#the waddles rate is WILD

[flaptopfuture]

Here's a guide to the rarities and approximate drop rates of the Gravity Falls Doorables set of blind bags that are coming out soon! They're ROUGH!!!

TLDR, if you want more than the commons and maybe a rare, you're better off buying the SDCC set or singles (maybe all singles depending on how much they end up going for)

[thetxtdevil]

Heyyyyy can u write something about reader getting caught by kai while using a vibrator. Like i imagined an escenario where reader is waiting for kai at the hotel room while kai is out with the boys in the US (since the relationship is a secret, reader cant be seen w them) and she misses him so much and she starts getting horny by some thoughts and starts playing with herself with the vibrator bc she thought kai was going to arrive much later. Poor little thing gets caught with her legs spread open, dripping wet and moaning so loudly by her beloved boyfriend 😙 (i live by soft dom kai so his reaction will be according to it lmao)

Please and thank u, love ur works hehe💗

--nsfw--

You wait in the lobby of the hotel Kai lead you to through text message. He said he would meet you there to give you a key but here you were sitting on a chair feeling awkward. Flipping through the provided magazines on the coffee table you hear loud conversations very distinct not only from the foreign language but the familiar tone of each member of your boyfriend's group. You smile to yourself standing up to look at the men to suddenly have your stomach start to flutter when you see your boyfriend Kai. It's been so long since you two have been in the same vicinity his presence hit you like a truck. You study his much broader shoulders and his arms were very muscular, his once dusty blue hair were now long dark locks which exaggerated his angelic features so well. Your heart rate pumps a faster when you see his chocolate eyes glance at you. You felt like a high school girl when you became shy as Kai walks towards you.

"Hey beautiful"

"You're the beautiful one."

Kai chuckles getting as bashful as you "lies."

You wanted to grab his chin to look at you but your resisted, "you know I don't lie" He smiles puffing out his chest in confidence, then Kai's eyes widen as if he remembered something, patting down his pocket he pulls out a small card. "Do you have a pen?" he asks and you quickly search for one in your purse. He starts writing something and hands you the card and pen back.

"This is my room key and I wrote down the level and number. I'm going out with the band but I should be back later."

"Oh okay, thanks." You were stunned to see him leave fast watching him go back to the group of men. You awkwardly smile and wave at Yeonjun and Taehyun who were staring at you in suspicion.

"Who's that" Yeonjun nods towards you.

"Oh... uh- a fan" Kai nervously messes up his hair hoping to hide his blush, "noticed her around so I thought I'd finally give her an autograph"

---

You took a deep breath as you bring the electronic key to the pad on the door handle. Making sure you have the right room number once more you swipe the card resulting in a small green light blinking. Opening the door you waddle in with your duffel bag. The room was like any other hotel room, clean, nice bed sheets, warm light, but there was a beautiful view of the city. Admiring the cars stopping and creeping forward, lights illuminating the area making the stars in the sky barely visible. You stop looking to get yourself comfortable in the room removing the extra layers you had on.

Falling onto the bed you let out a huff of boredom. You let your mind wander to your meeting with Kai from earlier, how handsome he is, how big he looked, how much you wanted to graze your fingers along his milky skin. Closing your eyes to imagine him above you, his light sweet kisses pressing into your lips asking about your day or simple "love yous", and his big hands grouping your breasts. As your thoughts go wild your own fingers explore yourself and a hand massage your tit. You flex your thighs together, back arching, your whole body shaking from arousal. You stop for a moment to remember that you brought a little toy for tonight.

Digging through your bag your hand touches a solid object. Picking it up knowing its your handy wand ready to be used. You study the curves of the vibrator remembering how much Kai love to tease you with it. When you both started dating Kai was a little inexperienced with little knowledge of selfcare so you took it upon yourself to show him the great pleasures of sex toys. Stripping away your clothes settling back on the bed you tease your nipples once more. Reaching for the vibrator clicking it on to fill the air with a light buzzing noise. Pressing the vibrations against your clit instantly shot pleasure through your body making it hard to not get needy. You tease yourself over and over again swiping the wand against your folds but never fully fucking yourself.

A small sound of metal of the door knob clicks but was quiet enough to not be noticed by you. However, your smalls gasps and breathy moans could easily been heard from your boyfriend who came through the door. He walks in quietly to see his beautiful girlfriend spread out before him. His cheeks burn a fiery red, big doe eyes shy away embarrassed that he caught you in such a position until he starts to hear your juices that sounded so delicious to him. All his attention came back to you especially when your moans became calls of his name.

He watches the curl of your toes, every spasm of your open legs leading down to your glistening folds moving around your vibrator. Kai's secret cover was compromised when a drawn out groan escaped from deep within him. Your teary eyes open to look around the room finding Kai standing perfectly in front of you, your legs framing his body.

"Kai, angel, I missed you so much a-and I couldn't wa-"

"canieatyouout"

You eyes widen at his abrupt request but then soften as you widen your legs as a sign of welcome. Kai gets on his knees getting a hold of your hips to push you towards him, towards his face so it was morphing into your pussy. You pant at his luscious muscle lapping up every part of you and his nose bumping into your clit so lovingly. Kai lifts his head to grin at your fucked out state then catches a glimpse of the forgotten wand. He grabs it and as his lips latch onto your clit he shoves the vibrator deep inside you receiving a shocked gasp.

You feel lightheaded by the deep penetration. Your vision begins to see stars with every suck and lick of your clit. Looking down at the sight of your boyfriend, Kai, his long dark hair hiding his face that was already hidden in your cunt, his broad shoulders keeping your legs far apart, one hand thrusting the wand in and out of you while the other explores your soft skin. God did you miss him...

A nuisance,

TxT's Devil

taglist: @inkigayocamman, @naoristerling, @incogrio

[hear-feel-think]

FFXIVWrite2024 | #1 - Steer

Rating: G

Young Leather Bridle learns to ride a chocobo

—————

Leather Bridle was 4 years old when she was first put on a chocobo. The wild-caught ones were too big, too unpredictable even when trained, so Leather’s parents borrowed a domestic-bred bird that the chocobo porter kept for their Lalafellen clientele.

The little Roegadyn’s red hair was in two braids as she waddled up to the bird in her big boots. Her father showed her how to put her left foot in the stirrup, grab the pommel, and swing her right foot up over the chocobo’s feathery rump. Her mother held the lead line attached to the chocobo’s bridle and when Leather had settled into the saddle and secured her boot in the other stirrup, her mother started walking the chocobo around the pen.

“Oh, oh!” said Leather as she rocked in the saddle, tilting left and right, front and back with the chocobo’s steps. She quickly got accustomed to balancing herself with the simple walking gait, and decided she was ready for more. 

“I wanna steer!” she called up to her mother. Her mother showed her how to hold the reins, to squeeze with her heels to tell the chocobo to walk forward, to pull back to make him stop, and to pull left and right to tell him to turn. Leather was able to ride a lap around the pen with her mother at her side, then another few on her own.

Her parents walked by her side once more and allowed her to ride the bird back to the chocobo porter. She had never been prouder than when she waved at the people she passed, all cooing over the big grown-up girl on the chocobo.

[casuallybirthing]

Pregnancy #8 (Story Time)

Okay, this happened yesterday pretty fast that I couldn't blog it in real time. I wasn't in a driving mood yesterday when I ate dinner with my friends, so I took the bus instead. Everything went pretty well without hiccup, but the ride back was wild. I hopped into the bus, sat down and then shortly after, my belly suddenly grew again! The growth was super fast, so I knew this was going to be a fast birth because I went from a flat belly to fully pregnant in a minute, give or take.

My water broke around 5 minutes before my stop, soaking my tight jeans and then I can feel my body was starting to push. The baby's head was pretty big and the contractions were pretty painful.

By the time I reached the stop, the baby was starting to descend into the canal. I got up and waddled out of the bus and into the street. The apartment was a couple minutes away, so I began walking fast. The head began to bulge out as I reached the apartment.

I reached down and felt my jeans were tenting out. The head was crowning at this rate. The lift was taking too long to wait, so I ended up taking the stairs instead. I had taken the flights of stairs before while I was pregnant, but never while giving birth like this.

It was a struggle climbing to my floor, especially since the head was crowning. I had to stop at the second floor to push, the head was coming to a full crown, but the jeans was too tight to get the head out. I took a deep breathe and climbed again.

Right before I reached my floor, I pushed again and the head miraculously popped out! My bulge was massive and the baby was stuck inside until I removed this pants. I pushed through and reached my floor and into my apartment.

I closed the door and began undoing my jeans, pulling it down past my hips so I can give space for the baby. My stretchy panties inside was massively bulging out as well and I pushed hard, the baby's shoulders popped out and the baby fully come out into my panties.

I pulled the baby out, cleaned her up and let her sleep on my bed. The baby's still sleeping as I write this.

Guess I know what I'll be doing this morning.

[artaxlivs]

Somewhere Under the Rainbow

Rated T - no TW - I don't know how I became a Sterek fan having never watched the show but here I am...

Stiles is so busy bitching and complaining about this wild goose chase that Derek sent them on - in the rain, mind you - that at first he doesn’t even notice the actual goose is right in front of him. Doesn’t see it until he’s tripping over it and face planting in the soggy dirt, a tangle of his stupidly long arms and legs. The fucking goose climbs onto his back and settles in like Stiles is her nest - or maybe her gosling. God, that would be awful. A gosling? He’d never be able to live that down. He hopes no one sees this.

Pulling out his phone, Scott calls someone. Probably Derek. And then, because he’s Stiles’ best friend and best friends are fucking dickheads, he takes a picture. Stiles would be mad but he’d have done the same.

“Are you gonna get this thing off of me?” Stiles asks softly, trying not to spook the goose. Geese have teeth and since this one might be supernatural, it probably has something worse than teeth. Better to not make any sudden movements.

“Sorry dude, Derek said to wait for him.” Scott grimaces, shrugging. “He’ll be here in just a minute.”

“Welllllll, I best be gettin’ on with it then.” A gravelly, smug sounding voice says before there’s a popping sound and what can only be a fucking leprechaun appears at the edge of the clearing.  

“Oh no, I’m gonna have to switch breakfast cereals.” Stiles groans, still not shifting under the weight of the damn goose on his back. The forest floor is cold and uncomfortable, damp from the sprinkling that’s still falling all around them. Also there’s a rock poking into his hip bone that’s definitely gonna bruise.

Growling, Scott circles closer to Stiles, he’s not shifted but his teeth are bared and he looks ready to pounce.

“Sett’le down, pup.” The leprechaun waves at him, obviously not impressed or threatened. He’s got fucking buckles on his little heeled shoes and a little green jacket - waistcoat? Whatever. “No ‘ere for ya.”

“You here for the magic goose? Because you can have it. With my compliments.” Stiles says like they talk to leprechauns every day and this isn’t weird at all. He’s starting to fidget because meds or not, he’s incapable of lying prone for this long. The goose squawks and flaps its wings, Stiles shields his face with his shoulder but it doesn’t attack him, just settles in and starts to clean one of its wings.

The leprechaun cackles, slaps his knee and everything. “Magic goose? Thas’ no’ a magic goose!” He laughs for another few seconds and then takes a step toward Stiles, clapping his hands. Scott starts to move closer but then freezes when the leprechaun’s smile drops away and he turns to Scott with a menacing growl, “You’ll stay where ya’ are, young’in.”

The goose has apparently had enough at this point because it jumps down off of Stiles and waddles slowly away down the path. 

“Alright then?” The little man asks, looking down at Stiles again. “Ready?”

“Um…for what?” Stiles asks, attempting to drag out the inevitable. Derek and the others should be here by now. It’s weird that they’re not here yet. Whatever Stiles should be ready for, he’s hoping the pack gets here sooner rather than after he’s been kidnapped…or gotten dead.

“We’re goin’.” The leprechaun replies, sounding exasperated.

“Yeah, no. No, thank you.” Stiles stammers not looking at Scott who’s inching closer to Stiles as sneakily as he can. “I’d rather not.”

“Yeah, thas’ not ‘ow this goes,’ bairn.” The leprechaun says in his thick brogue, tsking as he shakes his head. “Iffin you give chase to a wild goose, and it catches ya,” He grins and his eyes seem to twinkle in the moonlight, “I get ta keep ya.”

“Whoa - no, Creepy McCreepster. That wasn’t in the rules and I decline.” Stiles says, pushing himself up to stand and attempting to brush the dirt and leaves from his favorite red hoodie but it’s wet from the rain and the dirt sticks in streaks and splatters. “Respectfully of course.”

“There’s no way we’re going with you.” Scott says, clenching his fists like he’s about to start a fight.

“I wasna’ talkin’ to ya.” The leprechaun barely glances at Scott, disdain on his face. “I donna collec’ sidekicks.” He spits out of the corner of his mouth like the word sidekick left a bad taste in there. Where the spit hits the ground, it sizzles. Which is…concerning.

Scott sputters, “Wha-what? I’m not a - a sidekick!” He sneers it and then waves a hand at Stiles who sure, is not the main character here but damn, they’ve been bros since the sandbox, how dare Scott call him a sidekick. “I mean - sorry man, I didn’t…shit.”

“Listen, Mr. Leprechaun, sir, this is more of an ensemble cast, “ Stiles says, waving his hands around, “Like…the Justice League. Or the Avengers.”

“No.” The leprechaun says with finality. “Th’ goose chose ya. And it didna choose ‘im.” He points at Scott and there’s a crackle then Scott crumples to the ground.

“What the fuck!” Stiles shouts, rushing over to Scott. He’s not dead, just sleeping. With a weird little smile on his face. “What did you do?” He demands, looking over at the leprechaun who’s proudly tucking his thumbs into the pockets on his vest - waistcoat? What’s the difference? Doesn’t matter. Whatever. It's a hideous yellow plaid whatever it’s called.

“‘e’ll be fine. Come along, I needta get ya to the rainbow before’n it’s too late.” With that, he does a little jig. It’s jaunty. Stiles has never had a reason to use that word before but that’s exactly what’s happening. A jaunty jig. 

The dancing little man grins again, snapping the fingers on one hand and Stiles finds himself suddenly standing in the middle of a field. The wildflowers are all grown up to his knees; their petals damp with rain as the mist falls all around him. The leprechaun is nowhere to be seen but when Stiles takes a step he comes up against an invisible wall.

Putting one hand against the wall, he follows it around in a circle. It’s less than five feet wide and he can’t find the top but it can’t be a dome because the rain is hitting his cheeks and soaking his sleeves. Looking down at his hands and sleeves though, the mist is glowing gold but only where it touches Stiles. Not on the flowers or the grass at his feet. And when he shakes off the droplets, they don’t glow where they hit the ground.

Looking up, he sees the end of the rainbow. Like a light show in the fog but it’s just mist droplets. Red and yellow and blue and there they mix, orange and green. Unzipping his hoodie, he lets it fall to the ground. The rainbow droplets tingle where they touch his bare arms but they don’t hurt. They feel good, they feel like tiny little bursts of happiness. 

Pulling his Batman shirt over his head, he drops it on top of his sweatshirt. The skin on his arms and chest and back feel awake, alive . Stiles turns in a circle, eyes flicking from staring up at the rainbow to down to the patterns of glowing spots along his bare skin.

There’s movement at the edge of the clearing and he looks up to see the pack all coming to a stop from a run. Of course something like this happened when they were all home for spring break. Stiles wonders who’d have been the victim of the week if he hadn’t been home from college. 

“Ya were ow’d a favor, Alpha Hale.” The leprechaun says as it pops into existence between Stiles and the pack. “Consida’ ya wish grant’d.” He does his jaunty little jig again and lets out that creepy little cackle, “But I coudna jus’ let ya’ have ‘em. Collect yer prize ‘afore it’s too late or I will.” His voice is steel at the end of his little speech and there’s the sound of some kind of wind instrument then he’s gone with a flourish.

Stiles puts his hands against the invisible wall. Scott looks pissed off. Most of the pack just looks curious. Derek looks nervous and a little scared. Stiles doesn’t know what the fuck they have to do to get him out of here but there better fucking do it because he does not want to become a plaything for a leprechaun. He’s eaten so many bowls of Lucky Charms over the years - there’s bound to be a price for that.

“Well?” Scott demands, looking from Derek to Stiles and when Derek doesn’t move, Scott closes the distance and reaches out for Stiles. Only to come up against the invisible wall. He slams his hands against it, rakes his claws along it but nothing happens. “Derek!” Scott turns to him, “Do something!”

Derek seems to shake himself free of something before he jogs over. But then he just stands there, not reaching out. Not doing anything but staring.

The mist along Stiles’ skin stops feeling like happiness and starts to hollow him out. Like sorrow. Like emptiness. Looking down, Stiles watches himself flicker like a lightbulb. He looks up and the rain has stopped. The rainbow still ends at him but it’s fading. They’re fading. 

“Derek?” Stiles can’t help that his voice trembles. Because it’s fading in and out, too.

Reaching out, Derek easily pushes past the invisible barrier, taking Stiles wrist and yanking him out of the path of the rainbow and into his arms. Stiles, as per usual, trips over his own feet and lands hard against Derek’s wall of muscle. His wrist, still held in Derek’s hand, fades away and comes back, fades away and comes back. Like a pulse. 

When Stiles turns and looks the rainbow is almost gone. The golden glow of his damp skin is waning. Gold. At the end of the rainbow.

“What did you wish for, Derek?” He says as he and the rainbow start to dissolve.

“You.” Derek whispers and pulls Stiles in for a kiss.

To say it’s a magical kiss is an understatement because holy four leaf clover, it really is magical. A magical kiss that brings Stiles back to full life and he's even still a little glowy from being the actual pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. He feels it in his toes and fingertips and everywhere in between. Sidekick his ass - he’s the happy ending to this story.

Go to Ao3 and tell me your thoughts!

[seriowan]

Picture this:

The whole dad!batch taking their respective little ones out together camping, sitting around a fire roasting food while they listen to their kiddos laughing and running around the camp-site around them. Hunter periodically telling them not to go to far, Tech telling his little ones about all the plants in the area they shouldn't touch, wrecker and his brood setting up the tents, echo and his mini bringing over supplies from the ship, all of the kids yelling and asking to take turns on sitting on Crosshair's shoulders because he's so tall.

You've simply ruined me with all of the dad!clone content and I eagerly await more

I AM SCREAMING LIKE A BANSHEE THIS GOT ME SO EXCITED 😭 I DON'T EVEN HAVE MUCH MORE TO SAY BECAUSE I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET TO THIS ASK AND I AM SO GLAD I'M HERE NOW!

without further ado, more dad!batch fluff and baby fever below the cut! to make it easier to write and know who's who, i named each of the kids! i took this idea and ran with it so this ended up becoming a whole fic instead of a blurb. enjoy!

in the wild - a dad!batch camping trip rating: g - general audiences word count: 5k

What would have been a peaceful night in the solitary woods was now chaos as voices and laughter bounced off of the towering Alderaanian trees. Wood scraped and thunked as it was chopped. Water from the nearby lake splashed when stones were picked and tossed, bouncing atop the clear, starry surface.

  Hunter stood right on the edge of the lakeshore, water lapping against his boots as he looked over the water. With his arms crossed over his chest, his brows pinched with a tension he didn't even realize, he was lost in his train of thought. 

   A small tug on his coat caused him to blink, eyes flicking down at his side.

  The tension faded, replaced by a faint smile as his little son peered up at him with big brown eyes. He held up a stone and smiled when Hunter chuckled.

  "You sure this one will work, Kai?" He asked, scooping up the two-year-old boy in his arms. 

  Kai nodded, his small voice murmuring shyly, "Flat, papa. Throw."

  He wasn't old enough to form sentences yet and Hunter secretly wished he'd never really get there. The little toddler speech, single words that meant so much, was honestly too endearing to really let go of. No more baby talk meant little Kai wasn't going to be little much longer.

  But Hunter didn't want to think about that right now. So long as he could hold his son in his arms, he’d soak up every moment they had together. 

   Stone in hand, Hunter faced the lake and reared back his arm. On his hip, little Kai shyly peaked over his arm, clinging to his father. When the rock flung out of Hunter’s hand, he held onto his adi'ka and watched with shared attention as Kai’s preciously provided stone bounced seven times before sinking. 

   Hunter bounced the boy on his hip with a soft cheer, causing his shy toddler to giggle and duck his head against his shoulder. Smiling from ear to ear, Kai finally looked up when Hunter kissed his forehead. His cheeks were pink as he reached out to touch Hunter's tattooed cheek. With a tilt of his head, Hunter pretended to bite Kai’s palm, earning a loud, shrieking giggle that so rarely fell from his little boy’s lips. 

   With a quick kiss to Kai’s forehead, Hunter lowered the boy to his feet and pat his bottom with a playful tap, nudging him toward camp. 

   “Go on, scout. It’s getting late and you wanted some s’mores, right?”

   Kai looked up and nodded, offering his hand for Hunter to grasp.

“Tea, too."   

   Hunter chuckled, nodding. 

   “I’ll get you your tea, son.” 

-

Lyra liked exploring. 

   For an eleven-month-old baby, she did a lot of crawling and searching, turning over rocks and tugging on flowers. Being too small to walk on her own, she needed help to keep herself upright. With her large hands clenching her father’s two fingers, she waddled from side to side in her denim jumpsuit and red booties. 

   Tech hovered over her, cautiously following her as she guided him around the campsite. Lyra babbled and squealed, wordless yet emotive with every single little flower and bug that caught her eye. 

   And Tech was there to explain it all. 

   “Eh?” Lyra sang in a questioning tone, crouching and pointing at a stone. 

   Tech crouched by her, holding her upright with a hand on her hip while using the other to tilt the rock over. The two hunched closer to the ground, ears pressing together as Tech gestured to the various bugs. “That is a millipede and this is a grub.” 

   She babbled and sputtered, and Tech nodded as if he understood. “Yes, and this is a poisonous centipede so we don’t want to be making physical contact with that one, ladybug.” 

   Lyra looked him dead in the eye before turning and stretching, reaching her little finger toward the centipede that Tech just warned her about. He sighed, tugging his troublemaker backward by the straps of her overalls. She looked up at him with an innocent smile and he shook his head, chuckling at her impulsive nature. 

   Lyra grasped his fingers as best as she could and pulled him along, waddling and tripping only for Tech to save her with gentle swings, raising her legs up and down. With little light left in the sky, he wanted to give her enough time to explore and tire herself out — it was the most reasonable plan to give her the chance to sleep throughout the night without waking him up every so often. 

   She pulled him to a patch of purple flowers and, like before, crouched down to get a better look. Tech kneeled beside her, picking one up to hold to her eye level. 

   “These are wild lavender,” he explained. “They have a very aromatic fragrance. here, smell it, Lyra.”

   When all that she did was blink at him, Tech decided to demonstrate by lifting the flower to his nose. He sniffed it and smiled when his baby girl giggled. Tilting it her way, she placed her hand on his chest to keep herself steady and leaned, sniffing the plant with her little nose. 

   Suddenly, in unison, the two scrunched their noses and sneezed at the same time. 

   Lyra fell against him in a fit of baby giggles, laughing even harder and louder at the second, third, and fourth sneezes that barrelled their way through Tech’s system. He huffed, sniffling and scrunching his nose from the outburst. With wide eyes, he looked at his laughing ladybug and furrowed his brows. 

    "Odd," he hummed, “It seems we both have an allergic reaction to wild lavender. Perhaps it is best if we return to the campsite and inspect Wrecker and Olive’s progress with the tents. Alright, ladybug?” 

   She babbled and turned to flee when Tech scooped her up, bringing her up in his arms. Lyra whined and kicked her legs in defiance but he just chuckled, pressing his mouth against her neck to blow raspberries. Her giggles were so cute, he couldn’t help but press a kiss to her temple, smiling when she placed both palms on his cheeks and began to pinch and tug.

Tech just sighed, allowing her to pull and pinch his cheeks and nose as much as she pleased.

-

“You sure you can do it?” 

   “I can do it, dad.” 

   “M’kay… just sayin’, cause if you can’t then that’s ok-” 

   Olive sighed, glancing at Wrecker with furrowed brows. “Dad, I can do it.” 

   He held his hands up in surrender. “Alright alright. Give it a shot then, kid.” 

   Lifting the hammer above the tent spike, Olive gave a few testing swings toward the spike’s head before bringing it down. Her accurate hit sent the spike straight into the soil, causing her to smile and look up at Wrecker with a victorious grin. 

   “See,” the ten-year-old sang teasingly. “I told you. I’m just as strong as you, daddy. I’m even stronger.” 

   Wrecker arched a brow, his smile slowly curling into a challenging grin. 

   “Oh yeah?” 

   Olive gasped and dropped her hammer, screeching when Wrecker picked her up and turned her upside down. With his grip on her ankle, he effortlessly held her a few inches off the ground, giving her enough space to keep her palms to the dirt. 

   “DAD, LET ME DOWN!” 

   “Take it back,” he shrugged as if it was a simple answer. 

   Olive huffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a defiant smirk. “No! Now put me down!” 

   Wrecker gave a deep and loud belly-laugh. “No. Now take it back before you start gettin’ woozy, kid.” 

   Just as she began to writhe and wriggle like a worm on a hook, Tech came around the tent corner with Lyra cradled snugly in his arms. He paused in his tracks, staring in confusion at the sight of Wrecker dangling his daughter upside down by her ankle. 

   “What are you doing?” Tech asked, glancing at the poorly fashioned row of family-sized tents. “Is this what you’ve been doing for the past hour?” 

   “Hey, Uncle Tech,” Olive grinned, waving. 

   “Hello, Olive Oil,” Tech responded plainly, his nickname causing Wrecker to bark out a laugh. “May I ask what you are currently doing?” 

   Olive smirked. 

   “Just hanging.” 

   Wrecker proudly cheered, lowering his hand down for Olive to give it a hearty slap. “Haha, that’s my girl!”

   Tech shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Lyra watched him with a peculiar gaze and slapped her tiny hand from his face, giving his nose a sympathetic pat. Tech gave her an odd look before realizing why she seemed so concerned. “Oh no, ladybug, I’m not injuring myself-” 

   “Uncle Tech?” Olive called as she dangled. “Can you tell dad with really smart words that I’m stronger than him?” 

   Tech pushed up his goggles up the bridge of his nose, making Lyra giggle and babble. “Shall I tell the truth or offer a fabrication?"

   “Fabrication the heck out of it.” 

   “Then yes,” Tech pointedly muttered, shaking his head. “You are somewhat stronger than your father, Olive. Now Wrecker, would you please put your offspring down so that she may watch Lyra? I refuse to let my daughter sleep in a haphazard contraption like the one you’ve just made.” 

   Wrecker frowned. “If you wanted a mansion, then why don’t you do it, Tech?” 

   “Fine,” Tech shrugged, nonchalantly turning around to find his baby carrier, leaving Wrecker and Olive back to their previous dilemma. 

   “Hey, daddy?” 

   Wrecker glanced down at Olive. “Yeah, squirt?” 

   “I give up,” she whined. “You’re stronger than me. Now can you put me down? I think I’m gonna throwed up.” 

   “Shoot, right. Sorry.” 

-

Echo stared up into the Marauder with his hand on his hip, scomp arm tapping impatiently against the edge of the ramp. He waited while deafening clatters echoed from the ship’s interior, followed by mischievous giggles and hushes. 

   “Quinn?” Echo called gruffly, furrowing his brows in frustration. “Sky? Are you two doing what I asked you to do or are you messing around again?” 

   “We’re still looking for the marshmallow sticks, dad!” 

   “Quinn found some cool blasters-” 

   Echo paled. “N-no! How did you- that locker was locked-!”  

   “Echo,” Tech called as he walked up to the ship, “Are the twins inside?” 

   With reluctance, he nodded. “I sent them to get the marshmallow sticks twenty minutes ago and they haven’t come out yet.” 

   “And you didn’t consider checking on them?” 

   “I was setting up the campfire!” 

   Tech glanced down when Lyra babbled and offered his finger with a wiggle. She grabbed it with eager hands, chewing with teething gums while he nonchalantly peered up into the Marauder. His ship. If Echo’s troublemakers were in there alone, he could understand Echo’s reluctance to go inside. Anything could’ve been hiding beyond the doorway from a prank to a total mess. 

   “Sky? Quinn?” He called, his tone tilting towards a warning. “You are aware that you are on my ship, correct? If I go up there and find something I will not like, you better believe that I will lock you in the storage compartment for the entire trip home.” 

   Panicked shuffles echoed before two heads popped out from around the corner. Sky giggled, nervously chewing on his nails. Quinn gave his father a grin. 

   At that moment, the two looked far too identical to him and Fives in their early days. 

   “We have a surprise for you,” Sky sang. 

   Echo immediately groaned, placing his hands on his face. “Sky-” 

   “It’s not bad, buir,” Quinn assured, sharing a smile with his brother. “We promise. right, Sky?” 

   “Right, Quinn.” 

   Lyra squealed while Tech and Echo both shared an unconvinced look. 

   “Ta-da!”

The two jumped out from behind the doorway, holding up Echo’s scomp tool case. Under normal conditions, it would’ve been charcoal gray and cleaner than a freshly bathed newborn. Now, it was painted blue and covered in stickers of stars and old republic symbols. They even drew a stick figure of their entire family: cousins and spouses included. 

   Echo slowly lowered his hand from his face, arching his brows with an impressed smile. 

   “You got into the paint and did that in twenty minutes?” 

   The 12-year-olds both nodded in unison. 

   “Yup-yup.” 

   “Yeah!” 

   He cocked his head, smiling. “Not bad. Fives and I would’ve done it in ten.” 

   Quinn rocked his head back, groaning while he retreated back into the ship. Sky placed his hands on his hips, raised his nose in the air, and smartly chided, “We got it, dad. We’ll surprise you someday.” 

   Echo crossed his arms, huffing a chuckle. “I doubt it. Now can you please find the marshmallow sticks and lanterns before we start making s’mores at bedtime?” 

   “That’s the best time!” 

   “Yeah, dad, the best!” 

   Twigs crunched as Hunter approached the ship, holding sleepy Kai’s small hand. When he saw the collection of fathers standing at the foot of the ramp, he pinched his brows in suspicion and tilted his head to peek into the ship. 

   “The twins?” 

   “Unfortunately, yes.” 

   “Yeah.” 

   Hunter nodded, “Huh. Well, could they give me Kai’s headphones and blanket?” 

   “I need Lyra’s carrier as well,” Tech added. 

   As if telepathic, the twins stuck their heads out at the same time and said, “Coming right up!” 

   Not a moment later, Quinn came running down the ramp with Lyra’s carrier in hand while Sky followed a bit slower, careful to keep himself from tripping on his newly healed ankle. Echo took the headphones and blankets out of Sky’s arms and handed them to Hunter, giving Sky a slightly subtle look of warning when he frowned. 

   “My ankle’s not broken anymore, buir,” he muttered, too embarrassed to talk about his injury. “It’s fine.” 

   “Sure it is, but I don’t want you to get hurt again.” Echo placed his hand on Sky's head, giving him a small smile while brushing his unkempt hair out of his face. “We can’t both be accident-prone.” 

   A deafening thunk echoed from within the ship and the two turned, glancing up as Quinn slowly stumbled into the Marauder’s doorway. His hair was sticking up in all directions, clothes disheveled as if he just braved a storm.

   On one hand, he had his fist clenched around a copious amount of metal marshmallow sticks. 

   On the other, it seemed he had also managed to lose a tooth in the process, causing him to grin widely.  

   “It’s a HUGE one, dad!” 

   Sky looked up at his father with a snarky grin. 

   “Looks like we’re all accident-prone like you, dad.” 

   Echo just palmed his face and sighed. 

   ”Quinn, come here and let me see which one got knocked out…” 

-

  “Is this a good stick, daddy?” 

   Zion held up a thin little piece, big eyes honing on his father like two beams of pure pressure. His gray-haired mini looked so hopeful that Crosshair had no choice but to nod his head in approval and take it, adding it to the pile under his arm. “Yup, that’s a good stick.” 

   He felt a tug on his jacket and glanced down at the little girl on his opposite side. 

   “How ‘bout this, daddy?” She asked with a soft voice, causing Crosshair’s heart to swell. Little Zoya held up her own twig with a hopeful gaze and Crosshair nodded yet again, finding it impossibly hard to deny her. He added it to the wood pile before continuing toward their campsite, glancing left and right to keep an eye on his six-year-old twins. 

  They toddled along beside him like sheep flanking a wolf, gleeful grins and smiles on their faces while crosshair had his typical deadpan stare. While he carried the wood in his arms, Zion and Zoya did their best to contribute, helping their father like perfect little gray-haired soldiers. Zoya added twigs and sticks while Zion just looked around, gazing over nature like he was truly soaking it all in. 

   “Daddy, I'm tired,” Zoya whined, pausing by a boulder to rub her knees. “My feets hurt.” 

   Crosshair stopped walking, arching his brow at her. “You don’t want to walk anymore?” 

   She shook her head and he nodded in understanding. Lowering the wood to the floor, Crosshair crouched and offered his back for Zoya to climb up. Jumping on him with a giggle, she dangled her legs over his shoulder and placed her chin on his head before he picked up the wood and stood. 

   Zoya yelped when she saw how high up off the ground she was. glancing over at Zion, she called his name loudly, “Zion! Look! I’m a giant like daddy.” 

   Crosshair rolled his eyes muttering under his breath, “I’m not like the trees, adi’ka. I’m average… maybe a bit above… actually, pretty above if we’re talking about Hunter, too.” 

   Zoya giggled softly, her angelic voice causing him to huff a chuckle. 

   “Uncle Hunter is small.” 

   “Oh yes, he is,” Crosshair smirked, “And if he asks you where you heard that, what are you going to tell him?” 

   “That ba’vodu Wrecker told me.” 

   Crosshair smirked, nodding his head. “Atta girl.” 

   When he heard nothing but silence from his son, Crosshair glanced at Zion as he graced his hand across the flowers and stopped to smell the wild lavender. 

   “You ok, kid?” He asked, arching his brows when Zion looked at him. The grey-haired boy nodded and they shared a small smile. 

   “I want marshmallows,” he chirped, causing Zoya to gasp from atop Crosshair’s shoulders. 

   “Me too!” 

   Crosshair nodded. “Okay. Anything else?” 

   “And hot chocolate?” She questioned curiously, making Crosshair’s eyes narrow. The moment he looked over and saw Zion’s hopeful eyes, he caved in. Manipulators. “Fine. Just a bit.” 

   “And cuddles tonight?” 

   “Of course.” 

   “And cinnamon squares for breakfast tomorrow?” 

   “Nope, not that one.”

   “Plea-a-a-ase?” 

   Crosshair grimaced, sighing, “FIne, but that’s it.” 

   Zoya hummed. “Maybe… story time tonight?’ 

   At this, Zion was by his side in the blink of an eye, clutching Crosshair’s sweater while begging, “Ple-a-a-ase read us The Tiny Tooka tonight.”

   “I read you that all the time,” Crosshair muttered. “You need to find a new favorite. That one’s lost its charm.” 

   “Plea-a-a-a-ase?” They both wined, big eyes from both Zion and Zoya. 

   With a sigh, Crosshair surrendered. 

   “FIne… but only this once…” 

-

“RAHHH FOR THE REPUBLIC!”

   Olive roared and fired her finger guns at Quinn and Sky before sheathing them on her hips. She turned on her heel and ran, sprinting around the circle of logs surrounding the blazing fire. Sky yodeled out a battle cry as he sprinted after his cousin, leaving Quinn to hobble after them while gasping from laughing too hard. 

   Echo sat on a log, watching his twins play in the light of the campfire with a faint smile. Memories atop memories flooded his mind when they’d play like this, reminding him of days gone by. 

   Beside him sat Tech, cradling a swaddled and sleeping Lyra in his arms. She was out like a snuffed light, snoozing in the comfort of being bound by Tech’s own specific wrapping method. She had a little beanie on her head to keep her warm and ear muffs covering her blanketed ears, earning a few endearing looks when he sat down by the fire. He spent a decent amount of time gazing down at her, lovingly tracing his fingertip along her sleeping face while making sure she wasn’t cold. 

   On the other log sat Hunter and Wrecker. While Wrecker kept an eye out on Olive and Echo’s twins, Hunter held Kai on his lap, keeping his son warm in his own coat. Kai had his sensory headphones and blanket on his lap, leaning his head against Hunter’s chest as he calmly and silently looked into the fire. He was such a quiet little soul that Hunter often wished to see him running around and having fun, but he wouldn’t push it. He enjoyed holding his boy so close to him, especially if kai was in the range of forehead kisses.

   The final member of the squad returned to the campfire a bit later than the rest. Crosshair approached with a pile of sticks under his arm and Zoya perched on his shoulders. Zion skipped alongside him with a smile, adding his own tiny pile atop the reserved wood. 

   Crosshair sat down on a lone log with a sigh, gently dipping his head so that Zoya could slide off his shoulders and into his arms. He set her down beside him while Zion climbed up, the two of them snuggling against Crosshair’s sides with synchronized hums of comfort. He opened his jacket so that they could get in on the warmth, causing his jaw to clench when he felt their cold hands tickle his abdomen. They fell silent, peacefully enjoying the quiet while Quinn, Sky, and Olive all continued running around. 

   “I don’t get it,” Echo muttered, breaking the silence. “Out of all of you, I get the ones that can’t sit still or stay quiet for one minute.” 

   As if on cue, Quinn sprinted behind him with blurring speed, running from Olive while she yodeled her own battle cry and chased after him.

Echo sighed, shaking his head. 

   “Point proven,” Tech muttered, distracted by his little Lyra as she squeaked out a yawn. He was so in love with his little baby that he was oblivious to his brothers’ stares until he glanced up, his smile falling from his lips. “What?” 

   Wrecker slowly grinned. “Softie.” 

   “Of course. A child needs a parent with a soft, nurturing nature over an abrasive one.” 

   “He means you’re like Crosshair,” Hunter chimed in, smirking when Crosshair glared at him. “Soft like butter.” 

   “I like butter,” Zoya muttered from the shelter of his coat. Crosshair cracked a smile and reached down, curling her gray hair behind her ear. 

   “I bet you do, sweetheart.”

   Zion leaned his head close, smirking. “I don’t.”

   He pat his boy’s head, eyes crinkling with fatherly amusement. It was his turn to look up, his smile dropping when he saw the knowing looks on his brothers’ faces.

“Shut it.” 

   Hunter glanced down when Kai shuffled around on his lap. His adi’ka glanced up at him with tired eyes before looking back at the fire, sighing gently.  Glancing toward Echo and Wrecker, Hunter nudged his chin towards the three eldest kids and said, “They should head back now before it gets too late and cold for s'mores. The littles have to check out soon.” 

   Wrecker nodded. Cupping his mouth, he sucked a big breath in and shouted, “TROOPERS! BACK TO BASE IN 3…2…1-”

  Quinn came sprinting out of the shadows only to slide across the log and crash into Echo’s side. His father exhaled a sharp breath just to be hit again when Sky did the same thing, sliding and barrelling straight into Echo. They giggled when he rubbed his sides with a wince.

   Olive approached a bit later with her arms full of blankets. She handed them out to Crosshair and the twins, Hunter, then for herself and Wrecker when Tech and the others denied her offer. Throwing the sheet over her head, she snuggled into Wrecker’s side and smiled happily when he threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in close. 

   Echo extended an arm behind him, grabbing the bag of s’mores ingredients and campfire sticks. They were tossed around one by one and by the end of the dispersion, each older child had a marshmallow hanging over the fire. Kai wanted to try it himself but he didn’t like having to blow out his flaming marshmallow, so with his blanket in hand, he wandered over to Olive and climbed in his cousin’s lap. She accepted him with a grin, whispering jokes in his ear as she roasted both of their marshmallows. 

   Hunter and Wrecker watched them with a smile, catching a bit of Omega within Olive’s caring nature. Hunter’s heart clenched a bit at the fact that she wasn’t there but he couldn’t blame her. Omega had her own life to live, bouncing from planet to planet in her new starship. While they were hunkered down with the littles, she was off exploring and trekking the vast stretches of space.

   As he thought of her, he heard a little gray-haired mini come wandering up to him. Little hands climbed and kicked as Zion sat up on the log by Hunter’s side, resting his head against his ba’vodu’s shoulder. Hunter opened his blanket up, allowing the boy to dive under with a giggle. He glanced at Crosshair who watched them with an arched brow, the two sharing an amused smile. 

   “I don’t understand how you’re his favorite.” 

   Hunter smirked, tapping his temple. “Intuition. At least we know he doesn’t have your brain.” 

   Crosshair rolled his eyes, causing Zoya to giggle. “Very funny.” 

   Echo’s twins were energetic as they roasted their marshmallows until they were black. Quinn waved his marshmallow back and forth through the flame while Sky continuously kept pulling it out and inspecting it. The lumps were charred by the time both boys lowered their marshmallows on their crackers, grinning when their hands were covered in a goopy mess. 

   “This is so yummy, dad,” Quinn groaned, holding up his burnt abomination. “Wanna bite?” 

   Echo grimaced, shaking his head. “No, I’m okay, bud.” 

   "Please?” 

   Sighing, Echo gave in with a reluctant nod. He opened his mouth for Quinn to raise the s’more to his lips. When he bit down, Quinn began laughing at the look on Echo’s face. Soot coated his tongue as he chewed, shaking his head. 

   “You burnt it.” 

   “Duh, that’s the best part.” 

   Sky pulled out his marshmallow and made his little sandwich before taking a bite. He smiled, glancing at Echo with hopeful eyes as he held his own s’more out. Echo obliged, knowing he couldn’t say no. While the s’more was good, his lack of love for sweets won him over. He swallowed thickly and shivered, making both boys laugh. 

   Without a want or need to make s’mores, Tech continued cradling little Lyra, swaying her from side to side. He lifted his head, watching his brothers and his nephews and nieces, and came up with an idea. 

   “Wrecker,” he called the storyteller, causing him and Olive to both look up at the same time. “Why don’t you tell them a story? Our first night is coming to an end and it would be best if the children had something to relax them before bed.” 

   “Oh-oh-oh!” Quinn jumped up, pretending to swing a sword. “Tell us about that Wookie jedi you guys took to Kashyyyk!” 

   “No-o-o-o,” Sky sourly sang, reaching over to tug his brother back down onto the log. He turned to Crosshair and gave him a devious grin. “Uncle Cross, tell that story about Uncle Cody and the mission you guys went on together when you were impies!” 

   Crosshair scrunched his nose in distaste. “You’re the only one who likes those stories, sky.” 

   “Cause they’re cool!” 

   Olive nudged her dad’s side, causing him to look down at her and the boy in her lap. “What about the time when you had to fight baby Rancor? Or that story about that really creepy monster ship you were on when Auntie Omega was little?” 

   Zoya whimpered, curling into Crosshair’s side. He frowned, lovingly cupping her cheek when she shivered. “That’s a scary story, Olive," she murmured. "I don’t like it.” 

   Olive smiled. “Then we’ll pick another one, bean.”

   Kai shifted on her lap and looked up, cupping his mouth as he whispered in Olive’s ear. Her eyes brightened and she looked from Hunter to Echo. “Kai wants to hear the story about how you all saved Uncle Echo.” 

   Zion gasped and sat up in excitement, glancing from Hunter to his father with a grin. Crosshair shrugged a shoulder, offering a small smile when his son jumped down and ran up to him, climbing onto his lap. Zoya instantly followed, seating herself on the other leg. As they snuggled into him and got comfortable, Kai went back to Hunter and held his hands up, gesturing to be picked up. Hunter obliged and brought the boy on his lap, letting Kai’s little arms wrap around his waist while he pressed his cheek to Hunter’s chest. 

   Gently rocking Lyra from side to side, Tech held the baby in a careful hold and smiled when Sky leaned closer towards him, gazing down at Lyra with stars in his eyes. With a soft finger, Sky poked Lyra’s nose and giggled when she smiled in her sleep. Quinn leaned against Echo’s side, holding his father’s scomp arm in his lap as he absentmindedly scraped away the smudges of dust that stained the metal. Echo kissed his hairline before turning towards his brothers, shrugging, “Fine with me.” 

   The flickering flames of the campfire danced and swayed in the gentle breeze. The logs crackled and popped, sending showers of sparks up into the sky like tiny shooting stars. The warm glow of the fire cast shadows on the faces of the people gathered around it, their expressions illuminated in the orange light.

   Wrecker grinned and scooted closer to the edge of the log, his arm squishing Olive into his side. Zoya and Zion both listened with smiles as they rested against Crosshair’s chest. Hiding under Hunter’s blanket, Kai removed his headphones to hear the story and the crackle of burning wood. Tech’s little Lyra continued sleeping, causing her father to smile at her peaceful state. Echo, Quinn, and Sky shared smiles when their arms tightened around their father's waist – they all had very special reasons to love this story. 

   Clearing his throat, Wrecker held his arm out in a wide gesture and began his narration in a deep voice. 

    “It started on Yalbec Prime when we got a comm from your Uncle Cody…”

-

dad!batch taglist — i'm tagging you lovelies to this request because it's a longer work, unlike the past little drabbles

@moonstrider9904 @lucyysthings @boomtowngirl @babygirlrex0504 @lucyysthings @fossilisedtreeresin @lizartgurl @mrs-grumpysniper @techs-ass @echos-girlfriend @chicknstripz @corona-one @maulslittlemeowmeow @misogirl828 @theclonesdeservebetter @frietiemeloen @pinkiemme @torchbearerkyle @witchklng @ivela3 @kaminocasey @sunflowerrex  @nekotaetae @literallydontlook @agenteliix @starqueensthings @fives-lover @jedipoodoo @sleepingsun501

[breninarthur]

when darkness comes

Rated M. 26,083 words. Chapter 8 of 59. Alistair/Tabris slow burn.

Chapter Eight: A Dark Mockery of Men.

Alistair and the Warden-Recruits traipse through the Korcari Wilds to complete their tasks: find the treaties, and collect darkspawn blood. But Kallian has an additional mission – find a Wilds Flower to save a dog's life. A mission made difficult by the creatures of the Blight.

Excerpt:

With her allies holding their own, Kallian bolted for the flower. She ran, her eyes fixed, ready to grab it, when a darkspawn charged into her, knocking her off course. She stumbled, her right side aching as she tried her best to recover quickly. The stocky darkspawn screeched at her, waddle-charging over, but the way it moved was rough and clumsy. Kallian tried to block its sword with her own two blades, but with force and a slight misjudgement of distance, she lopped its arm clean off. Wine-dark blood sprayed onto her face, and she flinched, swallowing the hot bile that crept into her throat in response. With a dual stab into its chest, the darkspawn fell. Frantically, she searched the battlefield, her heart pounding as she tried to catch sight of an enemy before it caught sight of her. Most of them seemed preoccupied as they struggled against Alistair, who fought like no one she’d ever seen. He was covered in their ichor, and the grim line of his mouth, set of his jaw, and ever-glowing eyes made him look fearsome and unwavering. He held his own as he danced with the darkspawn, his sword swinging with practised fluidity, his shield as much of a weapon as it was a defence.

Kallian’s gaze dropped to the ground, her heart hammering in her throat as she desperately searched for the flower. It stood strong, despite the stomping feet that circled it. She winced when Alistair almost trampled it as he deftly blocked and parried the taller monster he fought, who in turn almost fell right onto the thing. Grey Warden and darkspawn both twisted and scraped by the flower, each footfall a narrower miss than the last. "Let's end this quickly," Kallian muttered. Daveth and Jory were fighting together, doing well against a couple of the creatures, and even if Alistair probably didn't need her help, she would damn well give it.

[jinx-on-mars-19xx]

A Wolf's Claim

⚔️ All Previous Parts Here ⚔️

Dom x Colson (Yungblud x Machine Gun Kelly)

Warnings: ABO (slick, knots, mpreg), Viking/god Col, fae Dom, WOLF COL (warning you now there's sex acts and he's in shifted form) this is your warning!, desperate boys, Dom running to tease, Dom tripping because he's clumsy, cunnilingus, hunting, prey/predator play (this chapter is intense), worried Col, feral boys, presenting, mentions of piss play, sex, rough sex, descriptions of a very large dick, so much slick, degradation, biting/marking, blood drinking, unnatural amounts of cum, siren song, mild inflation kink, blissed out boys ☠️ rating: EXPLICIT ☠️ original ideas shared by @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker 🖤

The Viking felt frozen. He couldn't make up his mind whether he thought it was safe to bed his mate as they were or not. His cock was always overwhelming he feared- nine inches from base to tip. He'd always thought he was thick but with his knot popped he felt dangerous. In wolf form he was immense and proud or not, those extra five inches made a difference when he was barely able to control his instincts to go wild inside his whelped wife. He could easily shift back before taking the fae but he knew that wasn't what Dom was begging for. His thrall turned queen was an absolute brat and obviously proud of it. Always pushing Kol's rules like he was the alpha. He whined low, swirling his tongue around the inside of his fae's tight cunt. He was still sloppy open from their morning knotting which definitely made it easier but… still.

Whatever answer he might have come to on his own was tossed out the window when Damhnaic suddenly squirmed off his snout and used his fur to leverage himself to stand. Kol'son was so shocked at the audacity of his lover that he didn't even think to nip the boy to keep him close. His last thought was that the bitch would make a run for it. It was barely more than a hurried waddle but Dom was attempting to escape him and his inner beast was not amused.

'Dom!' He shouted mentally though the brat was only a few feet away and he winced at the volume but otherwise kept going. A low whine escaped the god before it turned to a rumbling growl. The kid almost tripped and had to catch himself on a tree, he obviously couldn't see what was right in front of his feet with his belly in the way. The chieftain was left dumbfounded and worried. Was that… supposed to be a seduction? Before they found themselves with child again this was almost regular foreplay- Dom would run through the forest leaving hints of his slick on the leaves below or he'd paint marks on the trees with his fingertips as he passed. The wolf would give him a head start before racing after him. Cia might be scared of the forest at night but they knew they were safe there- the fae clan were protective over their sea kin. When he would inevitably hunt him down he was wild with need from being teased and so desperate he'd tackle his bitch to the ground and fuck him into it until they were a writhing filthy mess.

But the prince couldn't run any longer and the sight of him stumbling over the fallen branches had his heart in his throat. Of course he was still excited by the hunt but gods he worried. 'Dom! Get back here!' He sent out mentally only to be given a very rude hand gesture in return. His dick ached where it hung heavy and throbbing between his knees but there were only two ways to fix it and he didn't feel like tasting himself any more than what was already in his belly from cleaning out his mate's full cunt. Although he definitely had to admit that was a perk of his wolf shaped body and oversized shaft and his queen loved to watch. No, he couldn't sit by and suck himself dry while his mate was wandering unaided with his pups. Fuck.

Dom giggled when he heard that huffy growl behind him. His husband always treated him like he was unable to function so whelped and while he loved being pampered it was frustrating not being trusted. He glanced over his shoulder and took a moment to lean against a tree when he realized his daidí wasn't near. He couldn't even see him anymore but he didn't think he had run too far yet. He slowed his breathing, focusing on not making a sound but he knew the god could find him by heartbeat and scent alone. His legs were still quaking from need and near orgasm, his heart racing in his chest, and his thighs were slick wet down to his knees. He craved relief more than anything but he knew his mate's hesitation and he knew that could only be broken by pushing his desperation just as high.

The selkie felt as if he were being watched, the hair on his neck was standing on end and his skin was covered in goosebumps under the sweat and piss. He hoped the gift his lover had left on him made him harder to find but his leader was amazing at hunting. He was too in tune with him. He tried to peek around the tree before starting to stalk deeper into the woods but his toes caught a half unburied root and he went down hard, thankfully catching himself with his palms flat before his belly would touch the ground. Deep down he knew they were safe- his litter, they were part god but still he worried. He couldn't help it. Before he could push himself to stand there were fangs around his neck and an angry wolf was keeping him right where he was.

"Daidí?" He whimpered but he already knew. He could feel it in their bond and hear it in his growl. He tried to get his elbows into the ground to rest on his forearms but the bastard pushed him face down in the dirt.

'How fucking dare you. Risking your safety like it's only you to worry about! You think you're so fucking cute.'

"I am-"

'Shut the fuck up! Is this what you were trying to get? Was it?' Kol'son grunted mentally while teasing his cockhead through drenched folds. The siren was so worked up he could feel his pussy pulsing and spilling fresh slick around his tip. 'Acting like a whore just to get fucked where anyone can see!' He so rarely degraded his lover, they were both more into praise and the fae was so perfect it was hard to insult him, but in moments like that? Gods he felt feral. 'Is that what you want bitch? Is it?' He punctuated his question with a quick teasing thrust, only sinking the first few inches deep but he felt his crown catch inside the boy and drag against his spot.

"Y-yes! Pl-please daidí?" Dom whimpered, he knew he was shaking and drooling, mumbling even. He felt like a mess he was so ready for his husband, even his tits were leaking fresh milk as if his whole body were trying to tempt the man. He tasted earth against his lips and it somehow heightened his need. He was ready. Gods he was so ready. It had been too long since he was allowed to worship his god like he loved most.

'Excuse me?' Kol growled, his teeth gripping tighter, his hips shifting in little pumps. The grip on his cock was overwhelming, Dom was so tight around him even after being knotted by his human form. He needed to sheathe himself home and let himself go wild- he craved it more than almost anything but his brat had to learn. 'What did you call me?' He demanded, pulling himself out until it felt like he would slip away.

"M-master? Alpha? Me god? Please!" The selkie tried every word he could think, his body was a quivering wreck of need but he didn't dare cant his hips back. If he did he risked his daidí pulling away completely. He tried to relax himself, face down and ass up he was presenting as best he could. Ready for his lover.

It felt like the forest went quiet, as if nature held its breath while he waited for the Viking's next move. His senses were so overwhelmed he felt caught between fight or flight but he wouldn't run again. Fur tickled his spine, drool spilled over his neck, and he choked on air when his alpha finally fucked deep before a scream escaped. He knew it was laced with too much magic but he couldn't hold his true self back when they both felt so primal. The wolf didn't give him a moment to adjust, he was pissed and desperate and he would make sure Dom felt him for days.

Paws and claws dug deep in the earth, sounds echoed through the trees. Kol hadn't felt so himself in months but he was quickly finding himself lost to the rapture he always found in his wife's pussy. The rhythm he found he could never reach as his human self, he knew if anyone was watching they'd be a blur, his hips rolled faster than the eye could see but he knew the fae could fucking take it.

Dom cried out with every breath in, tears streaming out his eyes to make mud on his cheeks. His body shook harder when he scented blood but he knew it was from his neck and not his core. Even so wild his mate was still being careful, he wouldn't push himself all the way inside. While it drove the boy mad he also knew it was safest. They couldn't risk their babes. He wanted to say thank you, he wanted to shout his praises to the skies, but he couldn't do anything more than stay pliant and limp below the wolf who caught him. It was only fair- the alpha won.

He could already feel that coil tight in his belly. He'd been teased so close by the Viking's tongue and teeth but he tried not to spill without permission, when so wrapped up in each other he just wanted to listen to his alpha on everything. There was a constant whining grunting growl in his ear, hot breath and spit on his skin. The sound of their bodies joining would make him blush if he wasn't so already lost to pleasure- he was so fucking wet everything squelched.

'Don't.' Kol'son demanded, his only answer back was a choked whimper. Every time he felt his brat close he made the next thrust harder, his dick angled just right to put pressure on both his bride's secret spots. His knot was already filling, bouncing against Dom's sloppy hole but he wouldn't lock them together this time. He couldn't. Not with them so exposed and the boy so far along.

Dom's palm slapped the ground and his dark claws gripped hard at a root. His body fought not to pull away or push himself back. It was taking every ounce of his control not to cum. "Please!" He begged, he could feel his inner walls spasming and squeezing his husband tight. There was so much slick escaping him he could feel it dripping down his cock and his belly to soak the earth below. Kol made him a mess all the time but this felt different. Scent marked by his love he felt claimed. Owned. But gods he needed it all.

'Don't!' The god snapped, his teeth sinking deeper until blood filled his open mouth and gushed for him like Dom's cunt would soon. He knew his saliva was healing the wound even as he bled. It would end up another claim on his queen's alabaster skin. Pleasure zinged down his spine and tightened his balls, he was near breaking but he tried to hold on. He wanted to teach the boy a lesson.

"I'll be good! I'll be good! Please! Please god- ple-'' Dom was sobbing for him, so overwhelmed with desperation the words were slurred and high. It was barely more than a breath but he heard every one and if he could have, Kol would have smirked.

As it was he just thrust a little deeper, letting his knot tease the boy with something he couldn't have and he said what they were both so needy for. 'Cum.' It wasn't a question, it wasn't anything but a soul deep command and everything inside the omega listened to his master.

Dom's siren song broke free as he screamed long and high, his body trembling and quivering as he gushed so hard he swore his vision went white. There was no wave to crest, no snap of a coil. It crashed over him and sucked him under, he felt lost in a storm on the sea.

His wife came so hard he was almost forced free of that hole he loved so much. It was only by brute strength and force of will that Kol kept his dick deep in that spasming squirting heat. His knot bounced once, twice, and he had to pull off his mate's neck to howl his rapture as it popped completely and he spilled hot and hard, painting pink white with his seed. He didn't know if it was Dom's pussy or his song that tipped him over but it didn't matter, he felt his wild beast finally soothed as rope after rope filled his queen full to bursting and squelched out around his cock.

Their bodies rolled and writhed through their pleasure until they both felt like overstimulated wrecks. Kol knew he'd be walking funny and he didn't think his mate would be walking at all for a while. It put a smile on his face and made his tongue loll out to drool fresh healing over the bite on Dom's skin. They laid there panting and coming down from their feral high. The selkie was content to stay there, comforted by the silky fur and gentle purr from his daidí but Kol didn't like them being so exposed. The scent marking helped and the fresh claim was even better but there was still something inside him that didn't want his mate on display at all. How dare anyone think they deserved to look at him. Even Ciarán sometimes made his hackles rise which promised the little one was an alpha in the making as well.

"L-l- mmm." Dom tried to speak but he couldn't get his mouth or anything else to work quite right yet. But Kol'son knew what he was saying and he answered his own love with a soft lick over his wife's goofy grin. He adored blissing out his prince. He just hoped they could move before too long.

Author's Note/Tags: @manicpixiedreamb0y @hollywoodxwhore @jaxbreaker @cole-way-iero28 @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker 🖤

Hope you enjoyed this incredibly feral smut! It was fun to write and explore new things. I never thought I'd enjoy writing fantasy instead of horror or just smut but it's great so far! I hope you're all still loving it. We'll probably get more plot for a bit, poor Dom needs a break 😂🖤☠️

[edwardsparkleblood]

What Are We Now, if Anything at All

Fandom: Pirate101

Relationships: Catbeard/Ratbeard

Word count: 3,155

Rating: T (could maybe be considered G, but raised it up to T because kissing)

Tags: Gay, very gay, awkward moments + awkward kissing, pirates, circus shenanigans, love/hate relationship

Summary:

When a traveling circus comes to port regal, the crew comes up with a plan to swipe that circus' gold. Ratbeard and Catbeard are chosen to infiltrate the circus while disguised as performers, but they quickly find themselves in an awkward situation after making the other performers believe they are actually a married couple.

A/N: Written around pride month but only recently got around it posting it online. You can find my continued work on Ao3 under E_SparkleBlood

-

Ratbeard and Catbeard hurried across the grounds and ducked down near what they assumed were the circus' changing tents.

None of the circus performers were nearby, so that was good. Probably because they were in the middle of a performance right now. The sounds of drums and shouts from a wild event were coming from the much larger tent nearby.

Catbeard opened the bag he was carrying and quickly passed its contents over to Ratbeard, who looked like he was having second thoughts about putting on such funny looking attire. But he stepped inside one of the tents none-the-less.

Every couple months around this time, Port Regal hosts an extravagant traveling circus group, for it's moderately wealthy citizens. The circus group is well known, as is the amount of gold they are able to swindle out of the people of port regal. Especially among pirates. However, no pirate crew in the skyway would dare risk stealing from them as Port Regal is so often heavily guarded.

But one pirate crew is going to take that dare.

"Hurry up, Ratbeard. You big, lout." Catbeard whispered to himself. He peaked out from behind the corner to keep watch, and then ducked back down as 2 circus performers exited the large circus tent. The larger of the two was a tiger dressed as a clown with a red nose, and a frilly neck piece. The other, probably a knife thrower if Catbeard had to guess, just based one on all the knives attached to his leg, was a tall lanky wharf rat. They seemed to just be stretching and taking a smoke break. Thankfully, they didn't seem to have any intention on coming over here.

"I don't think it's gonna fit!" Ratbeard said from behind the curtains of the changing tent.

"Well make it fit." Catbeard replied.

Catbeard sat in the grass and let out a breath. Their mission was to infiltrate the circus and find whatever money box or safe the circus folk were keeping their gold in. The rest of the crew waited down by the docks for the perfect getaway. Catbeard wished so much he could have been down there instead, and that Bonnie Anne or Hawkulese had taken his spot instead. After a lot of arguing amongst the crew it was decided that a 2 man team would be the best way to pull the heist off, and that it would be Ratbeard and Catbeard who would be going under cover. This was decided because Ratbeard was the only one who could fit in the clown costume, and because Catbeard... Well, he pulled the short stick, so he was forced to tag along.

Catbeard and Ratbeard did not make for suitable partners. They butt heads more than anyone else in the crew. If their personalities had to be compared to anything, it would be that of oil and water. Which was a shame because visually Ratbeard was quite attractive, Catbeard thought. His handsome face couldn't be denied, but it just had to be contrasted by the most unattractive and quarrelsome personality.

Ratbeard emerged from the tent after just a few minutes, nervously clutching at the vibrant fabric of his waistband he walked. He struggled to keep it up as he waddled.

Seeing Ratbeard in full getup made the two realize pretty quickly that the attire suited more a court jester than a circus performer. But it was all they could get their hands on in time. The circus was only going to be in the port for one more evening, after all, so they had to hope nobody would pay them too much mind.

"Arr, this be a disaster in the making. I feel ridiculous." Ratbeard said.

Ratbeard really did look rather goofy, especially with the white and red makeup, and the black teardrop under where his left eye would be if he still had it. His costume was a riot of mismatched colors and his crusty old pirate hat that he's so attached to had even been replaced with a harlequin style hat with oversized bells. Although, the tights suited his round form quite well, Catbeard thought... When they weren't slipping off. He'd never say that out loud of course. It would give the rat too much self-esteem, and his ego was already grandiose enough.

"You LOOK ridiculous. But it won't be a disaster as long as you play your cards right" Catbeard said. He turned his body away. "Which does worry me. Have you ever played any cards right in your life?"

"Have at least some faith in me, why don't ya!!!" Ratbeard shouted. He immediately ducked his head down as the tiger and wharf rat turned their attention to the pair, and so he continued talking to Catbeard in a whisper. "If ye really think I can't pull it off, let's switch. The role of a fool is more fit for you than it is me."

Catbeard looked appalled that Ratbeard would even suggest such a thing.

"Those clashing colors? As if I'd ever be caught dead wearing that."

"Now what's going on of here? You two having a lil' scuffle or somethin'?" A gruff voice came from over Catbeard's shoulder.

Catbeard turned to see the tiger leaning against a pillar, and the wharf rat making his way over as well. Up close Catbeard could tell they would both look rather menacing if they weren't in such colorful attire.

"Uh, no, no. No dispute going on here. We're fine." Catbeard said, animating his hands a bit too much to be natural.

"What are you doing out here when the show's ago?" Asked the wharf rat. Then he turned his attention to Catbeard. "And you're not even in costume."

"Ah- ha! Just gettin' ready, I was! I had a new fit tailored for me and it took a bit longer to get done than it should have!" Ratbeard said. Then he turned to Catbeard, Catbeard heard Ratbeard gulp.

His heart was probably racing. Expecting Catbeard to come up with a quick cover story for himself. Ratbeard was about to open his mouth again, however before the rat could say anything, Catbeard stepped forward, his voice wavering with nervousness.

"I'm his husband!" Catbeard declared, surprising even himself with those words.

"Husband?!" Ratbeard shouted. His face was flushed with a tint of red.

"We're here to enjoy the circus together." Catbeard continued, placing his hand on his heart. "I mean- I wanted to come. I'm usually so busy you see, that I rarely get to see my dear... Norrington... at work." A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. Ratbeard really didn't look like a Norrington, but it was the only name he could think to say.

The circus performers exchanged intrigued glances, seemingly accepting the explanation. Yet, they looked to Ratbeard, expecting some confirmation. Ratbeard had to act quickly to keep up the charade.

"'Tis true! He's my... hu-hu-husband!" Ratbeard mustered a blush and wrapped an arm around Catbeard's waist, and Catbeard was pulled uncomfortably close. "Been married for..."

"-For 3 years now. Today is our anniversary, in fact!" Catbeard interrupted, placing a hand on Ratbeard's chest. Ratbeard's eye twitched in annoyance at Catbeard adding more layers to this lie than necessary.

The circus performers grinned mischievously.

"Well, well, aren't you two just the sweetest couple!" the wharf rat of exclaimed

"I must say, it's not every day we see two guys so open about such a relationship. I almost don't even believe it. I wanna see how genuine this love of yours is." the tiger added with a chuckle.

Catbeard's eyes widened with apprehension, realizing where this was heading. Catbeard and Ratbeard exchanged desperate glances. Without giving himself time to overthink it, Ratbeard leaned in. Catbeard's heartbeat quickened then came to a sudden halt as Ratbeard pressed their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss.

It was meant to be a simple act, just a means to keep up the ruse, but Catbeard couldn't help but feel a jolt of... something. The was a warmness to said "something", and for a second the spiral itself and everything in it seemed to have frozen in place.

As Ratbeard pulled away, the spiral came to life ones more. Catbeard's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and surprise. The tiger nodded in approval, seemingly satisfied with their display of affection, and the wharf rat just laughed.

"Ah ha-ha, young love! You two are adorable together," the wharf rat commented with a knowing grin, wiping a tear away.

The tiger rustled the fur on Catbeard's head. "We're just messin' with ya. But keep that rat of yours close. One who can make a move like that without judgement is a real keeper."

The circus performers moved on and Ratbeard removed his hand from Catbeard's waist after realizing it still lingered there. Catbeard covered his face with his hands, his face was flushed, giving him a pink glow.

"I... wasn't thinking when I kissed ya. What I mean to say is I wasn't planning on it happenin'." Ratbeard stammered, his voice barely above a whisper as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But it happened." Catbeard's voice came out muffled.

"It's yer fault! What were ye thinking just claimin' me as yer husband like that?!"

"I was nervous..." Catbeard's removed his hands from his face but immediately looked away, trying to hide his vulnerability.

"Well...," Ratbeard nudged at Catbeard's side and continue "Least ye got the best damn kiss ye could ever get in the spiral."

"Oh, please. I've rather kiss a bumbaloons backside!" Catbeard rolled his eyes.

But as Ratbeard walked forward to enter the much larger performance tent, Catbeard brought his hand up to his mouth. He felt a mix of relief and confusion. Relief of course that the awkward situation was over, and confusion over... Well, he couldn't quite explain it. A kind of emotion that he couldn't deny if he tried his hardest.

-

Catbeard and Ratbeard successfully made it into the circus tent. One kid who was with his mother pulled Ratbeard aside and asked him to juggle, which Ratbeard tried to do, but failed humorously. The kid was quite young though and laughed. Ratbeard stumbling over himself probably made for a more entertaining and memorable moment for the kid, than in Ratbeard had actually succeeded. Catbeard couldn't hold back a smile when Ratbeard even pushed himself to make a goofy face at the end. Now THAT was a sight to behold.

Catbeard grabbed Ratbeard by the arm before telling the mother and child pair that they must be off to get ready for the next performance. "Well, well, well, so you like children?" Catbeard asked.

Ratbeard grumbled. "Don't think too hard on it. The kid gave me stuff to throw in the air, so I did it."

"Well I think it's admirable. The great captain Ratbeard has at least one soft spot." Ratbeard no doubt thought Catbeard was just teasing him, but Catbeard was truly and genuinely surprised to find a quality in the rat that he liked.

"...The face you made was rather cute." Catbeard continued, but this time in such a tone to convey that he was just teasing now.

"Okay, okay, enough of this. We're done talking." Ratbeard said waving a hand, and using his other to pull his hat down over his eyes.

They were done talking, but only because they got to the back of the tent that held all sorts of things, from supplies for the performers, to lights, tools, and extra costumes. This is where the gold they collected from this evenings attendees will be located. Catbeard and Ratbeard split up. Ratbeard moving the heavier supplies around, and catbeard going through whatever box he could find.

Ratbeard scratched at his long beard. "Hey, I, uh..."

"Less talking, more looking." Catbeard said while sticking his head down into a tiny crawl space.

"I can do both ya know." Ratbeard said, heaving as he moved a large dresser and knocking it on it's side. So Ratbeard continued. "I wanted to... say... Well, I'm sorry okay? For just... kissin' you like that. Back there."

"Oh... Right." Did Ratbeard just show empathy? No way. Absolutely not. Catbeard must be imagining things. Discovering 2 positive qualities from RATBEARD in a single day, that's just un-heard of in the Spiral."

"Well, It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be." Catbeard said, his back still turned to the other.

Ratbeard folded his arms and leaned on a colorful table.

"... So ye have imagined what it'd be like to kiss me?" Ratbeard smirked.

Catbeard choked on those words that weren't even his. He would be lying if he said no. Maybe he could just "Sure.". It's not like it'd be a declaration of undying love. There is a stark difference between lust and love after all. And Catbeard isn't so narcissistic that he'd play dumb and say the rat pirate wasn't at least somewhat attractive.

But there is also the underlying thought that was clouding Catbeard's mind. Was Ratbeard simply teasing or flirting? The tone in Ratbeard's voice was unique to say the least. There was something to it he's never quite heard of before, so he decided to play along. Come what may. That's what they say, right? Catbeard got to his feet and leaned against a cabinet, mirroring Ratbeard's posture.

"Perhaps... once or twice," Catbeard confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. His cheeks felt warm. "My mind has a habit of wandering into all sorts of hypothetical situations..."

A flicker of mischief danced in Ratbeard's eyes as he got up from the table and walked over to Catbeard.

"D-don't let it flatter yourself." Catbeard turned his head to the exit, as if planning an escape route, to run away in sheer embarrassment if it gets to be too much. "A pretty face means nothing when the one who wears it is so unpleasant to be around."

"Ye think I'm pretty?" Ratbeard asked.

He removed his goofy hat with the bells and tossed it in box full of other costumes and props, than wrapped his hands around Catbeard's waist and pulled him in close. Well, this solidified to Catbeard that he was indeed flirting, at least. His gaze met Ratbeard's.

"I also said you're unpleasant." Catbeard said.

"Aye, but also pretty?" Ratbeard asked once again.

Typical Ratbeard. List twenty problems you have with him and one redeeming quality, and he will focus only on the one till the end of days. So Catbeard gave in. "Yes... Pretty..." Catbeard said.

Ratbeard leaned in close, making it clear exactly what he wanted, but Catbeard was not about to be on the recieving end for the 2nd time today. This time it would be him making the move. Catbeard pushed himself forward, meeting Ratbeard halfway, who seemed taken aback at first. He took a step back, before going back in and letting their lips touch.

The wild sounds of the circus seemed to fade into the background and all Catbeard could pay attention to was the warmth of Ratbeard's lips. Ratbeard entwined his fingers, sealing Catbeard in the embrace and deepening the kiss, leaving Catbeard to bring his own hands up and caress Ratbeard's waist.

And then there was one more thing he started to feel. That same confusion from earlier in the day. The first time they kissed, this confusion swirled around in Catbeard's head. And so Catbeard chose to ignore it, after. To shut it down. But this time he had completely surrendered to it.

Finally breaking the kiss, Catbeard stared into ratbeard's emerald green eyes. Unsure of what to say, he chose not to say anything until Ratbeard spoke first.

"Better than a bumbaloons behind?" Ratbeard grinned.

Catbeard softly chuckled.

"It was better than the first time, I'll give you tha-" Catbeard cut himself off and pushed Ratbeard to the side before rushing over to one corner of the tent.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Ratbeard shouted, almost tripping. "Almost made me trip on me peg leg, ye did!"

Ratbeard was almost envious of whatever it was that was more important to Catbeard at this moment, but once his eyes caught what exactly Catbeard saw, he rushed over there too.

Catbeard pulled out a wooden box with red trimming, burried between colorful ribbon. With a knife Catbeard pulled out of his boot, he was easily able to break the rusty lock. H elifted it open to reveal quite a lot of gold. Probably a weeks worth of gold the circus had earned from their shows.

"Well, nice goin', Cap'n kitty! I think we have what we came for!" Ratbeard said. He took a handful of gold and flipped a coin in the air before shoving the handful into his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?! Give that back, the gold is for the whole crew!" Catbeard shouted. He chased Ratbeard around in circles before Ratbeard playfully shoved him away, and this time it was Catbeard who almost tripped over himself.

"Ah come on. They won't be missin' just a couple pieces o' gold." Ratbeard shut the lid of the box with his hooked hand before giving a devilish look. "Besides, we're gonna be gettin' a room tonight, right? Somewhere fancy? Just the two of us, as celebration for a job well done? ...Preferably with thick walls?" That last bit was topped off with a sly wink.

Catbeard blushed. "That kiss earlier wasn't simply an attempt for you to get lucky for one night, was it?"

"Oh please, cap'n kitty. If anyone is lucky, it's you. Now let's get out o' this musty place. The crew is waitin."

Ratbeard turned and started to walk away, and Catbeard followed after shoving the box of coins into the bag that once held Ratbeard's jester attire.

Catbeard stared at Ratbeard's back. He wondered what they were now, if they were anything at all. He felt like not much had changed between them, but at the same time some kind of door opened, deep in his soul. Or perhaps heart would be a better word. They should talk about this, and they will. Catbeard will make sure of that. Catbeard lifted his head to catch himself falling behind and sped up to match Ratbeard's pace.

As they exited the tent the two performers gave them a wave and Catbeard waved back. He slung the bag over his shoulder and Instinctively, probably to keep up that little performance from earlier, grabbed hold of Ratbeard's hand. Ratbeard entwined his fingers around Catbeard's without skipping a beat, and then it dawned on him just how much larger larger Ratbeard's hands were compared to his own.

"Yer paw is pretty soft, y'know that?" Ratbeard said.

Yeah... They will definitely talk about this. Definitely. Catbeard cemented all these memories in his mind, ready to relive them when that talk comes. But it will have to be for another time.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Australia has also become a case study in what happens when people push biodiversity to the brink. Habitat degradation, invasive species, infectious diseases and climate change have put many native animals in jeopardy and given Australia one of the worst rates of species loss in the world.

In some cases, scientists say, the threats are so intractable that the only way to protect Australia’s unique animals is to change them. Using a variety of techniques, including crossbreeding and gene editing, scientists are altering the genomes of vulnerable animals, hoping to arm them with the traits they need to survive.

“We’re looking at how we can assist evolution,” said Anthony Waddle, a conservation biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney.

It is an audacious concept, one that challenges a fundamental conservation impulse to preserve wild creatures as they are. But in this human-dominated age — in which Australia is simply at the leading edge of a global biodiversity crisis — the traditional conservation playbook may no longer be enough, some scientists said.

“We’re searching for solutions in an altered world,” said Dan Harley, a senior ecologist at Zoos Victoria. “We need to take risks. We need to be bolder.”

Still, no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, organisms and ecosystems will remain complex. Genetic interventions are “likely to have some unintended impacts,” said Tiffany Kosch, a conservation geneticist at the University of Melbourne who is also hoping to create chytrid-resistant frogs. A genetic variant that helps frogs survive chytrid might make them more susceptible to another health problem, she said.

There are plenty of cautionary tales, efforts to re-engineer nature that have backfired spectacularly. The toxic cane toads, in fact, were set loose in Australia deliberately, in what would turn out to be a deeply misguided attempt to control pest beetles.

But some environmental groups and experts are uneasy about genetic approaches for other reasons, too. “Focusing on intensive intervention in specific species can be a distraction,” said Cam Walker, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth Australia. Staving off the extinction crisis will require broader, landscape-level solutions such as halting habitat loss, he said.

[darkspine10]

GF Fanfic - Dipper and Mabel Vs. The Past

Dipper and Mabel Vs. The Past (6562 words) by darkspine10

Chapters: 1/9 Fandom: Gravity Falls Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: When he was 13 years old, Dipper Pines chose to hide the truth of his incredible summer adventures from his parents. Now a parent himself, he returns with his family and sister to finally face the consequences. However, none of them expect the secret to come out in quite such a magical way.

With time running out and chaotic creatures rampaging through the city, Dipper must navigate both this crisis and the fallout from his parents' discoveries, or risk losing them forever...

Chapter 1 - Frosty Reunion

Dipper Pines had a problem.

Dipper Pines had to tell a lie.

Exhausted from the bus ride, he and Mabel had been picked up at the station by their parents. Neither his mom or dad was excited by the prospect of Mabel’s new pig companion, but weren’t able to muster any defence against her persistence. It wasn’t the first time her tenacity had worn down her parents and would be far from the last.

No, Waddles wasn’t the problem. The real problem was the letter, and not the one from Dipper’s friends promising him they’d ‘see him next summer’. If he wanted any chance of that promise being fulfilled then the next few minutes would be vital.

A few weeks ago, back before the world ended, before Weirdmageddon, before all of Bill’s plans and tricks, when the twins were still reeling from the arrival of Grunkle Ford, Mabel had penned a short letter home. It detailed Ford’s arrival and general existence, something the twins’ parents had been completely in the dark about. They’d been shocked when the letter arrived - finding out a trusted family member had been lying for 30 years would disturb anyone - but what was more concerning were all the other details. A hitherto unknown twin brother was one thing, but Mabel had decided to include much more in her letter.

The letter rested on the kitchen table, with a cutesy crayon illustration of Stan and Ford holding hands and all, while Mom and Dad sat the twins down to ask the obvious questions. “Portals? Reversed gravity?” their father asked. Mom had a concerned frown, as if trying to piece together what all this meant. She’d laid out photos Mabel had provided from one of her scrapbooks - corroborating evidence for Ford’s existence. There were shots of him with Stan and kids, reclining in the Mystery Shack’s sitting room or trekking through woodland paths.

Dipper sat in silence, contemplating where he could possibly begin to explain anything about the summer. All his parents really knew was that they’d worked at the Mystery Shack with Stan, had nearly been sent home at one point before ending up staying, and then a random brother appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t like he could show his parents the journals; even if he had them here in Piedmont and not lost down a pit it was a lot to take in. He and Mabel had been on so many adventures in the past three months, adventures which had their fair share of risk and peril. The twins had each nearly died several times over. What would Mom and Dad say if they found out?

Mabel seemed ignorant of these concerns, gladly rambling about unicorns and mermaids and all sorts of out-of-context snippets. She’d never had to explain the strange events in Gravity Falls to any newcomers before, so the information flooded out of her in random anecdotes. “Then I made my hand super big with the shrink ray and socked him right in his eyeball!”

“Uh huh,” Dad muttered. Dipper knew he was unconvinced from the deep lines on his forehead. Mabel’s imagination was famously unmatched after all. But if his parents began to suspect, even for a second, that there was some truth to her wild claims then things might get tricky to explain. “I knew Uncle Stanford was a bit of a conman, but this-”

“Stanley,” Dipper said automatically, his first comment since being confronted with the letter. “Stanford is the, uh… new one.”

“Right… So Uncle Stan kept all this hidden from the family?”

Here Dipper felt on stable ground. The motivations that had split Stan and Ford apart were mundane enough for Mom and Dad to grapple with. He gladly recounted an abridged retelling of their childhood and falling out, opting to skim over the portal in favour of simple estrangement. That seemed to satisfy his father, who knew Stan personally from visiting him in his own childhood and occasional contact over the years since.

Mom however wanted more. Wanted to know why Mabel’s account included such oddities. She was about to answer, to give even more away about magic and the supernatural. Dipper finally made a choice and stepped in before she could speak. “Those were great games we had with the Grunkles, weren’t they, Mabel?”

“Uh, what are you talking about Dip-Dop, I was about to tell Mom all about when we time-travelled-”

He elbowed her in the side and fixed her with a stern gaze. Mabel pursed her lips, momentarily unsure, before giving a tiny nod. “Lots of crazy adventures, right sis, so much fun and games.”

“Uh, yeah. It was really… great,” Mabel said with a hint of doubt. Then the twins flashed a synchronised smile at their parents, made an excuse about unpacking, and ran off to their rooms.

After that day the matter of Mabel’s letter was swiftly forgotten, treated as nothing more than a flight of fancy from a girl known for her outlandish creativity, learning to cope with the upheaval of a sudden new relative. The twins seemed to have enjoyed their summer away and held nothing back when telling their parents all about exploring the forests or the new friends they’d made up north like Wendy and Soos. It didn’t need to go beyond that.

Dipper and Mabel both agreed this was for the best. Mr and Mrs Pines would live in blissful ignorance as long as it meant they could continue to visit the Falls every summer and investigate the paranormal in secret. They had no way of knowing how their parents would react to the information, so they weren’t going to risk finding out. All they had to do was keep the charade going, and lie to their parents every single day. Easy, Dipper thought. We’re the Mystery Twins. We can do anything.

Dipper Pines had a problem.

Dipper Pines wanted to tell the truth.

Turning the last corner through the darkened suburbs, Dipper slowed the car to a stop. He clutched the steering wheel and stared straight ahead at the perfectly ordinary house. A string of lights alternating in red and green illuminated the street. The glow was hypnotic.

“Dad? You ok?”

His clammy hands squeezed the wheel tighter before he let out a breath and eased them off. Turning to look at the other passengers squeezed into the back, straining the seating capacities of the Mini Cooper, he looked to his daughter waiting expectantly for him to answer.

“I’m… fine, Merrise. Just… taking a moment to process where we are.”

Sitting beside him in the front, Pacifica offered a sympathetic smile. “We made it, Mace. Like you planned. Home.”

715 Wildwood Avenue, Piedmont, California. The home of his and Mabel’s parents.

Dipper switched off the 80’s pop CD that had been blaring. His sister had insisted on having it play for most of the drive, to make it feel more like a family road trip. No one had been singing along for the last half an hour. Mabel had been reverently whispering as she pointed out familiar places from her childhood to her wife and niece - though in the darkness they weren’t able to make much out except indistinct blurs. They were all tightly packed together beside Wendy, Dipper and Pacifica’s baby daughter. Both Mabel and her partner, Zera, seemed eager to be free of the cramped space. They unbuckled their seatbelts as Dipper took a deep breath and addressed the group.

“Now I know we all want to get inside. 10 hours on the road is nobody’s idea of fun. But before we go in I want to set a few ground rules.”

“Uh oh,” Mabel groaned, “it’s the Dad Voice.”

"First: Perception filters are to be turned on at all times. I want no magic use under my parents’ roof, and no mention of the supernatural whatsoever. Am I understood?”

Silence filled the car. Mabel and Pacifica shared a glance. They recognised Dipper’s strict tone; he was in ‘adventure lecture mode’. Pacifica lightly touched his arm. “Mason, remember, this isn’t a dangerous scenario. We’re just staying with your parents for a few days.”

“Anyway,” Mabel said, climbing forwards and butting in between the couple. “I thought this meet-up was supposed to be ‘the one’.” Her eyes flicked towards the waiting house. “You know, all about finally telling Mom and Dad the truth about all our adventures?”

Dipper swallowed and puffed out his chest. “It will be, it will. But first we’ll take it slow. I haven’t visited Mom and Dad in nearly six years. It’s gonna take some time to settle back into routine. I want to introduce Merrise and Zera first in a normal context, then we can branch out to the…” He swallowed. “...Alien stuff. We don’t want to bombard them with everything right up front.”

“Do we really have to go through all this?” Zera asked. Her arms were folded and she scowled from the backseat.

Dipper scanned her appearance; she was covered in aqua scales, with a vibrant purple fin jutting out of her head. “I think we do.” he replied dryly. “Most humans aren’t used to amphibious offworlders from the planet S’aren!”

Merrise wiggled free of her seatbelt and pushed forwards. “But you always say that I should be happy with who I am. No-one else gets to judge me for that.” Her dark eyes pleaded with him to explain fully.

“That’s true, of course it is.” Dipper felt his voice rising, wanting the others to understand his point of view. He’d been working on this plan for the past month, building slowly to the point where he felt comfortable finally revealing the truth to his parents. “Look, I just want my parents to know you as people, without any prejudice. That means that certain parts of our lives have to be… understated. At least at first. After a few days we can work up to the big reveal.” He smiled shakily, failing to convince the sour faces in the rest of the car.

“Then what’s this for?” Pacifica clicked the glove box open and removed a leather-bound journal with a golden hand sigil adorning the cover. A number 3 was written on it in black ink. She flipped the book open to a random page showing a hovering ghost and held it for all to see. “This isn’t your usual late-night reading, is it hon?”

Dipper grabbed the book off her and slammed it closed against his chest. “That’s… backup.”

“For what?” Pacifica responded, her lip set in a line. “I saw the others you packed in the trunk. Every single one of the journals, yours and your Great Uncle’s.” She frowned. “They took up a lot of space, you realise. I could’ve packed a bigger wardrobe, but no, Mace has to bring his book collection.”

Dipper awkwardly laughed but Pacifica’s gaze didn’t waver. “Paz, don’t worry. I’m not planning on summoning a demon or something like that.”

“Yeah, we all figured that, bro,” Mabel said, slumped in her seat.

“When we get around to finally spilling everything then these books will be crucial. Mom and Dad can take all the time they need to learn about our lives. The lives we chose to live without them.” That got the others to listen at last. No-one could meet his gaze. It hadn’t been Dipper’s choice alone to conceal things. Mabel had been right alongside him all the way, as had Pacifica from the moment she’d been introduced to her future parents-in-law. She had her own journal stashed in the trunk, pink with a golden llama on the cover.

Dipper slid Journal 3 into his jacket. “Though we’ve gotta make sure Mom and Dad don’t read them ahead of schedule. As far as they’re concerned these are just notebooks. But if they start browsing through they might find out about the times we went out monster hunting as teens, or our death defying first summer, or the fact their granddaughter is from outer space!”

Pacifica sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “As I always tire of saying, you don’t need a multi-step plan for social interaction.”

“Forgive me for being cautious,” he replied icily. “So much of our lives is wrapped up in this stuff. Where Zera and Merrise come from. How Ford came back. What we were doing racing around the world for a whole year, and then why we dropped off the face of it for months after that. I don’t want to come off ranting like a loony street preacher when I try to explain the basic facts of how Wendy was born: Hear all about it, alien nano machines fixed my wife’s barren womb! - and that’s a totally true description of events by the way, according to Paz.”

Mabel sneered at him. “Yeesh bro, lighten up. You’re leaping straight to the worst possible outcome. Mom and Dad aren’t going to take it that badly. I thought you wanted to talk to them,” she whispered.

“I do. But I want to do it on my own terms. Can you guys do that for me?”

Pacifica took his hand in hers. “Like Mabel said, this was your idea. So if you want to take it slow… then I guess we’ll take it slow.” She reached over and kissed him. “Now let’s go inside. It’s been getting muggy in here for the past hour and a half, ever since we passed Sacramento.”

She made to open her door but Dipper spoke. “One last thing. Zera, Merrise. Can you please turn on your perception filters?”

“Will Grandma and Grandpa really hate us that much?” Merrise asked, and Dipper already felt his heart breaking. He forced out a grimace.

“No, but… look, Mom is very high strung most of the time, and Dad, he’s super down to Earth. I don’t know how they’d react, so it’s better to play this safe. So please, can we do this my way?”

Merrise reached into her backpack by her feet and retrieved a golden medallion which she slid over her head. “Alright Dad. If you say so.” The moment the medallion was around her neck, Merrise’s features began to morph before Dipper’s eyes. Her magenta skin rapidly darkened. Her new skin tone was distinct from Pacifica and the twins but still mundane enough to pass as human. Her eyes, black pupilless pits, gained sclera and shrunk.

In the back, Zera attached a triangular earring and her features similarly morphed. Her headfin became short black hair and her scaly skin took on a brown complexion. Once the effect was complete, the two appeared completely human. A second later Dipper’s eyes blurred until the pair looked as if nothing had changed, as alien as always. This was the trick of the filter, showing a disguise to anyone unaware of Zera or Merrise’s true nature but undetectable to someone familiar with their real forms. Dipper squinted and the pair switched back and forth between alien and human before settling as the latter. He’d been training his senses to try and visualise both appearances, should a mention of their altered forms come up in conversation.

“Thanks,” he said softly to the two of them. Pacifica had already stepped out and round to unbuckle Wendy from her booster seat in the back. Merrise, swathed in an overlarge jacket and wearing Dipper’s old fur hat, was prepared for the icy blast when she opened the door. On the opposite side Mabel pulled on a bobble hat and gloves before practically tumbling out onto the sidewalk.

Dipper followed her round to the trunk and checked over their crammed-in belongings before returning Journal 3 to its crate with the other volumes. He found his latest book, number 9, decorated with a golden constellation pattern. All three of Ford’s books were safely stowed - plus one with a green cover and a golden symbol melding the six-fingered hand and the circular sigil from Stan’s fez. This came from later in life, and Ford had shared it with his brother Stan when they’d sailed around the world’s oceans exploring hotspots of mystery. With six of Dipper’s own books going back to 2012, and Pacifica’s lone journal, there were eleven journals in total, brimming with forbidden knowledge. He lifted the crate down onto the asphalt and clipped the lid on tight. While the others might not see the value in bringing these to Piedmont, Dipper considered them his secret weapon, his best chance at laying out both the course of his life and the reasons why he’d kept it so obscured until now. If he couldn’t sway his parents with his words, then maybe these writings could provide something of an unbiased history.

The others were gathered around the trunk now, dumping out their bags ready to carry them inside. Mabel was struggling to heft a plastic carrier cage that had been buried amongst the clutter. “C’mon girl, time to stretch your scales.” A tongue darted in and out of the bars.

“It’s not fair,” Merrise said, turning imploringly to her father. “Mabel got to bring her pet! Why couldn’t we bring Dee? He’ll be all lonely at home.”

Dipper put an arm around Merrise as Mabel opened the cage and stroked her pet snake, Apep. “Sorry Sixer, but after all that’s happened, in the Falls and in Salem, I’m not taking any chances with Dee. I’d like to keep the home I grew up in un-flambéed.”

“Apep’s way less dangerous,” Mabel added, despite the fact that the snake could deliver a venomous bite if provoked. “We’ll have to invest in fire-proof cladding next Christmas. You ready, Z?” Zera fumbled with a bag and stood up rigid. Mabel could already guess the reason for her loss of composure, and Zera was quick to spill the beans.

“May, are you sure your parents will be ok with us? If they know so little about your life then how will they react to you showing up with a new wife?”

Mabel put an arm around her. “It’ll be fine. I already sent Mom and Dad a bunch of emails and texts telling them all about you. Well, everything except for…” She pointed skywards and winked. Zera’s apprehension faded away and she patted Mabel on the arm. “My parents aren’t evil, just ignorant about a few, small things.”

“Hey, that reminds me.” Pacifica finished pulling out a suitcase and turned on Mabel. “If we’re doing ground rules then I have one for you. I don’t want you spouting politics all week, Mabel. This is a holiday, not an opportunity for polemics about the evils of commercialism”

“Who, me?” She dumbly replied.

“Not to sound like a wanted poster, but you’re not exactly subtle when it comes to your beliefs.”

“What, you think renowned slash infamous anarchist activist May Pines can’t keep quiet about her opinions for a few days? Perish the thought?” When Pacifica was unmoved by her dramatic words Mabel chuckled. “Ah, relax sister, I’m only pulling your leg. I love this season, all the sparkly lights, the silly traditions, sharing gifts. You never had that growing up, did you?”

“I did not. Holidays don’t add much when you’re a millionaire. Anyway, we’re wasting time out here, let’s get inside. Mason, you first?”

Dipper was surprised. He hadn’t expected to be put on the spot. He supposed it made sense; it was his plan that had brought them here after all. Hefting the journal crate he walked up the path to the door of the Pines household. Colourful decorations of reindeers lined the way.

It had been Christmas the last time he’d visited too. He and Pacifica had dropped in over New Years 2024 - explicitly avoiding Mabel who’d been present the week before. That had been back in the awful period when the twins weren’t on speaking terms, a situation mercifully reversed in the present. Dipper hoped desperately that the same could soon be said about the distant relationship with his parents.

Wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t realise he’d already reached the front door. He turned and saw the others all tapping their feet, waiting for him to make a move. Pacifica in particular was almost daring him to do it, to get over his anxiety. She had Wendy wrapped in her arms while Merrise clung to her hand; his daughters who’d never met their grandparents before today. He would do this for them most of all.

He placed the crate of books down and faced the door. He attempted to project confidence. This was perfectly normal. They were his parents and he was 30 years old for chrissakes, he didn’t have to worry this much. He’d faced the end of the world half a dozen times and come through stronger. He hadn’t even been this stressed on his wedding day. Marrying Pacifica was trivial compared to blowing his biggest secret, one that had defined his entire teen years, wide open. Even deciding between ringing the doorbell or knocking was a momentous dilemma. In the end he opted to knock, wanting the solid reality of the door to tether him in the present.

A few awkward seconds passed and Dipper looked back at the expectant faces of his family while he tried to stay composed. The door was pulled inwards and, staring out from beneath bushy eyebrows, Dipper’s father stood there grinning. “Dipper!”

“Hi Dad-” He was pulled into a tight embrace, reminding him where Mabel had picked up her penchant for bone–crushing hugs. He squeezed back, finding that he’d missed the feeling of such a warm closeness with his father. Released after a few seconds, he saw his mother rushing down the hallway.

“Sorry, the meatloaf’s just gone in the oven.” She lightly hugged Dipper and beamed at him.

“Don’t worry about the cooking, Mom.” Dipper said, placing a hand on each of his parents’ shoulders. “It’s great to see both of you. It’s been way too long.”

“Same to you son,” Mr Pines said. “Although, that hair?”

Dipper picked up a strand of his messy brown hair, which had recently passed the point of being a mullet and often needed tying up in a ponytail. “It fits my personality,” he said casually, almost proud of his more rugged appearance, developed in response to his adventurous lifestyle living in Gravity Falls for the past few months. He flexed a muscle jokingly to show off some of his newly developed strength. “I’m the kind of guy who can cut down a tree and pose dramatically next to it,” he said semi-seriously.

Pacifica strode in the door behind him, trailing a suitcase which she propped up by the stairs. Carrying Wendy in one arm, she handed the case over to husband and flashed a winning smile at the Pines. “Such a pleasure to see you both,” she said to Dipper’s parents with a layer of sophisticated charm he was sure only she could display. “Mary, do you need help in the kitchen?”

“Oh, well-”

“It’s no bother, I’ve already pre-made some things for Christmas dinner. I’ll take a load off your shoulders and let you have a moment with everyone.” She winked at Dipper then sashayed down the hall.

Dipper adjusted the baby in his arms, making sure Wendy was comfortable, then grimaced at his parents. “I promise she’s gotten better at cooking since last you saw her.”

“That’ll be impressive,” Mr Pines grumbled cheerily before grinning down at Dipper’s daughter. “Isn’t she a cutie.”

“Oh yeah,” Dipper said absent-mindedly. “This is Wendy.” He handed her over gently and watched his parents dote on their infant grandaughter. Their eyes lit up with love for the innocent little girl.

“Move it or lose it, bro!” Mabel shoved Dipper out of the way and into the house, carrying Apep around her neck as was usual for her but placed her snake terrifyingly close for most people. She gave a nonchalant wave then breezed straight past her parents into the adjacent sitting room. Sitting in the corner of the room was a massive pink lump of flesh which snorted at Mabel’s presence. “Waddles, my baby!”

“Of course she goes straight for the pig,” her mother chuckled.

“We know who she really cares about around here,” Dad added. Waddles, now in his 18th year, was enjoying his twilight years in peace as a sedentary pig. Of the group, Mabel had visited her parents most frequently in the last few years, making regular trips to Piemont when her activist events allowed.

“Oh yeah,” Mabel added, slapping her forehead. “Mom, Dad, this is my wife Zera!” She said it with the casual tone of introducing a new friend she’d made in the park five minutes prior.

Zera timidly smiled and entered, appearing more nervous than Dipper had ever known from the brash alien. “Hello, Mr and Mrs Pines. I, uh, hope I’m welcome.” For a split second the perception filter flickered under Dipper’s watchful gaze. Zera’s desi features vanished to show a mosaic of shimmering scales. His chest tightened, but then she returned to looking human, with his parents not giving any indication of surprise. Zera’s disguise had only wavered under his own scrutiny.

“Of course dear, come in out of the cold,” Mrs Pines said. “Mabel’s been so cagey telling us about you up until now,” she said enthusiastically, though Dipper noticed a slight narrowing of her brow. Even after all this time Mabel’s reputation for frequent romances was still something his mother was legitimately judgy about. Mr Pines on the other hand slapped her on the back and congratulated her about the wedding, saying something about finally tying his daughter down.

Zera chatted amiably for a few moments, before going to kneel beside Mabel and her pets. Apep and Waddles were snuggled close together, sleeping in the glow of a nearby Christmas tree while the couple watched on. Wendy yawned in her grandmother’s arms and Dipper took her back. “Poor little lamb’s as tuckered out as I am.” He gave a little laugh, finally starting to feel at ease.

Maybe this all wouldn’t be so bad. If Pacifica could breeze in like a socialite and Mabel still had the ability to treat everything like a harmless game, then maybe he could relax about the heavy stuff too.

“And who’s this?” his mother said. Dipper spun around. Standing out in the cold, clutching her hands together, Merrise was still lingering on the porch. She had an apprehensive expression and seemed wary about entering into the glow that covered the front porch.

“Come on Merrise, it’s ok.” Dipper took her hand and helped her step inside. “This is our other daughter. Merrise, say hello to your grandparents.”

“Um, hello.” Her eyes kept to the floor.

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s, uh, not used to social situations yet.”

“That’s alright, neither’s Mabel,” Dad said with a hearty laugh. Mabel stuck out her tongue at him, but Merrise’s grip still felt clammy in Dipper’s palm.

Mrs Pines got down on one knee to face Merrise at eye level. “Hello there dear. It’s alright, we won’t bite. Here, I’m Mary.” She offered out her hand and gingerly Merrise accepted the handshake. Mom gasped slightly. “How about that? Six fingers.” Dipper felt the shutters guarding his secrets come crashing back down inside him. Even the perception filter couldn’t hide that quirk of Merrise’s anatomy. His daughter looked like she’d been accused of something and Dipper’s heart twisted up without anything he could say to make things easier. “Well, I’m sure you’ll fit in with our family in no time,” his mother said, guiding her into the sitting room with her aunts.

“You ok, Mace?” his father said, noticing his anxious expression. “You’ll want some help unpacking I suppose. Here, I’ll take this box.”

Dad went to pick up the journal crate but Dipper’s swift reflexes cut him off. “No, I’ve got this one. Thanks Dad, you can help the girls get the rest of the stuff out of the car. We’re gonna have a great Christmas.” Dipper gritted his teeth and set off upstairs with the crate in hand, leaving his confused father behind. Inwardly he cursed. If this is how he reacted to his parents noticing one small facet of Merrise, how on Earth would he cope with the stress of revealing the existence of an entire second life? Wrapped up in internally critiquing himself, Dipper failed to notice the golden light seeping out of the crate in his arms. Something flickered between the pages of the journals, bringing light to long buried secrets.

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

“This’ll be great, like a sleepover, only we’re married!” Mabel had to shout to be heard over the incessant sound of air pumping into her and Zera’s inflatable beds down in the sitting room beside Waddles’ mat. Dipper had already conked out immediately in his old bedroom, which he was sharing with Pacifica alongside a cot for Wendy. Merrise was taking Mabel’s old room, which left the couple sleeping on the floor.

Zera didn’t seem to mind, enjoying the opportunity to wander around the twins’ old home and marvel at framed photos and little souvenirs the family had collected. The mantlepiece was adorned with trinkets from the vacations the Pines had used to go on together before the twins’ first summer in Gravity Falls. Little snowglobes sat beside fridge magnets from every other museum or theme park on the West Coast. After 2012 there was a dropoff in mementos from these family trips. The twins had never quite reconnected with their mundane lives in the same way.

Mabel’s phone buzzed in the pocket of the black cat onesie she’d chosen for pyjamas. “Ooh, lemme get that. Dad, can you help Zera with the second bed?”

“You got it pumpkin,” he said, grunting as he unplugged the hose from the fully inflated airbed.

Zera watched her wife pace around, engrossed in the call with a tail flopping around behind her. She chuckled at the sight and failed to hide a small blush.

“I hope you’ve made an honest woman of my daughter,” Mr Pines said, and Zera immediately stood to attention.

“Oh, yes sir, I have,” Zera said. “No dishonesty from me, that’s for sure.” Mabel heard this and flashed a wink in her direction. Zera only blushed brighter.

Mabel put a finger in one ear, trying to drown out the sound of the pump again. “Yeah, 3 tons of the stuff. I want it delivered by the 6th. Thanks. Yeah. You too, bye.”

“What was that all about, May?” her father asked as she ended the call.

“Nothing,” she said in a highly suspicious way. “Just a little project I have planned back home for the new year. Don’t tell Dipper or Pacifica.”

He shrugged. “If you say so. Whatever you have planned, I'm sure it’ll be hard to miss.” The second airbed was ready so he started packing the pump away. “There. You two newlyweds get the finest honeymoon suite of all: the Pines family living room. Isn’t it grand?”

“Yes Mr Pines, all ship-shape around here,” Zera said, standing rigid.

He slapped his daughter-in-law on the back, taking her breath away. “Now now, there’s no need for formality. We’re all Pines here.” She relaxed her posture and went to test out the springiness of her bed. “Yes, you two don’t have to worry about anything. Over this holiday period Mary and I will make it as relaxing as humanly possible.”

“Thanks.” Zera smiled at Mabel. “I hope I make a good impression.”

“Of course my dear.” Mr Pines sidled over to Mabel and lightly nudged her in the ribs. “Although you couldn’t have married a millionaire like Dip?” he whispered

“Daaaad’” Mabel groaned, embarrassed in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

Seeing that her mood hadn’t darkened too much at the jab, he continued. “I’m just saying, your brother got extremely lucky with dear Pacifica.”

“I’m a disgraced millionaire I think you’ll find.” Pacifica stuck her head around the doorway. “Mason’s out like a light already, poor thing. That’s what ten hours of driving’ll do to you. Wendy too, all very peaceful. She’s too tired to put up a fuss. You lovebirds all set?”

“Definitely,” Mabel said, “I can sleep anywhere.” She flopped down onto her bed with a force that threatened to burst it, covering it up with a grin.

Zera tapped a finger to her chin before nodding. “You know I think I was once a millionaire briefly. Then I lost it all on roulette.”

“A gambler, are you?” Mr Pines asked and Mabel felt her heart leap in her throat.

“Oh sure,” Zera said, missing Mabel’s frantic signals to stop talking. “In fact, you might say May and I met in a casino.”

“Really?” Mr Pines raised an eyebrow while Mabel slumped down in shame. She didn’t want to bring up any of the real facts about how they’d met Zera, mainly because that story involved alien cops, magic temples, and thieves from beyond the stars. But even the basics seemed incriminating in some way.

“Or at least reconnected in one,” Zera continued obliviously. “May was passing through and I was in the middle of this high stakes game, a lot of money on the line…”

Pacifica on the other hand had picked up on Mabel’s distress, so coughed into her fist. “Gee, is that the time? I’d better check on Merrise before she goes to sleep.” She stretched her arms and placed a conspiratorial hand on Zera’s shoulder. “Try not to ramble on too long about all that romance stuff. You don’t wanna bore your hosts.”

Zera’s eyes widened and she subtly nodded. “Oh, right. Well, uh, it was a dull anecdote anyway.” Mabel breathed a sigh of relief as Pacifica left and Mr Pines seemed placated. “There are plenty of reasons how we met, but who we are is more important. Mabel is very sweet, and kind even to people who probably don’t deserve it. But she also doesn’t take anything lying down, always fighting to make the world a better place in some small way. She makes me prouder of who I am. You could say that’s why we got together.”

Mr Pines grunted in affirmation. “Hmmph, well as long as you’re not one of those Greenpeace hippy types my daughter seems to gravitate towards that’s alright with me.”

Mabel rolled her eyes, but grinned. Despite her long list of romances she’d never really managed to introduce any of them to her parents. Even back then she hadn’t been a particularly self-conscious kid, but with all her short flings and eclectic taste in partners she’d never found ‘the one’ to bring home for polite conversation. Zera passing the vibe check with her father wasn’t something she’d expected to be a problem, but it was nice all the same that he accepted her in his own begrudging way. She chuckled to herself, imagining the reaction if Zera was in her true form. Dad would probably freak out. Might be worth it to help Dipper skip over all his angst.

“There it is!” Merrise scurried into the room and dived into the pile of bags the group had dumped inside earlier. She grabbed a small llama plushie and clutched it to her chest. She wore one of Mabel’s old sleeping shirts, a few sizes too big and hanging loosely on her taller frame.

“Ah, you all set for bed Merrise?” Mr Pines asked. “Am I saying that right?”

“You stress the second syllable. Like: Me-rrise.”

“Sorta like Merry, but she doesn’t like being called that,” Mabel added, receiving a scowl from her niece in return.

Mr Pines tried out the name a few times until he was satisfied with the pronunciation. “Merrise. Nice name. Not heard it before. If you don’t mind me asking, where is it from?”

“From? From my… birth parents,” she offered, confused by the question.

“No, I mean,” he struggled with his words. “Where does it originate as a name?”

“Dad!” Mabel interjected. “You can’t go round asking people where they’re from like that.”

He held up his hands in apology “Sorry, sorry, touchy subject.” There was a frosty silence in the room only punctured when Zera leant on her bed, making a squeak. Rubbing his arm, Mr Pines said, “I’m just trying to learn more about you, Merrise. Since you’re part of the family now, and I don’t want to say anything that might make you uncomfortable. So in the future I’ll try not to make any mistakes like that again.”

“I- thank you,” Merrise quietly said. “Night everyone.” The others all said goodnight and Merrise shuffled back upstairs.

Mr Pines thumbed at the door and followed. “Ahem, I’ll go check if your mother’s ready for bed. Goodnight Mabel, Zera.”

The couple shared a glance. “Well, that could’ve gone better,” Zera muttered. Mabel stayed silent and laid back on her airbed.

Zera was right. Suddenly Dipper’s worries didn’t seem so abstract. Her dad was trying to get to know Zera and Merrise, but the thundering awkwardness of his attempt only left Mabel regretting the whole endeavour. Maybe with time both he and Mom would avoid any difficult questions, but she knew it wouldn’t be long before something unravelled the truth.

Mabel groaned. It had always seemed simple in the past, laid out like one of Dipper’s overly complex plans. ‘Mom and Dad finding out about the Journals = No more adventures’. That was the equation he’d laid out. So she’d given no further thoughts to it and gone on enjoying her teen years exploring magical mysteries.

But there were factors she’d failed to consider, like how keeping such a big part of herself hidden would create an inevitable distance from her parents, or how the weight of disobedience would fade as she and Dipper grew older and found their independence. Then there were her own activities, activism across the globe, the sort of things that got her put on government watchlists. Mom and Dad already knew the gist of that time of her life - they could hardly miss her face on nightly news reports - choosing not to pry any deeper into the unsavoury details. If they could handle ‘May Pines: global disruptor’, then what harm would the truth about Zera and Merrise cause now?

She knew one answer: it would reveal her as a liar. Dipper didn’t get that, thought it was still all about the magic and portals. That stuff wasn’t what mattered, Mabel realised. It was the idea that she couldn’t even trust her Dad about the most important things of all. She’d had the chance to watch her father cheerily chat with his granddaughter and didn’t want to burst the bubble yet.

Zera had noticed Mabel’s distress and laid down with one arm around her. Lying there, Mabel anticipated that whatever happened the next few days were going to be tricky to navigate. At least she had someone to rely on, she thought as Zera kissed her on the cheek. They could worry about her parents in the morning. As Zera got up to get into bed, Mabel surprised her with a kiss of her own and dragged her back down. Simple pleasures could help her forget her worries for one night.

[wowtraveltour]

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Often regarded as one of the most scenic drives in the world, Chapman’s Peak Drive offers dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean as it hugs the steep cliffs of the Peninsula. Your guide will provide fascinating insights into the history and engineering of this iconic route, as well as highlight some of the best spots for panoramic photos.

2. Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point

The Peninsula Tour is incomplete without a stop at the Cape of Good Hope, the southwestern tip of Africa. Known for its rugged beauty, this area is a haven for wildlife such as baboons, ostriches, and antelope. The adjacent Cape Point, with its historic lighthouse, offers spectacular ocean views and an opportunity to learn about the maritime history that shaped this region. Your guide will share stories about shipwrecks, explorers, and the unique geography of this iconic landmark.

3. Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach is world-famous for its colony of African penguins. A stop here will give you the rare opportunity to see these adorable creatures in their natural habitat. Your guide will explain the efforts to conserve this endangered species and how the local environment supports their survival. You’ll have time to wander along the boardwalks, getting up-close views of the penguins as they waddle across the beach or swim in the ocean.

4. Hout Bay and Seal Island

Hout Bay is a charming coastal village that serves as the gateway to Seal Island, home to a large population of Cape fur seals. Your guide can arrange a boat trip from Hout Bay to Seal Island, where you’ll be able to observe these playful creatures in the wild. Hout Bay is also known for its lively harbour market, where you can shop for local crafts and enjoy fresh seafood.

Conclusion

From its natural beauty and rich history to culinary delights and thrilling adventures, the Cape Peninsula Tour offers an unforgettable experience for every traveller. Book your Cape Town tour with Wow Travel Tours for personalized service and competitive rates. Discover the magic of Cape Town with us!

[hearted-anon]

little part 2 i wrote, 1054 words. (enough to be a fic actually..)

“But was it?!” Changbin whined, clinging onto the tired quokka as if he wasn’t the one who drained all that energy. Jisung shrieked at the feeling of two big arms wrapping around him like a vice, almost dropping his lollipop in the process. Hyunjin snickered in the background, shaking his head in faux disappointment, trying fruitlessly to pull the dwaekki off the poor quokka.

"Definitely." Jisung deadpanned, only to be met with a large pout and glossy eyes as the oldest of the trio began to waddle away and sulk in a corner all alone. Exchanging a familiar glance with each other, the two mischievously snuck up on the rapper, keeping their footsteps as light as humanly possible to keep their dear producer unaware of the chaos brewing directly behind him.

Before he knew it, he screamed as four hands began to wrestle him to the floor, struggling as much as he could to no avail, shaking his head in desperation. The duo above him only smirked evilly and continued trying to pin Changbin down with all their weight, eventually securing him down with Jisung on his waist and Hyunjin above Changbin's head, just like a very familiar position someone was in mere moments ago.

"Go on, tell us one of your jokes, we'll rate them." Jisung encourages, grinning ear to ear at the ferret who matched his energy right back like a mirror.

"O-Okay...W-What's the best way to communicate with a fish- WAHAHAH!" Changbin barely managed to get out his joke when nails began to scrape all over his armpits, another set of arms kneading at the pudge of his stomach. The scream he let out nearly bucked Jisung off alone, but seeing his wide smile as it was flashed to anyone in the room just strengthened his resolve not to be thrown off on this wild bull ride; and maybe some part of him wanted revenge too.

"Hmm, what is it, go on Hyung, tell us~" Hyunjin whispered into his ear with faux innocence, only pressing the pads of his fingers deeper into the center of the elder's underarms, his nails moving up and down rapidly in such a way that drove Changbin absolutely nuts, the teasing lit to Hyunjin's voice not making it any easier to get out his words in proper sentences. The moment his lips parted to continue the joke, all that came out were desperate screams as Jisung pressed right into his v-line, or sometimes suddenly scribbled over his stomach pudge, cutting him off completely.

"A little harsh don't you think? He looks like he's going to die soon~" Jisung tutted, but nonetheless his fingers didn't stop, jutting out his bottom lip to add to whatever charm that Hyunjin pretended to gag at. Meanwhile, the dwaekki under them was practically wheezing, eyes widening every once in a while, to be met with Hyunjin's empathetic gaze, which really wasn't ever in the slightest. His eyes were glossed over, entire face a bright red, and he could barely squirm with the quokka's legs on either side of him, trapping him in.

"I-I'M GOHOHONNA DIE! PLEHEHEASE HEHEHELP ME!" Changbin wailed, to no one in particular at this point, seeing how no one had come bursting through the exit at his desperate cries. His legs feebly twitched and kicked under the sensations, arms being locked by the ferret and held up to let his underarms be tortured for eternity, body trembling as Han pressed back into his waistline once more. He threw his head back in mirthful agony, this was so much more comedic than his jokes or aegyo, wouldn't one agree?

"No one's coming to save you Hyungie, until you finish your joke~" Jisung coos, very much tempted to blow a raspberry but his mouth was still preoccupied with the lollipop in his mouth, resorting to leaning down and rubbing his stubble against the elder's stomach, snickering at the ear shattering scream that followed. The stubble was rough yet oh so ticklish against his bare skin, the friction making it feel like absolute torture for him. Hyunjin gave a smile of empathy seeing how tears of laughter were streaming down his cheeks and pattering against the floor, lightening up and just gently scratching under his chin.

"Okay okay Sungie, let up, he might actually pass out if we don't let up on him," Hyunjin reasoned, seeing how Changbin's squeaky cackles had gone pin-drop silent, and finally at last did the ace let up, seeing the mess he's created. Changbin simply heaved on the floor, flinching harshly when hands came up to soothe his poor stomach and wipe the sweat off his forehead; if without context maybe someone would've assumed he had the workout of his life, who knew he just got tickled the living lights out of?

"Ahaha..Noho more.." Poor Changbin pants as he curls up onto the floor, screaming bloody murder when he was picked up by the duo to lay onto the comfortable couch, eventually succumbing to his exhaustion and melting away into the couch like putty. Hyunjin audibly cooed at the sight, pressing big chaste kisses all over the elder's cheeks while he weakly protested and pushed at his face; it was useless given how he was completely out of strength by now. Jisung simply watched in the background, enjoying the taste of cherry and laughter on his tongue while a hand wrapped around Changbin's shoulder tenderly.

"Think you're funny now hyung, our little comedian?" Jisung inquires, his eyebrows wiggling in mischief while Hyunjin gave a sneaky snicker, making the middle of them squeal in fear before nodding rapidly. Safe to say, he was not at all safe from their gentle affection, getting his cheeks repeatedly squeezed until they were as bright red as the lollipop in Han's mouth, little words of affection and compliments whispered into his ear till he felt like he was going to die, and it was supposed to be Jisung on the receiving end here!

By the time the lollipop stick was thrown into the trash, it was spotted that the trio were curled up in the living room, the rapper's arms wrapped around the duo with a blanket atop them, courtesy of a leader who couldn't help and take at least a thousand photos to remind them of the tender moment later.

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙚𝙚! 𝙝𝙖𝙣 — 𝙙𝙖𝙮 3: 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣:

𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖘: 1.2k

𝖑𝖊𝖊: han

𝖑𝖊𝖗: changbin and hyunjin

𝖆/𝖓: mah favorite for @hearted-anon

𝖙𝖜: pinning, no restraints, rough and soft tickles, angst cause mah wife likes it.

𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙: @someone-who-loves-kpop-saranghae @jeonginsdiary @leeknowstan33 @v--143 @wereallgonnadieonedaybutnottoday @inkytornpagess @lajanaa @a-wild-seungberry @channieissocute125 @soap143 @seungsluvv @skznccmlee @moony-9 @sunny-117

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞? 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐛s 🐾

“Okay okay okay GUYS!! I HAVE A JOKE!!” Hannie called out happily, a wide smile gracing his pretty features. 

“Did it make you laugh? Let’s hear it.” Chan clapped his hands, smiling at the quokka, who’s energy levels were off the chart that day. 

“What do you call two spiders that just got married?” Jisung giggled, scrunching his fingers in delight. 

“I dunno, what do you call them?” Felix asked, an amused twinkle in his eye. 

“Newlywebs!!” Jisung laughed, happily bouncing up and down. Chan was laughing; more at him than anything. 

“That’s a cute joke, Ji.” Minho sighed, staring at his phone. “Yeah, it was nice.” Seungmin replied next to him; they seemed to be watching a stage they had done previously, searching for mistakes in their performance. 

Jisung deflated a little, but he kept happy. “Is it okay if I tell you another one?” 

“Okay, why not?” Hyunjin turned off the television, glancing sideways at the quokka. 

“How do you turn a soup to gold?” Jisung asked, and Changbin, who had been previously typing away at his laptop, took pity on the aspiring comedian, turning to watch with an expression of curiosity. 

“Add 24 carrots!” Hannie cheered, expecting to at least hear a few chuckles from the members, but no one had even thought to laugh, and Binnie’s previous curiousity turned to boredom, even if he didn’t show it and clapped anyway.  

Jisung smiled defeatedly, heart shattering inside of him as he was left standing, everyone returning to their previous work without so much as a comment. They might as well have made fun of him; it would’ve felt better than this. 

His eyes welled up with tears, his emotions were becoming too overwhelming. Chan and Changbin turned to look at him when he let out a small, heartbroken sniffle, eyes widening when they noticed their dear quokka running from the room, door ajar. 

“Oh, Hannie…” Hyunjin whispered, running after the crying boy, Changbin following suit. 

“Sungie?” Hyunjin called gently, knocking at the ace’s door with two knuckles. It opened and Jisung, who had clearly been crying his little heart out, opened it, a wide smile on his face. 

“Hi, H-Hyune…do you need anything?” Jisung asked, smiling as he wiped his face. 

“No, no…come here.” Hyunjin held his arms out, and Jisung gave in, rocketing into his chest and letting out a desperate sob. 

“No, Sungie…I’m sorry, baby.” Changbin frowned, walking around him and pulling both boys into his hug; Hannie sandwiched between the two.

“S’Okay, Hyung…” The ace responded, warmth and comfort filling his body as Changbin gently massaged down his arms from behind. 

It all disappeared when Binnie kneaded along Hannie’s sides, and he tensed before letting out a small “Ah!”, reaching behind him to grapple at Changbin’s fingers. 

“Ticklish?~” Hyunjin asked above him, and a horrified Jisung could practically feel the air around him turning mischievous, and he was suddenly picked up, turned over, and manhandled onto the bed. 

“Plehease nohoho!!” He giggled cutely in anticipation.  

“Look, Hyune, he’s already giggling for us. Get ready, Sung.” Changbin laughed. 

“Whyhy are you tickling meehe??” Jisung asked cutely, covering his hands with his face. 

“You know Sung, there are other ways to make a joke funny,” Changbin grinned. Hyunjin nodded along with him. “Grab him for me, will you, Hyunjin?”

Jisung squealed and tried to bounce off the bed, just to feel two hands on his waist, grabbing him and pinning him to the bed, arms outwards to the sides. 

“Wait…Wahait Binnie hyuhung please…” 

“You’re always begging but you never want it to stop, do you?” Changbin asked, Hyunjin settling on the ace’s waist comfortably. 

Jisung was speechless.  

“No response to that~? Okay let’s start then.” 

Hannie squeezed his eyes shut just as a finger began to trace along the shape of his kneecap, nails suddenly spreading out and in along both of them. The technique was more torturous than some of the worst wreckings Jisung had received. 

“AH-haaahahaha! Hyuuhunjin plehehease nohohot thihihiss!” The poor boy giggled hysterically, twisting at the light sensations only useful in driving him mad. 

Hyunjin moved to the spot right on his inner knees, using his nails to trace all fingers along it, watching Hanji’s legs tremble beneath his touch. 

Jisung shrieked when Hyune wrapped his hands around his knees, using his thumbs in the area and hearing the cutest laughter from a trapped quokka. 

The dancer only smiled until his face hurt. 

Changbin took note of it. “See how happy you make us?” He praised, deciding to help out by trailing his fingers along the ace’s stretched armpits.  

Poor Jisung was going crazy already, tears were welling up in his eyes and he was giggling like a madman. “Ahahaahaaa!! Stahahahap ahahalreheheady!!”

“Stop? Now why should we do that…that takes all the fun out of it!” Hyunjin teased. 

“But as per your sweet request, we shall stop…” Jisung sighed in relief at Changbin’s words. “…going easy on you.”

Jisung only registered the words when he felt a truly unbearable sensation along his vulnerable ribs, Binnie’s fingers traveling up and down as he played the younger like a piano. 

Hannie shrieked at the feeling, breaking into loud laughter as he twisted side to side, unable to escape as Changbin’s fingers followed him wherever he went. “AGHHAAHA OHO MY GOHOHOHOD!!” 

“You’re too cute, Jisungie~” Hyunjin cooed, wiggling his fingers tantalizingly. Jisung was breathless, but mustered up the strength to string together a few pleas to stop the dancer. 

“Hyuhuhune…HYUHUNJIN-AH PLEHEHEASE NOHOHOHOHO!!” He squealed when Hyune ignored his pleas, skittering up and down his thighs with no remorse. 

Jisung was messy with laughter, loud, unbroken cackles spilling out of him endlessly as a loud squeal or shrieks for mercy piled in between. 

“Okay, I have a joke, Hannie,” Changbin started. “Now let’s see if you find my jokes funny?”

Jisung screamed when Binnie moved to his waist, mercilessly drilling in. “Okay…” The older cleared his throat. “Why did the chicken cross the web?” 

Hyunjin gasped a faux gasp. “Why did the chicken cross the web?” 

“Why don’t we ask Jisung?” Changbin and Hyunjin both smiled down at the screaming Han beneath them, squirming crazily, laughing his head off and unable to form coherent words. 

“Awhh…Hyunjin look at him~”

“Our cute little comedian.” Hyune finished with a smile, watching poor Jisung pause his laughing to let out a flustered squeal. 

“I CAHAHAHAHAAN’T!! SOHOMEONE HEHEHEHELP!!” 

“Help? But we’re here! Don’t you wanna laugh together? How about you answer Bunny’s joke and then we’ll see about letting you go.”

“I DOHOHON’T KNOHOW!!”

“Okay, well, tell him the answer, and we’ll see if he can even remember it by the time I’m done with him.” Hyunjin threw the younger’s shirt up and pressed his lips to his side, blowing out and nibbling in an incredibly ticklish raspberry that had Jisung howling, flinging his head to the other side in desperation. 

“The chicken crossed the web to get to the other site!” Changbin cackled as Jisung wailed in the background, and the rapper let go of the poor boy’s arms, watching as Jisung shoved at Hyunjin’s head, cheeks red and wet as he pleaded at the top of his lungs. 

He finally managed to muster up the strength to yank the dancer’s head off. 

“Ohoho my gahahaha…” Jisung panted. Hyunjin unwrapped a red lollipop and handed it to the quokka, and Jiusng promptly latched onto the candy. 

“…Was my joke funny?”

“Reheheally, Binnie hyung?”

[the-splodge]

Okay so I’ve just unlocked the colosseum and beaten the meta knight tournament, and WOW, HAL really did him justice!!

- i wasn’t actually surprised that he was an arena boss, since the trailer showed waddle dees watching you fight him. I guess I was a bit disappointed he wasn’t a story boss, but it’s actually really fitting for his character so I don’t mind it!

- his intro??? flying over waddle dee town and into the colosseum??? and then swooping down into the arena itself??? Legendary gotta love that energy

- also gotta love you being given the sword to fight him. a classic

- his MOVES!!! one thing I disliked about star allies’ meta knight fight was that it was chaotic and. not in the good way. 4 meta knights plus 4 allies made it VERY hard to comprehend what was going on, plus the background was dark enough that meta sorta blended into it. plus his moveset was quite limited, and it didnt feel like you had to put much thought into fighting him (he’d either stab you from the ground, stab you from the air with the crescents or do the rock attack)

- here though? Meta Knight moves EXTREMELY fluidly; actually appearing to dodge attacks, using moves that would push you away then fly over to the other side of the arena (hell, even the fact that he MAKES USE of the whole arena and doesn’t just stab you in one spot is impressive for me), the attacks that you’re forced to dodge and then given a chance to move in, occasionally flying above you so that you’re forced to use air attacks

- still speaking of his moves, I love the variety! most of them are still sword attacks, which is fine, but they’re all different now and you have to dodge them in different ways! Plus I love that they kept the rock attack from star allies. Don’t really know why but I appreciate it

- THE EFFECTS!!! Holy fuck the effects. I didn’t expect the effects. Theyre GORGEOUS, and it might just be me being easily distracted, but I love the chaoticness of them - they stand out from the stage (speaking of the stage I’m very fucking glad MK actually contrasts it this time so I can see where the fuck he is) and draw your eyes to them, making you want to pay attention to them instead of who you’re fighting (which I MUCH more appreciate than the ‘I literally cannot tell what is going on’ from his star allies fight). Also the effects differ from each other, which is extremely fucking cool!!! And the BATS!!! I wasn’t expecting the fucking bats (or any of the more dark effects) but holy fuck they were cool af give me 20 more of those. Also I appreciated after his ’stab his sword into the ground’ attack you could see him trying to pull it out. Didn’t think that one through did ya buddy

- also I think they changed up his theme a bit. I only heard the first 10 seconds because I block out music when I’m focusing but the first 10 seconds I did hear were cool AS

- also I feel like his battle was reasonably balanced? I’ve been playing on wild mode because I’m not going to lie this game is easy. But I actually had to think and dodge and panic a bit rather than stab and run away, which I very much appreciated. (Plus I got mildly frustrated when I couldn’t hit him when he kept flying around, which I genuinely enjoyed since it made actually landing a hit feel so much better). However, he wasn’t hard. He made me think, yes, but he was a fair boss and it didn’t make me feel like the game just pulled out a whole lotta bullshit just to make him difficult.

- overall I can’t rate how I feel about this; numbers Cannot do it justice. I really appreciate how fluid the fight felt, as well as rewarding to beat him, and plus I love how they made use of the fact that it’s a 3D game now

[joheunsaram]

The Present (knj)

Summary- Namjoon gives you a present, and his heart.

word count- 1.2k

pairing- Namjoon x Reader

rating- R

genre- fluff, slight smut, fwb2l

warnings- bdsm, dom/sub dynamics, dom!namjoon, sub!reader collaring, no explicit smut though just a very whipped namjoon

a.n- this drabble goes out to @herecomesjoon​ for planting the idea in my head. i really wanted to write a non sexual collaring and have it be all mushy and fluffy so this is the result. hope you like it 💕

A huge thank you to @knjsnoona​ and @oftenderweapons​ for beta-ing this on such a short notice! 🥺

As always feedback appreciated, a reblog and a like goes a far way. Send me an ask if you want to be on the taglist! 💌

-

Namjoon was nervous, he could feel his heart pounding at his rib cage as if asking to stand outside his body, to present itself to you, pliant and vulnerable. He hadn’t thought he’d be this scared. In fact, he thought he would be strong, dominant as he usually was as he finally asked you to be his. But if anything, he felt exposed, scared you were going to reject him, leaving his heart beating on the table in front of him — or worse, rip it apart. 

He knew he was being paranoid, you had always adored him, supported him; you knew even when his mood was slightly off, keen and observant as you were. As he set the table, unboxing your favourite foods, he thought about last month when he had finally solidified his decision. 

He had been stressed at work, deadline after deadline, his gruelling schedule taking a toll on him. At a point he felt as if everything was spiralling out of his control, like he was losing touch with reality, waddling through his days like a robot. That was when he had shown up at your apartment, stress rolling off his body in waves as he crumpled into you at your doorstep, needing to be near you. 

That night you hadn’t jumped into bed like usual, hadn’t had the wild sex others only dreamt about. Instead, you had kissed him, fed him your homemade stew that always cheered him up, and showered with him. Under the warm jets, you shampooed his hair, softly running your fingers over his scalp and he felt more loved than he had ever thought possible. He didn’t know why that particular moment had such a profound effect on him, but the way you caressed him, making sure each part of him was clean, made his eyes well up. 

Being a man took a toll on him sometimes, trying to always portray himself as strong and resilient. It didn’t help that at work everyone in his company looked up to him, revered him as the leader. He often felt that he wasn’t allowed to show weakness, that he had to keep his emotions hidden. Even with you, he had put pressure on himself to ensure you never saw him vulnerable. He was your partner, your dominant. He owed it to you to always support you — so much so that he never let you support him, wanting to shield you from any stress. 

But that night under the shower, he let himself feel the full force of your love, let himself drown in it. He always thought intimacy was synonymous with sex. To him, it was when you were the closest, when he enveloped in your walls as he made you cum, made you sob his name. He had never known of the intimacy of soft touches and pure intentions. And so he cried, letting you hold him against you as you whispered affirmations in his ear. 

After the shower, he held you under him, gazing into your eyes as he made love to you for the first time, slow and gentle. There was no dirty talk, no demands, just him staring at you as your lip quivered and your legs shook around his waist when you crumbled beneath him. That’s when he knew what was ONCE considered a strictly sexual relationship had shifted. Somehow in the past three years, you had slowly gone from an exciting hookup to someone he couldn’t live without. Quietly and without any announcement, he had fallen in love with you. 

He was shaken out of his reverie by the rattle of the door as you walked into his apartment, humming a tune he hadn’t heard before. His lips automatically widened in a smile as you entered the kitchen and he greeted you with a kiss, deep and full of longing. 

All through dinner and your updates of the day, he smiled, his cheeks almost hurting from how excited he was all of a sudden. His previous nerves had dissolved with your kiss because he knew. He just knew that you felt the same way. 

Once dinner was done, you stood up, smiling at him coyly as you turned around, walking towards his bedroom, leaving the clothes on your body as breadcrumbs for him to follow. It was your usual routine, dinner then sex, then cuddling till the morning. It was embedded into you by now, muscle memory.

When he reached his room, you were on your knees, hands folded in your lap, looking at the floor and he felt his heart skip a beat as if it too was dancing in excitement, foxtrotting to how easily you gave yourself to him, open and fearless. Usually, he would ravish you, reward your beautiful mouth with his cock, but today he wanted more. More than just sex, more than the prescribed roles the two of you had promised each other. 

He made his way to you, lifting you off the ground and draping his T-shirt on you. Moving you to the bed he kissed your confusion away before grabbing the red velvet box he had in his closet. You gasped as he kneeled on the floor between your legs, and he couldn’t help crashing his lips against yours, pouring every ounce of love he had, leaving you and himself breathless. 

“I haven’t done this before… I… I thought I would never find someone who fit me, who tolerated me and my weird habits and stupid kinks,” he said, his forehead against yours as he linked his fingers with yours. “I know this might be sudden or stupid, just… you make me feel as if I’m whole… as if I can face anything. I’m in love with you.” 

Your hand covered your mouth as he spoke the words he had kept a secret for over a year, and he giggled, eyes glassy at your almost innocent reaction. Leaning away, he opened the square box, presenting you with something he had previously assumed he would never bestow on anyone. The diamond collar glittered, the dim lighting of his bedside lamp refracting upon your face. 

“Will you be mine?” he asked gently, but even before the words had left his lips you were hugging him, sobbing into his shoulder, and yelling your agreement. It made him delirious, his heart swaying at your agreement, knocking at your ribcage to let it in next to yours. When it was comfortable, snuggling to your heart, it gave him a thumbs-up as if letting him know it was okay to proceed, that it was safe.

Cupping your face, he wiped away your tears and kissed you once again, moulding his lips on yours, wanting to memorize each little crevice, each little wrinkle. When he parted, you gathered your hair to one side, leaning over to let him place the symbol of your devotion on your neck. He caressed the skin slowly, feeling your blood rushing by, before he picked up the collar and gently clasped it, running his fingers under the smooth metal to ensure your comfort. He kissed your neck, relishing the way he could feel your smile against his skin.

“I love you, too,” you said after a while, pulling away from his embrace to cup his face, littering it with feather light kisses that made his skin tint rose. “Thank you for making me yours.”

That night he made love to you again, for the second time forgoing your dynamics, just so he could see his collar glinting as he lost himself in you, the only person who had ever made him feel safe.

-

I hope you enjoyed the fluff! For more fics of mine check out my masterlist

[jinx-on-mars-19xx]

The Wolf Rises

⚔️ All Previous Parts Here ⚔️

Dom x Colson (Yungblud x Machine Gun Kelly)

Warnings: ABO (more in part two), slick, mpreg, Viking/god Col, fae Dom, slight PTSD, mentions of war and death, playful boys, heavily pregnant Dom, talks of wolf Col, vague mentions of shifted sex (if you squint, I'm just being careful), Tod fluff, mentions of sex, grinding, just lots of fluff and peace ☠️ rating: let's say explicit ☠️ ideas helped by @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker 🖤

Dom sighed happily and grinned when his lover saw him from across the yard. He'd slept in a little late but who could blame him? There was a pup growing larger in his womb every day, weighing him down and exhausting all his energy. Well… he wasn't the only pup stealing the fae's energy, his father was a menace to society at large but certainly to his pregnant mate. No matter his form he was pawing at Damhnaic day and night. His palms rubbed slow circles under his swollen belly, the babe was resting lower than usual and driving him mad but he was more thankful than he could explain for all they had together. For a runaway prince his life was turning out next to perfect, though he still had nightmares sometimes about all they'd fought through to get where they were. He knew that might take a long time to work through and his lover gave him the support he needed. Always.

Kol'son dropped the ax he was using and wiped his brow before running to meet his wife at the steps of their hut. He worried about his prince every time he tried to waddle down them alone and he wondered where the bodyguard was that should have been babysitting. Of course he didn't have to ponder for long when he heard his cousin's laughter and saw the two fae stumble out of the forest.

It had been awkward for a while after they found out they were kin, less for them and more for Inga but they both knew she'd only lied so long to keep Mod safe. He was honestly surprised how much the village had warmed to him when they realized Modig wasn't mad- well wasn't just mad and high but he was magic and related to their clan mother. Before long they'd welcomed the new regime. He was finding himself more relaxed than ever before- he wasn't the only one in charge and he was getting his dick wet regularly. If not for his fear of Dom's impending delivery he couldn't fully shake he'd be ecstatic all the time.

"Don't growl. It ain't nice unless you taking me back to bed." Dom grumbled as his lover glared at their kin and he swat gently at the man's arm. He could get himself down the damn steps but he didn't mind the help, though he'd rather his daidí do exactly that, he swore he woke up hot and needy every day and it only got worse the closer they were to the day they met their whelp.

"Maybe I should eat him. I mean if he won't obey…" Kol trailed off, he was finding himself easier to anger since he first shifted but his love could always soothe his wild beast. He still didn't understand what was happening to him and he wasn't sure how to find out- but with a fae prince for a mate, a seal for a friend, and a nymph for a cousin he wasn't too shocked by the wolf he held inside himself. Well, his first night had been surprising but Dom had scratched behind his ears and held him close and eventually he'd shifted human again. He didn't believe the boy when he called him a demigod but he could never complain about his selkie thinking he was special. It was taking time but he was finally learning to control it and in those moments he couldn't- when the hold was too overwhelming he would push his snout against his mate's belly and breathe in that warm baby scent. He didn't know why his child smelled like fresh honeyed bread but he wouldn't complain. Mixed with the siren's rose, amber, and sea salt smell it was perfect.

"Try it puppy, I've got an army behind me." Mod joked back as the two finally joined them and Dom whined. He'd been hoping to lure his husband back to bed.

"No, I think my thrall has an army behind him. They just tolerate you." Kol'son huffed, poking his tongue out at the seer.

"Technically they follow Mush but… I'm sorry I have to agree here. They like Dom better, love." Tom teased his boyfriend. Those old instincts to side with his prince would probably never leave no matter how long he was with the one he called his mushroom man- or Mush for short. Dom had never thought he'd see the day that his best friend went soft but gods he was. They had truly found a home among the mixed clans- both human and fae and any other strays they picked up along the way.

The fae clan probably did like Dom a little more but he couldn't help everyone thinking he was precious. It was honestly annoying at times, he knew it was mostly that he was an incubator for… well, none of them were quite sure what the child would be, but it was a pleasant turn around from being alone so long. He and his kin were loved finally, he was loved. "What are you thinking about boy?" The Viking hummed, stepping up close behind his mate and wrapping his arms around him. The noise that escaped the siren when he gently lifted his stomach went straight to the god's cock and he couldn't stop himself from gently rutting against him. "Because if it's bed…"

Dom's lips curled in a slow smile, his fangs on sharp display as he turned his face up to his scarred and inked lover. "Mmm, you read me mind." The next sound he made was closer to a squeal when the man picked him up bridal style to drag him back inside. Kol no longer felt like he had to be outside constantly, he had other leaders of the clan to help him out. Where once it was almost impossible to convince him to hide away in their room together- he spent days in bed making love to his wife. Though he still had trouble not being available. Dom had tried convincing him to take a little trip deep into the forest and stay a few days in a little hideaway but it made the chieftain too nervous. Someday though, someday.

"Finish the wood Mod, I'm sure it would do you good to show off a little. I'm taking the afternoon off." Kol shouted to his cousin before they disappeared through the doorway and Dom caught the seer pout before he heard his friend laugh and say he would do it. He couldn't help thinking his mate saw Modig as more of the man between them- as he saw himself, but Damhnaic knew relationships didn't work that way all the time and truthfully the forest nymph was more like him than Tom was. He was trying to help his lover understand but… they tended to easily distract each other.

When Dom's feet touched the ground again he giggled, his husband was more handsy than he used to be, all nerves about his purity had fallen away as their breeding became visibly obvious. "Not fair of you. Come outside while I'm trying to take care of our people. Looking as you do." The Viking growled, licking his lover's throat as he untied the shift dress from his body.

"Oh? I didn't fink. You poor man. Jus' trying to do right by ya clan but 'ow can ya wiv a nymph about?" He teased, his cheeks flushing as the fabric fell away and he was left bare to his mate's heavy gaze.

Kol'son smiled, holding his boy closer as his cock slid gently between Dom's thighs to rest against his dripping wet core. His hands wandered, one cupping the siren's softly swelled tit and the other sliding under his stomach to cradle their son. Of course they weren't positive he was a boy but… Kol knew. They wouldn't raise their pups thinking the oldest was any more special than the others and they'd commanded their clans to treat them equal as well. The pain that befell his family would die with Bjørn. He vowed it to whatever gods would listen and to his wife. He would be a better father than his own, their babes would all feel loved. "I don't know who you're talking about boy, I wed a siren. No nymphs here." He purred, his hips shifting slowly, the head of his cock catching exactly where he was needed most with every playful thrust.

Dom whined but smiled wide, he loved how adamant his daidí was about teaching their children exactly what they were. He was proud of everything his wife was and he'd correct anyone who called him the wrong thing- including Damhnaic himself. He didn't think their pup could understand anything in the warmth of his womb but he wouldn't complain about the respect he was shown from the man he'd been so careful of early on. Who knew when he came to gather his second skin that night so many months before that he would find all he'd ever dreamed of and so much more? "Should you teach me a lesson?" He asked softly, his plush ass bouncing gently against his husband's abs.

"Mmm, should I worship you or should I make you worship me?" The Viking's voice was barely above a growl, his animalistic side so near to the surface when they got this close to making love. He couldn't help it. Dom just brought it out of him. So did rage but mostly his sweet gorgeous selkie. At the sound of his voice he felt a fresh rush of slick escape the boy and he found it almost impossible not to push right in. His mate deserved better though, he was carrying such a large load he deserved pampering... and perhaps another kind of load. Fresh and warm and dripping down his thick thighs. His lover's perfect pink pussy wasn't the only thing that reacted to his growls though and he chuckled at the feel of his son's foot pressing at his palm. "I believe his vote is you being cared for. Sorry queen, two to one."

Dom pouted at the man he once called his master but he had a far better term for him. "But I wanted to be on me knees for me god." His voice rasped and half shifted fangs nipped at his neck.

"Fuck. Such a good boy for me. Don't worry, you will be." The wolf growled, curling his fist around the base of his cock to hold back his pleasure. He led his prince to their bed and helped him get comfortable on all fours, perhaps it wasn't exactly what Dom had wanted but he was careful with his pack. Besides, it put him in the perfect position. Since he first shifted he couldn't help finding it hotter than he should when his lover presented for him. He felt made up of so much animal instinct but that was alright.

He was learning about things, Dom was helping him with books Bjørn had stolen from other lands. Of course he'd been shocked when they made love after his true self came out and he realized the pain in his cock that night had been… something strange- but he was starting to learn he was an alpha and that had just been his first knot trying to form. It was frightening having his dick change after twenty three years of life but nothing had ever felt more right than when they were tied together. It was the only thing he ever wanted to do.

"Daidí please?" The siren whimpered, his hips bucking back, his core dripping slick down his thighs. Kol couldn't help but admire a moment longer, his mate was curvier than he'd been before and he loved every place he could grope and caress. "Me god?"

"Fuck." The Viking cursed. His boy really should be careful if he didn't want to be mounted by a wolf instead. "If I wish to stare at you I will. You were a petulant thrall and now you're an even more stubborn queen. What did I get myself into?" He teased, spanking softly at the fae's perky ass. He knew though, he knew exactly what he'd gotten himself into- paradise and a happiness he'd never even dreamed he could find.

Author's Note/Tags: @manicpixiedreamb0y @hollywoodxwhore @jaxbreaker @cole-way-iero28 @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker 🖤

🥹😭 Thank you all so much for being on this journey with me. I'd like to admit something here, I've never truly been able to finish something like this. I always get lost along the way and nervous I'll ruin it. Honestly I've never even tried writing something so structured and novel-like. I'm more proud of this than I've been of anything I think, even though it's shorter than some it feels complete and real in a way I've not experienced before. I couldn't have written this without you, genuinely I wouldn't be doing as much as I have without you all. I always get overwhelmed and think I'm not good enough but all the comments and likes have been so inspiring.

This idea started with @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker and she's helped so much, so it's not just mine but she'll get annoyed if I try to give her too much credit. Seriously though, she's been amazing and I wouldn't have had the idea without her help. I hope she knows how thankful I am.

I hope you'll all join me for part two, there's so much more in store for these boys and their pack! I promise at least for a bit I'll give you fluff and happiness. Mostly. Thank you again, you've been incredible! I just hope you love this as much as I do! 🖤☠️