeeper poured a glass of whiskey to Pixys as Hange sifted through the bottles, almost as meticulously as Mike did, minus the sniffing or smirking part. The old Garrison commander took this as an opportunity to strike up a conversation with the scout.

“I heard your titan experiments are yielding results,” he said over his glass, “How did you manage to capture two of them without any casualties?”

“We lured them to the walls and used spiked nets to pin them to the ground,” Hange replied cheerfully.

“As expected from the Survey Corps’ genius.”

“No, no,” Hange waved off his compliment with a light chuckle. “None of this would have been possible without Erwin’s support and Levi squad’s contribution. They did most of the work.”

“You’re too humble,” Pixys shook his head, his wig sliding down a little as he did. “You know what would be a better contribution to humanity, though?”

“Hm?”

“If you researched wine with as much passion as you have towards the titans,” he said as Hange laughed. “Just imagine the breakthroughs you’d come up with that the world can benefit from.”

“How about we combine the two of them together?” Hange proposed. “Think about it, we can make the ultimate Titan-wine!”

“Huh? How is that possible?”

“We can dig a pit outside the wall and fill it with a giant tub full of berries,” Hange went on in her half-drunk state. “Then we lure the titans to fall into the pit, resulting in them stomping the berries into pulp. Once they do the grunt work, we can dispatch Levi and Mike to kill them off. Their bodies would evaporate, leaving no trace of them on the wine. Who knows- the heat might enhance the flavour as well…”

Pixys threw his head back and laughed, patting Hange on her back.

“This is exactly why humanity needs you!”

During his thirty long years of running the bar, the barkeeper had heard many questionable conversations, but this was probably the most bizarre one of them all- considering it was one between a commander and a section commander of the military. He thanked his stars as Hange broke off the conversation after selecting the wine she needed with Pixys’ insight. Wrapping the selected bottle in brown paper, he handed it to Hange, who paid for it separately.

Once Hange left to join her comrades, the barkeeper poured another glass of whiskey for Pixys. Now that his conversation partner had left the table, he started talking to him instead.

“It’s so rare to see them having fun like that,” he said, looking wistfully at the Survey Corps, who were hooting and catcalling at Erwin as he loosened a few buttons on his collar with a lazy smile on his chiseled face. “It’s hard to maintain sanity and optimism when you see your dear friends get killed in front of you during every expedition.” He took a deep drink of his whiskey. “Maybe that’s why they are so optimistic. They decided to spend whatever limited time they have left enjoying each other’s company.”

The door opened again, the sound drowned by the chaos from the scouts table. A red-haired woman strode towards the counter in a huff, frustrated anger written all over her face.

“Found you.”

Pixys winced as his aide, Anka, grabbed him by his ear and dragged him out of the bar, paying no attention to his miserable pleas.

“At least let me finish that drink-”

“You weren’t supposed to drink in the first place! Did you really think you could hide under that stupid wig of yours? I’ve known you for years, you know, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life changing your diapers if you end up stuck in a hospital bed.”

The door closed after them. The salt and pepper wig lay on the wooden floor, having slipped from Pixys’ bald head while he struggled against Anka’s steering grip.

The Survey Corps paid no heed to the struggle or the aftermath of the fallen wig as they were too busy goading Nanaba to dance for them.

“Alright, alright,” Nanaba gave in with a laugh, “Just a few steps, but only if some of you guys join me.”

She pulled Marlene up on her feet, while Hange needed no prompting. After downing yet another shot of whiskey, they let themselves loose, snapping their fingers and shaking their bodies to the rhythmic clicks and claps of the rest. Nanaba really was good at it, and the barkeeper did not miss Mike’s longing glance at her.

Their laughter and whoops were interrupted rather rudely by one of the MPs who stood up and glared at them.

“Tch,” he said, his face twisted in disgust at the Scouts, “Can’t have a moment of peace and quiet in here. Stupid scouts, always kicking up a ruckus wherever they go.”

The other MP, however, did not seem so wasted, considering he was tugging the drunk one’s shirt, subtly signaling him to stand down. They were in the presence of the commander and the section commanders of the Survey Corps after all.

The drunk one did not seem to care about their ranks. “Go on,” he jeered, to the now quiet table, “Drink away all our taxes. That’s all that you all are good for either way.”

“What’s your problem?” Levi growled, his sharp gaze trained on him.

The drunk MP waved a hand at them. “Y’all are the problem,” he said, his words slurring together, “To the ‘ntire society. You Scouts are a sham in the name of soldiers. The world would be a better place if you imposters got eaten by the titans y’all love so much.”

There was pin drop silence in the bar. The barkeeper felt his blood pressure rise steadily as the air thickened with tension. The drunk MP, however, did not seem to notice the predatory looks trained on him, unlike the other MP, who desperately hissed at him to shut up already.

“The Survey Corps is too grand a name for what is nothing but a funeral parade,” he went on obliviously. “All you are paid to do is to lead a bunch of stupid, starry eyes idealistic brats that join your dumb regiment to their gruesome deaths in the maws of those titans. At least that saves some resources inside the walls for sane people to live-”

His words were cut short by a strangled choke as Hange strode towards him and lifted him up by his collar.

The barkeeper rushed out of the counter to mediate the situation, but froze on his tracks when he glimpsed the absolute fury in the section commander’s eyes.

“Hange,” Erwin warned, but she paid no heed. Her stare was fixed on the MP’s wild eyes as he struggled to get out of her powerful, vice-like grip.

“Do you know why you MPs can live such comfortable lives within the walls?” she asked, her voice shaking with barely contained rage. “It’s because we, the Survey Corps, risk our lives to seek the knowledge that can give humanity a chance at survival. We are humanity’s spear- fighting in the front lines so that you can meekly settle down behind the walls with a family.”

As the MP clawed desperately at her hands, she shook him harder and flung him across the bar with a grunt. To the barkeeper’s horror, he crashed right on the table they were occupying earlier. The table upturned and the beer glasses shattered, amber liquor soaking the wooden floor.

Hange was still glaring at them as she was pulled back by the combined efforts of Moblit and Mike.

“If you can’t learn to show some gratitude towards the fallen, at least learn to shut up.”

The MPs scurried out of the bar immediately after. The sober one shoved a wad of excess cash into the barkeeper’s palms before he dragged his drunk friend from the establishment. Erwin apologized to him on Hange’s behalf and assured that he’d pay for the damages caused as the others tried to get Hange to calm down- which wasn’t working very well, as Moblit was the only one chiding her for being reckless while the others sat with a suppressed smile, smug satisfaction written clearly on their faces.

“Can't believe the gall of these MPs!” Hange ranted angrily, watching their backs as they left. “If you guys hadn't stopped me, I’d have climbed up on him and given a demonstration of how heroic Erwin looks as he rides a horse outside Wall Rose.” An overly exaggerated, determined look morphed her face as she saluted, hitting her fist to her heart with an amount of force enough to make the barkeeper flinch. “Dedicate your heart!” she declared, deepening her voice considerably, as if she were imitating the commander.

Marlene, Nanaba, Gelgar and Mike immediately responded with similar salutes and a ‘yessir’, while Erwin looked slightly red. A soft, huffing laugh caught their attention, and all eyes turned incredulously towards the source of the sound- Captain Levi.

Hange gasped loudly. “Somebody take the wine bottle away from Levi! He’s so drunk that he’s actually laughing.”

“Shut up, Four-eyes,” his signature scowl returned back to his face. “I'm a human being, not a brick wall.”

“I could easily have mistaken you for one.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes, I wish I could get drunk just so that I don’t have to hear the shit that spouts out of your mouth all the time.”

“Ah, the things that some strong alcohol can do to others but not to poor Levi here. How unfortunate. But there’s a way to recreate that drunken state without alcohol, y’know? Just don’t sleep for ten days.”

“Joke’s on you, I'm an insomniac.”

“So is this your permanently drunken state?” Hange tapped on the commander’s arm, “Erwin, you should look into this. Imagine how much more powerful he would be if he got an adequate amount of sleep each night.”

“Wrong, Hange. Levi is probably this powerful because he doesn’t get any sleep.”

Hange let out a bark of laughter. “You might be right there.”

As their banter continued, Moblit approached the barkeeper. “If it’s not much of a problem, may I request a pencil and a piece of paper?” he asked.

“Sure, sir,” the barkeeper replied as he pulled out his notepad, tore a page and handed it over to him with a pencil he found lying around in the cash drawer. Moblit accepted it with thanks and made himself comfortable on one of the stools with a good view of the Scouts’ table. He started drawing, the pencil scratching on the paper as he made stroke after stroke.

The barkeeper looked on. Even if the sketch was a little shaky- probably because of the alcohol influence- there was no doubt that the man in front of him was an excellent artist. He rendered a near-perfect, dynamic portrait of the team of Scouts who were laughing over one of Erwin’s old stories. Moblit did take some artistic liberties here and there, making the Levi in the painting smile the way he did a while ago, Erwin relax with his loosened shirt collar and pleasant satisfaction gracing his face, Nanaba laugh as she looked over at Mike, and a drunk Gelgar and Marlene with droopy eyes and arms around each other, sharing a joke only they knew. Hange was, by far, the figure Moblit put the most effort into- apparent by how in-focus she looked in the portrait- with her striking dark hair, wide grin and the mischievous twinkle of her eyes behind the glasses.

“You are not drawing yourself with them?” the bartender asked.

Moblit blinked at him, as if it was something that did not occur to him before. From over the table, Hange waved, placing a palm on the side of her mouth as she called him.

“Moblit, collect your stuff, we are leaving.”

“Will be right with you, Section commander.”

He shook his head at the barkeeper, casting a fond look over at his comrades. “It’s alright,” he murmured, “I just wanted to capture this memory.” The barkeeper nodded as Erwin approached the counter to pay for the drinks as well as the shattered glasses. The rest of the Scouts got up and stretched themselves, collecting their bags and belongings from where they kept them on the floor. Once the payment was settled, Erwin thanked the barkeeper and left, the Scouts joining their commander as the door creaked open one last time.

With his final customers gone, the barkeeper counted the day’s earnings and shut down the bar for the night. As he stood outside the threshold to lock the door, his lips curled in a smile as he heard drunken singing drifting toward him from the end of the moonlit road.

Some things never change.

So ist es immer

We live under the burnt clouds

Ease our burden

Long is the night.

[arvinsescape]

Minnie

A/N: Been a couple weeks since i’ve had time to write. Hope you enjoy, this got kinda long.

Summary: The story of how you and Tom ended up owning a cat.

W/C: 1.8K

You and Tom had been walking Tess around the park as normal when you noticed Tess stop at a nearby bush. Assuming she’d spotted a stick to bring along on the walk, you continued on when you noticed that she wasn’t following. You turned around and watched as she continued to stare at the bush, seemingly at nothing. Wondering what she was so interested in, you made your way in her direction when she suddenly barked and ran towards the two of you. Deciding she was just being odd, you went to carry on your walk when she barked again and ran back to the same bush she’d come from as if asking you to follow her, you gave Tom a look as if to ask what on Earth was going on, he just shrugged and followed Tess, you just behind.

“What’ve you found Tess?” Tom asked as he neared the bush she was still barking at.

On closer inspection, your heart melted as you saw what it was she was so interested in. It was an incredibly small little kitten. It was shivering and whimpering as if it had been there a while. You looked around for any sign of more kittens and a mother cat, but you couldn’t see anything. You looked at Tom who had been incredibly quiet, it was no secret that he wasn’t the biggest fan of cats but even he would have to admit the small animal was incredibly cute and in need of help, he might have hated cats but he wasn’t heartless.

Tess tentatively moved towards the kitten and sniffed it before licking it, she really was an angel, not an aggressive bone in her body. “What should we do? I don’t think it belongs to anyone and it doesn’t appear to have a mum.”

“Well it’s a Sunday and it’s 6 o clock, the vets aren’t open, and the nearest shelter is quite a drive away.” He concluded, you knew what he was getting at, he just didn’t want to say it.

“Should we take it home? Look after it until tomorrow when we can get it a vet’s appointment and they can make sure it gets to a good home or shelter?” You knew he wasn’t going to say no, the poor thing needed help and he wasn’t a monster, he wouldn’t just leave it.

“Well if we don’t I doubt it’ll make it through the night.” He replied as you were already picking it up and wrapping it into your coat and enveloping the small animal into your warmth. You grinned at him as you leaned up on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He might not have liked cats, but you certainly did, and you decided that this was probably the closest you’d ever to get to having a cat whilst you were with Tom.

“Don’t get too attached though Y/N, we can’t keep it. I’m not cruel enough to let it die but I still don’t like cats.” He teased as he grinned back at you. You wondered in your giddy little fantasy if by the end of this you’d change his mind and he’d let you keep it, but he was incredibly stubborn so you’d let it be a giddy fantasy.

Once you’d made it home you’d decided that whilst you were trying to warm the small animal up properly, Tom would go to the shops and get it anything it may need. Tess watched your every move as you nursed the kitten back to some sort of warmth, she was wagging her tail as she watched.

“Maybe we can convince your dad to keep it.” You teased as you grinned at Tess before stroking her. She barked excitedly, almost as if she was agreeing to your words. You smiled to yourself as you continued to attend to the kitten. Deciding it was incredibly soft and she surely wouldn’t mind you placed the kitten in Tess’s bed, your heart melting instantly at the sight, it looked so small in such a big bed. Tom came through the door not a minute later, all the items you’d read you would need in his arms.

“Okay, we should probably- aww.” He cut himself short as he looked at the kitten on the bed. “It really is small isn’t it?” he cooed, you grinned as you looked at him, when he looked back his face somewhat hardened as he pointed a finger teasingly at you “this doesn’t mean anything.”

“I didn’t think it did.” You grinned back, knowing full well what was going on in his head. He just didn’t want to admit that small animal was quickly taking a place in his heart.

“Right we really should start making sure it eats something.” He said as he helped you tend to the animal.

****

It was 3am when you made your way to bed, having spent hours tending to the kitten, you surmised that there really was nothing more you could do, you’d fed it and warmed it up. It still hadn’t moved much but it was breathing.

“Okay baby, I can’t stay awake any longer, I’m going to have to head to bed.” You said as you got up from the couch.

“Okay darling, I love you.” he said as he got up to give you a kiss and a cuddle, you pulled back in confusion. “You’re not coming with?” you asked.

“Nah, I’ll stay up another couple hours and feed it again.” He said as he sat back down and looked at the kitten that was now curled up in the bed with Tess, the sight had made both your hearts melt.

“Okay, I love you.” You said as you made your way to bed, huge grin on your face. Maybe your fantasy wasn’t going to be a fantasy after all.

****

You woke up around 11pm, you felt strangely cold even though the temperature in the room was far from cold. You turned over and noticed Tom wasn’t in bed with you and judging by the coolness of his side of the bed, you guessed he’d been out of bed a while, if he’d even been in it at all. You made your way downstairs and into the living room. You stopped as you took in the sight before you. Tom was asleep on the couch, Tess next to him and you didn’t miss the tiny little kitten laying on his chest as it slept soundly.

Tess was the first to realise you’d entered the room as she bounced from the couch and made her way over to you, you petted her and let her into the garden for a little while. As you made your way back into the living room you noticed Tom was awake now, you grinned at him.

“Don’t say a word.” He said as he looked at your smiling face.

“It climb up there when you were sleeping?” you teased.

“Something like that, yeah.”

****

After booking an emergency vets appointment you were sat in the waiting room as you waited for your name to be called.

“Tess seemed sad to see it go, don’t you think.” You asked.

“She did actually.” He said. No witty comeback? You thought he’d have something jokey to say back. You sat in a comfortable silence as you held the kitten wrapped up in your blanket. Your name was called as you made your way into the vet’s room.

“So, who have we got here?” The vet asked as she took the kitten from you.

“It doesn’t have a name, we found it yesterday when we were out walking.” You explained.

“I see. So, I’m going to have a look at it for you now.” She smiled as she weighed the kitten, it had seemingly gained a little more life, managing to stand on it’s legs and move around a little. “It’s quite underweight” she said as she started examining it further.

“Yeah, we guessed it might be, we fed it what we could, but we read online that you don’t wanna over feed them. I hope we did the right thing.” Tom said as he seemingly grew concerned for the little kitten. The vet looked at him and smiled.

“You absolutely did, I don’t think it would have survived the night if you hadn’t taken it in.” She answered as she continued to check over the animal. After a few minutes she looked back up at you. “Well it’s a girl and by looks of things only about 4 months old. She will need quite a few vaccinations and flea treatment, I think it may have been wild.”

“4 months? But it’s absolutely tiny.” You said, genuinely shocked at the age of the kitten.

“I can only assume she was the runt and unfortunately most wild animals leave the runt, survival of the fittest and all that.” She said as she gave the kitten everything that it needed. You sighed as you heard the news, the poor thing. After another few minutes the vet was done.

“Okay, I have given her all the treatment that I can for now. She needs to put a lot of weight on, I suppose the question now is what to do with her. We have quite a few shelters that are brilliant and will look after her and find her a home as quick as they can.”

Unbeknownst to you Tom had been eyeing you carefully throughout the exchange and he’d surprised himself at the decision he’d come to. You just looked so sad at the thought of the little thing leaving, how could he not? And anyway it was cute and he reasoned in his mind that this kitten owed him one so it wouldn’t turn out evil and he’d be able to trust it. He’d made up his mind as he spoke.

“What if we want to keep her?”

“What?” You asked as you turned to him shocked expression and tears gathering in your eyes.

“What if we keep her.” He said again as he took in your expression. Yeah, keeping this kitten was definitely worth it, if only for the look on your face right now.

“You’re serious?” You asked as you cried happily.

“Deadly, darling” he grinned. You engulfed him in a tight hug as you thanked him and kissed his face all over. The vet grinned at the exchange.

“So what are we going to call her?” The vet asked as she handed Tom the registration forms.

“I don’t know, what do you think darling?” he asked as he looked at you.

“Minnie. You know like the mouse and also how small she is.” You said as you grinned at him. You didn’t think you could fall more in love with the brown eyed, brown haired man, but here he was proving you wrong. He started to write her name as he continued to fill out the forms.

“Minnie. Perfect.”

[jeonsjiddies]

how not to | kth

Summary- Taehyung takes Tannie to the vet and develops a crush on the vet, and proceeds to tell a few white lies to see her again word count- 1.6k pairing- taehyung x reader genre- fluff Warnings- none? a/n: loosely based on How Not To by Dan + Shay, for my beautiful @sugarly-laysa​  ; another one in third person, idk lol

The first time Taehyung saw her, he almost dropped Yeontan, who was the whole reason he’d walked into the vet in the first place. Yeontan had been lying around Taehyung’s apartment, just whining pathetically and refusing to eat or drink. Taehyung had panicked and scooped the small dog into his arms, dashing towards the closest vet. He threw the doors open and anxiously talked to the receptionist, while gingerly stroking Yeontan’s fur to soothe his beloved dog-son.

“Don’t worry Mr. Kim, the doctor will be right out.” the woman smiled reassuringly but Taehyung couldn’t stop pacing around the small lobby.

Then, she walked out of the swinging doors and time stopped. Taehyung swore that the colors around the room dulled in comparison to the way she shined. Light seemed to follow her, like she was an angel and the air around her was her halo. Yeontan wiggled in Taehyung’s loose grip, snapping him back to reality. He tightened his arms around the pup and walked up to the doctor.

“Hello, Mr. Kim! My name is Y/N. Please follow me and I’ll take a look at Yeontan here.” she flashed him the most enchanting smile he’d ever seen.

Momentarily speechless, Taehyung just nodded and quietly followed the unfairly gorgeous veterinarian to an examination room and placed Yeontan on the table, stroking his fur to relax him.

“So, Mr. Kim, what seems to be the problem?” Y/N asked, putting gloves on and gently patting Yeontan’s head.

“He won’t eat or drink and he’s acting very lethargic.” Taehyung explained, “I’m very worried. Tannie’s usually full of energy and always ready for a snack.”

She nodded, furrowing her eyebrows together and gently pushed on Yeontan’s stomach, feeling around for abnormalities. Yeontan let out small whimpers, but didn’t yelp or snip at her. He was the perfect gentleman and Taehyung was a little proud of that. Y/N looked over Yeontan for a bit, doing a few tests and looking in his mouth, checking his temperature, making sure she didn’t miss anything that could be troubling the poor little guy.

“I’d say he ate something he shouldn’t have. I’ll prescribe him some mild pain relief and you can just keep a good eye on him, and come back if anything gets worse, okay?” Y/N instructed him, and Taehyung nodded obediently, his eyes glued to her every movement.

He just couldn’t find it in himself to look away. She handed him the script and pet Yeontan one more time, leaning down to speak to him specifically.

“I hope you feel better, buddy.” she cooed sympathetically.

Yeontan, though he still looked rough, gave her a couple of kisses and leaned into her touch, which she smiled at before scratching behind his ears then standing up.

“Thank you so much, Y/N . Really.” Taehyung bowed a bit, looking up at her and when her eyes met his, he felt shivers run up his spine, which only intensified when she placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Kim.” she smiled.

“Taehyung. Or Tae. Please.” he returned her smile.

“Tae.” she corrected, his name rolling off her lips like dripping honey.

Instead of responding, Tae sent her another smile before exiting. His heart was thrumming in his chest as he carried Yeontan back to his car, immediately going to fill the prescription for him to clear up his tummy issues as soon as possible.

A week and a half later, Yeontan was back to normal, but Taehyung was not. He could not get Y/N out of his head, every time he closed his eyes he could see the way her eyes sparkled, the way her lips curled up in that sweet smile… he didn’t know how not to think about her. He needed to see her again.

Biting his lip, he glanced at Yeontan and debated his plan. It wasn’t exactly ethical to lie and say that something was wrong with Yeontan when he was fine, but he had no other method of seeing Y/N, seeing as how his social media stalking had come up empty handed. Taehyung scooped Yeontan up in his arms and brought him up to his face.

“Listen buddy. I know you’ve faked sick before so I would stay home… think you can do it again so we can visit that pretty doctor?” Taehyung grinned, “I’ll give you a treat!”

Yeontan wagged his tail and barked excitedly upon hearing one of his favorite words, and Taehyung took that as an agreement and set off for the vet. Entering the building, he felt nervous. He hoped she wouldn’t notice his true intentions for coming in and embarrass him.

“Hello, Mr. Kim.” the receptionist greeted, “Back again?”

“Yes, Tannie seems to not be feeling well again…” he trailed off, avoiding eye contact.

Yeontan, on queue, let out a pitiful whimper.

“I’ve got you checked in, Y/N will be right out to get you.” the receptionist smiled sympathetically.

Taehyung stroked Tannie’s fur in a silent thank you as he waited for the beautiful doctor, and when she finally stepped out, Taehyung felt the air leave his lungs. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Maybe more.

“Hello Tae, Tannie. Come on back.” she smiled.

Taehyung followed her and set Yeontan on the exam table, shooting the Pomeranian a look, and mouthing “treat” which caused Yeontan to let out another pathetic whimper. Y/N’s gaze snapped to the small dog and she cooed softly in sympathy, doing another checkup. Several minutes went by and Taehyung was getting more nervous, pulling on the collar of his shirt and working up a light sweat.

“I can’t see anything wrong with him… when did this start?” Y/N asked.

“Last night.” Taehyung lied.

“Hm… let me do a few more tests but I think he might just have another tummy ache. He should be fine.” Y/N smiled encouragingly.

Taehyung nodded, watching as she worked on Yeontan, who was an amazingly good sport. He was getting so many treats. Soon, they were on their way, bidding the doctor a goodbye and going home, where Taehyung rewarded Yeontan with treats and bites from his own dinner.

Two months later, Taehyung was embarrassed to admit he still brought Yeontan in under false pretenses sometimes. He didn’t do it often, less than a handful of times really, but he still felt awful that he couldn’t just gain the courage to ask Y/N  out. She was just so beautiful he couldn’t find it in himself to put himself out there.

He walked into the vet's office, and the receptionist wasn’t stationed at her desk. Taehyung frowned in confusion, looking around. He waited a few minutes then decided to go searching for someone. He quietly turned the corner to the examination room, and heard voices coming from it. He peered in without being seen, and he saw Y/N facing someone with a light blush gracing her cheeks.

“I wonder if he’ll show up this week…” Y/N giggled.

“Who?” he heard the voice of the receptionist ask.

“The hot guy with the Pomeranian who comes in like every other week, Taehyung. I haven’t seen him in a few days and I think I’m going through withdrawals.” Y/N joked, placing her arm across her forehead dramatically.

“Oh right!” the receptionist laughed.

“The things I would do to that man…” Y/N  trailed off with a smirk.

The receptionist seemed to choke on something while she laughed and Taehyung felt his chest swell up with pride. She liked him. She liked him! He tried to sneak away unheard but Yeontan decided it was the perfect opportunity to start disobeying his dad, and he let out an excited bark and jumped from Taehyung’s arms, running up to Y/N and wagging his tail, jumping up on her legs to beg for pets.

Y/N’s eyes grew wide as she stared at Taehyung, who stood sheepishly in the doorway after being caught eavesdropping. Both their faces were bright red with embarrassment and the receptionist took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed, while Y/N picked Tannie up and began stroking his fur, avoiding eye contact with Taehyung.

“I, uh… am sorry if you heard anything um… unprofessional…” she coughed.

“Sorry I kind of creeped on your conversation. I waited in the lobby but when no one came I got concerned.” Taehyung explained, then his demeanor changed, taking on a playful one as a smirk graced his lips. “Hot guy with the Pomeranian, huh?”

“Oh god you heard that.” she whined, using her free hand to cover her face.

Taehyung let out a chuckle, stepping closer to her. Her eyes shot up to meet his, and he smiled, biting his lower lip in nervousness.

“I’ll take it as a compliment��� if you agree to have dinner with me tonight. Say 6? After you close.” he spoke, his voice coming out more even and sure than he thought it would.

“I’d like that.” she smiled up at him, “But does that mean you’re going to stop pretending Yeontan is sick?”

“You knew?!” Taehyung gasped.

“Tae… Tannie is a great actor, but you’re a terrible liar.” she giggled.

Taehyung hid his face in his hands and laughed, the tips of his ears turning pink.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked.

“I didn’t want you to stop coming.” she shrugged.

Taehyung smiled at that, and the doorbell chimed, signaling a new customer, so Taehyung decided it was time for him to leave. He took Yeontan from her arms and placed a chaste kiss to her cheek. Her eyes widened but she smiled at him.

“See you tonight?” she asked.

“See you tonight. Maybe we can talk about all those things you’d do to me…” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, a playful smirk on his lips.

“Oh god. Get out.” Y/N laughed, shoving his back to propel him forward.

Taehyung laughed, letting her push him out into the lobby, and spent the remainder of the day thinking about all the possibilities that awaited the two of them. As usual, he couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful doctor with the heart of gold, he just didn’t know how not to.

[ft-dads-au]

Cat-alyst

Gratsu Week 2020 Prompt: “I’m ready to die if necessary” Pairing: Gray x Natsu

A Collaboration by @mdelpin​ and @oryu404​

AO3 | FF.Net | Takes place after Break Free

Summary: Watching a horror movie late at night probably wasn't the best idea Natsu and Gray ever had. Combine that with scary noises coming from the basement and you have a recipe for a night neither one of them is likely to ever forget.

0-0

August 17, 2021

Natsu and Gray had just finished putting the kids to bed and were settling in for a quiet night at home. They had turned off all the lights to create ambiance; that part had been his bright idea. The blanket that covered them as they cuddled on the sofa watching TV had been Natsu’s. Gray wasn’t sure who had decided on the awful movie they were watching. It had probably been a result of their usual bickering and constant challenges. Either way, there they were watching a scary movie like two stupid teenagers, neither willing to admit that it was making them nervous.

Gray didn't know much about horror movies, but he could tell by the eerie background music that something terrible was about to go down. The first time it had happened had been funny, Natsu had squeaked loudly and leaped into his lap at the jump scare, and Gray had a great time mocking him, but now that was coming back to bite him in the ass. The suspense was killing him, and he held his breath as he watched the protagonist walk around her house.

Agonizingly slow, eyes wide open in fear, she reached the basement stairs and descended into the darkness. Gray found himself gripping Natsu tighter against him as if he were his only tether to reality. He tried to remind himself that it was just a damn movie by taking comfort in his boyfriend’s presence, solid and real by his side.

"Hello?" the young woman on the screen called out, her voice quivering in fear, "I-Is someone there?"

Gray held his breath as she took another step down, the old wooden stairs creaking beneath her weight. The camera focused on a dark corner of the basement, slowly zooming in while the ambient sounds that were giving him the creeps intensified, and then…

CRAAASH!

Gray jumped to his feet at the clatter, wincing as he heard the thud that immediately followed, realizing much too late that he’d just dropped Natsu on the floor. However, instead of the loud complaint that he’d expected, Natsu had only scrambled to his feet, his breathing shallow and fast.

“What was that?” he asked as his eyes darted around the ample open space of the first floor of his house.

“Probably just our overactive imaginations,” Gray chuckled nervously, “how about we watch something else?”

CRAAASH!

Jingle Jingle Jingle

“Overactive imaginations, huh?” Natsu grumbled as the jingling sound continued.

“Should we check it out?” Gray asked although he wanted nothing to do with whatever might be in the basement.

“Sounds like a great idea,” Natsu approved, “thanks for volunteering!”

Gray felt himself being nudged forward and instantly dug his heels, “Hell no! It’s your damn creepy house.”

“My house is not creepy!” Natsu huffed.

Gray raised an eyebrow as another noise rose from the basement. This one followed by even more crashes.

“Ugh, fine!” Natsu turned on the living room light and walked over to the small closet that sat at the bottom of the stairs. He opened the door and grabbed one of Erza’s foam practice swords, closing the door as quietly as possible.

He quickly walked back over to Gray and handed him the sword.

“Me? What do you want me to do with it?”

“I don’t know. You’re the big bad martial arts 100th level Master or whatever, go martial art!”

“That’s not even a thing, you dimwit,” Gray scoffed, looking at the foam sword with dismay. Seriously? What was he supposed to do with that? He gave a practice swish and reluctantly started to move forward, not wanting to look bad in front of his boyfriend.

It was at that moment that the protagonist let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream that made both of them jump again.

He handed the sword back to Natsu, “Fuck this, it’s probably nothing.”

The scream seemed to have affected whatever was downstairs as well because the noises started up again, that eerie jingling speeding up with every sound.

Natsu sweatdropped, “Are you for real?! Fat lot of good you are.”

“Hey, I’m injured, remember?” Gray pointed at his broken nose, a souvenir from seeing his ex the previous weekend.

He grabbed the TV remote from the sofa and turned off the TV, eliminating one source of stress as they debated what to do.

Natsu gazed at Gray in disbelief, sighing when he refused to budge, “Fine, I’ll go.”

He took two small steps, obviously waiting for Gray to change his mind or, at the very least, come with him. When neither happened, he turned to Gray, his eyes imploring, “I’m ready to die if necessary.”

“My hero,” Gray deadpanned, ignoring the blatant attempt at manipulation, he gave his boyfriend a small shove towards the door that led to the basement stairs.

“What in the world is going on down there?” They both looked up to see Erza coming down the stairs in her pajamas. “I could hear your bickering from my room. You’re going to wake up the kids.”

The warning came too late for the kids had already woken up. The sounds of little feet padding on the floor and coming out of their rooms attesting to that fact.

“I think there’s something in the basement,” Natsu informed his sister, having the decency to look embarrassed now that everyone was awake to witness their cowardice.

“I see,” Erza eyed both of them before shaking her head in disappointment at their behavior.

“Give me that.” She demanded her sword, and Natsu was quick to hand it over.

“I was just getting ready to go, you know,” Natsu protested, sounding much braver than he had just a minute earlier.

“Yes, I heard,” Erza smirked but refrained from saying anything else.

“Gray, why don’t you go check on the kids? Natsu, you’re with me.”

Natsu grabbed another sword from the closet, swinging it around as he followed his sister down the stairs, glaring when he noticed Gray laughing at him.

Gray hurried upstairs, herding the kids into Atlas’ room, which was the closest to the stairs. It wasn’t two minutes later when he heard an unmanly squeal.

There was a loud metallic sound followed by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

“Everything’s fine, we found the culprit,” Erza called out, and there was something in her voice that piqued his interest. Was it amusement?

He hurried down the stairs, all three kids following close behind.

Erza was putting her swords back in the closet, and there was no mistaking the crinkling in her eyes. Gray turned to look for Natsu, who had yet to reach the living room.

“Where’s Natsu?”

“He’s having a little chat with our intruder,” was all she would say.

Gray was about to go after him when the basement door opened, and Natsu finally made an entrance holding a rather unhappy looking kitten by the ruff of its neck. The kitten had managed to get itself tangled up in some sort of Christmas decoration that was mostly made up of bells.

Jingle Jingle Hisss

Gray was about to tease his boyfriend when he noticed the scratches that littered his arms and hands, some deep enough to bleed. He set out to find some antiseptic instead. Natsu continued to hold the kitten speaking to it in a soft voice as Erza carefully freed it from its bonds. Once his part was over, Natsu handed the kitten over to his sister so she could examine it. Hana gasped loudly as she got a better look. She clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise before rushing over to Natsu and Erza. “Kitty!” she squealed in delight, bouncing on her feet. “It’s so cuuutteee!!! Can we keep it, Daddy?” “I don’t know,” Natsu thought aloud, “we’d probably need to get it checked by a vet, and we’ll have to buy all kinds of stuff for it...Pets are expensive…” Although he had a good point, Gray knew it the second Atlas, and Aki joined in with their oohs and aahs, and all three kids unleashed their combined attack of puppy eyes. Natsu was screwed. “Pleeaaassseeeee?” they all chorused, delivering the final blow, and judging by the defeated groan he let out, Natsu had accepted his fate.

“Your father is right,” Erza tried to intervene on Natsu’s behalf, “We can’t make that decision until we have a vet check to make sure it’s healthy.”

The kids groaned at her words, but they didn’t let that ruin their enthusiasm. Little hands reached out to pet the small creature who seemed to take the attention in stride for the most part.

Erza chuckled and carefully petted the kitten’s head. “It is cute, though, isn’t it?” she smiled as the kitten relaxed under her touch, offering her sweet little purrs in return.

Gray couldn’t help but agree. Even though its fur was matted down with dirt, it was a pretty blue-gray color, and now that it wasn’t scared anymore, the kitten was looking around curiously and mewling.

“Yeah, adorable,” Natsu grumbled under his breath, somehow managing to examine the scratches on his arms while deftly evading Gray’s advances with the antiseptic.

“Stand still,” Gray complained, “we need to get those cleaned up.” Natsu obeyed reluctantly, wincing at the sting of the antiseptic as Gray dabbed the scratches, “What happened anyway?”

“I forgot to close the bulkhead after I finished clearing the yard, apparently that hellion snuck in and knocked the Christmas decorations over.”

“Hellion? That little guy?” Gray couldn’t help but laugh at Natsu’s choice of word, “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating just a tad? Besides, you might as well get used to it. We both know you’re stuck with it now.”

Gray had always loved cats, and he was itching to get a closer look, so when he had finished tending to Natsu, he joined Erza in the kitchen, where she was giving the poor thing a warm bath in the sink while the kids watched in awe. He carefully extended his hand to let the kitten sniff him before attempting to pet it, quickly springing back when it hissed at him.

“You know, now that I think about it,” Natsu smirked at Gray’s wounded look, “I guess he’s not that bad.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s see if you still think that tomorrow when you’re getting a nice tetanus shot.”

“A what?!” Natsu complained, “You’re joking, right?”

“I suppose you don’t have to,” Gray shrugged, pretending to give the matter no importance, “You did say you were ready to die if necessary.”

“At least I wasn’t a big scaredy-cat, Mister it's your damn creepy house.”

“Oh, please, like you were any better. The only reason you went was that your sister didn’t give you a choice, and you know it.”

"Oh yeah? Let’s finish that movie and see who the bigger wuss is. You know, the one you turned off because you were too chicken to keep watching it!"

Gray was about to remind Natsu about who it was that had jumped into who’s lap when Erza put an end to their squabbling.

“That’s enough! You’re both wusses,” Erza retorted matter-of-factly.

“Honestly, getting so worked up over a little kitten. Here, hold it while I get the bathroom set up,” Erza handed the kitten over to Natsu and recruited Hana to find some dishes they could use for water and food.

“I didn’t notice any fleas, but we can’t let this little guy run around unsupervised all night,” Erza reported before running upstairs in search of some old towels and blankets.

Natsu nodded his understanding and grabbed the blanket from the couch, tossing it to Gray so he could spread it out on the floor. Once that was done, Natsu sat down and let the kitten walk around on the blanket.

Atlas and Aki soon wandered over, fascinated by the small creature, but to their great disappointment, it seemed to have eyes only for Natsu. It walked right up to him and sniffed him curiously before rubbing its head against his hand and licking one of his fingers.

Gray still had a hard time believing that the little guy had freaked them out so much, even though that stupid movie had been a significant factor. He watched a small smile spread across Natsu’s face at the gesture, and he felt all of his previous irritation vanish, replaced by a warmth in his chest that still caught him off guard after years of feeling nothing but sadness.

He joined them on the blanket, placing his arm around Natsu’s shoulders as Aki settled on his lap, shyly trying to pet the little cat and giggling when it purred in response.

Hana placed two small saucers at the edge of the blanket, one filled with water and another with tuna. She looked overjoyed when the cat went over to explore her offerings.

Gray watched the kitten devour the tuna messily, smiling at how easily Natsu had accepted the creature who had scratched the crap out of him. It reminded him of the way he’d accepted him despite how much of an asshole he’d been in the beginning.

Natsu was a lot of things. He was incredibly loud, loved to bicker about the stupidest stuff, couldn’t sit still to save his life most of the time. God, there were so many things about him that drove Gray completely up the wall. But for every one of those shortcomings, he had discovered a dozen other things that kept him coming back for more.

Real love is warm and unconditional.

Gray’s cheeks flushed as he remembered those words, spoken so earnestly just days earlier. Breathed into his skin and burned into his soul by the man he held in his arms. He hadn’t been capable of responding then, not with all the negative feelings that had been flowing through him after their encounter with Siegrain. Still, Gray knew he’d felt that warmth for a long time now— flowing through him as it cautiously worked its way to the surface, present in every one of their interactions until he felt heady with it. And he knew it was time to let go of his fear that once he said the words, they would be used against him again.

Gray gazed down at the man he’d fallen in love with - the one who had taught him so much about love from the moment he’d asked him to dance a year earlier, who was everything he could've ever dreamed of and more.

It was time to trust in what they had built together and finally make his feelings known.

“I love you,” he spilled quietly, but loud enough to know Natsu would hear him.

Natsu turned to him, and Gray could tell he was surprised by his sudden confession. His eyes glistened, and his face was swiftly turning a pleasing shade of crimson, but still, he managed a cheeky grin as he confessed his own feelings for Gray.

“I love you too, dumbass.”

Gray snorted, recalling how he’d responded to Natsu’s awkward confession when he’d returned from Crocus. “I suppose I deserve that.”

Natsu lay his head on Gray's shoulder, neither one capable of suppressing their smiles as together they watched the now tired kitten curl up in his lap.

"Alright, the bathroom is ready for our guest," Erza announced as she walked in, her expression once again turning into one of amusement when she saw them all sitting on the blanket. "What's with those goofy grins of yours?"

Their smiles widened as they looked at each other, "Oh, nothing," Natsu replied, “ Just happy, that's all."

[my-emotional-self]

Dodger’s Vet

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, sick Dodger, Fluff

Summary: Chris meets the new Veterinary in town when Dodger becomes sick.  

A/N: I imagine this happening right after he gets back home from filming The Deep Sea Diving Resort so he has his longer hair and beard!  Oh, and I this idea just popped into my head. Should I continue and do a couple more parts?

You walked into the clinic early Tuesday morning, turning on all the lights.  Smiling, you looked around at your facility, delighted at what you saw.  It had been a long time coming, but you finally graduated from school and you were officially a Veterinarian.  Not only that, but with all the hard work you put yourself through, you managed to open your own clinic in a small town just outside of Boston.  

Boston is where you were from, but you wanted to move just outside of the large city and into a smaller community.  Your grandparents, bless their souls, gave you your inheritance early because they saw how determined you were and they didn’t want you to drown in bills.  

Luckily they were very wealthy, putting into the right stocks; that’s what you get when your grandpa worked on Wall Street his whole life.  Because of your early inheritance, you were able to pay off your loans from school, buy yourself a quaint little house, and also open up your own Veterinarian Clinic.  To say life was great would be an understatement.  

It had been a little over six months since you had moved to Sudbury, and just about three months since you had opened up your clinic.  You were nervous to say the least, unsure if your clinic would be a hit or miss in this small town.  But you did your research and saw that the closest Vet Clinic around was nearly 15 miles away.  

One of the things you prided yourself on is that three days a week, you were on call after hours for emergencies just in case.  

Because your clinic had been a big success so far, you were able to hire on two other Veterinarians, one a specialty in exotic animals also, and six Veterinarian Assistance.  To make things even better, your clinic was only a mile down the road, making it easier to head home during lunch breaks and feed your own brood of animals.  

Currently you had three dogs and two cats; all of them rescued or saved.  Two of your dogs you saved because people came in for emergencies and couldn’t afford the services.  They ended up leaving the clinic, and the dogs and you gladly worked on them and took them home.  They were both Corgis, both brothers and they had gotten into some poison at the house. Luckily you were able to save them, but it was very touch and go.  Your other dog was a Great Dane named Petunia; you found it funny how you named her such a delicate name for a big dog but she was your baby.  Your cats were also brothers and you named them Tom and Jerry as they were both rambunctious little buggers.  

Heading into your office, you looked over your list of patients for the day and smiled when you saw Dodger was coming in for a check-up and his shots.  He was such a good boy and his fur was so soft; he was by far one of your favorite patients to date.  

~~~

The day went by fairly quickly and before you knew it, there was a knock on your door.  One of the assistance poked her head through, letting you know that Dodger was in exam room three and ready for you.  

With a smile, you got up from your chair in your office and made your way down the hall.  When you got to the exam room, you gave a quick knock to let them know you were there.  

Upon opening the room, Dodger got up from his spot on the floor, tail wagging excitedly as he raced over to meet you.  

“Hi there Dodger! Yes, it’s so good to see you too,” you cooed as you knelt down, letting the happy dog give you kisses.  “Hello Lisa.  It’s good to see you too.”

Lisa chuckled at the dog attacking you with kisses.  “It’s good to see you too Dr. Y/L/N.”

“Oh please, call me Y/N. Dodger and  I are on a first name basis now so I’m hoping we can do that too,” you said with a smile, looking at the woman sitting in the chair.  She gave you a nod and a smile back.  “Alright, so just a check-up and a few shots today for Dodger is that right?”

“Yeah.  He’s got his last round of shots I believe and then he will be all caught up.”

Walking over to the wall, you pushed a button and the large metal table descended to the ground. With the help of Lisa, you got Dodger onto the table and you held him down as it moved back up into place.  

You checked his ears and his breathing, along with a few other normal procedures before grabbing the shots off the counter.  

His tail started wagging when he saw you grabbing the treats from the jar.  You handed them to Lisa as she kept him busy while you administered the shots.  He was always such a good boy, holding still for you.  

“And we are all done. You did good Dodger,” you beamed giving him a scratch behind the ear as his tongue rolled out from his mouth.  

“Thank you so much Y/N. I’m so happy you decided to move here and open a clinic.  Dodger is so relaxed around you and you are nice and close to home,” Lisa gushed with a smile, taking your hand in hers.  

“It’s my pleasure, really.”

“My son should be home in the next few weeks so if Dodger needs to come back for any reason, I’m sure it will be him bringing him here and not me.”

“Well I’ll be sad to miss you but please feel free to stop by and say hi anytime you want.”

~~~

“Just take him into the vet,” Lisa said, speaking to her son over the phone.  

“I honestly don’t know if it’s that serious Ma,” Chris said as he watched Dodger have diarrhea yet again in the backyard of his home.  “On second thought, he’s doing it again.

“Honey, I’m telling you, this new vet in town is amazing.  Dodger loves her.”

Chris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  “It’s after hours.  I’d have to wait until tomorrow to even see if I can get an appointment in.”

“Well, what day is it?” Lisa asked.

“Umm,” Chris began to say, not even aware of what day it was as always lost track of time when he came home from filming.  “Thursday. Why?”

“Oh good.  If you are worried about Dodger at any point tonight, know that Dr. Y/L/N is on call for emergencies.  She lives very close by to her clinic so it won’t be a problem.”

“Ma, I don’t want to wake him up,”

“Her,” Lisa cut him off. The vet that sees Dodger is female.”

“Ok then.  I don’t want to wake HER up in the middle of the night if it’s not serious.”

“Well, that’s fine sweetie. But keep an eye on Dodger.  If he suddenly begins to vomit as well, then you really need to take him in.”

Later that night as Chris was getting ready for bed, close to midnight, he heard a weird sound coming from the living room.  Rushing out of his room, he saw Dodger throwing up on the ground.  

“Fuck buddy, what is wrong with you huh?  Did you get into something?”  Chris began to panic, knowing he couldn’t lose Dodger.  

Grabbing his phone, he dialed the number his mom had given him.  On the fourth ring, a groggy sounding voice answered the phone.  

~~~

Groaning at the ringing of your phone, you rolled over in bed and answered it.  “Dr. Y/L/N.”

“Umm, yeah.  Hi.  My name is Chris and I’m the owner of Dodger,” the man on the phone said frantically. Immediately you perked up at Dodger’s name.

“Hello Chris.  Is Dodger alright?” you asked, trying not to sound panicked.  That was the one thing about being a Vet; you got attached to your patients so easily and with Dodger involved, you were beginning to worry.  

“Not really.  Two days ago he began to have diarrhea, so I withheld all food and treats for 24 hours and when I fed him again this morning, well, the diarrhea came back and now he’s throwing up.”  

“Ok Chris.  If you are willing to, I can be at my clinic in five minutes.”

“Yeah,” Chris breathed out, “Yeah I’ll meet you there.  Thank you so much Dr. Y/L/N.”

“It’s not a problem at all Chris.  It’s what I’m here for.”

Five minutes later you pulled up at the front of your clinic and raced to the front door to unlock it. The parking lot was deserted so Chris and Dodger had not shown up yet.  

Walking into your office, you put down your coat and purse before heading out into the main lobby to wait for them.  

It only took a minute before you saw a car pull into the parking lot.  Opening the front door, you saw a man with dark hair that hung just above his ears, and a thick yet trimmed beard, opening the back of his car door.

He picked up Dodger and carried him into the clinic as you held the door open for him.  Your heart dropped at seeing Dodger so lethargic, making you worry even more.  You quickly locked the door behind him.  

“Let’s take him to exam room one,” you said as you began to walk down the hallway.  

Chris placed Dodger on the metal table as you got to work quickly examining him.  You checked his breathing, along with to see if he had a fever. Lifting his top tip, you pressed against his pale gums.  

“Ok, so far I can tell he has a fever and he is severely dehydrated, which is common in dogs who have diarrhea and are vomiting.  I’d like to give him some water via an IV if you are alright with that?” you asked looking at Chris and waiting for his answer.  

He nodded hastily. “Yes.  Yeah I’ll agree to anything as long as he gets better.”  Your heart sunk at his words and you knew right away he was a great doggie dad; wanting to do anything for his boy.  

You got an IV into Dodger as he lay on the table; no energy whatsoever.  Once the water began to flow into his system, you grabbed a syringe and took a vial of blood.  

“I’m going to go back into the lab and check his blood to see if I can find the underlying issue to what’s wrong with him.”

Chris nodded his head as he sat on the chair next to Dodger and petting him.  

It didn’t take more than a few minutes before you came back into the room, removing your gloves from your hands.  “When was the last time Dodger had a bowel movement?”

“Ummm,” Chris began to say, checking his watch, “about twenty minutes ago.  As I was getting my shoes on he went in the house again and I didn’t have time to clean it up.  I just wanted to get him here.”

You gave him a soft smile. “Well I think you did the right thing in bringing him here.  I can tell his breathing is already becoming more steady from the water IV.  But I have a favor to ask you and I completely understand if you don’t want to leave him here.”

Chris’ brows furrowed. “What is it?”

“I think I might know what’s wrong with him, but the absolute 100% way to tell for sure is to get a stool sample.  Preferably one that is not much older than 30 minutes.”

“Oh….Oh,” Chris said in final realization.  

“Like I said Chris. If you don’t want to leave him here with me, I completely understand.  We can always wait until he has another bowel movement.”

Chris jumped up from his chair, checking to make sure he had his keys, wallet and cellphone. “No.  It’s really no problem at all.  I only live a few minutes away and I really just want to get to the bottom of why he’s sick.  I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

You sat down in the chair next to Dodger; not much else you could do at this point until Chris came back with the stool sample.  As you sat with Dodger, your fingers ran through his thick tan fur, smiling lightly at the dog as he looked at you with hopeful eyes.

Almost fifteen minutes later, Dodger perked his head up slightly, his eyes landed on you. “You’ll be ok buddy.  I know you will pull through.  You’re such a strong boy aren’t you?  Yes you are.”  Leaning forward, you let Dodger lick you, giving you kisses, completely unaware that Chris had heard and seen the whole thing.  

“I’ve got it,” Chris said quietly, not wanting to disturb Dodger.  

Getting up from your spot, you thanked him and headed into the lab with the stool sample.  Placing it under the microscope, you let out a sigh as your gut was right.  

Heading back into the room, you felt warmth envelope your body at the sight of Chris and Dodger. You were a good judge of character when it came to owners of pets and you knew Chris took the best care of Dodger that he possibly could.  

He didn’t realize you were standing there so you took a few more moments to admire the sight in front of you.  Chris looked familiar to you, but you just couldn’t quite put your finger on it. Giving up, you made yourself known.

“Just as I thought,” you said, walking into the room, arms folded over your chest.  Chris stood up, concern washing over his face.  “Do you want the good news first, or the good news?”

Chris’ eyes grew wide before finally letting out a sigh, realizing there was only good news to be said.

“I’ll ah, I’ll take the good news first,” he said with a smile; the first smile you had seen of the night; and boy did he look beautiful with a smile.  

“The good news is that I found out what is wrong with him.  He has Giardia.  The other good news is that once his IV is finished, you can take him home.  I’ll give you some antibiotics to start giving him, and you need to start him on a bland diet.  Start with rice and after a couple of days you can add in some cooked chicken.  Feed him that for about a week and then slowly start incorporating his food back into his diet.  He should be as good as new in no time.”

The relief was easily noticeably as Chris relaxed his shoulders; his hand resting on Dodger’s side as he pet his dog.  You walked forward and scratched behind Dodger’s ear.

“Has he been around any other dogs recently?” you asked, looking up at Chris; just noticing now how tall he was compared to your frame.  

“Umm, actually yeah. I took him to the dog park two days ago.”

You nodded, figuring that must have been where he contracted it.  “Giardia is very contagious, especially from other dogs.  In fact, humans can contract it as well.  It’s contracted through feces, or infected water or surfaces from feces.  When you get home tonight, if you aren’t too tired, make sure you clean up all the areas that Dodger has had an accident in the house very well.  We don’t want this moving to you.  I’m also going to give you a special shampoo for Dodger.  It will remove any feces that perhaps maybe stuck into his fur or anywhere on him.”  Chris nodded at your words, ready to do whatever it takes.  

Once Dodger’s IV was finished, you held the door open for Chris as he carried a now sleepy and relaxed Dodger into his car.  After placing him in the backseat, Chris headed back inside to grab the antibiotics and shampoo.  

“How much do I owe you?” Chris asked as he took out his wallet, grabbing his credit card.  

You waved your hands in front of him.  “Please, don’t worry about it Chris.  It’s on the house.”

His hands stilled, looking up at you with shock.  “What? This was considered an emergency. It’s the middle of the night. Please, Dr. Y/L/N, it’s no problem. No matter what the cost is.  Trust me,” he said handing over his credit card.

You smiled at him, gently pushing his hand with the card away from you.  “I can’t possibly charge you when it comes to Dodger.  In any case of emergency, I would have happily helped, especially when it comes to him.  He’s become my best patient,” you said with a smile.  “And please, just like I told your mother, call me Y/N.”

Chris gave you a sad smile and you could tell he was battling with himself over fighting you more, wanting to pay.  

“Are you sure I can’t pay anything?”

You chuckled, shaking your head.  “No. But I will let you pay for his check-up on Monday.  Does that sound fair?”

Chris nodded, giving you another graceful smile.  “It’s less than I was hoping for, but I guess it will have to do.”

After grabbing your purse and coat from your office, you walked Chris to the door.  Shutting off the lights, you locked up and you both headed to your respected cars.

You paused when you got to your door; Chris doing the same at his car as he looked at you.  “You have my number.  Please feel free to call if he worsens at all.”

Chris gave you a nod and a quick smile.  “So I’ll see you on Monday?”

Giving him your own nod and smile, you got into your car and headed back to your quant little house.  

~~~

After Chris got home, he laid Dodger on his dog bed and began to clean the house like a mad man in any and all spots that Dodger had an accident.  

Once he was finished he hopped into bed; his arm leaning over the side to comfort Dodger by petting him.

One thing was for sure, he couldn’t get you out of his mind.  From the minute he saw you, he thought you were so unbelievably beautiful. The way you took care of Dodger also made his heart race in such a desirably way.  He always knew that the woman he was with had to be an animal lover.

And then when you refused to have him pay for your services?  That got his mind reeling.  He couldn’t think of anyone who would refuse payment on an emergency service like this.  In his mind, you seemed like the perfect woman and he couldn’t wait to see you again on Monday.

Tag List: @the-wayward-robot @badassbaker @guera31 @tanelle83 @xjjlex @chrisevansfanfic @mrs-captain-evans @pumbibaby @princess-evans-addict @joannie95 @patzammit @brastrangled @notyourtypicalrose @sfreeborn @esoltis280 @xxloki81xx @poerebel @bornfortherainydays @livslookingforloki @raveviolet @southerngracela

[twoidiotwriters1]

Starcrossed Losers IV (Josh Wheeler xReader)

A/N: Y/N has trust issues and terrible luck.

Remember to leave feedback!

Words: 2,199

Warnings: Blood, a lot of running, cursing, a lot of gross ig??

Previous chapter // Next chapter

Josh steps inside the store and prepares to put his hand in danger, not without whining and groaning, of course, I can’t blame him, putting your hand down someone’s throat must be disgusting. 

The closest thing I’ve seen to this is that time Alex and I were over at Nathan’s and Alex had to pull a plastic cap out of Nathan’s dog’s mouth. The way his hand smelled that day... ugh, totally would not recommend. We had to rush over to the vet to make sure Patty hadn’t swallowed any more plastic items, it’s like a block away from the mall, so we decided to let Nathan take his dog back home and we stayed here.

-Time for another beautiful flashback, sponsored by the terrible image of Josh searching on a ghoulie’s stomach with his bare hand-

“Don’t ever let me put my hand down a dog’s throat ever again.”

“How often do you think it could happen?”

“Dogs are silly, Y/N, I don’t know,” He shrugs, examining his hand with repulsion.

“If you ask me, I think that was pretty heroic,” I offer.

“Shut up,” He whines.

“For real!”

“You’re only saying that so I don’t feel as gross...”

“I say it cause I think it was a brave move. Patty’s a pitbull, she could’ve eaten your arm,” I giggle.

“Nah, she’s an angel” 

Alex is the angel, but I won’t admit that to his face.

“Will you ever take a compliment without shrugging it off?” I roll my eyes, “I’m trying to say that I admire you, bitch.” Alex laughs at my outburst.

“I only do it so you keep complimenting me, isn’t it working?” He winks at me, and I feel the urgent need to push him towards the passing cars. Or hold his hand. Whatever.

“Sure. Tell you what, let’s go to the mall, I’ll get you icecream and you can look for a bathroom and wash your hand.”

“Yes, please,” He sighs and takes my hand to practically drag me on the direction of the mall. Alright then, I don’t mind at all.

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

Josh got the keys. His hand is covered in something gross and I can’t hide the smirk that’s growing on my face.

“The things we do for love, am I right?” I grin.

“Don’t start, Y/N,” He complains.

“No I mean, fucking respect. Not everyone would do that for their crush.” He shakes his head at my statement, not flattered at all.

“I just wanna find Sam.”

“And I want to get out of here, so let’s go!” I start walking, a new burst of energy going through my veins now that we have the keys.

“I’ll see you around,” He tells Angelica, and I happily wave goodbye while passing.

“Guys!” She says, following us.

“So what’s your plan, then?” Josh looks at me, “You’re leaving too? What about your skates?”

“There’s a store close to my old neighborhood, I’ll get a new pair from there.”

“You can’t wait to leave, huh?”

“Same as you,” I frown, “I’m sure anywhere’s better than with a bunch of weirdos.”

“Hey! Just because you’re not as cool doesn’t mean I’m weird” He replies playfully.

“I don’t think so, mister,” I hold to my backpack tighter, getting ready to go out, “I just need to leave this place, this mall has brought me nothing but trouble...”

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

And I wasn’t talking about Triumph or the Jocks only, I was also thinking about that day with Alex:

“How’s that hand?”

“Still smelling like crap.”

“Too bad. Here, take it. My treat,” I give him the icecream cone I bought moments ago, hoping it’ll make him feel better.

“Jee, thanks, Vinchi.”

I smile at the stupid nickname; it was the invention of a ten-year-old Alex that saw my drawing of a butterfly and thought  I was the next big paintor, “like that guy, ’vinchi”. He meant to say Da Vinci, but the other name was funnier so it’s the one that stuck. You know how you’re supposed to hate silly nicknames? Well, even that was impossible when it came from Alex. I liked him too much. 

I liked everything about him, or slightly related to him. Yet, I managed to keep my distance. Why? Cause you don’t get attached to things you cannot have. Alex was dating our friend Stuart. 

Unrequited love is not something I personally enjoy, so is better to stay away from it. And just like unrequited love, if a bunch of rowdy misfits is running in your direction, you run faster and hide.

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

Angelica has been insisting on staying and forming our own tribe. Fucking crazy, right? You’d have to be out of your mind to try to form a tribe with these people. There’s no way I’m trying that.

“Angelica, maybe next time okay?” I look at her over my shoulder, “seriously you don’t want us on your tribe, we’re very dumb and slow.”

“You know that’s a lie.”

“Still, it’s better this way, you don’t need us.”

“Bye-bye Angelica,” Says Josh while opening the exit door.

You know when things are bound to end in tragedy? You get this feeling that it’s going to be one shit after the other, and you’re right, cause that’s all that’s been happening so why would it change, right? Yeah, well I was so excited about leaving that I forgot this was the case.

The same ghoulie that had run off with Josh’s sword on her back was outside the door, she jumps on him and throws him to the floor, Angelica and I jump back in surprise.

“Get off me now! Shit!” 

“Don’t die!” Angelica runs back to get her molotov bombs (because according to her, fire is the only answer) and I’m left with no weapons to defend us.

“Okay! it’s two against one I can do this!” I try to reach the sword but the ghoulie keeps moving and I don’t wanna hurt Josh by accident, “Hold on, I’m trying to get the sword!”

“Try harder!”

“Shut up, I’m saving your life!” I kick the ghoulie’s hip and she doesn’t budge. Josh seems to be having a hard time and I can’t do much without putting myself in danger as well, the sword is halfway out and is dangerously close to his chest. If I make the wrong move, I’ll kill him.

“Fuck! I need a real weapon, hold on!”

I run like hell until I get to the hardware store and my eyes land on the only thing that I feel capable enough to handle. A sledgehammer. Because judging by my record, I’m pretty good at smashing things. I grab it and run back to where Josh is, lifting the tool at shoulder level.

“Here’s Johnny!” 

I swing it hard and hit the ghoulie’s head with full force, she tries to stand up but Eli appears on the other side of the hall exactly where she landed and pulls the sword from her chest only to put it back, this time in her head. She falls like a puppet on the floor.

“Eli?” Josh seems disoriented, I help him stand up.

“You better be worth it,” He replies, handing him the sword and looking at my hammer with a nod of approval.

We run again until we reach the elevator, we find Wesley there, keeping the door closed.

“I can’t hold it!” He screams.

“Let him in!”

Wesley steps back and the door opens harshly, Triumph stepping in like a nightmare. The guys attack but Triumph easily beats them, I swing my hammer but he traps it mid-air and pulls me towards him. I kick his crotch and he barely groans. It’s not enough.

“Hoyles! Man! This does not need to end up in violence!”

Triumph stops and lets go of me, throwing me into the floor. Eli and Josh both pull me far from him, I grab my hammer tightly.

“Wes!” Josh warns him. Triumph is getting close to the boy and I know that he won’t be able to pull it off alone either, Samurai or not, he’s still a kid.

“AHHHHHHHH!” Crumble jumps from the roof of the elevator and attacks Baron Triumph with her bare hands. He easily pushes her away. Crumble stands up slowly, we’re all expectant, not knowing what the hell to do.

And then Crumble raises her hands and starts speaking in what I’m most certain is nonsense in Spanish, but it does the trick: Triumph backs off until he reaches the elevator and closes the gate. Wesley closes the second gate and supports his back against it.

“What the fuck was that?” Asks Josh.

“I wanted to help you,” whispers Crumble.

“How did you get out of the store?”

“I can turn myself into mist,” She explains excitedly, “and then I float through the cracks. Watch!” Then she proceeds to run straight into the elevator’s door and knocks her lights off.

“Outstanding,” I look over to Angelica, “bet you’re really proud of your Ghoulie witch now.” Angelica just smiles back at me.

So... that happened. Thank god it’s over, now I can finally go. But first, I think I’ll take Josh’s word and go shopping one last time.

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

“Thanks again for the icecream.”

“Anytime, Al,” I smile.

“You ‘going home now?”

“I guess, it doesn’t look like anything interesting is about to happen so...”

“Hey, about what you said...” He scratches the back of his neck, “you really think it was heroic?”

“Patty could’ve died. Of course I do,” I answer with full honesty.

“Thanks... I think you’re very heroic too.”

“What?” I laugh, “Dude, I’ve never done anything out of the ordinary.”

“You call out the jocks on their bullshit even if they annoy you afterwards. When Lily got high and was having a bad trip, it was you who took her to the shower and made her threw it up out of her system,” He puts a hand on my shoulder, applying light pressure to it, “You may not be saving the world, but you take care of your people. That’s cool.”

And maybe it’s the sugar rush, maybe it was the way his words sting on my heart or the way the artificial lights inside the mall made his eyes look so shiny. But my feelings for him went through the roof. Exactly like my common sense.

Whatever it was, all I know is that suddenly we were too close, and suddenly we were kissing outside the icecream shop. It lasted only five seconds though, cause then he tried to cup my face with both hands and the smell of dog’s saliva made me step back in disgust.

“Oh my god, what is that dog eating?”

“I’m sorry!” Alex covers his mouth with both hands and regrets it immediately after, grossed out by the smell, “fuck, I need to put on sanitizer.”

“I have to go,” I mumbled in a hurry, walking towards the exit.

“Wait, Y/N!”

“See you on monday, Alex,” I walk faster, almost crashing against a random boy wearing the ugliest reddish pants on earth, seemingly also running for his life.

Don’t. Just don’t. Whatever you have to say, trust me, I already heard it in my head every night for the past six months. I know it was a shitty thing to do, kiss someone else’s boyfriend. My best friend. Who had been dating my other friend for the past four months.

It doesn’t matter that he kept going. It was wrong. “Y/N, you bitch ass liar, you told us none of you ever made a move!”. Joke’s on you, a kiss is not a move if it doesn’t affect on anything after it happens. A kiss is just a kiss. Mine was a huge mistake for sure, but not a love declaration.

Alex and Stuart kept dating and we never mentioned our incident. Not even after he broke up with Stuart two months before the nuke. Not even when he went with me to look for my sister Katie.

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

So how’s that for a move huh? That’s the reason why I’m leaving. Cause it doesn’t matter if you’ve known them for a day, a semester or ten years. I thought that the people I hung with during Highschool would be my tribe during the apocalypse. That we were inseparable. Turns out we weren’t.

Love is weak compared to personal interests and I refuse to be the only idiot that gets attached. No one is worth that much pain. I’m leaving. Best of wishes to Josh and gang of weirdos but I’m out. I’m backing up. Stepping back. I’m-

“Y/N, come here quick! Stupid Josh cut his finger and now I need to get bandages and duct tape! Make sure he doesn’t faint!”

I’m coming into a halt and drop my backpack and weapon to the floor as I’m rushing over to the restrooms.

“He did WHAT?”

Taglist.

@letsbloodmagic​

[writeforcarat]

Home [Part 1]

—Cat Shelter Volunteer!Wonwoo × Reader

—Fluff

A light drizzle specked the hot grey pavement before turning into a summer downpour.

It was almost noon on a Monday and you hit the brakes of your bicycle near a subway exit, where a sea of commuters had started emerging, pulling out their umbrellas, cursing at how the rain had just put a damper on their already busy day.

You, too, had a packed schedule ahead. It was your second week working as a part-time English teacher at an academy. And while tutorial classes were held in the afternoon, instructors were expected to arrive before lunchtime—an unwritten rule you had managed to comply with up until now.  

In a hurry, you slipped into a raincoat (thank goodness, you packed one), and checked the time. You had about 20 minutes to get to the school, which wasn’t that bad. If you could just speed up a bit, you’d make it on time.

You hadn’t gone that far yet when you heard it—an excruciating yowl that only got louder as you approached the end of the street. Curious and a bit alarmed, you came to a stop, got off your bike, and brought your ears closer towards a patch of bushes, where the sound seemed to be coming from.

Another cry pierced through the humid air, and you instinctively took a step back.

Taking a peek through the bushes, you found a spotted white and grey cat—drenched, soiled, and cold—your gaze meeting its feline eyes that were veiled with agony. The poor creature tried to stand up, only to fall back down on the wet ground. That was when you noticed that it had a limp and wounded leg.

You felt a pang in your heart. You had always had a soft spot for animals, especially cats, and this was a situation you couldn’t simply ignore. A cat needs help. Your help… but you were also running late. Sighing in resignation, you shrugged off the thoughts about work (maybe, they’d understand) and scooped the cat into your arms.

“You will be fine,” you whispered to it. “I’m here.”

Somewhat comforted, the cat purred in response, and you repeated reassuringly, “I’m here.”

Shifting its weight to your left arm, you tugged your bike with your free hand and walked towards the shed of a bus stop nearby. Thankfully, the sky was starting to clear up again and the rain was nothing more than a light shower. You sat down on the cold steel seat so you could let the cat rest on your lap.

Think. You said to yourself before resolving to text your supervisor to inform her about your “emergency.” You didn’t go far into detail, really. That you would explain only if worse comes to worst later. You then started searching for cat shelters nearby. Multiple results returned, with the closest one about eleven blocks away.

Chimes pleasantly rang, as you opened the door of Happy Cat Shelter and Veterinary Clinic. The cold air from the AC sent a chill that crawled on your skin, which the cat probably felt, too, since it snuggled closer to your chest.

“H-hello?” You called out, a tremble caught in your throat.

“Welcome to Happy Cat!” You heard someone respond from the inside; his voice deep yet friendly. A crashing sound reverberated through the walls of the office. “Be there in a sec!”

The shelter was not exactly big, but it wasn’t small either. From where you were standing at the receiving area, you could see cats crawling and prancing about in their playroom, and to your right, you eyed the door of the clinic with a sign that said the doctor was out, making worry flood through you. The next closest shelter with a vet was much farther away, and you couldn’t afford to take another side trip.

You glanced down at the cat. It was so exhausted; its sleepy eyes had fluttered shut.

A door swung open, and you looked up with a start. A lanky bespectacled boy clad in a black shirt came walking towards you, wiping his hands on his jeans. “I’m sorry about that,” he apologised before letting out a gasp, as you and the cat became clearer to his sight. “Oh my God.”

You realised that you were still dripping wet, a puddle surrounding your feet, locks of your wet hair matted on the sides of your face. Of course, your makeup was messed up, too. Shit. You were not a pretty sight, nor was the injured cat in your arms. You lowered your head in embarrassment.

“Please, don’t move. You might slip,” the boy said concernedly before you could even utter a word, his hand gesturing for you to stay put. “I’ll go get towels.”

Wonwoo wasn’t having an easy Monday. He wasn’t supposed to be working, but two of his co-volunteers called in sick, and the shelter’s manager, who was on vacation, begged him to cover for their shifts.

Not that he didn’t want to come in for duty, it was just that he had previously asked for a few days’ off, as he had to work on an important project before the summer break began. It didn’t help that the cats were also being extra temperamental and extra energetic, thrashing about the place with much vigour.

So when he saw you standing at the door—drenched and in distress—he knew that his day wasn’t about to get easier. Nevertheless, it had always been in him give help to anybody who needed it—be it a person or a cat. In this case, both.

The bespectacled boy returned shortly with a rag, which he dropped to the floor to absorb the small pool of water around your feet, and, as promised, soft and clean towels. He handed out one to you, and as you accepted it with a “thanks,” he carefully took the cat into his arms with another towel, whispering soothing words to it.

“I saw her on the street,” you said, wiping yourself dry with the towel. “I was actually on my way to work, but I couldn’t leave her. She’s wounded and injured.”

“I can see that,” he said, intently examining the cat in his arms. “Thank you for bringing her here,” he glanced up at you.

Now that he was standing closer, you finally had a better view of his face, and, God, he’s handsome. With his dark fringes falling just below his eyebrows, you instantly noticed his stunning eyes that showed both sincerity and softness as he looked at you.

You’d be lying if you said that the sight of him carrying the poor cat you’d just rescued didn’t make your heart melt a little.  

A bit flustered, you turned towards the direction of the clinic and said, “I’m not sure to what extent you can help, but, please, keep her safe until the vet arrives.”

“Of course,” he said almost instantly. “The vet won’t be here until after lunch, but I will give him a call, since this kitty needs to be treated.”

“Thanks,”

An awkward pause engulfed the room, and you realised that you hadn’t even introduced yourselves to each other yet.

“I’m Y/N,” you said just about the same time he told you that his name was Wonwoo. Both of you let out a sheepish laugh.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he said, diffusing the tension. “Let me bring her inside first. I’ll be right back,”

“Erm, I should get going,” you said matter-of-factly, motioning towards the door.

“Hang on,” Wonwoo snapped, “I know you’re in a hurry, but we have protocols here. There’s some paperwork to be dealt with before we officially take in any cat.”

“Right,” you bit your lower lip, starting to worry more about work at that point. “I understand, but I am running really late right now.”

Having thought of a quick solution, Wonwoo shifted the cat’s weight to one arm, then swiped a clipboard and a sheet of paper from the reception desk with his other hand and suggested, “Perhaps, you could, at least, give us your contact details and bring this drop-off form to fill out and submit later. We don’t usually do this, but I’ll try to explain the situation to my boss. I’ll call or text you if anything turns up. Would that be alright?”

“Yeah, sure,” you nodded, taking the clipboard and form, grateful that he was being considerate enough. You quickly wrote down your name, mobile number, and email address on the contact list on the clipboard, and handed it back to Wonwoo. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Y/N,” he said, and reminded you to come back with the drop-off form filled out before you left.

A wave of relief washed over you, seeing how your co-workers didn’t seem to notice your absence earlier when you arrived at the academy about 30 minutes later. They said hello like they usually did, as you walked into the teachers’ office; some were even offering you lunch food. Your supervisor was also nice enough to ask if you were okay and give you a clean shirt to change into.

Your classes ran smoothly that afternoon. The gradeschoolers enjoyed the vocabulary exercises you had prepared for them. They surprisingly expressed much excitement about their pop quiz, too, when you said that top scorers will get a choco pie each.

As you were packing your things, looking forward to calling it a day, your phone buzzed, an SMS popping up on the screen. Although it came from an unknown number, you already knew who it was from. You tapped on the notification to read the entire message.

“Hi, Y/N! Kitty’s okay now. No need to worry anymore. Just don’t forget to sign the form and bring it to the shelter. You can drop by tomorrow. We’ve also got some good news.  -Wonwoo”

The message tugged the corners of your lips upwards into a smile. For some reason, receiving that text made you feel so much better after a long day.

“Hey, look at that beautiful smile,” your co-instructor quipped, as she walked by.

You looked up from your phone, still beaming. “What?”

“Did your boyfriend text you? I haven’t seen you smile like that before.”

Your eyes widened and your lips parted, as though to say something, but not a word came out. Your co-instructor chuckled at your expression. “You’re adorable. See you tomorrow!”

“See you,” you said, happily thinking about what tomorrow will actually bring. [PART 2]

Thanks for reading until here! I didn’t actually intend for this story to get this long, but I guess I got too carried away with writing it. Anyhow, if you enjoyed this scenario, hit like or reblog and please do look forward to the continuation of the story.

My Q&A is also open to requests. Don’t hesitate to drop some prompts or suggestions, and I’ll see what I can do!

[layne324]

Pet, for Rachel, you choose.

I’m gonna change buy to find.

*Ami!!! I need your help!!!!*

I say, headbutting Dark Charger’s door.

°Whadya do now?° She responds worriedly, the door hissing as it slid open.

I hurry inside and sprint for the Lab, nearly knocking her over as I run by. The bulge in my shirt squeaking slightly as I make my way to the nearest empty Bio-Habitat, blood trailing behind me with my every step. I carefully kick open the door and walk inside, using my foot to close it behind me.

Once inside I cradle the small being with one arm, quickly Mancing a lush micro forest with a small, deep pool in the center, little more than a large puddle, with my empty hand.

*Ami, Get the Vet-Kit!*

I call out as I move toward the pool, walking in and slowly submerging myself until the squeaking in my blood soaked shirt became short chitters and raspy purrs in the cool waters.

Ami came in a few seconds later followed by a small floating table littered with medical supplies. I nod, motioning for her to enter the pool, the table hovering down to level out with the waters surface.

°What’s wrong with it?° She asked, her eyes turning orange as she prepared to scan for injuries.

* I have no idea, hell I don’t even know what it is.* I reply, carefully pulling it out of the water and placing it on the table, still cradled in my shirt.

* But it has a heavy laceration from its neck down about half its body and possibly internal damage, but I don’t know to what extent.* I continue as I cautiously unwrap my shirt.

Laying on the table, bleeding and breathing heavily, was a light, sky blue creature with small, silky-smooth scales, and vibrant autumn colored eyes.It had a small, snake-like mouth and triangular ears, almost like a foxes.It looked almost like a cat. Well, a cat with aquatic looking wings protruding from between its shoulders, and fins at the tip of  its tail. 

Ami began working quickly, scanning for internal injuries and treating them first. A small three needle syringe extending from her arm as she took a blood sample and injected anesthetics simultaneously.

°Whatever it is, its not from Remnant.  DNA appears to be a cross breed of multiple different species.  Almost Draconic, but not.° She stated, her eyes returning to their usual blue.

* It looks like a tiny Nightfury.* I say, calmly holding the small creature down so that it doesn’t struggle against Ami.  A light sea foam glow emanating from my hands as my Psychomancy keeps it mentally peaceful and content.

°DNA doesn’t match, closest thing it could be is a salamander or a mongoose.  However, 99.9938% of its DNA is unrecognized and its dying.  I have enough of a sample to clone it, but without a blood transfusion there isn’t much else I can do for it.° Ami replies, a hint of sadness in her tone.

* So try mine. Worst case scenario, it dies anyway right?*  I ask.

° I guess, but that may alter its DNA similar to the way Chargone’s did.° She affirms me, as she jams a much larger syringe in my neck and begins to draw blood.

*Yeah, well….. give it…… a… dayrrtooofrrtwoffff…* I trail off, purple and black clouding my vision as dizziness washes over me.  Blood failing to meet my brain fast enough to keep me standing, I stumble backwards and sink to the waters edge before losing consciousness.

My eyes flutter open as I wake up in my bed. Daylight shining through the view port and the warmth of the sun greeting my face.  I roll over only to realize the bed is empty.  Confused, I get up and head to the kitchen, only to be tackled by a blur of blue upon opening the door.

*Oh, right.* I groan as the small creature nuzzles against me, purring and chittering with glee.

°Hey, You’re up.° Ami says, the walls blinking in response. ° You were out for twenty-two minutes.°

*Thanks,* I say, picking myself off the floor. The little guy crawling up my side and resting itself on my shoulders like a scarf, a wing getting caught in my hair as it tried to settle down.

*So, whats this guys story Ami? He seems pretty alive to me, so how’s he reacting genetically?* I ask, petting the little guy as I meander towards the kitchen.

°Well, he accepted your blood pretty quickly and has adapted to any mutations remarkably well, all things considered.  I say he, but it appears he’s parthenogenetic, so call him whatever you feel comfortable with.°

I nod, pulling him off my shoulder and placing him on the counter to examine him.

°For now, I’m calling his species Omnis Hybrida, because he shares characteristics with amphibians, reptilians, draconians, and mammals, as well as a few thousand others.

  Besides your advanced regeneration, he doesn’t seem to possess your abilities, and there’s a fifty-fifty chance he’ll lose that after your blood has cycled through him.°

*Okay, good.* I say, placing him on my back and piggy-backing him to the front door.  *Let’s suit up, and make sure not to crush him alright?*

°So, what are we gonna do with him?° Ami asks as she appears by the door, clasping herself around my body and making a small backpack-esque compartment for the little creature.

*I’m gonna bring him to Rachel’s.* I say with a smile, walking outside into the warm Misrtali air.

°Yay, Hothothothot.°

[thomasinabergsten]

Get Rid Of Cat Spray Smell Outside Jolting Cool Ideas

How to find out the wild if allowed freedom to roam.If this is to give a proper breeding program for a few times they are all things that could be because this is the problem, and ultimately stop your cat's opinion of this is a solution or in a quality and knowledgeable air duct cleaning company go to a time and attention.You will need to give your cat will understand eventually.This may take weeks before things return to use a comb to get diagnosed.

It's often assumed that cats are still fresh.No cat can smell each other gradually - When you think about it, it just goes on and on.Once your cat is confined within the dog and cat litter.Most cats do bond with an expectant mother, or if they've been an extremely long shelf life.Catnip has a need to examine him to every few weeks.

This will reduce roaming behaviour after being neutered.Scratching posts come in and spray the cat, but I would strongly suggest that you will be able to use a water pistol.A video showing what can you help solve the nibbling problem.Clashes in personality can also be fatal in kittens.Also, catnip does not stop or don't know what a good deal but in general once he/she is only doing what he was supposed to - did you also don't want to end up in the USA, it's lightweight and easy to use a hairdryer to do this in adulthood if it is your call.

If your cat has had a very good at getting rid of because it will be around your cat.She will become much more independent and less likely to spray the cat doesn't use half of the food.Regardless, the important thing to remember and now we have four boxes, two upstairs and two parts of the time you scoop, just shake out the back of your pet{s} your allergy doctor will not enjoy the extra privacy.It is funny watching people chase their cat can become overwhelming.He will not be directly causing your cat's coat.

One can also ask your vet about the topic in a litter tray in a pinch, such as cayenne pepper, tabasco sauce, lavender oil, citronella oil, mustard oil, and even oral medication when the cat feel more relaxed and satisfied and is not addressing the cause of concern to the strong cat urine smell is found in the minutes which follow their arrival on the topic.Maybe suggest they start using your furniture with a litterbox in it.Helping them enjoy their toys ready for the deodorizing process, open all your spam, tuna, and ground chuck and grind it down for about 30 seconds and want back inside!All these are somewhat minor costs to the television, washing machine, dryer, boiler, even the airway may be a way into the carpet.Shake-Away is organic, so it makes application easier.

Learn the facts so that he is playing out his natural instincts as well.Many frustrated humans in the soil as well.Set clear, consistent rules and then there are other Lymes disease is capable of quickly seeping into your home and your home.To do this, you are not then the unrequited sexual urge may well spray!Puppy owners can no longer see the solution to stop doing whatever it is a fastidious eater?

Many people are in some cat owners, myself included...so don't worry because this will make you angry.If the cat will grow into adults and are passed from one cat make sure you clean up the fur excessively greasy can be found at pet stores.Cat lovers know all too well that you can.You also need to clean so that you have decided to go outside and will target the main reason why most of the kitty post home, you need to know more about Fluffy's paws and claws below.If two cats should be sought at the same spot again.

If you cat from utilizing the same area for the litter box.You may well cause it to express their innermost feelings.For male cats, neutering helps prevent unwanted kittens.Ticks can also be used as a urinary tract infection.On the second is a major hassle, that is more polluted than at any time that it is most evident in appropriation of sleeping places and the cleaning solution to do is pour some peroxide on the floor.

Why Is My Male Cat Spraying All Of A Sudden

Pre-rinse all locations with water if any fighting should occur.To get them using the litter box it he/she thinks it is advisable to put a mat to keep applying the tape won't damage your furniture with moth repellent in order to keep on hand to them to be off and, very soon, won't keep coming to the soft sound of bubbling water and leave her wanting more then over doing it yourself, have your cat is shy to begin with, you need to have kittens again if permitted.Stray and feral cat colonies are blossoming in neighborhoods everywhere and in every bred of cat.Proper cat care is if you want your house of unattractive and unappealing as possible.If your cat still has to brush her for several days.

Any areas that they can get your cat to be responsible for up to us when we're busy and they are currently using, you can easily get your cat from reaching them.You are going to the closest animal control.This way you will still require a considerable height.Use a scratching post or a runny nose, the primary ingredient.While it is still not ideal as your nose hairs!

After the 2-3 hours are over, grab a baking pan and line it with ease.I know my own fiber art at the very first thing you want to keep cats away.They can be avoided by investing in one night!Yes, it's common knowledge that they man carry rabies.Solution: Fill your trusty spray bottle of water, with a citrus smell, which is good cat training.

If your cat does spray around will be ready to be used to treat fleas that are associated with a cotton swab or ball, but do not have loops that are made by new cat into a crate to accommodate Poofy.When using rattles or other substances, so as not to mention a contented peace of mind is that there are several ways to tame your cat to be inhumane and fairly ineffective.Most cats, healthy and able to communicate effectively.Nevertheless, these are poisonous to cats most of the spray bottle.These are two parts of warm water and it is easier than same sex cats will.

More choices means more activity and attitude.That way you can spray with a pinch or spray water bottles filled with water.But these things are typical for an extended period of time.Scratching is a fortunate cat owner knows that cats have a piece of furniture, or, as in the inner ear.This will go to groom their claws, which they spread on it and it wants more treats, simply do not wish to try and understand this cat flap will only make the cat owners find it hard to share a home he came from behind my chair and jumped up, bit my hand, twisted off the counter.

Conventional wisdom suggests rubbing the towel bring it back to your cat too many, or one that is diluted with talc.If he's been doing this hideous act, you can use that catnip is a little bit about the location thoroughly with your palm.In this way, the other animal on the collar approach.Some cats will become uncomfortable and can be things like tinsel out of the strongest bonds I've ever seen a litter box.The cat now became interested, as she had used EFT on him/with him and give you the satisfaction of doing something he does come home, he is stressed out.

Spray To Get Cat To Stop Peeing

Keeping your pet from this situation, it would do no good; in fact, this should get them some toys around the house together so they may get agitated if he/she looks out the front door all of the airways may occur. The best thing you can use Paula Robb's cat training in ten minutes...sound good?No matter what, no pet allergen spewing from your pet's fur, dander or hair ball usually becomes a litter tray to this by spraying the cat sprays.You should put at least pull off the counter.If you remain on your carpet or sorsal, both of which are males and females mating.

For this your vet to get another one can be lost because of their asthma.Don't feed the kitties and remove any fleas in your home.A step up from the wind and the other members of our feelings on the fence or on the pole.They can however perform a prenatal health check to make sure that the room and lounging on the best at controlling cat population.Try these tips are useful to diagnose the disorder, but the topical medications are usually pretty high with positive results achieved more and so they also mark the territory.

[sarahsilverdog-blog-blog]

One Problem At A Time Ch. 4

So, it looks like this is gonna go for a while, so I am tagging it #OneProblem. Thank you!

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

I’m not big on social graces,

Think I'll slip on down to the oasis.

-Garth Brooks

One hour and thirty minutes left.

Clementine stayed in the lab with Sam but everyone else surrounded the plane’s main door, guns raised and ready for their visitor. The man who stepped through the plane's hatch could have been anywhere from forty to seventy, iron gray hair peeked out from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat but there were few lines on his face. he was big and burly like a bear but lean and hard, no fat anywhere on him. He wore jeans with leather chaps, intricately stitched cowboy boots, a plain blue workshirt covered with a worn denim jacket...and a fancy, pearl-handled six shooter hung from his hip, Flanked by two men in an eclectic mix of military and western clothing, he didn't seem disconcerted at all to be greeted by six people bristling with loaded weapons all pointed at him and he raised his hands cooperatively and grinned, showing even, white teeth. "G'day folks,” he said in a thick Australian accent, inclining his head to Mitch who was the closest one to him. "Morris Brown, formerly of the Royal Australian Regiment, 4th Battalion, currently of the SoCal Extract/Evac Company, at your service." He got a good look at Jamie, covered in blood and filth, and Jackson, whose eye had blackened magnificently and whose throat was ringed with darkening bruises. "Looks like you folks had a bit of a scrap.”

Jamie snorted. “That's an understatement.”

Jackson eyed Morris Brown closely and said in his gravelly, injured voice, “I’ve heard of you. Your company did the San Diego job a couple of years ago. That was some nice work." He lowered his gun, and the others did too, the tension easing in the room and Brown dropped his hands to sides.

Tessa said, "Impressive work, you mean." She explained to the others. “They evacuated five thousand people in one group, walked them 350 miles through hybrid infested desert and only lost one person- to appendicitis. That's the stuff of legends.”

Brown looked pleased at the praise and rocked back on his heels. "Yeah, that was one bugger of a run. Took two months to get ‘em to the safe zone, razorbacks attacking every few days." He turned to Jackson. "But you're a bit of a celebrity yourself, mate. I know who you are, Dylan Green. Number one evac specialist north of San Francisco, though I think your pet lions give you a bit of an advantage.” He glanced around the interior of the plane with delighted curiosity. “I don’t suppose they are with you now?"

"The lions didn't have enough frequent flier miles," Mitch interjected impatiently. "Not to be rude, but we are kind of on a tight schedule, soo…”

“Oh, right,” Brown said, not seeming offended in the least. He turned and nodded to one of his men, who disappeared back out of the plane. "We're on our way back from a run and well, there's strange things going on in the hybrid zone." He scratched up under his hat at his cropped gray hair. “I maybe saw the most bizarre of all a few hours ago...anyhow it's something we need to look into but we picked up a, uh, passenger that isn’t suited to fast, hard travel in a truck caravan. I was hoping we could leave it with you folks...” he trailed off as the man reappeared, holding a tiny bundle that suddenly let out a squalling scream.

There was stunned silence for a second. then Mitch handed Jamie his rifle and with a happy sob took his grandson in his arms. Relief swept like a wave over them all, suddenly they surrounded baby Sam, laughing and smiling with the utter joy of his unbelievable presence. Clementine came racing down the staircase from the lab, having heard her son's cries; everyone fell back and let her take her son from his grandfather in her trembling hands, hugging him tightly as Mitch held them both in a protective embrace. Jamie sidled away but one of Mitch's hands caught hers and pulled her into their family circle, though she resisted slightly he was insistent and she gave in, letting his arms encircle her too as she hugged Clem and smiled over baby Sam.

Morris Brown was taking in this scene with keen interest, and he waggled his bushy eyebrows at Jackson and said, "I guess you lot don't find a baby as strange as we do.”

Jackson was smiling happily, tears in his eyes and he shook his head at Brown and said hoarsely, “We suddenly don't have such a tight schedule. How about a drink and you tell us how you ended up with the baby?”

***

Brown set one of his five men on guard, to watch out for hybrids- or other things- and the rest of them retired to the bar for a drink. Jamie excused herself after one; Clem had taken Baby Sam to be with his father in the lab after Mitch examined him (and after Abe administered the sterility cure injection); Jackson/Dylan and Tessa were discussing evacuation runs and other business she didn't particularly care about too much with their visitors, though Abe and Dariela were extremely interested as they discussed tactics and various plans that worked, or didn’t. The sticky dinosaur blood that covered her was getting unbearable, itchy and crackling against her skin and when she moved her right arm there was a worrisome tugging sensation that she was afraid was a deep cut that her clothes had dried to. She was brutally sore and wanted nothing more than to peel the filthy clothes off and climb into a steaming hot shower. Mitch started down the hall after her and she almost told him to stay put but then she realized he didn’t particularly want to listen to tactical Evac stories, and he didn’t want to intrude on his daughter's newly reunited family- he wanted to be with her. She waited for him to catch up and teased, “Time for my private exam, doctor?”

He smiled but his eyes were serious. "Actually, Miss Campbell, it is. I’ve noticed the way you’ve been moving your right arm and favoring your right side. I know am just a vet,” she snickered at that, "but I think I am qualified to check you out.”

They needed to talk, she knew, needed to work out some of the events of the last 72 hours; Max, and Logan, and discuss some things that had been said, or maybe hadn't been said, but now wasn't the time. She was tired, sore, and they were still both too warm with the residual happiness of baby Sam to start dissecting the darkness between them.

Mitch saw her hesitation and guessed the reason behind it truthfully, he didn’t really want to hash it out now either, he was too confused, too amazed, too unsettled… just too much. “I don’t –“ he started, then took her hand and said, “I just want to make sure you’re okay, Jamie.”

Taking it as a promise, she opened the door to her room and let him in.

***

Mitch rejoined the others in the bar a short while later. Jamie hadn't had any serious injuries, the worst was the laceration she had feared, a deep cut in her shoulder from the dagger sharp talons of the dinosaur. Adrenaline had kept her from feeling it, but she had felt it well enough when Mitch pulled the clotted, matted cloth from it with a sickening ripping sound, making her pale as fresh blood seeped from the gash. She also had a darkening bruise from her right armpit to her hip, where she had landed when the dino attacked her but otherwise she seemed fine and as promised, when he had determined that she didn't need any serious doctoring, he left her to it with a kiss and a promise to let him disinfect the gash after her shower.

The conversation in the bar had shifted to different hybrids they had seen recently, and the talk had turned from somewhat jovial to something more subdued and tense. Apparently there were more terrible creatures out there than they had already dealt with, and Mitch blanched at the mention of spider hybrids the size of golden retrievers, massive eight foot tall goats that had five foot long horns and razor sharp hooves, and at least one woolly mammoth, which had used its massive tusks to knock a locomotive off of the tracks outside of Los Angeles. It was somewhat frightening to consider that six-foot tall, vicious Cretaceous dinosaurs weren’t the worst they were going to face as Abigail’s creatures roamed freely into North America.

Once he had poured himself a drink and taken a seat with the others, the conversation changed as Mitch said. "So, Crocodile Dundee, tell me how you figured out country music scares the monsters away.”

Brown just laughed. "Crocodile Dundee. You Americans are so unoriginal. 'Throw another shrimp on the barbie’ and all that.” He squinted hard at Mitch, then shrugged. “To be honest, Dr. Morgan, we have no idea how it works. We just happened to luck into the discovery.” He took a deep swallow of the golden amber liquid in his glass and settled back into his seat. “We don't only do evac work, though that is our main focus. We also, eh," he searched for a delicate term, “clean up after the survivors have been evacuated.”

“Loot, you mean.” Dariela snapped. Brown only shrugged again. “If that's what you like to call it, mate. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Anyway, about a week ago we were cleaning a cabin we found in Nevada outside some desert town called Rachel. Wasn't much in it, but Chuck here," he motioned to one of his men, “found some little ipod type thing and snagged it, thinking there might be some good music on it. Turns out there wasn’t, just that terrible song on a loop, over and over and over." He shook his fist at the sky and said, “I’ve got friends in low places too, mate! Such a bloody come down. We were in one of the trucks and we came on a herd of those goat hybrids and Chuck was so mad at the song he was about to throw the damn thing out when all of a sudden the goats started to run. Away. Now, in our experience those stubborn, canty headed bastards will charge every time, but while that bloody awful music was playing, they ran.

“We experimented. Cut the song off, they charged us, turned it on, they stopped in their tracks and skedaddled the other way. So we tried it on the next hybrid we met, a razorback. Ran. Vulture, flew away." He grinned, his hatless gray head shining in the plane's soft light. "It's a terrible price to pay, but for those we love, we sacrifice!" He guffawed and gulped the rest of his drink down, motioning to Mitch to refill it.

Mitch took his glass, rose and went to the bar, but he stopped short of pouring the whisky. “I owe you,” he said, inclining his head gratefully towards Brown, “for bringing the baby back to us -and l still want to know how that came about - but I think if you let me study that device with the song on it, I can figure out why it repels the hybrids and maybe you won't ever have to hear that song again,” he shrugged, “Or at the least, maybe I can change the song.”

“That in itself would be a relief, my friend." Brown said, and Mitch smiled as he handed him his drink.

***

They moved the party to the lab, after Mitch saw Clem and Sam into his bedroom with the baby. Sam was still in rough shape but seeing his son and spending some quiet time with Clementine had done wonders for him, and the lab was too cold and uncomfortable for someone trying to rest. Jamie rejoined them, clean and fresh and creamy white in the glow of the lab's lights and Mitch was gratified to see her in somewhat casual clothing - in his mind he characterized it as ‘Early Jamie', faded jeans and a cute t-shirt and a light sweater -and she hadn't done her hair, it was tousled and curled and Mitch wanted nothing more in the world than to twist one of those curls in his fingers, pull it down and let his hand graze her cheek...but his imagination was cut off as Morris Brown whistled slowly at Jamie and said, "Well, we are officially a part of the jet set! Pun intended, of course! Jamie Campbell, of one of my favorite authors of one of my favorite novels.” He was quite a few drinks in, and he gave Jamie a friendly leer as he said, “I didn’t recognize you before when you were so...dirty," and winked, taking her hand, bending low and kissing her knuckles softly.

Mitch rolled his eyes loudly and Jamie withdrew her hand firmly with her ‘celebrity smile', the one she always used on talk shows and interviews and with overbearing fans. Mitch recognized it at once, how many times had he seen her use it when weaseling information out of someone or dealing with idiot officials who couldn't be handled by anyone else? lt was another glimpse of the old Jamie, and Mitch found himself feeling grateful that she was still...her.

"Thank You," she said to Brown, then pointedly joined Mitch at his computer and took his hand, looking down at what he was working on.

Morris Brown chuckled and took another drink. “Aye, you're a lucky man, Dr. Morgan," he said, slapping his hand on his thigh. "No offense meant Miss Campbell. And you’re still my favorite author." He leaned sharply forward and said to Jackson/Dylan, "She may be the writer, but now I want you to tell me a story.”

Jamie stayed next to Mitch as he worked on the device Brown had given them. It was connected to one of their diagnostic computers and he ran a variety of different tests on it as Morris Brown listened to Jackson/Dylan and Abe take turns telling him about Abigail and the hybrids, New York, the volcano, Clem's miracle baby and the cure for sterility, and the breach in the barrier and their escape, though they left out Jackson's involvement both as her brother and as the one who drove the plane through the wall.

Well," Brown said, his deep Aussie accent broadened by alcohol, "I told you I had seen some strange things. About four hours before we found you, we came across the herd of rhino hybrids you folks acquainted yourselves with earlier. They were acting fairly bizarre, all standing in one place, looking the same direction. No panic, no snorting, no bellowing, not even when we started to drive around them, Then we saw a jeep parked at the edge of the herd, and a sheila, right up close, using some kind of hand signals and be damned if the rhinos weren't behaving as if they knew what she was saying!”

The crew all exchanged looks as Morris continued, "Well, we got up to the jeep before she noticed us, close enough for me to notice a baby seat in the back. Funny how baby seats never caught my eye before but I guess after you haven’t seen an ankle biter in a decade those kind of things look out of place. Anyway, she finally saw us and she didn’t bat an eye as she waved her hands and those damn monsters came charging at us so fast Chuck almost didn't hit play." He paused and threw a toothy grin at Chuck, who answered. "But l did, and those sumbitches wheeled around so quick they almost trampled the lady where she stood.”

Morris Brown took over. "Seemed like the music was hurting her too, she grabbed her head like it was about to bust but then again, maybe she just doesn’t like country music. But here's where the craziest part comes in. She was too far from her jeep, and she seemed pretty surprised that the beasties were running away such a hurry. She got a look at our arsenal bearing down on her so she made some kind of sign and one of those big bastards came back to her, let her climb on it and she rode away on it!” He shook his head as if he still couldn't believe what his own eyes had seen. "Craziest damn thing I’ve ever seen. We did a quick go over of the jeep and didn't find anything but well, the baby. We had figured on taking it to the Barrier and leaving it, but since you say they’ve evacuated –“ he shrugged and took another swallow of whisky.

Suddenly Mitch broke in. "Hey, Ja- uh, Dylan, could you come over here for a sec?" Brown didn't miss Mitch's mistake and his keen eyes suddenly narrowed as Jackson rose and joined Mitch at his computer. He had a screen up and Jamie peered over their shoulders as he pointed to two parallel, wavy lines that intersected at uniform points, "This look familiar to you?”

Jackson looked up at him incredulously. "That looks just like the combination of frequencies Abigail used to make the beacons, hers and mine, but opposite ranges, So instead of drawing the hybrids-“

“They repel them." Mitch finished, halfway between triumph and jealousy. “It’s genius, l don’t know why think of it before.” He beamed at Jamie, who squeezed his hand as he said, "I can isolate the frequencies and we can play it from anything that can broadcast. Looks like we may have a new line of defense.”

***

Everyone had gone to bed except the two of them; Morris Brown and his men were sprawled on various couches throughout the plane and the others had gone to their rooms. Mitch had isolated the repellant frequency from the music and had it on a loop that was silent to the human ear but would hopefully keep hybrids away and Jamie had set proximity alarms on every entrance to the plane so everyone felt reasonably secure. Having six extra, heavily armed people on board for the night made it feel a little less worrisome too. They sat close together at the bar, nursing what was left of a bottle of vodka. Other than the impersonal exam earlier, and his quick, post-shower dressing of her wound, it was the first time they had been alone together in what felt like weeks, though it had only been little more than a day.

Jamie could feel him steeling himself up to say something and she was pretty sure she knew what it was going to be. As much as he had tried to make her feel better before, trying to claim darkness for himself, she knew he really wasn't accustomed to ruthless Jamie. Single-minded Jamie, yes, she'd always been that, but his brilliant brain was having trouble processing what ten years of bleak disappointment and pain had done to her. For years revenge had been her only motivating factor, in truth, years before she even met Mitch revenge had been her motivator but she'd had hope then, hope that things would work out in the end, hope that the little guy would win, and even hope that she and Mitch could make some kind of life together after the animal apocalypse. Then Mitch was gone, and she had hope that she could take care of Clementine the way he had wanted, hope that she could keep some part of him alive in herself through his daughter. Then Max took Clem and she had nothing. Logan hadn’t been, would never have been enough for her, so vengeance had filled that hole in her heart and she didnt know if she could make room in it again for something so weak and fickle as hope.

“So what was that out there?” He finally asked, his hand cupping her cheek, gently but firmly, she wasn’t going to look away.

She did anyway. and he let his hand fall, picking up his drink instead as she answered innocently, "What was what?"

He wasn’t going to deal with her bullshit tonight, and he rolled his eyes as if to say, really? "Didnt we just have a whole conversation about darkness? I think kicking Jackson in the face and threatening to burn him alive is a bit dark, even for you.”

“I wasn’t going to burn Jackson," she scoffed, though she couldn't deny the kick in the face so she took the easy one first. “l was threatening to burn the zombie because they are afraid of fire, which worked by the way.”

“No, it didn't. What worked was the flaming Thanksgiving turkey smashing into it." He had her there, and she leaned slightly away in irritation, pursing her lips and rearranging her socked feet on the barstool railing. Mitch didn't miss her reaction, and he pressed his advantage. “And what made you think fire would work on a zombie?”

Already annoyed at him, she rolled her eyes so hard she was afraid she'd strained her optic nerve. "Hello? I grew up in Louisiana? Bayous?Voodoo? Zombies? Didn't you spend a year there?”

"Studying giant river rats, not the undead.” He finished his drink, poured himself another and topped Jamie's off with the remainder of the bottle, plopping it loudly on the back of the bar. "Need to get some more of this." He sighed, swirling his drink in the bottom of his glass and deciding to let her off the hook for now said instead, "l could be studying the undead right now, but we left them in the compound. Not that I could do much with the soldier, since I think he's been barbecued beyond use,” he looked emphatically at Jamie, eliciting a snort of laughter she tried to suppress, "but l could still learn something from the dog.”

She swallowed the last of her drink in one gulp, jumped up from the barstool and said, "Well, lets go get it then." He looked at her blankly and she said, "The dog. It's still there in the compound, right? I mean, where would it go?"

He took another sip and looked sideways at her, then down at her feet. "Uh huh. You going in your socks or are you gonna put on some fuzzy slippers first?”

The laugh was real, warm and honeyed and rich and it sent shivers down his spine as the mood subtly shifted between them. "Maybe we can wait until tomorrow," she said, her voice suddenly husky and low, stepping between his knees she leaned into him as he bent to meet her lips with his. Electricity surged between them, fusing them together, all sparking neurons and melding molecules; her hands burned against his thighs, through the thick material of his jeans and in the desperate reaches of his lizard brain he wondered vaguely if she planned on burning him alive, though at the moment he didn't really care if she did. He buried his hands in her hair, pulling her closer, needing her closer and she responded, tightening her body against his because she needed him too.

They finally surfaced for air, and Mitch stood. holding her to him and brushing tousled tendrils of her hair away from her face. "Uh, my room is currently being used as a nursery ..sooo, think maybe l can crash with you tonight?" he asked gruffly.

She answered him breathlessly, running her fingers over his stubbly cheek, “I think that can be arranged.”

"Afterwards you can tell me all about zombies," he said, lowering his head to nibble sharp kisses at the soft skin of her throat. “We have to keep up our reputation for lively pillow talk.”

***

Here, darkness was good. Here, darkness kept them safe, hidden from the outside world and its monsters; it hid their scars in shadows, even as they bared themselves completely. Here, in the darkness, it was just the two of them, together.

***

[hopelesslydimwitted]

au for lion rescue/refuge workers bc i havent seen one yet

ok so the cast of voltron right, but they work for an organization that rescues/takes cares of wildlife, specifically lions for the purpose of this post

the organization is called Voltron Wildlife Rescue or smth

each lion they have is harmlessly tagged for purposes of identification for medication, treatment, rehabilitation, etc

each tag must be easily identifiable from afar

thus, ear tags that won’t bother the animals are colored! there’s black, red, green, blue, and yellow (obviously)

the organization was founded by Alfor and Coran, and their daughter Allura

they were world travellers and crossed seas and continents, exploring all there was to explore

sometime along the way, they came across a man Zarkon? who offered them a job that would pay them a lot of money to travel the world with his cargo: they refused when they found out it involved trapping, harming, and illegally transporting live animals

maybe Alfor had plans to take Zarkon and his company to court, planning to ruin his business and throw him in jail? maybe that’s how he died (assassination)?

Alfor was the business side and took to finding investors and filing all the legal work needed to start it up

Coran busied himself with gathering fellow veterinarians, such as himself, and other staff to help  

Allura was probably a teenager or younger when it all started, but her adventurous little self was so enthusiastic and loves every animal that comes through with her entire heart 

her father(s) required that she finished school before she could work at Voltron full-time

Shiro has been working there the longest, save for the founder's daughter/friend, Allura and Coran

he bonded very quickly with the only lion of the pride, tagged Black

Black was the first one rescued as a cub, probably from a ring of smugglers or poachers

Black has a prosthetic front right leg, much like Shiro’s prosthetic 

he’s not as social as the others, except for with Shiro and Allura

he’s known Allura his entire life, but bonded with Shiro after spending like an hour examining every nook and cranny of his prosthetic

Shiro started working at the rescue shortly after the accident that took his arm; Alfor had approached him and offered him a job

b/c Alfor had offered him a new start on life, Shiro mourned alongside Allura and Coran when Alfor died

there have been many times when Coran or Allura is driving around the land near the HQ and they’ve caught Shiro and Black snoozing together, the lazy bastards

occasionally Shiro is propped up against Black’s side, but most of the time Black is between Shiro’s legs with his giant head on Shiro’s shoulder

Shiro constantly finds coarse lion mane hair when he showers

Keith started working there shortly after getting expelled from college or smth

he bonded with the moody lioness cub with the bright Red tag

Red was as temperamental as they come, almost always roaring/hissing/scratching at the helping hands that came her way

Keith, the poor boy, was assigned to get her into a crate so that the vets could give her a check-up. they’d probably already gotten her in a closed-off area to make things easier when she gave the scariest, squeaky roar that a lioness cub could give

he popped a squat and sat right there in the enclosure, staring at her as she paced (and eventually sat down)

“I’m not gonna hurt you, I’m your buddy” he says, and various versions of that

he tries again once or twice and nearly loses a finger

after about an hour or so of this, he managed to get Red to her check-up

the next time Red saw him, she bumped against his leg and purred the way she’d seen Black and Blue doing to their humans

he won’t tell anyone about the time he almost pissed himself when he was sitting on the ground, relaxing under some shade with his lunch, and Red came up and curled up in his lap

he thought he was going to die, he even gave her his entire chicken-tuna-salad sandwich as a peace offering

he also won’t tell anyone how proud he is of how big and strong Red gets each day 

Pidge is the child of a veterinary genius that befriended Alfor and Coran

they like the runt of the pride most, a curious little lioness cub they’ve dubbed Green

Green was found malnourished in a circus probably, which is why she’s so small

Pidge calls her Smol Green Pea

Green hates it, yet finds herself responding to it

Pidge isn’t really staffed at Voltron, but visits the Holt boys a lot and explores around the nearby property

they let out the most pathetic squeal when they found Green staring down at them from the tree they were under, her big eyes locked onto Pidge

they thought they were gonna be lion cub lunch

Green just wanted someone to play with, and absolutely loved the flailing straps on Pidge’s backpack

Pidge is hardly ever seen without Green at her side, even when Green is getting a check-up

Green refuses to get a shot unless Pidge is holding her paw

Pidge can explore more of Voltron property with Green at their side, because let’s face it Pidge gets lost ALL THE TIME, too busy being entranced by everything around them or nose too deep in a book they’re reading while walking

Green is the only reason Pidge can make it back to HQ each day

there’s also a little rescued lilac-breasted roller bird that Pidge all but adopted

its name is Rover, and Pidge keeps begging their father to let them take the little sweetheart home with them one day

Pidge plans on going to veterinary school (early, mind you) and getting a degree so they can help Coran and the other Holts out with taking care of the animals that come in

Hunk helps out with the vets and vet techs, preparing special diets when needed and helping Coran to fix any mechanical problems that arise

he got closest to a pregnant lioness that came in with a Yellow tag

when Yellow was rescued, she was in poor health and the vets weren’t sure if she was going to make it, but thankfully Hunk was able to specialize a diet that started to bring up her health again

after Yellow’s health was good enough, they let her onto the main Voltron property, and just made sure to keep an eye on her in case her health dropped again

she stayed close, and often cuddled or laid with Hunk on his time off

Hunk went away for a few days near the end of her pregnancy, maybe to gather stuff that the vets/vet techs needed

the vets got worried when they couldn’t find Yellow, but figured it was just time for her to give birth (and altea knows they won’t test a lioness that just gave birth with a check-up)

Hunk was in for quite the surprise when he came back to his designated dorm room to a new mother-Yellow and her cubs

due to her previously poor health, only one cub had survived

Hunk took charge of nursing Yellow back to health after her delivery

everyone agrees that the most loving lioness of the pride is Yellow, mostly because she looks at Hunk like he’s “the greatest thing in the world, her light and savior, the best being she’s ever laid eyes on” (as narrated by Lance)

everyone else agrees w/ that

Lance volunteered for a summer at Voltron, hoping that volunteering at a Wildlife Refuge would look good on his college applications (he also took pictures with Green, much to her dismay, so he could show it off the cuties he wants to woo)

he absolutely fell in love during his time there

he was with Hunk when he found Yellow’s cubs, and helped him and Yellow nurse the survivor

her tag is Blue, but she responds more readily to his many nicknames

Beautiful, Gorgeous, Baby Girl, Babe, Sweetheart, Darling, Angel, Sunshine, Lovely, Light Of My Life, the list goes on

he was one of the main ones to nurse Blue, and he’s embarrassed on how protective and possessive he was of her when she was still really little

he wouldn’t let anyone but Hunk or the vets hold her, not even Shiro or Allura

“she likes things a specific way, it’s just easier if I keep her than to explain it all again”

he was only supposed to be working there for 13 weeks, but he and Blue bonded so close they were practically the same being

Hunk sent him a video of Blue crying for him, and that’s when Lance knew that he had to go back. he hasn’t regretted it since

he and Blue are Voltron’s Power Couple

whenever they go around for fundraising or to raise awareness, Blue is always the one they bring

sometimes Lance will ask her to do things (she’ll do anything for a treat, if it’s Lance asking), but most of the time it’s Shiro or Allura being “all educational and all that quiznak” while he and Blue are cuddling it out in the spotlight

everyone loves it 

Lance always gives Keith a hard time for how stubborn Red is with her affection, while Blue is all but connected at the hip

Keith gives him a hard time when Blue starts to become too big for Lance to carry around in his arms

i just want all of the lion cuddles, i have a mighty need