#the wolf head has 100% more expressiveness than his actual face. and he closes the “mouth” when he's pissed so you mostly see the wolf's

[yael-art-den]

More wolf dad content

his swagless attitude and autistic demeanor have bewitched me body and soul

Unnamed dude that I used as protag for a oneshot smut piece but kinda evolved into its own thing. In no particular order:

Werewolf-Selkie thing. The wolf skin IS part of him and can express emotions with it accordingly. Human face is INSIDE the wolf's jaws but will never show it unless he trusts you implicitly. Whole coat can be removed and will probably give you the same type of control over him as regular selkies. Idk don't quote me on that.

Literal DILF. Has an adoptive biological son. it's complicated

NOT a fighter my man will run away from any conflict it's literally not his problem. He is just a hunter, every tool he has is designed for survival not battle.

Beastmen are social creatures (at least the wolf subtype) usually organized the same way as a pack (Reproductive couple, their children, and their eventual partners if they want to join). He decided he wanted to have none of that + chronic lack of awareness of the social cues that are indispensable for interpersonal pack interactions so he just. fucked off into the wild

bisexual

[louwhose]

Congratulations on 100 followers, sweet friend! You deserve it! 💜 How about a little one-shot of Link and Zelda playing truth or dare with a group of college friends? Context: Link has been trying to muster the courage to ask her out but hasn't yet.

Ahhh!!! Thank you so much!!! This was really fun to write! I hope you like it!

“Truth or Dare?”

“Dare!”

Link glanced over at Zelda, before choosing the safer option. “Truth.”

Daruk gave Link his signature large, wide smile. As a counterpoint, he thought Purah’s grin was downright terrifying as she looked at Zelda. He was glad he didn’t have to deal with her.

Daruk was the one challenging him. And the gentle giant of a Goron would be perfectly harmless, he was sure.

“Who’s your crush?”

…Or maybe not. How had he gotten into this situation again?

The group of friends had started playing truth or dare— surprisingly not at the suggestion of Purah, but rather Robbie. After a couple of rounds, however, Purah declared it too boring and convinced everyone else to spice it up and do “boys vs. girls,” whoever completed it first won that round for their team.

And it just so happened to be Link vs. Zelda that time.

And Daruk just had to ask about his crush. He was perfectly harmless, but he was more than a little oblivious.

Because Link was down far worse than merely having a crush, but fully and undeniably in love with Zelda. And he had been trying to figure out how to ask her out for the past month.

Well, at least it gave her a chance to win more than a typical pair up of one truth and one dare would allow for, since while he was going to try, it would certainly take a while to muster his courage to do so. There was a reason he hadn’t managed to actually tell her yet. Though this was far from his ideal situation to confess to her in.

Though, of course, Purah managed to make the whole situation even worse with the dare she gave Zelda. "I dare you to… kiss Link."

Link barely had a chance to jerk his head towards them with a wide-eyed expression before Zelda, confident and daring and competitive as always, turned towards him.

Oh no.

He took a couple of steps back away from the rest of the group. Unsurprisingly, Zelda was quick to follow him, grabbing the side of his head and starting to lean in.

Link was far from emotionally prepared to kiss Zelda. Of course he did want to kiss her, but at the right time, in the right way. Not in front of all of their friends because Purah was being her typical self and had dared them to.

So he brought his hands up to the sides of her head and pressed them tight enough so that she couldn't move her head any closer to his.

So there they stood, noses centimeters apart, Zelda trying to close that gap and Link refusing to let her do so.

He was sure his face resembled an apple at this point.

Everyone else, with their view blocked by Zelda's head, clearly thinking they were locking lips, began to cheer and wolf whistle at them.

"I haven't won yet!" Zelda shouted back at them. "He's not letting me kiss him!"

"Well…" someone said, Link wasn't sure who without seeing, "I guess we didn't make any rules against stopping the other person from winning. Maybe he just wants to win."

He saw Zelda narrow her eyes at him, only a few inches from his own. She knew him well enough to know that wasn't it, because he easily would have answered already.

"Why won't you let me kiss you?" she hissed.

"Because I love you!" The words tumbled from his lips before Link could even really register them. "So I don't want to kiss you in such a meaningless way! I've been trying to figure out how to ask out my gorgeous and smart and passionate friend for the past month but haven’t figured out how to do it. But if it were genuine I would love to kiss you."

Zelda's expression was understandably dumb struck as she took in what he said, and Link felt his face matching her expression as he realized that he had just confessed to Zelda.

"Well. Then." She cleared her throat, recovering a little bit. "How does six on Friday, dinner and a walk in the park sound?"

He blinked. Had Zelda just asked him on a date? "Um. Grea!. That sounds great!"

She gave him a shy smile. And as much as he loved her radiant, beaming one, he also liked how this looked on her.

Link didn't even resist it when she leaned forward and kissed him.

It was everything he had ever imagined it would be.

He barely registered the others whooping and cheering again, much louder this time.

"Which one of them won?"

"I think both the lovebirds won. Link got a date and Zelda got a kiss."

Link pulled back from the kiss. "It wasn't just for the dare, was it?"

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

In response, he pulled her in for another kiss.

[quokkacore]

please don’t bite [wong yukhei] (m)

part of the wasn’t on pawpose collab

summary: you’d always prided yourself on being able to read people well and managing yourself as an independent hybrid in a world that was still getting over that. but when lucas, your best friend, manages to get himself turned into a wolf hybrid, it has you second-guessing everything you thought you knew about yourself, him, and the both of you, together. 

pairing: wolfhybrid!lucas x bunnyhybrid!femreader

genre: friends to enemies to lovers, fluff, smut, angst, thriller if you squint

warnings: language, lucas is a bit of a dick, medical experimentation, mentions of sexual harassment, knotting, breeding kink, mating cycles, degradation (use of the word bitch to be specific), dirty talk, biting, marking, size kink, possessiveness, jealousy, mentioned doyoung x reader, momentarily dubious consent, stomach bulging, slight predator x prey dynamic between lucas and reader

song rec: troye sivan - bite ♡ wonder girls - why so lonely  ♡ neon trees - everybody talks  ♡ harry styles - cherry  ♡ the 1975 - tonight (i wish i was your boy)  ♡ sunmi - 24/7  ♡ loona (jinsoul)  - singing in the rain ♡ fall out boy - hold me tight, or don’t  ♡ wayv - bad alive

word count: 17.6k

a/n: this turned out a lot longer and a lot angstier than i expected. also.... dont ask where yukhei’s human ears went. i don’t know either :P

masterlist

You were going to kill Lee Taemin, if the dean of your university didn’t do it first. This was all his fault. 

It all started at the beginning of the semester, when Lucas, your best friend and roommate, had told you during dinner he was helping your older friend, Taemin with an experiment for his Ph.D. You'd expected him to say he'd be handing out surveys on Main Street or trying some new diet and writing down the effects, or something along those lines. 

Nope, not at all. What he really said had thrown you for a loop. “Actually, I’m gonna be trying out some hybrid hormone pills he’s been working on that have finally been cleared for human testing.”

You’d choked on the pizza you were eating. “You’re going to do what!?” You cried when you finally managed to swallow your food.

“Dude, chill,” He answered, large hands waving back and forth passively, “Taemin hyung is 99% percent sure that they’re absolutely safe. I’m just supposed to go in for testing once a week and write down any side effects I feel, which, according to him, should be at most three or four, and they’re not even that major.”

“Okay…” You’d answered, quirking your head. You were still slightly wary, your ears twitching. "And Taemin's like, completely sure they're safe to eat?" 

Lucas nodded, demeanor completely casual. His calm expression did nothing to deter your concerns, mind going a mile a minute when a new thought popped into your mind.

“Yukhei, what kind of hybrid hormones are you even taking? Predator hybrids or prey hybrids?”

His smile had disappeared slightly, and his eyes left your face to stare down at his plate. Your stomach sank, and your foot started tapping in distress.

“Wong Yukhei. What kind of hormones are they gonna give you.”

“They’re, uh… alpha wolf hormones.”

Your eyes widened, and he rushed to placate you. “Y/N, bunny, calm down. I know how you feel about predator hybrids, but I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought there was something weird about this whole thing. The dean is breathing down Taemin’s neck telling him not to fuck it up. Trust me, he wouldn’t be doing this if he wasn’t absolutely certain that it was safe.”

You chewed on your lips, before sighing. “Please be careful, Xuxi. You’re my best friend. I don’t want you to hurt yourself all because Taem wants to find a way to get taller after puberty.”

Lucas had laughed, glad that the mood in your kitchen had shifted from tense to slightly less tense. He grabbed your hand, your eyes dropping to glance at it for a second, before looking him in his eyes. “If you want… He told me earlier he’d be at the lab until like, midnight. Maybe we could go pay him a visit, and he can explain everything better, you know?”

You pursed your lips, glancing at the clock. It was almost eight. After a few seconds, you huffed, and nodded, the tension finally diffusing.

“Alright, alright, let me get my jacket.”

He grinned at you, and you flashed him a smile back, automatically endeared at his goofy expression as he disappeared to gather his things. You smiled to yourself, looking down at your hands which had fallen into your lap, sighing.

Too cute. He's too cute.

The walk to the campus lab took about fifteen minutes, maybe less. Lucas, despite being taller than you, actually walked at a much more snail-like pace, and thus fell victim to your playful teasing over his slow walk.

"You're part bunny," He pointed out, eyes briefly glancing at the white rabbit ears poking out from your hair, "You have that natural spring in your step."

"Bull," You countered with a smile, turning to face him, now walking backwards, "They disproved the whole ‘rabbit hybrids run faster than humans’ theory years ago. You just suck at walking, Xuxi."

"You just suck at walking, Xuxi," Lucas grumbled, mocking your tone, but there was no malice behind it. You laughed, turning as he took a few quicker strides to catch up. His hand came up to pat the spot between your fluffy ears at the top of your head, and you hummed in satisfaction as the door of the chemistry department finally came into view. 

The ride up the elevator was quiet. You were still slightly uneasy, ears twitching, something Lucas easily picked up on. He flashed you a soft smile, pulling you closer.

“Everything will be fine, bunny. I promise.”

You nodded, pressing your head against his shoulder. You took a deep breath, taking in Lucas’s distinct scent of cinnamon. “I’m sorry I blew up at you earlier… But you gotta admit, it sounds risky. And with the side effects, I thought maybe it would affect behaviot, and a lot of predator hybrids are just huge dicks, sometimes, especially around prey hybrids, you know? They’re creepy and asshole-ish and, well, you remember the snow leopard guy we met at The Burrow a few months ago, right?”

Lucas’s eyes darkened, recalling the time you had to mace a hybrid at a bar because the guy was getting handsy with you, despite the fact that you had made it incredibly clear that you weren’t interested. He nodded, staring at his feet.

“I don’t want any of Taemin’s weird science hurting you or affecting your behavior.”

He nodded, eyes sympathetic. “I totally get it. But like I said earlier, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t trust hyung with it 100%, or if I thought that it could hurt me or you in any way. You’re my bunny, you know? I would never do anything to hurt you.” 

“I know, I know, Xuxi, and I trust you… But I will cut Taemin’s legs off if you die.”

He shook his head, his amused smile growing lopsided on his features.

Finally, the elevator made a ding! and the doors slid open. The hallway was lit with industrial fluorescent lights, much brighter than the warm light of the elevator.

Lucas’s larger hand grabbed yours, leading you down the hallway. 

“I don’t even remember the last time I saw Taem,” You mumbled, not really thinking about the topic, “It’s like he lives here now.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lucas replied, “Baekhyun hyung’s been begging him to just let it go for at least a night, but he’s obsessed.”

A few doors later, and you finally arrived at the one indicating it was the floor’s chemistry lab, and Lucas knocked once, twice, before a soft, muffled voice said, “Come in!”

Lucas opened the door, letting you step in first before following suit and closing the door behind him. On the other end of the lab, stood a thin, short man facing away from the both of you, typing away at a laptop. You knew it was Taemin, he smelled like Taemin, but your mind didn’t immediately register that it was him; his ashy blond hair was up in a hairnet, he was wearing a long lab coat, and there were blue latex gloves covering his hands. 

“Hyung?” Lucas asked, and the typing stopped abruptly as Taemin turned, took in the sight of the both of you, before flashing a gummy smile. 

“Hey! Y/N, long time, no see. And Yukhei!! Just the person I wanted to talk to.” His tone was pleasant, excited. “I wanted to talk to you about your hormone treatment.” 

“That’s great, because we wanted to talk to you about it also.”

Taemin furrowed his eyebrows, giving a slight shake of his head. His eyes flicked back and forth between you and Lucas. “We?”

Your eyes widened before holding out your hands. You exchanged a brief look with Lucas, whose ears were a bright red. 

“I wanted to know about the whole wolf hormone thing because… you know. Well, you know how we live together, and prey hybrids and predator hybrids don’t really get along well, you know? I mean, I know that it’s just hormones, but… should we be worried about anything? Should I be worried?”

Taemin’s mouth dropped open slightly as he registered what you said, and he shut his eyes before shaking your head.

“No, not at all! I totally understand your concerns, Y/N. We’re using several different test subjects for the human testing, all with different circumstances, but they’re our ‘demographic’ when it comes to using the treatment. A few are hard of hearing, others have suffered physical trauma in their legs or arms, some have poor eyesight. Our intention with using wolf hormones is to see if it can be used as adequate treatment for specific disabilities.”

“Lucas doesn’t have any of those things?” You said, confused. You glanced at Lucas, who was still watching Taemin, before the latter spoke again.

“He’s part of a separate group, people who have no major medical ailments or physical disabilities. We want to see what the effects could be on the statistically average human.”

You nodded, still feeling slightly uneasy despite Taemin’s otherwise chipper attitude. “So the expected changes are going to be mostly physical? No behavioral side effects?” 

“A few behavioral side effects, but nothing major. Increased appetite, irritability, high energy, maybe increased libido. Nothing too major. Mostly we’re trying to see if he gets stronger, or if his hearing and eyesight improve… I understand you feel worried, Y/N, but the members of my research team and I have been working around the clock to make sure that these pills are absolutely safe for human consumption. From our research, there’s like, a 98.7% chance that nothing other than the expected side effects will show up, and those aren’t really behavioral at all.”

“Why not 100%?” You asked, eyes shifting back and forth uneasily.

Taemin grimaced, gaze sympathetic as he exchanged a look with Lucas, and then with you. “Well, nothing is ever 100% confirmed, so science doesn’t really lend itself to certainty, y’know?”

That had been two months ago.

For the first two weeks, everything seemed like it would be fine. Lucas’s only complaints about the hormone pills were that they made his hair grow a bit faster and that they were so big that they were hard to swallow. Then… things started to happen.

First, he started to eat a whole lot more. Every time you saw him between classes, he seemed to be chewing on something. You were grateful he wasn’t touching your food, because he seemed to only ever be eating meat.

“Didn’t Taemin say I’d probably get hungrier?” He asked one night, eating a ham sandwich as he sat on the couch. You were resting your head on his thigh, scrolling through Instagram while hoping that any crumbs wouldn’t fall into your hair or your ears.. You set down your phone, blinking as you tried to remember, before nodding. 

“Yeah, he did. Shouldn’t you write that down?”

“Uhh… Yeah.” He stood, you sitting up, and walked towards his room, probably to do as you suggested, before he called out to you one last time. He at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish.

“Hey bunny, can you, uh, order some Chinese food?”

Then he started complaining about loud noises. However, from what you could tell, there were no loud noises at all. Your rabbit ears, from what you understood, had similar hearing to that of humans, only you were slightly more sensitive to higher frequencies. So you were incredibly confused when Lucas barged in while you were pacing in your room, going over flashcards for an exam, dark eyes glaring at you. He seemed slightly ticked off.

“Can you please stop stomping around in here? I’m trying to finish a paper.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you glanced down at your feet, which were covered by a pair of fuzzy socks. “Uhh, I’m not stomping?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Y/N, I’m serious, stop yelling. This paper is due tomorrow and it’s like 15% of my final grade.” 

“And I’m serious too?” Your tone was perplexed, because you weren’t yelling at all, “I was just pacing, Xuxi, like this.”

You took a few steps back and forth to show him, footsteps light, barely audible, and his face scrunched up in discomfort. 

“But… it’s so loud. It’s giving me a headache.”

You made a face, before your eyebrows shot up, and your ears did as well. 

“Do you think it’s because of the hormones?” You asked, lowering your voice so it was just above a whisper, “Taemin said that would probably happen, remember? Wolves have crazy hearing.”

He opened his mouth to answer, before closing it again. He flashed you a weird look, before shaking his head. “Okay...? I’ll tell hyung that it’s working… But like, can you please just sit down while you study?” 

You nodded, sympathetic, and he closed the door. But a few seconds later, he reopened it. He looked a bit confused. “Is that… new perfume?”

It was your turn to make a face at him. “Huh?”

He shook his head, still looking confused. “Uh, nothing,” He mumbled, waving a dismissive hand, “Never mind. Forget I asked.” 

He closed the door a final time, and you were left even more weirded out than you already were. 

Somehow, he got even taller than he already was. A few days later when you were making breakfast for the both of you and you had your back turned, he came and hugged you from behind, still addled with sleep. You paid him no mind, continuing your task. One of his arms wrapped itself around your neck, almost as if he were trying to put you into a loving headlock, something he often did. In response, you did what you often did whenever he did so, which was to nuzzle your chin against his forearm.

"Good morning," He hummed, voice deep and raspy, “That smells good."

“For you,” You answered, scrunching up your nose as you turned over the bacon, “I feel like you forget sometimes that my genes make me a herbivore, Xuxi.”

Lucas stepped away, and you frowned at the loss of warmth. “Eh, sometimes. Do you want me to grab a plate?”

You set down the spatula before turning off the stove, as you turned to face him. 

“You can serve yours—oh my god.”

You had lifted your head to where you usually did to look up at Lucas, and for some reason, had only been met with his neck. You craned your neck back even further, and met his eyes, which held a confused look, eyebrows furrowed, mouth agape. 

“Did you get… smaller?”

“No,” You mumbled, still in disbelief, “I think you got… bigger. H-how tall exactly were you again?”

“Uh, 1.83 meters.”

You nodded, closing your mouth. “Yeah, you’re definitely more than that now.”

Lucas peered down at you, gaze slightly concerned. “This is starting to get really weird. Should I write this down?”

You frowned, looking him up and down. The shirt he’d went to bed with, an oversized white tee, now fit him better. “Yukhei, at this point, I think you should go see Taemin. Did he even mention growth spurts?”

Lucas blinked, before pushing the hair out of his still puffy, sleep ridden eyes. “Hmm, I don’t think he did. I’ll eat breakfast and then go see him.”

According to Lucas, when he’d gotten back, Taemin had been over the moon when he’d measured him and found he’d grown almost 11 centimeters in his sleep, now standing at 1.94 meters. 

Everything had been somewhat tolerable. Not yet batshit insane. Lucas’s mood swings were relatively easy to handle as long as you left him alone whenever he seemed pissy, and he always apologized afterwards. He started staying up even later, but you didn’t really mind since he did his best not to be too loud. 

Sure, the fact that his hair started growing faster and ended up in the shower drain when he decided to “manscape” (his words, not yours) was gross, but bearable. His random bursts of energy, making him even more eccentric than he already was, were kind of like babysitting a huge, five year old Lucas doped up on caffeine. Which, while a bit more tiring to put up with, had not yet crossed into uncanny territory.

Yet. 

It all came to a head one Sunday morning, when Lucas had woken you up when he started screaming from the bathroom. You were woken from your peaceful slumber, and immediately stumbled out of bed to see what was going on, tripping on your way out the door in your panic.

“Yukhei!?” You shouted, slamming the door open. Your eyes were wide. Your heart was racing. Immediately your nose was hit with a strange odor. That put you even more on edge than you already were. Your eyes scanned the small bathroom in a haste. Your eyes fell to the corner. There, was Lucas, huddling. Knees to his chest, hands covering the top of his head, trembling and babbling incoherently, the sound muffled by the fact that his face was buried somewhere in between his knees and his chest.

“Y-Yukhei?” You repeated again, this time quieter, breathing heavily, anxiously. Was he having a panic attack? Was this a side effect of the treatment? “C-can I come closer?”

He trembled, not giving you an answer, still mumbling to himself. He seemed almost catatonic. Swallowing the lump in your throat at seeing your closest friend like this, you steeled yourself. Crouching, and slowly making your way to him, you cautiously held out an arm, and slowly, slowly, touched his hand.

He immediately flinched away, your heart dropping at his action. He sniffled, letting out a little sob, and tears sprung into your eyes. You blinked them away as best you could. He needed someone to lean on, and you couldn’t do that if you were an emotional mess.

“No, no,” He cried, voice small. “Please, stay away.”

“Yukhei,” You murmured, voice wavering, “I’m not gonna leave you like this. W-what’s wrong? Tell me Xuxi, please. You’re scaring me.”

“Y-you’ll hate me.”

You gasped quietly, resting your hand on his. “Xuxi… I could never hate you.”

“Even looking like this!?” He snapped harshly, lifting his gaze, dropping his arms, and you fell back onto your butt in shock. Your mouth fell open, eyes wide, white ears stood at full attention.

You peered into Lucas’s teary, red rimmed eyes. Only they weren’t Lucas’s eyes. Lucas’s eyes had always been a deep, rich brown, reminiscent of the earth. But these eyes were a bright, glowing amber, seeming almost radioactive in how much brighter they were than Lucas's old eye color. 

Your mouth moved as you scrambled to say something, but no sound came out. Your eyes caught the attention of something twitching atop Lucas’s head, and you blinked dumbly, taking in the salt and pepper pointy ears peeking out between his caramel colored hair, before scanning his entire body and taking in the thick tail swishing back and forth behind him.

The blood in your body ran cold as you took a deep breath through the nose. Lucas’s signature scent of cinnamon was still there, but now overpowered by the strange odor from earlier. You realized with a chill that the scent was earthy, musky, a smell you were no stranger to as a hybrid. Your animal instincts automatically kicked in, whispering in your mind: predator. wolf. danger. danger. danger.

 “I…” Your voice was hoarse as you pushed yourself up onto the balls of your feet, inching closer towards him slowly, despite the hairs on your neck standing straight up and telling you to run far, far away. 

“Y-Yukhei, what happened?”

He shook his head, shaking like a leaf. “I don’t know,” He mumbled in a daze, and although he was staring at you with those strange yellow eyes, you got the impression from the blank look in them that he wasn’t really looking at you. “I woke up, and I c-came in here and I looked in the mirror and…”

He didn’t finish, but you got the point. You pursed your lips, before making your way towards him, but he let out a groan and you froze in your spot as he knocked his head against the wall, eyes fluttering shut. 

“What is that smell?” He growled, “Why do you smell like that?”

“Like what?” You asked quietly, anticipating his answer. He shook his head, cracking his eyes open ever so slightly to peer at you. His gaze seemed to freeze you in place. 

“Like… jasmine? I mean, it’s so strong…”

You stared at him, wide-eyed, unable to tell him that that was your characteristic scent as a hybrid. You were still reeling from the fact that Lucas, who up until yesterday, aside from a few obnoxious habits, had been very human, was now a hybrid just like you, with ears and a tail and…

You glanced down at his gritted teeth, taking note of the very, very sharp canines that had seemingly grown overnight. 

You gulped, looking up at him. His wide eyes showed you that he was just as terrified as you were, and you swallowed back your wariness when your heart clenched at the sight. He needed help more than you needed comforting.“We need to get you to Taemin. Now.”

You had to force Lucas into his car, which was not easy in his dazed state, considering he was so much bigger than you. Towering over you, pure muscle, and basically a limp rag doll. In your panic, you’d forgotten your phone, your pants, and to give Lucas some shoes. You did the driving despite the fact that it was his car. He still seemed too frazzled to do so, so you buckled him up and started the ten minute drive to Taemin’s apartment.  

On the way, you did your best to ignore the situation at hand. That just because Lucas was a predator hybrid now didn’t automatically make him like the rest of them. Lucas wasn’t like the pervy fox hybrids who would follow you for blocks when you were in high school. He wasn’t like the snow leopard you’d forced off of yourself. He was Lucas, he was Yukhei. He was your Xuxi, and you needed to repeat yourself that he wouldn’t hurt a fly. 

The silence in the car was tense. You were sure that with his heightened senses, Lucas could hear everything, and you didn’t want to say anything to upset him further. He didn’t say anything to you. You didn’t say anything to him. And when you parked in front of Taemin’s apartment building, you got him out of the car, and grabbed him by the hand to walk to the door.

You were grateful it was Sunday morning. There weren’t that many people out on the street as you tapped your foot impatiently, pressing the button to buzz the comm on Taemin’s apartment incessantly. The few people that did pass were more focused on your sleep-addled bedhead and bare feet than anything else, and you thanked the universe for the fact that your oversized sleep shirt fell to your mid thighs. 

“It’s eight in the morning. Literally what do you want,” A deep, groggy voice grumbled, and you rolled your eyes. Finally.

“It’s Y/N and Lucas,” You said into the speaker, pressing a hand to your forehead in frustration. “You need to see this, now.”

 “Uhh, it’s Jongin,” The voice mumbled, and your eyes squeezed shut. He sounded so hungover. And whenever Jongin was hungover, that probably meant Taemin was hungover as well, and that it was generally Baekhyun’s idea. 

“Wake Taem up, please, Nini,” You pleaded desperately. “It’s life or death.”

“Fine, fine, okay. Come on up.”

When you made it up to their floor, a bedraggled Jongin opened the door. He was shirtless, his hair was sticking up in random spots, his face was still puffy, and he didn’t look happy to be woken up.

He looked you up and down, eyebrows furrowing at your appearance. “I swear this had better be good,” He told you, before turning to look at Lucas, “or I’m gonna—”

Jongin cut himself off as he registered the pointy ears, the fluffy tail, and the glowing yellow eyes. His eyes widened, certainly looking more awake now. His mouth started moving, but no sound came out.

“I—uh—is this why—?”

“Get Taemin,” You snapped, ready to kill him. You were furious, to say the least, ready to barge in and kick Taemin’s ass. This was his fault, all in the name of mad science. But then you added softly, voice wavering, “I don’t know what to do.”

For someone who almost never stopped talking, Taemin had nothing to say, for once. Instead, his eyes turned wide as saucers, his eyebrows jumped up to his hairline, and you were sure that if his jaw could have dropped any lower, it would have fallen below sea level. When he finally did manage to speak, his voice was small and unsure, and he never stopped gawking at the ears on Lucas’s head.

“Uh… Y-Y/N, Jongin, could you give us a minute, please?” 

So you did, letting them walk off to Taemin’s bedroom, and as Jongin sat you down on the couch to make you some tea, Baekhyun emerged from his own bedroom. Baekhyun at least looked a bit more awake than the dynamic duo, who, in their hungover state, both looked like the walking dead. 

“Y/N?” He asked, seeing you on the couch. He had a small but confused smile on his face. “What are you doing here…?”

“You’re not gonna believe what Taemin did to Yukhei,” Jongin’s voice declared from the kitchen. Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows, craning his head once, to look at Taemin’s shut door, again, to look at Jongin standing at the cupboard, and then to you, sitting on the couch with a blank stare on your face.

Baekhyun blinked. “Shit, did he kill him?” 

You pursed your lips, staring at him wide eyed, eyebrows furrowed. Your look was meant to convey something along the lines of, you’ve got to be kidding me. And by the way Baekhyun grimaced at himself a few moments later, broad shoulders scrunching up, he got the message loud and clear.

“Sorry. Just trying to lighten the situation, I guess?”

“Not helping, hyung,” Jongin huffed as he made his way over to you, handing you the warm mug of tea. You accepted it with a quiet “thanks,” before blowing on the tea and taking a quick sip. 

“What even happened?” Jongin’s deep voice was quiet, concerned. He sat down next to you, and Baekhyun sat down on your other side.

So you told the story from the beginning of the treatment, all the way up to when you decided to bring Lucas to Taemin. The hearing, the growth spurt, his mood swings. They listened, nodding along to the story and thankfully, not interrupting. From Baekhyun, at least, that was surprising. 

When you finished, you looked at them, then at your tea, which didn't feel as hot anymore. You lifted the mug to your lips, relishing the warm chamomile taste as Baekhyun opened his mouth to speak. Still not very comforting, but at least you were filling your stomach with something.

"Wow…" He mumbled, still in slight disbelief. "So, Yukhei's a hybrid now?"

“I guess. I don’t know.” Your voice sounded empty. 

Jongin sighed, gaze pensive. “What’s gonna happen between the two of you, though? You live together. You of all people know that prey hybrids and predator hybrids, living together in tiny spaces don’t really mix well.”

You frowned, settling the mug down on their coffee table. “It’s not like he’s gonna become one of those asshole-y hybrids overnight, y’know?” “Didn’t you say he snapped at you this morning?” Baekhyun asked, tilting his head. “You said he was having mood swings, too.” 

You shook your head, fluffy ears flattening against it as the stress seemed to accumulate in your body. “It wasn’t like that. I think he was just freaked out. And as for his mood swings… I don’t know.”

An awkward silence filled the room, and you gazed at your hands on your lap. 

“Uh, Y/N…” Jongin mumbled, tips of his ears a bright red, “A-are you wearing pants?”

“Oh,” You answered dumbly, feeling your face heat up, “Um… No? I kind of panicked and, uh, forgot to put some on.”

Jongin stood, holding out a hand. “Come on, you can borrow one of mine. You must be cold, right?”

You nodded, glancing at Baekhyun, who had a sympathetic smile on his face. You looked back to Jongin, and took his hand to stand up. He pulled you toward his room, trying to make you smile by telling you about his drunken escapades with Baekhyun and Taemin during karaoke. 

“Baekhyun almost got us kicked out while he was singing some Mamamoo song,” He said with a laugh, “You know how loud he gets.”

You smiled, giggling quietly as he opened a drawer, searching for something you could wear. After a few moments of fumbling around, he pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants, and shuffled towards you. 

“So,” You said, reaching for the fabric, “I’m guessing you and Taemin did your usual rendition of Fergali—”

The sound of a door opening across the hall interrupted you, one ear lifting as you turned your head. Taemin emerged, Lucas trailing behind him. Taemin had changed out of his pajamas and was now wearing some jeans and a t-shirt. Your eyes immediately met Lucas’s, but a second after, his eyes fell to Jongin, then the pair of pants you were reaching out for, then back to you. His gaze was hollow, unreadable, but his eyes still shone bright amber. Jongin tucked the fabric into your hands, and took a step away from you. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Hey, man, how are you doing?”

“Not really good, if I’m honest,” Lucas answered, practically glaring at the older man. You frowned at his tone. He was rarely this quiet.

“I did a quick check-up,” Taemin declared, “I don’t see any immediate risk, he seems to be safe for now.”

Your shoulders sagged, as you sighed in relief, tension leaving your body.

“But I’m still taking him to the lab,” Taemin said, eyes serious. “We never foresaw these... mutations. I need to run some tests and contact the team and the other test subjects. Y/N, you can stay here if you want, I don’t think Jongin and Baek hyung would mind—” 

“Head home, Y/N,” Lucas interjected, deep voice serious and clipped. He kept shifting his eyes in between you and Jongin. “I woke you up, you should go get some more sleep.”

The deep authority in his voice startled you. A small thought crossed your mind, submit, obey, and you realized that these were your rabbit instincts kicking in as it registered a predator in your midst. And that only happened when predator hybrids used a specific tone of speech, one used only to take command over a situation with other hybrids. It was a bit hard to disobey, but not impossible. With a chill, you realized he was probably doing this subconsciously. 

This wasn’t how things were supposed to work, not with Lucas. Yes, Lucas had become this thing that you’d been told to fear, but it wasn’t necessarily him. You blinked, looking at Jongin, then at Taemin. You realized that Taemin and Jongin were staring at each other awkwardly, before looking at Lucas again. Despite your sleepy state, you knew your anxiety wouldn’t let you rest. And to be frank, you didn’t want to be alone after what had happened. “I could wait for you here, Xuxi, and then we could head back home together—”

“I can drop him off at your place!” Taemin said, an awkward smile plastered on his face. “It’s no problem, you should head on home…” You furrowed your eyebrows, before nodding slowly at having your actions countered.

“Huh,” You answered slowly, remembering all of the times Taemin had gotten pissy about giving you and Lucas a ride home (gas money, he complained), even though his apartment wasn’t that far from yours, “Okay…? I’ll head home in a little bit. You guys be careful.”

Lucas nodded, face not changing. He was upset, you could tell, but he was completely justified, given everything that he’d been through. You didn’t appreciate him taking it out on everyone around him, though. 

“Yukhei, let’s go.” Taemin seemed all too eager to drag Lucas away, and you watched, bewildered at the strange shift in energy between the three men. You’d known Jongin and Taemin since your freshman year of college, and Lucas since junior year of high school. Never had you seen the three of them act like this.

You turned to Jongin once you heard the front door close. He was shifting back and forth awkwardly. “That was… weird.”

“Well,” He said, scratching at the back of his neck, “This whole morning has been a bit weird, don’t you think?”

You gave a sardonic smile, trying to figure out how to explain your thoughts. “I mean, yeah, but… I don’t know. Regardless of that, everything just seemed off between the three of you.”

Jongin’s eyes met yours. He looked a bit taken aback.

“You can’t be serious.”

You shook your head. “What?”

Jongin’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh my god,” He muttered, more to himself, “You really don’t know.”

“Jongin, what?”

“Yukhei likes you,” Jongin confessed, rubbing at his chin, “He has for years.”

Your ears shoot straight up, eyes widening. Immediately your face heated up, and your free hand shot upwards, waving them back and forth.

"What? Huh? No. No, no, no. We’re just—" 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” He countered, “You’re friends. But he wants to be more. He’s told me so, several times.”

When you didn’t answer, he walked around you to sit on his bed. He sighed, looking upwards as he gathered his thoughts, trying to figure out what to say. 

“Y/N, you’re smart. And you’re an independent person, and you value that because of how some people still treat hybrids. Especially prey hybrids. I know that. You know  that. Yukhei knows that. But…” He sighed again, shaking his head.

“You don’t see the way he looks at you when you’re not looking. He… he looks at you like you’re the only person in the world, or like you invented pizza, or something. And right now, his behavior…”

He groaned in exasperation, and you raised an eyebrow. “What?”  

“I don’t know how to put it other way than territorial,” He grumbled with a frown, “The way he was acting was like that look, but more aimed at me. Like, she’s the only one I see, don’t look at her the way I do. And I’m no expert on hybrid behavior, but…”

You didn’t know what to think, but you completed his thought anyway. 

“...You think Lucas was acting possessive.”

“I don’t think, I know,” He said, “He seemed really standoffish, and you should be careful. Not because he’s dangerous—this is Yukhei we’re talking about—but because it might strain your friendship.”

You remained silent for a few seconds, absorbing everything he’d told you. 

You didn’t want to believe him. 

You went home not much later, trying to process everything you’d seen and heard that morning in the silence of the car as you drove through traffic, still pantsless. You didn’t feel comfortable accepting Jongin’s pants after everything he’d pointed out in Lucas’s behavior.

Lucas, your mind continued to think, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas.

You’d known Lucas for so long at this point, he’d always just been your best friend. You’d never really wanted anything else from him.

You knew people had been expecting the two of you to get together for years. Your friends had told you, your family had told you, and now, his friends had told you that there was something going on between you and him. And every time, you’d been adamant to deny it. No, he’s like my brother. No, he’s my best friend. No, I don’t see him that way. No, he’s seeing someone. No, I don’t have time for a relationship, anyway. 

Lucas was attractive, you knew that. You had eyes. You had ears. Regardless of his looks, he was effortlessly charming and funny, and that would make anyone attractive. You saw how people swooned and fawned over him, despite him rarely being interested. But he’d always just been your best friend, the one who supported you through everything and made you laugh on your darkest days. And from living with him for the past few years, you considered it a bit awkward to be attracted to someone after seeing them scratch their ass as nonchalantly as possible in front of you as he had. 

That was until this morning, when he’d spoken using that tone of voice. You still weren’t sure how to feel about that. It gave you the chills, but... not in the way you’d expected. Something instinctual had begged you to submit to him. That didn’t usually happen to you when you heard other hybrids used that tone. Usually, you would feel a small tug in your gut, maybe a small flutter of anxiousness, but most of the time all it achieved was a roll of your eyes. But not with him. Not with Lucas.

You thought about it the entire way home. You thought about it on the way up to your apartment. You thought about it as you crawled into your bed, closed your eyes, and finally allowed your mind to be at peace once more. You slept until noon, then made yourself some lunch, showered, and worked on a few assignments you had for your classes.

Lucas came home several hours later, just before 7 PM. He no longer seemed as tense as this morning, but tired, instead. You didn’t blame him. His eyes had faded back to their warm, welcoming shade of brown, which didn’t surprise you. Wolf hybrids’ eyes tended to glow like that whenever they were on edge about something.

“How are you doing?” You asked, as he sat down on the couch. “Is everything alright?”

Slowly, you sat down next to him, wondering if he’d still be snappy as he had this morning. His neck turned to look down at you, and with a deep sigh, he nodded. 

“Medically, I’m sound. They still need to run a few tests, to see if this is something permanent, or not. I’ve been ordered to stop taking the pills, for now.”

You nodded, giving him a small smile out of relief. 

“Thank god,” You murmured, “I was worried about that. But how are you doing?”

He swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing as he did so. He shrugged, pursing his lips. His body shifted towards you, and before you knew it, he’d tackled you into a hug, burying his face into your neck. He seemed to be holding back tears again, and your eyes fluttered shut as he spoke again. “Honestly? I don’t know,” He said, voice small and muffled against your skin, “Things like this are so… different. I found out several things have changed basically overnight.”

“Like what?” Your arms came to wrap around him, trying to calm him down.

“Fuck, I don’t even know. Like, I can smell so much more, now. I can see in the dark, apparently? I can hear so much, Y/N. I’ve been poked and prodded all day and no one knows if this is gonna go away and I’m just… I’m scared.”

He shook his head, shifting to bury his head again, but this time into the other side of your neck. Your hand began to comb through his hair, trying to avoid touching the furry ears that now resided atop his head.

You shook your head, humming. You rested your chin against his shoulder, nuzzling into his form, and his large hands rose to your waist, arms wrapping around it. You looked down when you saw vague movement from below your gaze, and smiled to yourself when you saw Yukhei's tale wagging with contentment. 

“Everything will work out fine, Yukhei,” You whispered, “What matters now is that you’re safe, you’re healthy. You’re so strong, Xuxi. Whatever life throws at you, even if it knocks you down, you always get up with that big smile of yours and keep going.”

He nodded against your neck, cuddling even closer to you. “Thank you,” He answered, before pulling his head away. His eyebrows were furrowed, dark eyes peering into yours from above you. 

“This morning,” He mumbled, “When you were in Jongin hyung’s room. I said something. And I don’t know what it was but it felt…” 

You forced your face to remain blank and expressionless, and broke eye contact, trying to gather your words. God, you didn’t know what to tell him. “Oh… Yeah. That’s sort of a, uh, special tone more dominant predator hybrids use. I don’t really know how to explain it. I’m sure there’s some scientific term, but uh… yeah.”

“Oh.” He pulled away from you slowly, resting against the couch. You nodded awkwardly. 

“I don’t hate you,” You said suddenly. “This morning, in the bathroom, you didn’t want to let me look at you because you thought I’d hate you… I don’t. I could never.”

He smiled, but didn’t meet your eyes. “We don’t have to make this awkward, do we? I don’t feel any different just because of… this. You’re still my best friend, Y/N.”

You nodded, smiling. “Why should it be awkward? I don't think this will change anything, Xuxi.”

Finally, he looked at you, and your eyes found his. His smile grew, and yours did as well. 

“I’m gonna go to bed,” He said moments later, as his hand rose to rub at his neck, “I’m insanely tired.”

“Good night, Xuxi,” You told him as he stood.

 “Good night, bunny.”

When he walked into his room without another word, you watched as he did so, closing the door to his room, right across the hall from yours. You rubbed at a kink in your neck, inhaling deeply as you did so. 

A few moments later, you stopped, eyebrows furrowing. You frowned, ears perking up ever so slightly as something gained your attention. You sniffled once, twice, three times.

Usually, you couldn’t perceive your own hybrid scent unless you consciously thought of it, kind of like when a person thinks of breathing and starts doing it manually rather than automatically. But now, you couldn’t do it. 

Instead, only the scent that you’d registered this morning as Lucas’s remained in its place. Your breath hitched as you realized that Lucas, in hugging you and burying his face in your neck, had scented you. 

There’s no way he did that on purpose… right?

Did Lucas even know about scenting? Was he even aware that it was a courting gesture between hybrids, and a way to tell other hybrids to back off?

Your mind drifted back to what Jongin had said this morning, and you sighed as you once again contemplated the situation. Within a day, both your life and Lucas’s had made a turn for the stranger, and no one knew whether this would be permanent or not.

Shaking your head to yourself, you stood, making your way to your room. This is only awkward if I make it awkward. Lucas doesn’t know hybrid behavior very well because up until this morning, he wasn’t one. Y/N L/N, you’re not going to make this awkward. This isn’t about you being ‘uncomfortable’, this is about Lucas’s wellbeing. You’re not going to make this awkward, you’re not going to make this awkward!

When you reached your door, you took one last glance at Lucas’s door, deciding that you would do your best to help him, for his sake.  

It couldn’t get that awkward, right? Especially not if you tried your best to make it as such. The both of you could continue living as if nothing had changed, right?

Wrong. 

The next few days, it was almost as if the conversation you’d had that night had never happened, but not for your lack of trying. The next morning when you emerged from your bedroom, you found that Lucas was already gone, probably off to class. You shrugged it off, but still found it kind of strange.

When you got home from your classes and studying at the library, he was in the kitchen, eating a sandwich, and you greeted him, and he answered with a vague “hello”, not really paying you much attention. You thought it was strange, but chalked it up to him probably being tired. 

Then it happened the next day, and the day after that, and the next day, and the next, and the next. And almost overnight, you had no idea who this person who had replaced your best friend was. You felt hurt, trying your best to speak to him when you returned to your apartment. He wouldn’t budge, and you’d back off before you pissed him off too much. 

He didn’t look at you the same way he once did. It was like all of the warmth and happiness from his eyes had been sucked out of them, leaving a winter that rivaled the north pole. You couldn’t recall the last time he’d laughed around you.

You missed Lucas. You really did, and the worst thing was that you couldn’t tell if he felt the same thing. You didn’t want to confront him, telling yourself he was going through a tough time. You could tell it frustrated him, having this new tail twitch and to knock something over, the augmented senses distorting and amplifying everything around him. 

He confessed about three weeks, in a clipped tone, that Taemin couldn’t be sure if it was permanent or not. Nothing like this had ever happened to anyone before. There was no way test designed for this situation, and Taemin would have to design a safe way to test it. Which meant time, money, and patience. Two of which, those being money and patience, Lucas had never had much of. 

“Oh, Xuxi,” You’d sighed when he told him, “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be.” He set down the textbook he’d been holding onto the table. “You didn’t do it.”

You stepped forward, and he stepped back, almost immediately as you had. You frowned. “Please don’t do that,” You mumbled, now kind of angry. 

“Do what,” He sighed, as if the conversation was exhausting.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” You were glaring at him now. “You’ve been avoiding me like the goddamn plague.”

“And what if I am?” He asked, turning to face you. The ears on his head twitched restlessly, and his eyes were burning with what seemed to be contempt. “What if I can’t stand to be around you anymore?”

Your eyes widened, taken aback. After weeks of him not giving you the time of day, for him to say that was too much for you to take sitting down. You scoffed angrily, tapping your foot anxiously. “Excuse me? Where is this coming from?”

He stood up straight, and somewhere in your mind, a little alarm went off in your head at the sheer size of him. He always slouched, just a little. To see him like this, especially now that he’d grown so much, was jarring.

“You heard me,” He said in a tone you could only describe as threatening, taking a step towards you, and this time, you took a step back. “I can't stand being around you anymore. I can’t stand your face, or your voice, or your scent, or your voice. You get on my nerves, and sometimes I swear, I just wanna...”

He didn’t finish.

You shook your head, laughing humorlessly, despite the fact that your heart was cracking with every passing second. You didn’t know this person. Sadness and anger swirled in your chest, creating a mixture that made you grit your teeth. 

You weren’t backing down from this, not after giving him space to himself only to turn around and tell you this. You took a step forward, crossing your arms. “Um, why? What did I ever do or say?” 

He didn’t answer, fully scowling now. His eyes studied your face, but after a few moments, it dropped lower. You realized almost immediately he was looking at your neck. You swallowed nervously, forcing yourself to not look away when he met your eyes again. 

Still, no answer, and you groaned, causing him to snap out of his strange reverie. “Fine. Don’t fucking tell me. See if I care, Yukhei.”

You stepped away from him one last time, walking towards your room. 

“I don’t owe you a fucking explanation, you know! I don’t owe you shit!” He yelled, and you jumped at his sudden burst of anger. You turned, incredulous. Even he seemed to be shocked by the volume of his voice, wolf ears pressed against his head, like a puppy who’d just gotten chastised.

“And I don’t need you yelling at me! Just because you hate me doesn’t give you the right to treat me like shit!” You answered desperately, just as loud. You hated the way that your voice cracked towards the end of your tirade, eyes welling with tears and throat closing up. You blinked the tears back furiously, taking one final look at the increasingly sad look on his face before slamming your bedroom door behind you. 

Finally alone, you took a few deep breaths, trying to think over what had just happened. 

You’d known Yukhei for years. Never once had he raised his voice at you or anyone else. And here he’d just exploded at you, telling you that he couldn’t stand you or the things that made you, well, you.

You sat on your bed, body numb, as the tears began to flow freely. But you couldn’t bring yourself to make noise. You couldn’t bring yourself to curl up sob into your pillow . You knew that he would most likely be able to hear you if you did, and you didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. 

Instead, you laid back, trying your hardest to control your breathing, and fell asleep like that, with the tears falling into your hair, eyeliner and mascara streaking along your skin, feeling utterly destroyed.

After that, you felt yourself giving him an even wider berth than before. You didn’t speak to him unless you absolutely needed to, like when you couldn’t reach the sugar that had suspiciously ended up on the highest shelf, (even though you were the only one to use it) and needed him to hand it to you.

If you walked into the living room and he also happened to be in there, you two would meet eyes briefly, before you walked away. His gaze was never cold, but rather emotionless. Indifferent, bordering on unreadable. It still hurt to see. The only thing that could describe the mood of the apartment was tense. You quickly learned to hate living in such a suffocating environment.

The only "good" thing was that finals were right around the corner, so you were able to distract yourself from the whole situation and pour all of your concentration into studying into the wee hours of the morning. 

But that only lasted for so long.

Taemin had mentioned a heightened libido as a side effect of the treatment. As far as you could tell, Yukhei didn't give off any signs of that. It didn’t even make sense, considering he’d stopped taking the pills ever since the mutation had occurred.

However, for some reason, the universe decided that it wanted to cause you trouble on purpose. 

You came home one day to strange noises coming from Yukhei's bedroom. And when you got closer, it didn't take much for you to realize what was going on between him and whoever he'd brought home. Deep groans, high pitched moaning, and the undeniable sound of skin slapping against skin. Even worse, the smell. It smelled like sex, and sweat, and Yukhei. 

Maybe if you'd been human, you wouldn't have smelled it. But alas, you weren't, and so your heightened sense of smell painted a picture you didn't want to see. Of Yukhei and some stranger, him on top of her, fucking brutally into her.

"Yes, fuck, right there!" 

You damn near jumped out of your skin, then immediately cringing because… well. How could you describe the nasty feeling building suddenly in the pit of your stomach? It wasn't disgust. It wasn't… no. It couldn't be jealousy. Could it have been a mix of the two? 

You couldn't be sure.

And that was only the first time it'd happened. Soon enough, it was happening two or three times a week.

You suddenly started spending more time away from the apartment. Be it at the library, at the café right off campus, at your best friend Mark's apartment. 

But at night, you were on your own, having to listen to Yukhei plow a seemingly endless array of girls into his mattress while you were either studying or trying to sleep. 

Your girlfriends still lived at the college dorms, and there wouldn't be enough space for you there. You didn't want to impose on Mark, since you were already spending most of your day with him and he shared his apartment with four other guys. You certainly didn't want to ask to sleep over at Taemin's, not after what Jongin had told you.

You were more or less trapped in your apartment past nine PM. You wondered if this was how Fiona felt in the first Shrek film when she couldn't go outside at night.

Yukhei was loud, you came to learn. He groaned, he grunted, he growled. He had a filthy vocabulary and, if you were to go by what the girl he'd brought home past Thursday said, leaving out all the gory details, he was very… well endowed. 

You still weren't quite sure how to feel about constantly having to hear him from across the hall. You weren't judging him, not at all. It was none of your business, and as he'd so rudely put it, he didn't owe you an explanation.

But with exams rolling around, and stress starting to build up, you were disappointed, but not surprised to realize that your sexual frustration was doing the same. And Yukhei, with his pretty face, broad shoulders, foul mouth and maddening scent, was not doing you any favors by practically acting out porn across the hallway. 

Even worse? Mating season was approaching. 

The actual duration of heats and ruts for all hybrids varied, but a grand majority of hybrids went through them during the first few weeks of winter, regardless of whether they were predators or prey. 

So while it pained you to say it, Yukhei’s across the hall antics were not doing you any favors. You found yourself lying awake on a Saturday at one in the morning, after a particularly rough Friday. Meanwhile he was with yet another girl, listening to him dirty talk her to high heaven. You had your eyes closed, trying to sleep in the dark of your bedroom, but it wasn’t easy given what was going on.

If you hadn’t been in a sleep deprived delirium, you wouldn’t have allowed your mind to drift to Yukhei, or to focus on the vulgar words he was saying. His words were muffled by the walls, but it was still pretty easy for you to hear them, ears perking up as you did.

“Yeah, baby, you love my cock, don’t you?”

If you hadn’t been so tired, you would have put in some headphones and listened to some soft music until you were able to fall asleep, instead of letting your breath hitch while your sleepy mind conjured an image of a sweaty Yukhei on top of you, doing to you what he’d been doing to the entire campus.

“So fucking tight around me…”

And you definitely wouldn’t have stuck your hand down your pants, with one hand, covering your mouth with the other. But you did, imagining that it was Yukhei’s fingers and not yours pinching at your clit, teasing around your slit, feeling yourself get wet with every passing second. Hard to do, considering Yukhei’s fingers were so much longer than yours were, and you clenched around nothing at the thought of his pretty hands and how deep they could reach inside of you.

You opened your legs a little more, eyes fluttering shut as your index finger delved inside of you, stifling a quiet moan. Even in your sleepy haze your mind told you not to be too loud, because you knew that Yukhei could end up hearing it, and you didn’t want to seem like a creep after everything that had already happened. Slowly, you built up to a speed that you felt went well with the sound of skin against skin.

“Fuck, baby, you gonna come soon? I’m so close...”

Your breathing turned heavy, and suddenly the sheets were too hot, kicking them off of you before adding in a second finger, relishing in the stretch and the way your palm rubbed against your clit in a deliciously frustrating way. You hesitated briefly before adding a third finger, searching desperately for a spot that would cause you to see stars before they cramped up too bad.

When you did manage to find it, your body curled in on itself, biting down on your lip to stop yourself from making any noise. So embarrassingly fast, you felt yourself nearing climax, listening as the moans and groans escalated in pitch and in volume. You pulled your other hand away from your mouth to rub at your clit, and your eyebrows furrowed, mouth tipping open in silent moans. You prayed to whatever cosmic force that ruled over the universe in hopes that you wouldn’t make too much noise.

“Shit, shit, I’m c-coming, baby…” You heard him say, before switching to Cantonese to swear, and with that, your orgasm came crashing against you.

Your toes curled, your eyes squeezed shut, and before you could bury your head in your pillow, you squeaked out the softest possible whine, “Yukhei…”

When you came back down, you were quick to fall asleep, ignoring the stickiness in your panties or the smell of sweat permeating your room, too tired to bring yourself to care. 

You didn’t hear the shuffling of feet as Yukhei kicked this girl out of the apartment, too on edge after having heard your whimpering.

After that, Yukhei didn’t bring home any other girls, and you brushed it off as him needing to concentrate for finals. The coming weeks were filled with all nighters, cups of coffee, tears and desperation as you somehow managed to pass all of your classes.

 You and Yukhei continued to practically tiptoe around each other, still not speaking. Now, however, it was more due to a lack of time than anger geared towards each other. Yes, you could still sense animosity when you crossed paths but it was getting… strange. While he almost never spoke, Yukhei’s wide eyes seemed to follow you whenever you passed him.

Now, the apartment had turned silent, rather than tense. You felt like you should anticipate something but you weren’t sure what. Many times, you could feel Yukhei before you saw him, and while before, at the apartment he tended to avoid you like a criminal dodging the law, now you always felt him close, his scent never far from where you were. On campus, you didn’t have that problem, rarely seeing him due to your different majors. But at home, it seemed like you could rarely hide from him. 

Finally, winter break was so close to rolling around, and all you needed to do was take two more exams, and hand in one final paper. Then you were free, and all you needed to do was call up your… friend, Doyoung.

You used the term “friend” very, very loosely. 

Doyoung was the only other rabbit hybrid you trusted enough to spend your heats with, and you really only spoke to him during this time of year. He was kind and soft spoken, and attentive to your needs when you were in heat despite him also being affected by his own rut. He was also insanely good in bed, and not too bad on the eyes either.

He enjoyed your arrangement, and wasn’t looking for anything serious, which you appreciated. This would have been your third heat spent with him.

You called him a week before your heat was due to start, and he swung by your apartment for a quick visit to discuss where you would go, how long your doctor had told you it would last, and generally to just catch up with each other.

Yukhei was out, probably studying with Mark or something. All you knew was that he was out. 

Doyoung was cute. Really cute. His ears, white with black tips were generally stood at attention. His broad shoulders and gummy smile were too much, and even though it was a week before your heat was supposed to start you kind of had to resist jumping his bones when you let him inside. 

You managed, somehow, and he sat down next to you at your small dinner table. 

“So, how’s Lucas?” He asked once all of the details were worked out. You were going to stay at his apartment for the following week.

You pursed your lips, sighing. “He’s, uh… It’s complicated.”

He shook his head, a nervous smile gracing his face.

“What do you mean it’s complicated?”

You shrugged, letting your eyes flutter shut. “It’s a long story.”

“So? Tell it,” He said, ears twitching, “I’ve got all day.”

So you did. From the treatment, to the mutation, to what Jongin had said, to the shift in his behavior, to the argument, to him bringing random girls home, even including the bit about you masturbating to him that one time. You didn’t spare the details, given that you’d probably had more sex with Doyoung within the span of both of your heats than you’d ever had with all of your previous partners combined. There was no point in being vague.

You worried you might be airing out you and Yukhei’s dirty laundry, but continued anyway. Doyoung was a good guy. He wasn’t going to blab to anyone about it. During your whole tirade, he remained emotionless, nodding along to show he was still listening to you. When you finished, he took a deep breath, ears falling against his head. He blinked a few times.

“Phew,” He whistled, “That’s… a lot. Sounds like he’s going through a tough time.”

You nodded, staring at your hands on your lap. “I know. I want to help him but I’m scared he’s gonna yell at me again and I don’t want to have to push him away even more. I miss him, Doie. I miss my best friend.”

Doyoung offered a sympathetic smile, patting you on the back. “Can I be honest?” His voice was soft, not demanding. You, always appreciative of his candor, nodded. 

“I don’t think you just miss your best friend, Y/N.”

Your head snapped upward to meet his gaze, sympathetic smile still there as he continued to rub up and down your back, now slower.

“No goddamn way,” You denied vehemently, shaking your head, “I don’t like him.”

“You’re right,” Doyoung answered, “You don’t like Yukhei. You’re in love with him.”

You spluttered, looking away as you felt your face heat up. “Y-you can’t really mean that, Doyoung. He’s like—"

“Yeah, yeah, your brother. You’ve told everyone and their mother that. But has it ever occurred to you that when you say that, it's just you trying to convince yourself? I see the way you look at him when I come to pick you up before your heats and you say goodbye to him. Your eyes just light up, and you smile like you’re the happiest you’ve ever been.”

“Well, because he makes me happy, he’s my—”

“Veggie lover’s pizza makes you happy, and I don’t see you smiling at it like it invented modern wi-fi. Yukhei? Y/N, he makes you happy happy. As in, if you were an actual bunny and not 25% bunny, you would be doing binkies around him.”

You gasped. “I would not—!”

“Would too,” He retorted, laughing slightly at your antics, “I swear, the way you talk about him—"

He would have continued, but was interrupted by the sound of the key clicking the apartment door open. Quickly, both of your heads turned to watch as Yukhei entered the apartment, eyes immediately trained on Doyoung. His expression was unreadable, but at the end of the day, both you and Doyoung, prey hybrids till the bitter end, could smell the tension that permeated his signature scent. You exchanged glances with the black haired man, and noted that his ears were standing at attention, just like yours.

 “Uh, hey, man,” Doyoung said with his iconic awkward smile, adding an awkward wave as well, “...Long time no see.” 

Yukhei remained silent for a moment as he took off his jacket, eyes still not leaving the other man. “Hello, Doyoung hyung. How have you been?” His voice was monotone, no discernible emotion in it, and you felt like you wanted the earth to swallow you then and there.

“Uhh…” Doyoung side-eyed you for the briefest second, your eyes flashing between him and Yukhei incessantly. Suddenly, you were on edge, and you knew that it was all because of the six foot tall nuisance that had just interrupted your moment with Doyoung.

“I’m... good. I was actually just about to, uh, head home,” He mumbled, and you furrowed your eyebrows as you turned to look at him, kind of taken aback. He was already getting off the couch, making sure he had everything.

You raised a tentative hand. “Hey, Doyoung—”

“Like I told you earlier, I need to go, uh… feed Jeno’s cat since he’s still out of town.”

“Uh,” You blinked, gaping like a fish, remembering the fact that you’d bumped into Jeno at the convenience store earlier today, “Take care, I guess?”

And then, quickly as Yukhei had come, Doyoung had gone, eyeing the wolf hybrid like he was about to get strangled.

When it was just the two of you, your eyes turned to look at Yukhei, and you huffed, before getting up and walking to your room. You closed your door, picking up your phone as you sat at your desk. 

doyoungie: your roommate is insane 

doyoungie: did you see the way he was looking at me? his scent was also super intimidating, y/n

doyoungie: i cant help you out, i dont feel comfortable given everything going on between the two of u

doyoungie: im really sorry y/n 

doyoungie: please be careful around him

You saw red. You chucked the phone onto your bed, too angry and upset to answer Doyoung in that moment.

Everything going on between you and Yukhei had ruined everything these past months, but this was the icing on the cake. If Doyoung wouldn’t help you, you couldn’t go over to his apartment during your heat. If you couldn’t spend your heat at Doyoung’s apartment, you would have to spend it in the apartment, with Yukhei across the hall. And if Yukhei, a predator hybrid, turned out to go into rut at the same time you, a prey hybrid, went into heat… well. 

It wasn’t even a matter of whether you would end up sleeping with him at one point or not. It was the principle of the thing. Yukhei brought home several girls to fuck and you had turned a blind eye. But god forbid you make plans to fuck someone in your own home. No, no, that was heresy. Highest treason in the land.

You slammed your door open, crossing the hall to stomp into Yukhei’s room. You ripped his door open, seething with anger. He turned in surprise, eyebrows furrowed. “Y/N, what—”

“Fuck you, Wong Yukhei,” You spat, getting straight to the point. He opened his mouth to speak, eyebrows turned downwards as he observed your angry frame. But you didn’t let him. 

“How fucking dare you. I said jack shit when you brought home all of those girls. But no, every single time I get close to another guy you put on a pissy face and puff out your chest and scare them away. What gives you the fucking right?”

He scoffed, then gave a humorless laugh. “It’s not my fault your prey hybrid boy toy can’t handle being looked at for more than five seconds.”

Your mouth fell open, glaring at him. You couldn’t believe the way he’d said the words ‘prey hybrid’ like it was something shameful. “What, do you have a problem with us prey hybrids now, or...?”

“Please,” He growled, “You’re always the one who was so willing to push predator hybrids away.”

“You of all people should know why.”

He took a step towards you, eyes meeting yours before looking at the floor. “Of course I did. And that’s why I pushed you away.”

You stared at him, incredulous at his sudden quietness. “No. Don’t you dare spin this as some little ‘woe is me’ sob story. You ghosted me. You treated me like I was trash. Maybe you didn’t want to worry me with this whole thing, which is more on par with the Lucas I know. But my Lucas, my Xuxi, would never have taken it that far.”

“Did it ever occur to you that your stupid little Xuxi isn’t coming back!?” He yelled suddenly, and your eyes widened at his display of anger. He took notice and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, and lowered his voice. 

 Y/N, this entire thing,” He huffed, gesturing to his ears and tail, which was now swishing back and forth restlessly, “It changed me too much."

"Yukhei…"

"You think I didn't want to keep being your Xuxi? T-that I didn't want to pretend that everything was normal and keep patting your head and hugging you in the morning and calling you bunny?" 

Your demeanor faltered, and your heart sank. This wasn't how you wanted this conversation to go.

"Yukhei."

He stepped closer, and you swallowed at his sudden proximity. "I feel this… need. Inside of me. Almost all of the time, but it's strongest when you're close to me. And I don't know what it is, but every time I look at you, I want to…"

"Yukhei," you mumbled dizzily as he took another step forward, basically forcing you up against the wall. You could feel his breath on your skin as he peered down at you, eyes melancholy. He looked lonely. You felt lonely.

"I want to… God, let me kiss you."

Your breath left your body, and before you could give it a second thought, you were tilting your head, eyes falling shut as he pressed his lips to yours.

Immediately, you stood on the tips of your toes to meet him easier, and his hands cupped your face before moving to your back, and then finally splaying possessively around your waist. 

The kiss was urgent, desperate; Yukhei kissed you as if he were dying and you felt the need to match his desperation. As your lips locked against each other's, Yukhei's body stepped closer to yours, his torso now pressed against yours. Your arms rose to his broad shoulders, wrapping around his neck, releasing a whimper when he pressed his tongue into your mouth.

Your stomach lurched when he used his thigh to separate yours, hands trailing down to grasp at your thighs. He pulled away from your lips, trailing to your jaw, and you whimpered, hands combing through his hair. Lower his mouth went, planting open mouthed kisses along your neck, and you felt a fire in your stomach, readying you to submit to him.

Submit?

Your eyes shot open, and your heart dropped, and as you realized what he had said, how he had said it, you were pushing him off of you. He stumbled back, chest heaving, eyes scared, lips swollen and pink. He seemed to have realized what he’d done. “Y/N, I didn’t mean t—”

“No.” You couldn’t look him in the eye, clenching your jaw. “I came here to say that I was tired of being treated like your property when all I’ve ever been is your friend. You turned it around and used that tone with me and you used it to kiss me. I-I can’t, Yukhei. Why would you even—”

“Because I’m in love with you.”

Your eyes widened as you met his, and you slumped against the wall, inhaling sharply. You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out. He took this as his cue to continue, eyes pleading and apologetic as he leaned against his desk, giving you the space you suddenly needed.

“That’s no excuse, I know that. It’s literally the worst possible excuse I could give you. I don’t know how to control this thing yet and I’m… Y/N, I’m scared that I’ll hurt you with my words or all of this strength I now have combined with instincts I don’t understand and it terrifies me. And now, with this whole mating season thing coming I feel them even stronger and I...”

“Yukhei, you’re not making any sense,” You said, voice barely above a whisper. He looked up, eyes suddenly teary. 

“How can I make my thoughts make sense when you’re the only thing on my mind right now?”

You pursed your lips, eyes squeezing shut. Your stomach swirled and your mind was jumbled, unsure what to tell him. 

“Yukhei, what are your instincts even telling you?” 

He shook his head, expression agitated as he looked you up and down. Finally, his eyes landed on your neck, and he groaned, shoving his face into his hands. 

“I can’t hurt you, Y/N. I would never forgive myself if I did.”

Your breath hitched, heart rate beginning to pick up. “Yukhei, I need you to tell me what is going on with you. Then, we can call Taemin and he—he’ll figure something out.”

“I need to bite you. A-and you need to leave, so I can leave before I do something I regret.”

“Yukhei, hold on a second—”

“Y/N,” He growled, and you felt all of the hairs on your head stand straight up, animal instincts going haywire, “Leave.” 

Even if he hadn’t used that tone with you, you would have done so. And you did, bolting out of his room, quickly grabbing your phone from your room and then darting out of the apartment, out of the building and somewhere onto the street, legs shaking and heart broken.

You ran for several blocks, stopping once you felt comfortable, which just so happened to be in front of a cafe a few minutes from your apartment. You went in and ordered, sitting at a table in the window, staring blankly at the cup in front of you. You felt numb. Yukhei was making absolutely no sense, and your thoughts were too jumbled for you to try and decipher what he was trying to tell you. There was only one thing that you could make sense of.

Because I’m in love with you. 

God, you wanted to slam your head into the table, his words echoing in your head. He’d looked so candid, so vulnerable, so scared saying those six words, that it honestly kind of petrified you. After everything you’d thought about, everything you’d been told, and everything you’d said to each other, you were being forced with the truth, and you honestly weren’t sure if you could handle it.

Yes, you loved Yukhei. But what best friend doesn’t love their best friend? There was such a difference between loving and being in love, but in that moment you couldn’t be sure of any. 

Yukhei had always been there for you. He understood your boundaries, understood that you wanted to be an independent person, but wasn’t afraid to support you if he felt you needed it. Whenever you were sad, or frustrated, he was there. And vice versa. You understood that Yukhei, despite his intimidating looks, muscles and tall frame was just a gentle giant, sometimes not confrontational enough to stand up for himself. And yes, he was confident, but you knew that deep down he would always feel like he wasn’t good enough, just a little bit. And whenever that feeling became too heavy for him to carry, you’d be the one to pick him up and help him carry the weight.

Your mutual understanding of each other went so much more than just finishing each other’s sentences sometimes. With a simple movement, both of you could tell whether the other was upset, or excited, or angry. 

You sighed, taking another sip of your coffee.

Yukhei was kind, and he didn’t worry about what problems he might have in the future. He was funny, sometimes making you laugh till you cried because it was just an innate talent of his. And fuck’s sake, he was hot. And you… you, the worrisome, blunt hybrid who trailed behind him because he lit up your days, you were…

Oh my god. I’m in love with Yukhei.

You spluttered, immediately coughing as you choked on your coffee, attracting the attention of the people around you. It took you awhile, but you eventually managed to catch your breath, avoiding the questioning gazes of everyone around you. You were left with your head spinning, foot tapping anxiously. 

You needed to get back to the apartment.

You paid for the unfinished cup of coffee in a hassle, and ran back up the street as fast as your legs could carry you. You realized that all of the running you’d been doing meant your hair would be frizzy and you would smell like sweat once you got back, but you couldn’t care less.

 All you needed was to see him.

If you’d been able to talk him down from his own thoughts before, like that day in the bathroom and times before that, if you’d been able to get through to him before, it wouldn’t be that hard now, would it? You needed to know he was okay and that he knew that everything would work out in the end. 

You dashed onto your street, mind filled with only Yukhei and his wellbeing, for once being a bit reckless when it came to your own safety. Yes, he’d told you to leave. But that didn’t matter anymore, you thought as you rushed into the building and pulled yourself into the elevator. He was your only concern, now.

Your heart pounded as you stood in the elevator. Your leg never ceased its insistent tapping. Waiting, waiting, waiting for the doors to slide open. It took an eternity, but finally, you heard a ding! And when the doors opened, you bolted. You ran down the hall, reaching your door before you pulled out your key and unlocked the door, not thinking twice before swinging it open.

“Yukhei!?”

Your loud, breathless voice rang out through the apartment, but there was no response. As you caught your breath, you noted that the scent of cinnamon and earth was still there, but faint, as if Yukhei had vanished into thin air. Your heart sank.

“Yukhei?” You asked again, voice now quieter as you realized that he was probably gone. Your face fell, and part of you began to wonder why you even expected him to still be here.  

Walking towards his room, where the trace of his scent was strongest, you gnawed on the inside of your cheek, silently asking yourself where you would go from here. The vibration of your phone caught your attention, and you pulled it out of your pocket to see what the notification was. Your eyes softened at seeing Yukhei’s contact name grace your screen, but your gaze quickly turned gloomy when you saw how long his text was. That was never a good thing.

xuxi: Hey. I’m sorry about everything that just happened, and for scaring you like that. I’m gonna be staying at Taemin hyung’s until your heat passes. I don’t know how long that is, but I know it was supposed to start sometime next week? I want to keep distance from you until either hyung or I can understand what’s going on with me, and I don’t want to do or say anything that’s gonna damage our friendship. Please don’t worry about me, Y/N. I’m fine. Don’t think that I think you can’t be around other guys, because I don’t. I want you to be happy. And if you feel like you never want to see me once this is all over, then I’ll totally understand. I’ve been an asshole and I treated you horribly because I was acting selfishly. Take care.

You slumped against the wall, swallowing the growing lump in your throat. 

How on earth did everything get this messed up?

The last few days before winter break were miserable. You spent the rest of that night after the argument with Yukhei crying out of frustration at the situation, falling asleep with puffy eyes and a runny nose. Eventually, however, you had to force yourself out of your pity party, because despite everything going on, you still had two exams to study for and a paper to turn in. 

Your paper was going to turn out mediocre, at best. You simply couldn’t put your heart into it despite the fact that it was 10% of your final grade for the semester. Thankfully, it was due Friday, and the first exam was on Monday and the other on Tuesday, leaving you a full three days to finish it, and you’d done pretty well in the subject all semester, so if you flubbed the paper, it wouldn’t be so bad. 

As for your exams, they weren’t your best, but you’d live. Exams this late were always hellish for you, because on top of all of the stress, your pre-heat symptoms were starting to set in. You felt tired, sluggish, and irritable. 

You thought of Yukhei almost all week during what little free time you got. You didn't see him on campus all week, but you knew from texting Taemin that he was still going. According to him, he wasn’t talking to anyone much. Not even Baekhyun could cheer him up, and Yukhei loved Baekhyun’s jokes.

You never responded to the long text Yukhei had sent you. You weren’t sure what to say, and after a certain amount of days had passed it just felt awkward to try and respond to him. 

Finally, Friday rolled around, and you strolled onto campus, ready to hand in your paper, go to your last few lectures, and then buy yourself some snacks to prepare to hole up in your apartment for a week during your heat. You wished you could just turn it in online, but this professor was probably as old as the university itself, and still preferred doing things the old fashioned way.

You sat down next to Mark right before your history lecture, about two hours before your paper was supposed to be turned in. 

“Hey, how have you been?” Mark asked, and you shrugged. 

“I’m pretty much over everything,” You sighed, “All I need is to turn in my paper to Wang and I’m out of here.”

“Can I see?” He asked. “Mine sucks and I wanted to compare.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” You answered, turning to open your bag. You rummaged through it, looking between your notes, laptop, and old pieces of paper, before frowning. 

“No fucking way,” You muttered to yourself, looking through the contents of your bag again, now more frantic. 

“What? Do you not have it?”

“No,” You answered, turning to him, sounding desperate. “I think I left it on my desk this morning. God, I’m so stupid.”

“Why don’t you just go get it?” Mark said, tilting his head. “Your place isn’t that far.”

You eyed the professor, who was preparing his presentation before the class started, weighing your options.

“...You’re right. I’ll be back in like, half an hour.”

And so you set off, power walking back to your apartment, which was right off campus. When you got to your building, you stepped into the elevator and heard your phone ring. You looked at who was calling first, furrowing your eyebrows. Hesitantly, you picked up.

“Taem? What’s up?” You asked, looking through your bag for your keys.

“Hey, Y/N.” Taemin sounded anxious, and it didn’t do anything to dissipate your confusion. “I just wanted to let you know that Yukhei said he would be passing by the apartment to get some more clothes, but uh… I forgot to ask him what time, and now he isn’t answering my texts or my calls. He was acting kind of… weird this morning. He didn’t say anything to you, did he?”

You blinked, swallowing at the idea of seeing him again after not having said anything to each other. Suddenly, your heart seemed to be beating a lot faster than it had been a second ago. “Um. No. He didn’t. But um… thanks for letting me know. I’ll just be going—” 

“Wait, Y/N!”

“Taemin, what?”

“Have you ever heard of Tanaka’s Theory of Hybrid Compatibility?” He blurted, and you made a face, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“...No?”

The elevator dinged, and you stepped out as he began to explain. 

“I was doing research after running some DNA tests on Yukhei, yesterday, to see if I would be able to gauge whether he’d be going into rut or not. This theory says that two hybrids of different animal types could trigger each other’s mating instincts—”

“Wait, wait, wait, I thought that wasn’t possible—”

“That’s what a lot of people thought, until Tanaka and her team published this study about a year ago. She did an experiment where she paired up hybrids of different animal types, and induced heat in only one of them, to see if it triggered rut or heat in the other hybrid. She concluded that it was possible, but only if the hybrids had already formed a deep emotional bond. Y/N, you and Yukhei…”

You stopped right outside of your apartment, dead in your tracks. “D—Taem. Do you think that could happen if…?”

You didn’t finish, and Taemin sighed. “Yeah,” He said, voice quiet. “I think he might be in the very early stages of rut. Please, please be careful, Y/N.”

You stared at the door, before sighing. “I will, Taemin. Thank you for calling me.”

You hung up, trying to absorb everything you’d just been told. Cautiously, you inserted the key into the lock, trying to be quiet. A chill rolled through your body as you stepped into the apartment. For some reason, it seemed so much more quiet than it usually was. You gulped. Hurriedly, with quiet footsteps, you approached your bedroom. You sighed in relief upon seeing the paper on your desk, and grabbed it, stuffing it carefully into your bag before turning to exit. 

“Hey.”

You shrieked in surprise, your skeleton nearly jumping out of your skin when you saw Yukhei in the doorway of his bedroom, staring intently at you. Immediately, you knew something was wrong. His eyes were wide like saucers, eyeing you up and down. His body seemed tense. His scent was overpowering. You scrunched your nose once it hit you.

“Y-Yukhei. What are you—Um, how have you been?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” He said, wide eyes never leaving you. You felt like he was studying you, and you squirmed underneath his gaze, “Just peachy. A little hot. What are you doing here?”

His sentences were quick and snippy, as if he were jumpy. You spluttered, gathering your thoughts.

“Oh,” You mumbled, “Um… I forgot my paper on my desk. I needed to come and get it.”

 The entire time, you never stopped looking at him. He seemed poised, ready to strike, looking for the moment he could catch you off guard. You swallowed, trying to step past him, “I need to turn this in later, so I’ll just…”

He grabbed your wrist before you could get out of his arms’ reach, cornering you against the wall. 

“I need to… talk to you,” He muttered, eyes trained on your face.

“Yukhei, you’re kind of freaking me out,” You answered, looking away from his face. Your own face was suddenly hot, animal instincts were screaming at his proximity, at his scent, begging you to either get away or pull him closer. Danger, one side of your brain whispered, while the other said, want.

“Just hear me out,” He answered, deep voice quiet and raspy. “I missed you this week. Missed my bunny.”

You looked away, unsure what to do. 

dangerdangerdangerdangerdanger

He lifted a hand to lift your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze. You gasped, realizing that his eyes were a bright yellow. Had they always been that color or was it only now noticeable due to his proximity?

wantwantwantwantwantwant

“Y-Yukhei,” You mumbled again, panting as he brushed his lips against yours.

DANGERDANGERDANGERDANGER

In that moment, your animal instincts took over. What happened next happened in less than ten seconds, but felt like an eternity.

See, when rabbits feel threatened, they bite their attacker. You knew this. Yukhei knew this. So it should’ve been no surprise to either of you when you shifted your neck, quickly striking and giving his neck a harsh bite. Your animal instincts expected him to back off. But instead, he groaned loudly, pressing you even further into the wall, gripping your hips and pressing himself against you. You froze, feeling something hard press against your hip. 

“So you want to bite me too,” He growled, “But I want to bite you harder.”

WANTWANTWANTWANTWANT

You whimpered, as he, agonizingly slowly, pressed his mouth to your neck, baring his teeth. He tugged your head to the side, and you squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for the bite to come, almost welcoming it. 

But it never did. 

Instead, when you opened your eyes, you saw that Yukhei was trembling. 

“I can’t,” He whispered, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

You swallowed, realizing what was going on. 

“You won’t,” You answered, matching the tone of his voice. “Xuxi, wolves bite like this to mate, not to attack.”

“Huh?” His amber eyes studied your face, searching for anything other than the uncertainty etched upon it. 

“You’re not biting me to hurt me,” You said, stroking his cheek, “It’s because you wanna mark me as yours.”

“But you’re not mine,” He murmured, still trembling, “You don’t love me the way I love you.” 

You shook your head, head spinning as the heat on your face spread across your body at the sensation of his body against yours.

“Except I do.” Your voice was hoarse. “I love you, Lucas. I realize that now.”

You tilted your head back, revealing the expanse of your neck. He growled in approval as you did. “And I want to be yours, forever.”

He didn’t mark you then. Instead, he craned his neck to catch your lips with his. You cried out softly when he did, his hands coming down to lift one of your legs, wrapping it around his hip. 

“Jump,” He said into the kiss, and you did, without question. The feeling of uneasiness, of danger, melted away, leaving you only with want. He dragged you back to his room, tossing you onto his bed with ease. 

You whimpered as you let him go, now fully aware that you’d entered your heat, and you wouldn’t be satiated until he made you cum. You watched, as he stared down at you with a predatory gaze—go figure—pulling off the t-shirt he was wearing. He crawled on top of you, not saying a word before he kissed you again. 

Your hands roamed, tracing down his back and up your sides as he squeezed your thighs with his large hands, sliding up the skirt you were wearing. 

“Please don’t tease,” You whined between kisses, “N-need you.”

“My bunny needs me?” He asked, chest rumbling with pride, and you nodded. He tugged off your shirt, leaving you in only your bra and your skirt. He pressed a kiss to your neck, before inhaling deeply and groaning. 

“God, is this what you smell like when you’re in heat?” His voice was raspy, lustful; you felt punch drunk at the sound of it. “You smell fucking divine.” You nodded, reaching for the button on his jeans. You didn’t trust your voice.

“Bunny, you’re on the pill, right?” He asked suddenly, sounding a lot more sober than he had just a few seconds ago. Your eyes darted up to his face, noting his ears twitching nervously. You nodded. “Y-yeah, why?”

He pressed a kiss to your temple, before lowering his mouth to your ear. “Because as much as I want to pump you full of my pups right now, I know you probably don’t want that for us now.”

God, he was the human definition of whiplash. You straight up moaned at the idea, eyes squeezing shut as you pulled his pants down. “S-sounds good on paper. R-really good,” You declared, “But in practice… Not right now.”

He nodded, smiling softly. You realized he was wagging his tail, and you smiled gleefully. “Anything for my bunny.” 

Yukhei pressed another kiss to your temple, before pulling your skirt down, hands kneading at your newly exposed flesh. You lifted yourself off of the mattress to press wet kisses to his collarbone, ignoring the desperation beneath your skin. Still, your mind screamed.

WANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANTWANT

“Xuxi,” You said, “Please hurry and fuck me already.”

“I don’t wanna wait either,” He admitted, grinning wolfishly. With not another word, he pulled your panties to the side, and slowly pressed a finger inside. 

Your breath hitched, feeling like when you scratch at an itch, but can’t find the exact spot. Content, but not yet satisfied. 

“You’re so wet,” He mumbled, “All of this is for me, right, Y/N?”

You nodded insistently, legs spreading further to allow him enough space. He was so big, nearly engulfing you as he hovered over you. And his fingers were so long, reaching far further than your fingers could when you pretended yours were his. 

“Lucas…” Your voice was high, breathless, “More, please.”

"So needy for me, hm?" Yukhei chuckled darkly, adding another finger. His smile grew when you tightened around him. "Tell me what you want, bunny." 

"Fuck," You groaned, "I want you to fuck me and make me yours. W-want to be stuffed and filled with your cum. Want y-your pups, wanna be yours."

His amber eyes glowed in admiration, peering down at you. "Fuck, that's a good girl." 

He tugged off your bra, but got a little too impatient when he got to your panties, and you gasped in surprise when you felt the seams snap. Your eyes darted to Lucas's hands, which were now holding the broken fabric with a smug look on his face.

"Oops."

You huffed, not caring about the underwear. Lifting yourself off of the mattress, you pulled him in for a kiss, and he responded with fervor. His tongue dipped into your mouth, swallowing your eager moans. In your eagerness, you reached into his underwear, wrapping your hand around his member. 

You gasped into the kiss, feeling how hard he was. Even without looking, eyes still shut as you focused mostly on kissing him, you could feel he was big. You wondered, momentarily, if he would even fit. Yukhei pulled away from you, lowering his eyes to watch your hand stroking him. You did as well, swallowing at the sight. He wasn’t too thick, but he was incredibly long. The tip was a pretty shade of red, precum leaking steadily out.

“You want me to fuck you?” He asked, mouth brushing against yours, panting slightly.

You nodded, canting your hips in an attempt to entice him. He pulled his fingers out of your pussy, brushing against your clit intentionally. You keened, looking up at him. 

“Yeah, baby,” You answered, pushing him away slightly, to turn around, and prop yourself onto your knees. He groaned at the sight of your wetness, one finger teasing at your hole. He came closer to you, and his free hand pulled you up. His chest was pressed against your back. He pressed a kiss to one of your shoulder blades, resting his head on his shoulder to speak to you.  

“One day, I’m gonna sit you down on my face and eat you until you forget your name. But right now, I can’t hold back anymore. Need to be inside of you.”

You nodded in agreement, bated as he gripped one of your hips, the other nudging you gently between the shoulder blades, so your face was buried between the pillows. You inhaled, whining lightly at how much it smelled like him, like Yukhei. 

“All mine,” He growled, sliding inside of you. He was met with no resistance, your walls sucking him in with no protest.

“Yours,” You agreed, rocking your hips lightly against his. He groaned loudly, gripping your hips tightly. 

“S-so tight,” He groaned, with a little laugh, “I can barely move.”

“Please, Xuxi,” You whined, voice muffled, “N-need it.”

His grip tightened, and he gave a hard thrust, to which you responded with a loud noise. He immediately set a brutal pace. He bent over, practically covering your body with his own. You could feel the heat radiating off of his body, his grunts and growls right into your ear.

Your hand reached behind you, trying to grab him in some way. He registered what you were trying to do, and reached out to take your hand in his. “Who’s making you feel this good, bunny?”

“Ah, you, Lucas,” You cried, and Yukhei pressed a kiss to the junction of your shoulder and neck. 

“You think Doyoung could fuck you this good, baby?”

Your stomach curled at his words, and you shook your head. “N-no,” You said, hips bucking back to meet his. “Don’t want him, want you.” 

“F-fuck, that’s my girl, you just wanna be mine, huh?”

You nodded, unable to answer at the pleasure coursing through your veins. Yukhei wasn’t satisfied by this, evident in the way he tugged on your hair and pulled your head up. You shrieked not only at the pleasure, but also how unexpected it was. Yukhei was always one to be gentle, but now, with the need he felt to fuck you until you were both satiated, all of his mercy went out the window. 

“Use your fucking words,” Yukhei snarled, hips never letting up. You whimpered, eyes closing.

This wasn’t Yukhei, or Lucas, or Xuxi. No, this was pure, unbridled, alpha wolf taking the reins. And in this moment, you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Y-yeah, I want you to make me yours,” You answered in a small, shaky voice.

“You wanna be my bitch, baby?”

“Fuck,” You moaned, pussy clenching at his question, “Please…”

“Please what, bunny?” The wolf asked, voice sickly sweet, and you bit your lip, trying not to cry out. “P-please make me your bitch, baby.”

He pressed a kiss to your shoulder again, letting go of your hair. You fell back onto the mattress, practically boneless; you couldn’t find it within you to hold yourself up. His hands found their way back to your hips, using them as leverage as he pounded into you.

“What my bitch wants, my bitch gets.”

His hips sped up, something you didn’t know was possible. You were vaguely aware of his headboard ramming into the wall, but you couldn’t care less. All you could care about was the growing pleasure bubbling in the pit of your stomach, which only boiled hotter when you reached between your legs to pinch at your clit.

Yukhei groaned at the same moment you did, relishing in the way your walls clenched at the sensation.

“How the fuck are you still so tight?” He said. You craned your neck to get a good look at him, chest tightening at the sight.

His tan skin glowed with sweat, eyes rolled up into his head, mouth open as he let loose grunts and groans, and his light brown hair was matted with sweat. The dark ears on his head were twitching furiously and his cheeks were flushed. You felt like you could have cum from the sight alone.

 Could have, because the awkward angle made your neck hurt, and it pained you to not be able to touch his skin or tug on his hair. 

Yukhei opened his eyes immediately when you muttered out a soft, “stop, stop,” his hips stopping much to his discomfort. He sighed in relief when he realized you just wanted to change your position. You whined softly in discomfort when his cock slipped out of you, shaky legs doing their best to maneuver into the position you wanted.

You flopped down onto your back in front of him, staring up at him. “Come on,” You said breathlessly, parting your legs, “You know what I want you to do.”

He exhaled, eyes scanning your sweaty body, taking in just how beautiful you looked beneath him. “Fuck, I love you so much,” He declared, settling in between your legs, slipping back into you with ease.

You took advantage of the position, wrapping your legs around his waist, trying to pull him closer. Your hands wrapped around him, reaching for his back. You dug your nails into the skin, and he huffed slightly at the pinch of pain.

He growled with pride when his eyes darted down to where you were connected. “Fuck, that’s so hot, bunny. You’re so fucking tiny.”

Your eyes followed his, and you whined when you realized that there was a bulge sticking out of your tummy. 

He immediately retook his rhythm, pounding away like there was no tomorrow, voice getting louder. It was still a bit far, but you could tell he was approaching his high, just like you. He was pressing wet kisses to your breasts, large hands groping them. Your head fell back, mind completely blank.  

“X-Xuxi, I’m c-close,” You mumbled, “Please touch me.”

He nodded, lifting off of one of your nipples to meet your eyes. “Shit, me too,” He agreed, voice shaky. His lips travelled to your neck, one hand travelling to your clit. You moaned loudly, throwing your head back to reveal more of the skin of your neck. 

“Gonna make you mine,” He growled, “Gonna fuck you full of my pups, show everyone who you belong to.”

His hips were losing their finesse, their rhythm, pace turning sloppy as his hand rubbed at your clit, hoping to make you cum.

“Yes, yes, yes,” You cried nonsensically, toes curling. “Make me yours, Lucas, ah, fuck, w-want it so bad!”

And then he sunk his teeth into your neck, and you tumbled over the edge, a lot harder than you ever expected it to be. You were drowning in a dizzying mix of pleasure and pain, vision blurring as your body writhed against Yukhei like a woman possessed. You cried out his name one final time, voice dying after you did. 

You heard him groan against you, hips grinding against you as he released inside of you. Your mind immediately realized what was going on as his cock swelled within your walls, eyes snapping open as the sheer size of his knot caused you to cry out. Whether that was from the burn of being stretched beyond your limits, or the satisfaction of stuffed with him. 

 You were wordless when you managed to come down, breathing heavily, his head resting on your collar bone. The need that had been itching inside of you had gone away, for now. Your mind cleared up, and you were suddenly very aware of the fact that Yukhei was naked, on top of you, and now the two of you were stuck together for god knows how long. The few words you had exchanged prior were under the influence of his rut and, subsequently, your heat, and even before that, an argument that led to you not speaking to each other for a week.

"So…" You muttered, voice hoarse.

"Uhh…" Lucas lifted his head, tired eyes meeting yours. They were back to brown. "I take this as an 'apology accepted'?" 

You rolled your eyes, swatting his arm playfully. "You're not completely out of the woods yet, asshole. You were a huge dick. But what matters now is that we're together, and I love you. We can work the rest out later."

Yukhei's hand brushed a stray hair out of your face, smiling softly at you. "I don't deserve you," He murmured, "But I promise I'll do my best to treat you like a queen." 

You pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I'd like that."

You both fell asleep slightly after, whispering sweet nothings and promises of a better tomorrow into each other's ears.

And when Taemin—who had worried about Yukhei not coming back to his apartment got worried enough to use your hidden spare key to get into the apartment—woke you up, screeching at the "ungodly sight" of your naked bodies pressed against one another, you laughed, despite Yukhei's possessive instincts kicking in and covering your body with his.

Because you finally had Yukhei in your arms, and, regardless of whether he's got fluffy ears and a tail or not, you were happy to call yourself his.

[soldierswar]

Kobik - Chapter III

Bucky X Reader

Mostly angst for this chapter

Chapter 2:

Chapter summary: You're learning that the extent of Kobik's power is far more intricate than you could have ever imagined. And you quickly learn that you're going to have to get used to it a little longer than you would have expected.

...................................

“Does she eat?” you asked Bucky in hushed tones standing by the fridge while watching Kobik contently watching tv.

“I don’t know,” he sighed.

“You could just ask her.”

You felt a mild shudder travel through you. Whatever reservations that you were feeling towards her earlier amplified times 100 after waking up to her cries last night.

When you had been woken up, by the time you reached the living room you walked into an entirely different room. But not nearly in the way that you had expected. There wasn’t a giant hole in a wall, there weren’t papers flying around the room, or any broken pieces of furniture.

No. It was an entirely different room. Or rather…science lab. When you had first seen it you thought you were dreaming. This had to be some type of nightmare or trance. But when you pinched yourself multiple times, it was clear that this wasn’t in some way, shape, or form unreal.

When Bucky finally followed you into the room, that was when you spotted Kobik crying in the corner looking helpless, and scared. And yet, Bucky was surprisingly if not eerily calm. He didn’t even look surprised.

He sat down in the corner with her rubbing her back and assuring her that she was safe and that it was just a nightmare. When she finally started to feel better, he convinced her to turn everything back to normal. And before your eyes, everything shapeshifted back into place. In fact, everything looked even more organized than before.

When she went back to sleep, Bucky explained to you that one of her powers included being able to shapeshift, and even create new surroundings. Her changing the living room into the place that she had grown up around was some kind of uncontrollable trauma response brought on by some nightmare flashback. Something that you were both familiar with.

That didn’t really deter how freaked out you were about it.

“Y/N she isn’t going to murder you if you just ask what kind of food she likes.”

He really had to say the M-word.

“Hey, Kobik!” he shouted looking you dead in the eye as he waited for her to come over in an inhumanely short period of time.

“Yeah?” she responded giving a beaming smile. It was infectious enough to make him smile fondly. Keyword, him.

“What do you usually like for breakfast?”

She paused and thought about it.

“Pizza!”

“Pizza?” Bucky questioned.

“Pepperoni.”

“Specific,” you muttered.

“How about cereal,” he suggested and pulled out a box of Coco Puffs.

Kobik shrugged and walked over to where the bowls were in the cabinets. When she realized that she was too short to reach them, she jumped from the floor onto the counter in one swift movement from surface to surface without even using her hands to climb up. Couldn’t she at least try to act like a normal child?

Bucky used the back of his hand to close your agape jaw. You might have thought about walking away again, but you were starving.

Bucky had suggested that you try to get used to her and that she was actually a really sweet kid. And here you were hoping that she wouldn’t be around for much longer for you to even need to get used to her.

But you decided that it was time to challenge your own stubbornness and at least try for your poor husband’s sake. At least a little bit.

You sat on the opposite side of the small table from her. You could feel Bucky’s eyes burning a hole through you somewhat afraid of what you might say or do. And you shot him a small facial expression that said,

“You have no faith in me.”

“Hey Kobik,” you started while grabbing the cereal box and pouring yourself a pile of Coco Puffs.

She seemed kind of surprised that you were talking to her. Part of you wanted to be offended…But her reaction was fair.

“Hm?” she replied with her mouth full of food.

“How old are you exactly?”

She thought about it, raising her eyes up to the ceiling. After a few seconds, she raised four fingers up.

You automatically thought about what Bucky said, and how strange her answer was. Bucky said that he had known her for at least a year and that she was that age already.

“Kobik, how long have you been that old?”

They thought about it again counting on her fingers. 2, 3, 4…And stopped, giving you the four fingers again. She had been like that for that long? Was she always going to be like this? Could she choose to get older if she wanted to? Or did she just like being the way that she was?

“Kobik’s happy the way she is right now, aren’t you kid?” Bucky added.

Kobik nodded and gave him a huge grin.

Suddenly Bucky’s phone began to ring. He looked down at his phone and stepped away into your office to answer. You knew this had to be serious.

“Do you like coloring books?” Kobik asked you, making you snap out of whatever thoughts you were having about this phone call.

“Hm?” you answered.

“Do you like coloring books?”

Her little voice was so chipper, and she was so happy asking you this question. Part of you started to feel a little bad about your aversion to her.

Almost.

Again, you were still incredibly freaked out about what happened not even 8 hours ago.

“We don’t have any here, but I think we can—”

Suddenly cupped her hands slightly and delicately and hovered them over the table and made two coloring books and a huge box of crayons appear out of thin air.

…You were just going to tell her to use the iPad.

Bucky wasn’t there to make you close your mouth again.

“You make that face a lot,” she pointed out.

You closed your mouth and then tilted your head.

“And that one.”

You tried your best to make your face neutral as she reached for a crayon and began coloring while using her other hand to continue to shovel cereal into her mouth.

“Y/N?” Bucky said softly signaling you to come over to talk in private.

You followed his direction and comfortably rested your back against the wall crossing your arms.

“You won’t believe what she just did,”

“I’m sure I can…Listen,” he began.

“I just got a call from Sam. They need me to come along.”

“Where? Back to Norway?”

He shook his head.

“Evidence is pointed to them having some base in Germany. I think it’s going to be a couple of days.”

You froze. By the look on his face, you knew what he was about to say.

“I need you to watch Kobik.”

You wanted to say no. You really really wanted to say no. But you knew that you couldn’t. But you still wouldn’t let yourself shut your mouth.

“What if something happens again?” you replied in very hushed tones. You had no idea how good her hearing was.

“Like last night…” Your heart skipped a nervous beat thinking about how reality almost completely bent before your eyes.

“Y/N…I know it freaked you out—”

“Freaked me out?” you shrieked.

“Bucky,” your continued hushing your tone again.

“Freaked out is a complete understatement. Did you not see what happened?”

“But she didn’t hurt you.”

You crossed your arms.

“And what makes you think that it can’t happen? We don’t have just me to think about now.”

“Y/N,”  he said soothingly, softly resting his hands on your upper arms.

“She’s a kid. A kid who wants to feel safe. If she sees you as someone that she can feel comfortable around she’s one of the most lovable human-manifested sources of cosmic energy that you’ll ever meet.”

You snorted. This man could convince you to jump off a bridge by making you laugh and you’d still somewhat trust him.

“Okay,” you sighed and let him envelop you in his arms.

“She has never hurt anyone that doesn’t want to hurt her. You might even have a little fun. Do you trust me?”

You looked up at him, resting your chin on his chest giving him a soft smile as you nodded.

“Okay.”

Note: Okay I can not thank everyone enough for all the love that this is getting. It makes me so happy that people are enjoying it since I'm so freaking attached to Kobik in the Thunderbolts comics. I love you guys <3

Note #2: I know, what a bitch, right?

Tags: @teenagedreams-bucky @typicalnerd98 @veroxloki @white-wolf-buckaroo @acciosiriusblack @pastel-boy-sungjae

@flightsandfantasy

[yandere-wishes]

Yandere Reaction 💖Darling Signing A Contract With Azul💖

How would Yandere Leona, Carter, Jamil and Riddle react to their darling escaping and trying to sign a contract with Azul to reclaim their freedom.

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

Leona is annoyed, he woke up from his nap to see that you had disappeared. Your side of the bed was cold, your sent barely clinging to the sheets. He sighs when he realizes that you must have left quite some time ago.  What a hassle now he's going to have to actually look around for you it's too much work! But the lingering promise of punishment does make a rabid excitement build up inside him causing his muscles twitch and ears to perk up. 

The first thing he does is call Ruggie and have him start asking around the, trying to pry information from the other member of his dorm. He'll also enlist Jack, giving him a piece of your clothes or some piece of jewelry he may have bought you, anything that has preserved your sweet, intoxicating aroma. Being the all so good, always eager to please guard dog that he is, Jack will follow your scent all over Night Raven College. With Leona lethargically following behind. 

eventually, the invisible trail leads them straight to the Octavinelle dormitory. Of course, Leona is displeased with this, not only is the place under freaking water! But the worst most calculating, conniving person lives there. The school's very own loanshark, Azul Ashengrotto! To say that Leona is displeased is an understatement, he's downright furious! What the hell are you try to do? Sign a freaking contract with the devil! Are you so desperate to trade away your goddam soul! Really it's not so much that Leona cares exactly what Azul asks from you, rather it's the notion that you'll belong to someone other than himself that makes hin charge inside the  Mostro Lounge. Claws out, teeth bare, ready for a fight. 

The sight awaiting him is just infuriating. There you are seating all meek pen in hand, eyes wide, fear and panic dancing over your face, like a  little doomed rabbit. While Azul looms over you, that calculating avaricious smirk plastered on his pale face. 

"Ah, senior Leona how nice of you to join us. Would you like some refreshments? Tea, coffee maybe some milk?"

Leona doesn't respond he's too agitated, too vexed. He runs up to your shacking form, grabbing your wrist, pulling you forcefully to his side. In the midst of the moment, he's calm having you back in his arms makes the carnivorous fury die down. He gently kisses your head, lingering a second too long before he's throwing you over to Jack. 

He's in Azul's face, threatening to skin him alive and throw him to the hyenas to eat if he ever even think about scamming Leona's beloved into another contract. He rips the parchment in front of the sea witch then processes to march back to where you and your wolf bodyguard are standing. 

Leona's a lot rougher now, squishing you to his side as the three of you depart back to your "home". Leona just can't comprehend why you would sign that contract. 

He's never done anything to hurt you

He's never 

so why? Why are you so desperate to get away from him?! It downs on him when he's dragged you back into savanclaw territory. In the middle of his rage, he realizes just why you're all so eager to reclaim your precious freedom. You're lying on the cracked rough ground, holding your bleeding cheek where he just struck you. You're crying and trembling, it almost makes him want to stop, almost makes him want to hug you close to his chest promising everything will be all right. But he doesn't instead he kicks you with enough force to turn you over onto your back. He lifts his foot crushing down on your arm. Relishing in the cracking of bones and your screams of pain. 

Leona's reaction differs from moment to moment, one second he's simply annoyed and the next he's choking on his rage. He knows that he has to change a bit, to be sweeter, nicer to show a bit more empathy if he truly wants to keep you as his queen.  

Carter's in a sheer frenzy, he's stunned speechless when he sees you walk over to the Mostro Lounge manager. But instead of ordering drinks like you were supposed to do, you're chatting up Azul about something that he can't hear. 

It's nervewracking watching the two of you. Carter can't quite tell what expression you're wearing but he knows that the Azul is giddy about something, smiling and laughing. Oh god, what are you talking about! It's only when he sees Azul retrieve parchment and his signature golden fish pen that he realizes just what is happening. 

Carter is quick to react, he's sprung to his feet and by your side before your fingers can even graze the murky colored contract. His arms are wrapped protectively around you, squeezing with just an ounce more force then they need to be. His shimmering emerald eyes are glaring daggers at Azul, but his tone is as cheerful and preppy as always.

"Azul-chan you know it's rude to take advantage of naive first years right?~ innocent little (y/n) doesn't understand how your contracts operate yet~"

"Actually they do Carter, tell me what in the great sea witch's name have you done to poor unfortunate (Y/N), for them to be so desperate to get away from you? So much so, that they are willing to trade they're special ability for?"

That hurt...

It felt worst than a kick to the stomach...

Worst then when his pictures only got 100 likes...

worst then Riddle's loud screams...

You...You were trying to run away from him? Carter's heartbroken, he can't stand the thought of you not loving him. Heck, you hate him so much that you're willing to trade away your ability to be apart from him!

Once you get back to Heartslabyul, he's hectic. Shacking you with tears in his eyes, demanding to know why you don't love him! "What have I done wrong? Do you love someone else is that it!" He makes accusation after accusation trying to find out just why you're desperate to be rid of him. 

Never once does he consider that it could be because his presence suffocates you. That simply standing next to him, strips your lungs of air, drives your brain into a historical fit! And you don't tell in fear of further angering him. 

Carter's reaction is heartbroken mania, he's sad, angry, determined to fix things, everything at the same time. He'll try all so hard to mend things between the two of you. Shower you in gifts, take you outside more often, even give you some more freedom. ANYTHING as long as you will love him again!

Jamil actually finds it rather funny when you try to beg Azul for a contract. Oh, sure he knew what you would do the moment he saw you slip away from his side while he was preoccupied with Kalim. He knew you would run straight to the sea witch, ready to get on your knees and plead for a contract. You were willing to humiliate yourself in any way imaginable so long as you could escape Jamil's clutch.

Jamil's eyes follow you as you walk over the counter and whisper something in Jade's ear. He knows everything that's about to unfold. Knows how Azul will bring out some parchment and his golden pen and "nicely" state the terms of service. He knows all this yet chooses to sit idly by. He wants you to get as close to your freedom as possible, practically graze it before he snatches it away for good this time. Cause after the stunt you're pulling there is no way in hell that Jamil is ever letting you leave the Scarabia dormitory ever again.

And sure enough, it goes exactly as planned. Azul walks out ready to grant you "your one true wish" all posed and gentleman like...except he's leaning way to close. His lips are brushing against your ear. His thin pale fingers are reaching out to grab your own pulling them towards himself. 

It's that moment that Jamil reacts, that he realizes that you've played your little game long enough. He slams his hands on the table, causing Kalim to jump spilling his drink and the other customers to turn around all holding their breaths for a magic fight to break out. 

Just like everyone else Azul slowly pulls away from you, eyes trained on Jamil a smirk dangling on his charming face. Your vacant eyes stare back into the dark ones of the sand mage. You know your fate, know the penalty for the crim you commented. Despite what Jamil may think he knows, you were always one fragmented step ahead. You knew you would never be free, knew that you would always be confined in Jamil's cave of wonders.

Reluctantly you heave yourself to your feet, breaking the thick silence with the screeching of the chair legs along the marble floor. You gradually trudge back to the table where the man who owns you is awaiting impatiently. 

"Don't test me (y/n)" 

His lips brush over the shell of your ear sending a cold shiver up your spin. His breath cresses the soft flesh of your neck as he places a teasing kiss over one of the visible love bites he left not so long ago. Jamil's fingers dig into your sides, sizing you up as tightly as he could. You where sure there would be bruises by the time he let go, there always was. Slowly his fingers snaked around your waist pushing you flat against his chest, smoldering your face in the fabric of his shirt. 

"That goes for you too Azul" 

His voice was oddly modulated, kept barely above a hush, you wonder how he expects Azul to be able to hear from across the room. It's a  haughty laugh that answers your question. The voice is much closer then you anticipated. Silk covered fingers tangle themselves in your lock as you hear the manger of the  Mostro Lounge speak up. "You may consider keeping sweet little (y/n) on a shorter lease, that way she won't accidentally find her self trapped in my grasp."

Suffice it to say he does, Jamil grants the exact opposite of your wish. He steals the minuscule fragments of freedom you had left, keeping you constantly by his side, arms always wrapped around your waist tight enough to make walking an uncomfortable feat.

Jamil's reaction is one just amusement, sure he feels betrayed but that feeling has long become nostalgic for the young man. There really isn't much you could say or do to get under his skin. But there is all so much he can do to get under your skin and he'll be dame sure to leave some marks! 

Riddle is furious when he sees you talking to Azul before history class. His blood is boiling coursing through his body like molten lava, heartbeat had quickened sounding like the march of card soldiers faster! His fingers are wrapped in fists by his side, knuckles turning as white as the white rabbit's fur. His posture is stiff, spin too straight shoulders pulled back until they're about to pop from their sockets. 

The redhead could barely stand the thought of you talking to his closets friends let alone the most conniving man in all of Night Raven! He's prepared to shut the whole thing down in a moment, ready to stomp over to Azul and rescue you from his web of lies. But then he hears it, those soul-shattering words. They stop him in his tracks, steal the life from his loins. He couldn't even believe his ear at first. Surely he was going mad! 

" I want to be free, as far away from Riddle and his stupid rules as possible! Please Mr. Ashengrotto won't you help me! I'll sign any contract, give you anything you deem a suitable price just please save me from Riddle!"

Riddle's heart is broken tears prick at the side of his dark blue eyes. Ready to tumble and fall. His mouth has gone dry stripped of all he was going to say. He wasn't your knight in shining armor no he was the beast that had abducted you, stolen you from those you loved. 

"Not to worry you poor unfortunate soul lose of freedom as a situation can be corrected, I simply need you to sign--"

Maybe it was the was what Azul said, made it was the adrenaline that was surging through his veins. Either way, Riddle screamed his voice cracking, lungs burning, yet he still screamed after you to stop! 

"Don't you dare sign that contract (y/n) Or it'll be off with your head!"

Your freeze finger floating in midair just millimeters away from the golden pen.  A heavy sigh leaves your lips, you knew you would never reach your freedom again but still, you tried and ended up with a broken heart. 

Riddle is quick to jog over to the two of you, his fingers grab your shoulder and push you back against his chest. He's trying so hard to look strong, to be the knight that you deserve. He doesn't want to show any weakness in front of Azul but he just can't wipe the heartache away. 

Riddle really wants you to love him, he's delusional thinking that making you follow all these rules will benefit you in the long run. He wants you to be safe and perfect to be a fit ruler by his side! But he also wants you to be happy and fall for him on your own accord. 

Riddle's reaction is pure heartache and heartbreak. He doesn't punish you, just some empty threats and words of advice (in the tone off ear-splitting shouts) The whole affair may actually make him nicer he'll try to give you a bit more freedom. He lets you outside more, sometimes even takes you somewhere off-campus. Sure he's always around in some way but from time to time he may "wander off" in the opposite direction and give you the relaxing semblance of being alone.

[teenwolffan-with-nolife]

The Witch and The Wolf Pt.29

Word Count: 2,139

Characters: Derek Hale, Isaac Lahey, Chris Argent, Cora Hale, Reader

Pairings: Derek Hale x Witch!Reader

Warnings: fluff at first, angst, cliffhanger

A/N: the writers actually said some stuff about Jennifer’s character and Derek... interesting

Masterlist         Series Masterlist

“Okay, no. There was like two cents in it,” you crossed your arms as you sat across from Cora, the two of you sat on the table in the kitchen.

“There was like a good 20 dollars in it, c’mon,” she raised her eyebrow, giving you a look.

The two of you were currently arguing about a mini time capsule that the two of you made. Except, instead of burying it in a backyard, you left it in the old Hale house, both of you forgot to bury it somewhere.

Ever since Cora had come back, the two of you were inseparable, spending every second you could with each other. It felt amazing to have your best friend back and to temporarily forget about all the problems going on.

“There were two pennies in it. We found it on the sidewalk and put it in there!” you exclaimed.

“No, I stole Derek’s allowance and put it in there. I wouldn't forget that,” Cora shook her head as you rolled your eyes.

“Morning,” you called as Isaac walked into the kitchen, giving a more angered expression to you and Cora.

“I would like to thank the two of you for keeping everyone up all night,” he said sarcastically as he sat next to you.

“You don’t need sleep, Isaac,” you sighed.

“But I need me time. I need peace and quiet time,” he continued to glare as you scoffed.

“Okay then, sourwolf. I have to get to school anyway,” you said, turning your focus back to Cora.

“And I need to go train,” she said.

“Train? You should rest,” you raised an eyebrow.

“I’m fine,” she replied.

You shook your head, grabbing your bag before hesitating.

“Have you seen Derek?” you asked.

“He left in the morning,” Isaac shrugged.

“Oh,” you replied, a bit shocked at not knowing.

Was Cora coming back making this weird between you and Derek? Most definitely. 

“So, what’s the deal between you and Derek anyway?” Cora asked.

“Uhm, well,” you paused, unsure of what to say.

“Dude, you don't have to act weird. You two were dating before I came back, and honestly, I’m happy for the two of you. I mean, it's not like you would end up with anyone else,” your mouth dropped as you looked at Cora.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you exclaimed.

“What do you mean, what do I mean? (Y/N), guys are scared of you,” Cora said.

“I’m not scary,” you gasped.

“Yeah, you are,” Isaac interrupted.

“Shut up, Isaac,” you rolled your eyes.

“So, wait, you’re okay with us being together?” you asked Cora hesitantly.

“Yeah, just do me a favor and don’t tell me about the sex or anything sex-related. Deal?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, sure, 100 percent,” you shook your head, smiling at her.

“Okay, well, I’m going to change, see you later,” Cora waved as she walked away.

“I bet you’re happy,” Isaac leaned against the counter, looking up at you.

“No shit, Sherlock. I’m just happy to have her back,” you ran your fingers through your hair.

“Do you know where Derek is? Or when he left?” you asked.

“I don’t know where he went, I think he left around 6 or 7,” Isaac shrugged.

“Oh,” you nodded your head.

“And I probably shouldn't have told you that. Don’t worry,” Isaac put his hands on your shoulders.

“I’m not,” you shook your head, taking a deep breath.

“Okay, well I have to get to school. And we have cross country today,” Isaac complained.

“Oh, stop your whining and get in the car. Let’s go,” you pat his back as the two of you left.

---

“Is there somewhere you have to be?” you looked up from your phone, looking at Chris.

“No, sorry. Sorry,” you exhaled as you put your phone in your pocket.

“You know we don’t have to do this right now,” you stood in front of Chris’ desk, looking at the map.

“Three people died the same way. Probably more to come. We need to do this now,” you felt slightly bad for lying to Derek and everyone else, but you had to do something.

“The problem is, we don’t know what this could be for, honestly,” Chris circled six points on the map, showing where the bodies were taken, and where they were left. 

“Well, what do you mean?” you asked.

“Read this,” he handed you an old book, talking about ritualistic sacrifices.

You skimmed the page, before raising your eyebrows.

“So, basically every sacrifice begins with virgins, and it’s impossible to tell what’s gonna happen,” you sighed.

“We don’t know what the sacrifices are for, and how to stop them, or who is doing it,” Chris explained.

“Well then, let’s focus more on where the bodies were taken from, and where they’re left. Maybe it has something to do with this whole thing,” you suggested.

“Well, time for research,” you pulled out your laptop, as you started researching.

“Hey, kid,” you looked up at Chris.

“Yeah?” you asked, looking away from your laptop.

“I just wanted to say… I’m sorry,” he began as you interrupted him.

“I’m not… you have nothing to apologize for,” you shook your head.

“Well, shooting you is one thing, and also,” he kept talking as you stopped him.

“Chris, really. It’s old news. We’re past that. I mean, you’re still a better father to me than my father was,” you let out a laugh, feeling a slight pang in your chest.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” Chris said softly.

“I just wish he could face me once, and just tell me why. Instead, he just keeps running away,” you looked down, closing your eyes as you let out a few soft breaths.

“Well, I won’t run away from you,” he pat your back as he sat next to you. 

You smiled softly, continuing to go back to your research.

---

“They go to your school?” you exclaimed, talking to Isaac.

“That’s not the worst part. They got me in trouble! I have detention!” he yelled.

“How did they get you detention? You know what, it doesn't matter. Just don’t let them get to you, and keep away from them, okay?” you said to Isaac in a warning voice.

“I know, I know. Hey, by the way, your college sounds really… quiet. I can normally hear people yelling in the background,” Isaac pointed out. You could imagine his face as you rolled your eyes.

“Fine, I didn't go to school today. Me and Argent are trying to figure out these deaths,” you explained.

“Well? Did you find anything yet?” he asked.

“No, not yet. Research was a dead end, but we’re still looking,” you rubbed your head as you looked at a pile of papers, all from different lore books.

“Well, good luck to you,” he said.

“Yeah, good luck to you too. Hey, have you heard from Derek today?” you asked.

“No, why?” he asked.

“He just hasn't texted me back,” you sighed.

“He probably just got busy. He’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Isaac tried to comfort you.

“You know, when you tell people to stop worrying about something, it tends to make them worry more,” you replied.

“(Y/N),” he said in an annoyed tone.

“Okay, fine. I’ll talk to you later. Bye, kid,” you hung up the phone, running your fingers through your hair before you looked back at your laptop.

---

“That’s what I call a day wasted,” you placed your laptop on the desk next to you, while you rubbed your head, sighing again. 

“We’ll get there,” Chris replied, trying to comfort you.

“I just don’t want anyone else to die,” you leaned back in the chair as you looked at Chris.

You pulled out your phone, looking at a few missed calls from Cora.

Your face became alert as you dialed her number, calling her back.

“(Y/N),” she answered.

“What happened? Is something wrong?” you said, standing up from your chair.

“The alpha pack… get here fast,” she said quickly, out of breath.

“Y-Yeah, I’m on my way. Are you okay?” you asked.

Before she could answer, the call dropped.

You grabbed your bag.

“Is everything okay?” Chris asked you.

“I gotta run,” you waved goodbye as you ran out.

---

You ran into the loft, pausing as you saw a group of people walking out of the loft.

The man from the elevator was there, and the alpha who attacked you and Scott, along with another lady.

The alpha pack

“(Y/N),” you felt coldness through your body as the man said your name.

“What are you doing here?” you clenched your fist.

“Not here for you, not yet,” he walked past you, as the other lady gave you a wink.

You paused in fear of his words, before shrugging it off, running inside.

“Derek?” he was laying on the ground, as blood dripped from his chest. You made out a stab sound, from a blunt object.

“What the fuck happened?” you ran to him, lifting his head in your lap.

“Nothing… I’m fine,” his breath was heavy as you put pressure on his wound, looking at Cora.

“I’ll heal,” he pushed away from you as he stood up.

You clenched your jaw before you stood up next to him.

“You’re still bleeding,” you pointed out.

“I said I’ll heal,” he said, clenching his jaw.

You paused, as you turned to Cora, watching her back away. She gave you a look before running upstairs.

“What did they want?” you asked, standing in front of him as he leaned on the desk.

“It doesn’t matter,” he shook his head, looking away from you, to the ground.

“Derek…” you started.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, anger evident in his voice. He had a small glare on his face.

The anger began to bubble in your chest, you were annoyed with Derek.

“Why are you getting mad? God,” you sighed.

“I’m not getting mad at you,” he scoffed.

“Yes, you are. That’s all you’ve been doing for this past week. You keep getting mad at me for trying to fucking help you. I’m tired of it,” you clenched your jaw.

“I’m not… I’m not getting mad at you,” he exhaled sharply, turning his head away from you.

“Just tell me what’s going on,” you said softly.

“Nothing’s going on, (Y/N), just leave it alone.”

You ran your fingers through your hair, frustrated.

“What did they want?” you asked softly.

“Nothing.”

“So what? It was just a courtesy visit or something?” you scoffed, crossing your arms.

He remained silent, looking into your eyes.

“I’m sick of you always isolating yourself. No one’s problems magically go away because they don’t talk about them. You’re supposed to talk to me, that’s why I’m here,” you said.

“I don’t need a fucking therapist, (Y/N)!” you were taken aback as he yelled, you saw his grip on the table tighten, before he closed his eyes, shaking his head. 

“I’m going home,” you lowered your voice, turning your back to him.

“You’re going home? Really?” you could imagine him rolling his eyes before your face fell into a glare, turning back to him

“Yeah, really. I’m so sick of the way you've been acting, I can’t deal with you and your bullshit right now. I’m going home,” you weren't expecting yourself to yell back.

“You're just gonna walk away? You can’t deal with me? Really fucking mature, (Y/N),” you dug your nails into your palm.

you walked away from him, hearing him yelling before you slammed the loft door shut behind you.

---

You entered your apartment, a place you hadn’t seen in a long time. You froze at the door, looking around the room. It was empty. It was lonely. No one else was there, just you. No Derek, no Isaac.

You ignored your thoughts, walking into the apartment, sighing softly, as you froze, hearing the thunder from outside.

Someone’s here 

Your heart rate quickened as you tensed up, becoming alert as you walked around your apartment slowly.

You walked to the doorway, hearing the floorboard creak. Someone was right behind you.

You quickly turned around, your eyes glowing purple before you gasped, seeing Isaac behind you.

“Isaac?” you asked, walking to him.

“I didn’t mean to scare you…” his eyes were red, filled with tears.

“What happened?” you took his arm, pulling him inside.

“C-Can I stay with you?” he asked softly.

“Of course you can. What the hell happened? Are you okay?” you sat him on the couch next to you.

Tears immediately fell from his eyes, as he leaned his head onto your chest, wrapping his arms around you tightly, his body visibly shaking.

“Isaac, it’s okay, I got you,” you cooed softly, holding onto him tightly.

“I got you.”

[emerald-amidst-gold]

questions for dragon and wolf otp ❤️ 11, 17, 25, 31 & 50 :3

Let me tell you, I just adore rambling about these two sad, but beautiful fools. And I'm so happy that people like me rambling about them enough to keep asking questions! >:D

So, let's get ANSWERINGGGGG! >:3

11. Who is the most physically affectionate?

Fane. Fane, Fane, Fane, Fane. Fane is 100% the most physically affectionate. A lot of times, he taps into old habits that he used to do as a dragon when he's with Solas. Nudging, nuzzling, resting his head in the other's lap, etc. As time goes on, Fane branches out and develops more ways to express himself through touch. Leaning his shoulder against Solas', reaching out involuntary to hold hands, sitting behind and wrapping his arms around the other while burying his face into a shoulder, etc.

Fane is touch-starved. He would never admit it, but he is. All his life (both draconic and mortal), he's received only ridicule and harsh treatment. So much so that he disassociates from reality and goes numb, and that's even with Mhairi and Cyfrin around him. It also doesn't help that his literal body is a beacon of pain due to his scars. But, all it takes is a brush of a hand against his own, or cupping of his cheek from Solas and the world sings and feels. It seems cliche, but Solas and Fane both know how it feels to walk through life believing it to only a bad dream. They take solace in each other, and Fane desires it through touch. Not always, of course, Fane and Solas merely find joy in existing in the other's sphere, but when nights are cold and the world feels silent and grey, Fane needs more than what Solas' eyes can offer.

17. Do they ever trade clothes?

Ohhh, you're outing me with this question, you fiend! X'D

*takes a deep breath and taps two fingers together* ...Yes. Yes, they do.

Okay! So, obviously, Fane is built different than Solas. I like to think of Solas as being about 5'7 in height. I also like to think his overall structure is slender, but not like impossibly lithe. It's an in-between deal, but Fane is vastly different in structure and height.

Fane is 6'1. He's not as broad as Bull is, and that's because I don't want people to envision Fane as Qunari in build because he's not. He's athletic, but not immovably bulky. He retains the body shape of the Elvhen--slender and agile, but he does have more muscle mass due to the draconic aspects of himself rolling over.

...And because he wields a heavy ass sword to the point where he can swing it with one hand and barely lose his balance with the momentum. (BUFF ELVES FOR LIFE >:3c)

Anyways, the reason I put the above is it explains why Fane can give his clothes to Solas, but Solas rarely ever gives his clothes to Fane. Short story; Fane's would fit Solas, albeit it loosely, but Solas' wouldn't fit Fane.

...Fane isn't hard pressed by that though. He secretly enjoys when a bucket of water somehow finds its way from the rookery down to the elf's desk, soaking him and forcing him to change. *sips tea* Ahhh~ Nope. Not hard pressed at all.

25. How do they comfort each other when one of them is scared?

Presence, presence, presence.

Solas and Fane find joy in existing around each other without words or touch, but they also find comfort in that, as well.

Fane usually has border-line panic attacks after one of his nightmares and when he has to suffer through a bout of retching from either magic or memories of blood and flesh being torn and ripped from his body. During any such episodes, Solas will ground Fane--asking him gentle questions of 'where and what'.

For example: If it's after a nightmare of his father, Solas will ask, 'Vhenan, do you know where you are?' If Fane manages a nod or a shuddering sigh then Solas will continue with, 'Can you tell me where?'. If Fane responds with the 'correct' location then Solas will shift and ignore the 'what' part of the ritual, instead whispering Elvhen and soothing reassurances of, 'You are fine, ma'isenatha. Breathe. Breathe. Take your time, and I know I am here for whatever you need, whatever you desire.'

However, if Fane struggles or can't articulate then Solas will delve into asking the 'whats'. He'll prompt with simple questions like, 'What is solid?' or 'What is cold?'. These open ended questions are meant to reconnect Fane to the physical world, to pull him from the Fade and his spiraling fear inch by inch by urging him to think beyond what initially caused him to plummet (in this case, his father). This process can take quite a while, depending on how entrenched Fane is in his mind and his memories, but when Fane finally does manage to reconnect and utter, 'I'm...awake... I'm awake. Just a nightmare. I'm in Skyhold. I'm in Skyhold..' then that's when Solas will pull his dragon's head close to his chest and stroke his hair, offering familiarity of a kinder essence.

Now, when Solas finds himself quivering with fear, be it from his own nightmares or a momentary sensation of the world closing in, then Fane will do what he does best; observe. This might seem odd, but Fane does this to determine what will help Solas best. If Solas is tensed up, back rigid and shoulders hunched in a defensive position, then Fane knows to use his voice to coax the man back from the edge. If Solas is prone, posture defeated and visibly shuddering, steady hands trembling and chest rising and falling with increasingly sharper and sharper and sharper breaths then Fane knows immediately that he needs to reach out with touch. Not suffocating with an embrace, but just a grasp of hands, stilling the fearful tremors and giving back control. Fane understands how desperately Solas wants to be in control of any and every situation that involves himself, so the moment he detects the hint of terror in blue and grey from it being lost, then Fane knows that Solas needs him to help him get it back.

Once Solas reestablishes that control and the tremors stop, Fane will silently open his arms for his wolf and if he chooses to take the invitation (which Solas usually does), then Fane will always whisper, 'This dragon will catch you as many times as needed. So, let yourself spiral when it becomes too much; I'm here. I'm always here.'

...As you can see. I think about this a lot. X'D

31. Who is the big spoon and why?

To be honest, Fane and Solas take turns. PFFFT!

It honestly depends on how they both move throughout the night! Though, when they start out, Fane is the big spoon because he has a tendency to...curl. XD

So, you know how dragons are shown just kind of curling up like large cats? That's what Fane does with Solas. He'll burrow his face in our dear wolf's neck, pull him as close as he possibly can, and just...pass out. It's one of the fastest ways Fane falls asleep, actually. Solas, at first, was like, 'Fane? ...Fane?', but once it kept occurring all it got were fond chuckles and a single utterance of, 'Good night, ma'isenatha.'

...Fane just chuffs in his sleep and Solas has to try and keep a straight face. My boy is feral. Don't let him fool you. Don't.

50. Who makes the best flower crown?

You all are catching onto me, aren't you?! Aren't you?! *dinosaur scream*

Indirectly, Fane was the best at making flower crowns. Yes, you heard me. Was.

---

Fane used to wander away from Solas during the time of Elvhenan, seeking the forests and the mountains instead of enduring the piercing eyes of the Evanuris and the boiling rage that nearly made his icy core melt with its heat. As such, he would start...poking around in the meadows, draconic curiosity taking him by the horns. Once, during such a necessary venture, Fane stumbled upon a vibrant patch of blooming Gladiolus--golden and sweet. They swayed with magic and spirited wind, twinkling with the song that encased the entire realm.

They were beautiful in a world that had steadily been on the decline.

Fane nudged a bloom with his snout, blinking and huffing as a bell rung from it--glittering essence drawing out from the center and cascading to the earth below. Had the flower just sang? Sang as the spirits and elves did? He found such a thing curious, and so he had nudged another.

Ring. Another bell. He then nudged another golden chime. Ring. Another bell! They did sing!

Fane huffed again, cool breath sprinkling a light frost over the chiming flowers, but they endured with their beauty, with their eternal nature. His burst of air spurred up glittering pollen, wafting the sweet scent of these delicate bells up to his nostrils without preamble.

They smell of honey, Fane mused and began to gingerly nuzzle into the tiny patch, seeking more sweetness, more beauty. Why had he never seen these blooms before? He had graced this world for many, many centuries, and yet, never once had he observed golden Gladiolus. How odd, but it gave him an equally as odd idea.

The wolf likes honey, yes? Fane thought, eyes narrowing as he stopped his mindless snuffling. A feeling of warmth engulfed his snowy core, scales bristling from the foreign sensation before it ebbed away. Why did he always feel so...strange when he thought of the rebel?

Fane huffed harshly at the warmth coursing through him, actually shaking his head a bit before fixing the dazzling buds with an intense stare.

The wolf likes honey. Fane nodded in agreement with his mind and, with one edge of a sharp fang, sliced into the stem of the sweet bloom of gold. He nudged the severed flower to the side, snorting a bit when some pollen invaded his airways, but shook it off to continue gathering more.

Fane made short work of the small patch of Gladiolus, rising with pride to gaze upon his bundle of petaled nightingales. Each one softly chimed and glimmered, not at all perturbed by being uprooted. He supposed the foundation of magic was not so vile, so long as it was used as it was intended.

Now, I suppose I should head back. Fane growled under his breath at that thought. He didn't wish to go back to...to there. The lair of deceit and pitiful, self-proclaimed 'gods' who had nothing but desire in their single toned eyes. But...the wolf was there, and he wan--no, had to stay by the wolf's side.

Heat filled Fane's core again, making him growl once more and shake out his scales as they bristled with a sensation unnatural. Why did he keep getting so warm?! It was mid-spring! Not the height of summer!

Fane growled as the heat stubbornly refused to abate. Begone, begone, begone! He huffed heavily as the ember trickled away, leaving him cool and all together, snowy. There. Better. It must simply be the magic in the air. It is stronger within these woods.

With the heat of oddity gone and his mind decided, Fane turned his head to gather up his...bouquet? Is that what the Elvhen called it? He had seen arrangements done, but none of them held a flame to the golden blooms he--

Fane blinked, eyes staring down at...a spirit? Wait this spirit who was now holding his flowers was--

Wisdom. Fane immediately thought next, form slowly relaxing as he caught the familiar sight of the kindly spirit. Their body ebbed and flowed like the silk robes worn by the Evanuris, but not for a need to flaunt. It was merely their nature, their being. A womanly face gazed up at him, serene smile in place as golden flowers were cradled in ethereal arms.

"Greetings, White One.", Wisdom greeted, swirling eyes of magic and knowledge somehow appearing fond. "I see you have found a rare flower this day." They gently jostled the bundle in their arms, golden essence puffing forth and sound like that of jingling Sentinel armor.

Fane tilted his head at the spirit. They knew of the flowers that sounded of bells? Before he did? Odd, but he supposed spirits of Wisdom would know such obscure things. Wisdom chuckled softly, voice that of a tender breeze.

"I know many things, isenatha.", Wisdom said, communicating with him easily. Although, most spirits did. They gracefully floated down to the ground, images of legs folding depicting the image of them sitting. "Just as I know of a perfect way for you to present this gift."

Fane blinked and found his eyes darting to and fro, trying to avoid the knowing gaze of Wisdom as they smiled serenely up at him. Damn it all! How he wished his disconnection to the minds of others and they to his worked on spirits!

Wisdom hummed, mimicking the chime that sang from the flowers as they picked one up with a delicate swoop of their hands. Fane watched from his peripheral, somewhat intrigued while still wishing to rebuff he had picked the flowers as a...a gift? How ridiculous! He had only want--thought the wolf would enjoy the scent. Nothing more!

"Please, sit, White One.", Wisdom beckoned with patience and a gentle voice. Their hands began to directly interact with the blooms, summoning a tendril of magic to fabricate a vine. "This will take but a moment." A smile danced on their wispy lips, upper half of their face hooded by a vision of a hooded cloak. "...And I have no doubt Fen'harel will be warmed when you offer him this particular crown."

Fane made a questioning growl, but Wisdom offered no more, resuming the odd task of weaving magical vines and twinkling gold. He watched for a time, curious and puzzled, but soon, he found his body carefully lowering to the ground. He curled up a bit, resting his maw upon his claws and observing the act of the spirit quietly. He caught another smile from the kindly spirit before their face went neutral, focused.

A crown.. Fane mused as he watched just that be formed from both the natural and the imaginable. The warmth from earlier began to invade his body again, but this time, he made no moves to shove it away, so entranced by the delicate weaving of gold and blue. He merely narrowed his eyes and watched, letting the ember steadily grow. I want to see the sky smile.

Fane completely missed the tender look in Wisdom's otherworldly eyes, so besotted by the idea of a sight he shouldn't, but would desire.

---

Oh GOD, I blurbed! *yoinks this snippet for potential fuel for later* >:3

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy chapter 259 & 260 - predictable events [shrugs]

Chapter 259 starts with a flashback to Abashiri Prison as Boutarou is released from solitary confinement.  Shiraishi asks him what he did to land in solitary, specifically who he beat up - and we learn it was Ueji.  This goes back to the story by Ueji about how he told Boutarou he saw his aunt, a woman that Boutarou has now confirmed never existed.   Since Ueji was messing with Boutarou, he was upset/offended enough that he had no problem killing him.

This shows us that Boutarou seems to be sensitive to joking/teasing/bullying as Shiraishi chides him for his frequent trips to solitary.

This allows for us to see a contemplative/serious facial expression on Boutarou’s face before he continues the conversation with Shiraishi who is picking his nose with his toes? 

This then allows for a wistful looking image of Shiraishi replying that he doesn’t have any family waiting for him outside of prison, and he was abandoned at a temple as a baby.  This knowledge of abandonment is how Boutarou wants to connect with Shiraishi; that they are alone in this world at the present.

This allows Boutarou to ask him if he’d return to the temple, but Shiraishi could careless; he ran away in the first place and it likely doesn’t exist as it seemed to be on its way out.  As expected, he just jokes if he had a lot of money he’d spent it on prostitutes (and implying that he’s filling his emptiness with transactional sex).

Nihei, reminds them the only thing that matters is to use the tattoo as a way to get out of prison and do whatever you want unrelated to the gold.  This is expected for the man who returned to the mountain to hunt.

They return to Boutarou’s goal, to amass a small fortune e.g. the gold and create his own kingdom.  The next page or so just focuses on how he came from a large family with 14 members and how he was the only one who didn’t die of smallpox.  He isn’t just interested in having a large family to compensate for his lost family, he goes beyond that where by becoming the king, he’ll always be remembered and not forgotten as the founder.  He is a man who wants to preserve himself not only genetically through having lots of kids but also through mythology and nation building concepts.

Shiraishi and Nihei tease him a little about his dreams which they find to be completely unrealistic which he is not amused with.  Speaking very frankly with him, Shiraishi points out that Boutarou is a lonely guy and that his dream is a reflection of his loneliness. 

This exchange is interesting to me for two reasons.  1.) This shows us that Shiraishi is an observant guy which we know but it is another instance of it in his past. 2.) He can be very blunt and forward with Boutarou.  I find him to be very assertive with Boutarou, a man who just came out of solitary for beating up another prisoner.  Yet, Shiraishi can speak like this with him and this also alludes to their current time line interactions where Boutarou respects Shiraishi and understands him well - as well as Shiraishi understands him.

This frank openness between them continues on the next page.  Shiraishi jokes back that he’s been a king - and escape king.  But Boutarou’s critique of him is a valid and honest one.

Breaking out of jail isn’t a long term plan.  Having a dream like Boutarou’s is a viable plan, that since he is unwelcome in current society, he’s like ‘fuck this - I’ll just make my own society’  He lost his home and community support and it was clearly influential on him as a child both having a family and then the loss.  So, for him creating his own special home is his driving force in his actions and reason to become involved in the hunt for the gold.

And not missing a beat, he tells Shiraishi he also needs to create his own home if he lacks one - just like him.  The level of frankness between the two of them - they clearly have more than just a passing ‘professional’ relationship.

The manga returns to the current events and Boutarou is telling Asirpa to let go of the door so that she can return to her home with Sugimoto and that they can become a family.  I get it, he knows she has a crush on him and all little girls dream of finding a man and getting married etc etc.  I don’t doubt Asirpa’s crush on Sugimoto, but she is also not the type of young teen girl who would be so simple minded.

Sugimoto is struggling to breathe in a corridor of the brewery as he falls into his rather pathetic monologuing about how pathetic he is.  Nice copy and paste of the rifle there Noda.  We saw it a few chapters ago when Ogata was eyeing Usami’s which was also Ogata’s when Vasily sniped at them.

Why do I not take Sugimoto’s whole ‘boo hoo’ bit seriously?  Because this shows us how he actually sees Asirpa and her relationship with him.  He ‘finally got her back’ she ‘got stolen away again’.  Even with the English translation, the intention is still clear, Asirpa is like an object to him. 

Read these following sentences;

1. Kiro and Ogata stole Asirpa from Sugimoto.

2. Kiro and Ogata kidnapped Asirpa from Sugimoto.

3. Kiro, and Ogata took Asirpa to Karafuto.

As an objective reader of the manga which of these is the most factually correct?  Number 3, at heart Kiro and Ogata had a plan to take Asirpa to Karafuto to learn the code and connect with Sofia.  Yet, this is not the narrative that Sugimoto tells himself or others.  He continues to go with number 1, that Kiro and Ogata stole Asirpa from him and now Boutarou stole Asirpa from him.  Asirpa is something that he possesses.  This is problematic as it shows how unequal their partnership is. 

I’d argue a more equal partnership if he used number 2.  That she was kidnapped which is a word we use to distinguish people from mere objects in English.  Is my argument 100% based on this - not quite since we are working with the translation of the original text, but ever since Karafuto, Sugimoto has acted like Asirpa is something that he and only he has privy to and completely ignores the fact that she is her own person and will exercise free will. 

Therefore, this also pokes holes in Boutarou’s reading that Asirpa will cave to the idea that if he tells her to go home and marry Sugimoto that will solve her problems.  I’m pretty confident that Asirpa does not see her relationship with Sugimoto the same way that he sees her and Shiraishi already made a point about this back before they were to meet up with Tsurumi.

Anyways, back to the action.  We don’t see if Asirpa let’s go of the door, we just see that Koito is aggressively approaching Boutarou with his sabre raised and notices that he has Asirpa.

With is luscious locks, Bouatrou is able to distract Koito and punch him with his long reach.  He goes to shoot Koito, but a shot hits his hand with the revolver and it is Tsukishima close behind.

He orders Boutarou to withdraw, and he dashes out with Asirpa and heads to a lower level where the beer flood happened.

Asirpa is still resisting trying to hold onto the railings of a staircase, making his fast escape a bit of an issue.  She also is able to raise a fundamental question - the gold was supposed to be used by the Ainu to create their own country.  Therefore, if the gold is stolen by Boutarou, she will be unable to protect her own homeland - the one he keeps telling her to go back to.

We get an image of the clear cutting of the forest in Hokkaido that almost killed her and then she thinks of the kotan where Wilk was born that is now a fox farm.  The traces of her Karafuto relatives is already gone, taken over by the Japanese for less sustainable practices. 

Boutarou sweats nervously, he doesn’t have an answer for her since this is now an example of conflict with their own dreams and goals for the gold.  However, this philosophical pause from him, allows for Koito the strike him with his sabre from behind.  Koito prepares for his second strike as Boutarou falls back into the pool of beer.

Asirpa meanwhile still clings to the stair railing as Koito is ready to strike again.

Boutarou swims off and it is unclear where he’s gone to.  Koito is impressed by Boutarou’s toughness as Asirpa coughs on the stairs.  Only then do we hear Tsukishima’s voice asking Koito where he is.  And with that I internally groan.

Me - goddammit Koito!  Why did you go and do almost the exact same thing you did on the ice floe and with Sugimoto.  Don’t rush ahead with no back up.  You just realized he’s a tough guy.  Well, at least this time he tells Tsukishima where he is and to come quickly.

He says that he secured Asirpa and doesn’t notice that Boutarou has emerged from the beer and is clearly going to attack him.  He looks like a gross beer/swamp monster, his teeth visible and eyes covered by his long hair.

By time Tsukishima arrives with his rifle at ready he sees Asirpa and only Koito’s sabre.

[facepalms]

Come on Koito, I’m rooting for you buddy, but please stop running ahead.  You are slowly getting better, but one aspect of being a leader of men is to have men to lead, not leave behind.

And the chapter ends with his heightened tension that Koito has been pulled back under the beer.

I have other deep thoughts (lol. terrible pun) about chapter 259 so lets move onto 260 which goes back a few seconds to show us what happened to Koito.  Boutarou reaches out towards Koito and he’s able to overpower him.

Asirpa tries to crawl away as Koito drops his sabre and is drug under the surface of the beer.  We all know that Boutarou is going to try to drown him as he can hold his breath longer than his victims.

Tsukishima finally reaches where Asirpa is and he flat out asks her were Koito is.  She ignores him and tries to dash away, but he grabs onto her wolf pelt cloak.  The last panel then shoes her as she draws her knife and swings at Tsukishima!

Yes! Asirpa is about to use her knife against him!  There is so much desperation in her behavior.  Koito then reaches his hand up as bubbles come to the surface, and we see Tsukishima holding Asirpa’s hand on her knife.  Tsukishima calls out for Koito and Asirpa tells him that he was pulled into the beer.

He then uses his rifle to hold her against him and still holds her hand with the knife out of the way as he tells himself that Asirpa is more important than everything else.

Koito is held underwater as his boot sticks out and we see that Boutarou is trying to strangle him with his hair (he truly has impressive hair!) as Koito begins to weaken.  We are left briefly wondering if Koito will be abandoned - but come on, we know what will happen.

Tsukishima kicks Boutarou in the head allowing Koito to sit up.  Tsukishima then shoots Boutarou, and we see some blood diffuse out into the beer.  Tsukishima is focused as he ejects the empty shell and Boutarou swims off.

He tells Koito to get out of the beer as he may return, and Koito angrily asks about Asirpa.  She’s heading out on her own, as the smoke causes her to cough her knife out and ready.  Koito is upset that Tsukishima[aaaa] let her go to save him.  This is so interesting to me as it does show that Koito felt that he is less important than Asirpa.  He was willing to potentially die which, despite his impulsive behaviors, this time he at least seems to be aware of it.

Tsukishima can’t look at him as he apologizes and Koito berates him that saving him is not a priority.  This pretty much seals the deal for these two men.  Tsukishima is Koito’s older brother and he has shown that he doesn’t have it in himself to hurt Koito for Tsurumi. 

This is at least one instance where Koito does at least own up and state that he should have followed orders.  So, kudos to more self-aware Koito, though I’m sure he’s still thankful that Tsukishima saved him.

Nikaido is randomly wandering around (clearly no longer wanting to kill Sugimoto) as he finds her.

She again aggressively goes to strike him with her knife.  Asirpa is beyond desperate - is she trying to mirror Sugimoto by just forging ahead and attacking everyone with no thought about harming them?

But just like with Tsukishima, she is immediately overpowered.  Without her poison tipped arrows, she’s at a huge disadvantage.  Emulating your crush’s fighting style isn’t going to work.

Thankfully, karma intervenes and she doesn’t harm him.  Instead, she activates his chopstick dispenser and she’s taken down by a chopstick to the forehead.

This is rather fitting since, she’s been stopped by an item she would find important, chopsticks which along with spoons facilitate one of her loves - food.  And with that she is delivered to Tsurumi who praises Nikaido.

The next page is when things get really interesting.  Nikaido is upset that Sugimoto is alive and Tsurumi blows him off.  Very rough looking Tsukishima and Koito then make it to Tsurumi to see that Asirpa has been caught.  Likely on autopilot, Tsukishima starts speaking . . . but Koito then continues and reports to him as the commanding officer of the two.

He then mid-explaination becomes incredibly uncomfortable unable to speak.  We can’t see Tsurumi’s facial expression, it would be nice to know what Koito sees as he only awkwardly ends stating they were in the brewery. 

Koito is sweating profusely, whatever Tsurumi looked like, he just realized that he should have let Tsukishima do the talking as he’s given away that his fear of speaking to Tsurumi is gone.  The fact that Tsurumi hesitates before telling him that he understands, leaves Koito in shock as Tsukishima is likely trying to not lose it with him.  Since he now knows that Koito has given away something about his changed status towards Tsurumi.  Since Tsurumi is in the realm of super smart villain, I’d guess Tsukishima knows that Tsurumi knows about how Koito learned something about his kidnapping which was what lead to his in ability to speak to him in the first place.  Recall, that when they were in Kagoshima, young Koito could speak to Tsurumi with little issue.

Tsurumi then calls for a retreat and avoid any more fights.  Apparently, he now has enough information to crack the code.  Okay Tsurumi - does this mean you can do so with Asirpa?  Since, he still doesn’t know the Ainu name that is matches with. . . .

Nikaido pouts in the background as Koito looks like he wants to fade into the background.  Tsukishima clearly doesn’t look happy either as he holds Asirpa.  I guess being Tsurumi’s right hand man means he gets to hold onto her?

He likely feels uncomfortable about things since now that Koito has let the cat out of the bag, Tsurumi will likely ask him about what happened between them.

Boutarou exits, pissed off at how he lost Asirpa but seems to be alright overall.  Of course, the next page reveals Sugimoto charging towards him to give Asirpa back. Yep, attack first, ask questions later/maybe Sugimoto.

Sugimoto pretty much has murder eyes as he thinks attacking Boutarou will solve his problem.

Now, the fact that Boutarou has survived this well, tells me that he likely has the same ‘luck’ that Sugimoto has.  He was stabbed by Sugimoto, his ear cut off, slashed by Koito, and shot twice by Tsukishima.  It is pretty damn obvious that Boutarou is to be both a foil and a twin to Sugimoto.  The only difference between them is Boutarou became a criminal, while Sugimoto became a soldier a man with a license to kill under the laws of the government while enlisted in the army.  Since leaving the army, he’s killed many people in the quest for the gold, but that doesn’t make him a ‘good guy’ because he’s a former soldier.

Sugimoto is always trying to tell others how he’s better than they are.  He’s better than the convicts because he didn’t break the law.  But, if we look at his own actions, he may have been worse than some of the convicts having killed more people than they did.  Think of Shiraishi or Nihei.  Nihei killed those hunters, but he refused to go off to war and lost his son in the Sino-Japanese war.  Therefore, we could argue that based on the number of people killed, Sugimoto is far worse than Nihei as he was almost karmic in his revenge.  Furthermore, Nihei even let himself be arrested, he killed the one man but didn’t even fight the police as his revenge was complete and he accepted his fate.

What I’m getting to is that Boutarou is the character who is going to disrupt Sugimoto and make him very uncomfortable and be unable to keep acting like he’s on the ‘right’ side of things.  Sugimoto needs to stop othering the convicts and tell himself he’s better than all of them - his own decisions led him to this just like something drove Boutarou to become a pirate and criminal.

I predict that Shiraishi will rush in to stop Sugimoto from killing Boutarou.  We still need to learn more about their past and what is the full connection between Shiraishi and Boutarou.  There is much more to learn, Shiraishi is too open and frank with him and he lets Boutarou get close to him physically and emotionally.

Hijikata’s group then regroups and decides what to do.  Of course Hijikata being the manly man that he is, states he’ll enter if required.

Kirawus then begins to panic that that no one has seen Kadokura.  Apparently shooting off the firework was too distracting for him and he didn’t keep track of his drinking buddy.  What were you doing man?  Where were you?  You aren’t very good at these sorts of things?

Kadokura apologizes to Hijikata for failing to stick with him to the end as he lie on the floor of the room with the mash pots. We see Kirawus at his most emotional as he cries out and Kantarou holds him back.

Is Kirawus a softy at heart?  I was predicting that he’d have gone in to save him but no, we get a demonstration of Kadokura’s good bad luck as the collapsing building makes a bed for him, tucks him into the futon and even gives him a beer to enjoy.

I personally like this use of extremely unlikely events surrounding him.  Sometimes, I find some of the more crass humor in GK to be not my cup of tea, but this sort of absurdist humor is good.  For a very action and emotionally charged chapter this is a good resolution of the tension. 

Kadokura is rewarded for trying his best by being rescued by the building.  Yep, he’s certainly more competent than he appears.  Is he the secret weapon of team Hijikata? 

Conclusions on these chapters.

As I stated in the title, things are pretty predictable, but rewarding for the readers at least.

Asirpa has shown that when she loses her cool, she leads to her own capture.  Separated from Sugimoto, she makes many poor decisions.  She tries to leave Koito to be killed by Boutarou.  She attacks Tsukishima and Nikaido.  She tried to use the poison arrow on Kikuta.  As a character who started out with a strong do no harm to other humans, she’s quickly sliding into grey.  I think the worst part was almost ignoring Koito.  She is hesitant to tell Tsukishima what happened and uses his pause to try to attack him.

Her capture is the worst outcome of events.  She should have listened to Kikuta and found another solution. She could have just let Boutarou escape with her and bide her time.  It seems that her reckless and aggressive behavior has backfired.  Sure, some readers will be like ‘She was just defending herself!’ but without her arrows, she is at a huge disadvantage and should know when to give up.  I’m pretty sure that this mindset comes from her being with Sugimoto.

Boutarou will team up with Sugimoto with Shiraishi as the mediator.  ‘Cause it is obvious.

Koito is freaked out that he gave away his personal growth, Nikaido is stewing in the background and Tsukishma just looks guilty.

Hijikata’s group will likely retreat with Kadokura leaving Shiraishi, Boutarou, and Sugimoto behind.  Since other than Shiraishi, the other two men are just annoyances to Hijikata.

Ogata is somewhere.  Is he going to continue his sniper battle or will he retreat?  He seemed pretty chill when he walked by Kikuta.  The smoke and fire and chaos will really mess with things, but Vasily is likely losing his cool.

Vasily, the character who had potential but currently is lame may be waiting for Ogata?  Or maybe he could pull back?

Lastly, where is Kikuta?  Does he know that Ogata shot Usami?  I can’t help but seeing him stroll into the headquarters of the 27th and be like “Hey everyone.  What did I miss?” [as he strikes a sexy pose and lights a cigarette].

It would be neat to learn if they at least chatted about something.

Well that is all for now.  Let’s see how the insanity continues to unfold.

[hazzoranstories]

THE WHITE SUN AT MIDNIGHT | J.BLACK Ch. 12

"Thanks, Ry. I think I can handle myself now. I'll just wait for Bella to get home," Paige greeted Ryland a goodnight before hopping out of the car. She was about to walk into the house when she smelled something. A vampire? No. There couldn't be. They all left town, and no vampire would be stupid enough to go into a werewolf's house. Paige cautiously opened the door and flicked the light on. She didn't see anyone but could still sense a bloodsucker.

Her hands were then forced behind her back, and she was slammed against a wall at lightning speed. She grunted when she heard a pop come from her jaw. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" a high-pitched voice hissed in Paige's ear.

Paige scoffed but groaned when the mystery vampire put more pressure on her arms. "I'd ask you the same," she replied snarkily.

"I know Bella," they answered.

"I do too. But I don't break into her home. I live here, you bitch. Now let go of me before I rip your head off," the dirty blonde snapped. She let out a yelp when the leech put pressure on her elbow.

"I've never met you before. How do you know Bella?" the voice inquired harshly.

"I'm her stepsister. And I would assume, as Bella described you, you're Rosalie. You're the annoying one. She's Edward's sister," Paige assumed with a little chuckle.

The vampire let go of Paige, and the werewolf stepped back with a glare. Paige finally got a good look at the intruder, and she had a heart-shaped face, pale skin, golden eyes, and short black hair in a pixie cut. "Actually, I'm Alice. And Bella doesn't have a stepsister. How do you know about us?" the little vampire questioned. Paige laughed at how she tried to look scary despite her small size and childish clothing.

"Someone must have woken up on the wrong side of the coffin today. Cause Bella described you as bubbly and fun. You were the nice bloodsucker. Or as nice as vampires can be," the Claymore joked, and Alice scowled at her. "And how do I know about you? I'm a shifter, you twat, now get out of my house," the wolf growled.

"I need to see Bella. I saw a vision-" Alice started but Paige bust out laughing.

"You saw a vision?" she teased the tiny little demon. "Are you like a witch or some crap?" she added and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. Alice ran up to Paige and put her in a tight headlock.

"I'm over 100 years old. I wouldn't test me," she spat. Paige chuckled and switched the positions, so Alice is in the headlock.

"I'm stronger, faster, and smarter than you. I wouldn't test me either," Paige said and released Alice when she heard the door open. The two girls walked out of the kitchen and saw Bella, who looked around with hopeful eyes. She jumped with a gasp once she saw Alice.

Bella stared at the vampire for a few seconds before tackling her in a hug. "Alice?! Oh my god! What are you . . ." Bella yelled at a loss for words. Alice yelled her name to stop her ranting. "I'm sorry, I just, I can't believe you're here. Is . . . ." Bella continued with teary eyes.

"Would you like to explain to me how you're alive?" Alice cut her off sharply.

"What?"

"I saw a vision of you. You jumped off a cliff. Why in the hell would you try and kill yourself? I mean, what about Charlie," Alice raised her voice, and Paige laughed.

"Grandma's mad," she muttered under her breath before trudging upstairs to her room. Not wanting to stay around a vampire more than she has to. Even if she didn't trust Alice with Bella, she felt Jacob outside and could hear their entire conversation from her bedroom.

It wasn't until she heard Jacob near the house that she walked out of her room. She raced down the stairs and stopped him before he could get any further than the doorway. "What are you doing?" Paige said as quietly as she could even though she knew Alice could hear her.

"I needed to make sure Bella was safe," Jake said rather gloomy. The dirty-blonde nodded, a pain of hurt running through her for no apparent reason. "And you," the Black added, and Paige smiled softly. She nodded and let him in.

"Bella! Werewolves are not good company to keep!" Alice scolded Paige's sister as the two imprints walked in with glares.

"Speak for yourself," Jacob interrupted, and Alice shot around to face the two wolves. Jake and Bella stared at each other, Bella with a slight frown. "I had to see you two were safe," he said once he saw Bella's puzzled expression.

"I thought you couldn't protect me here," Bella stated.

"Guess I don't care," he whispered.

"Well, I'm not gonna hurt her," Alice defended herself, and Paige rolled her eyes.

"No, you're just a harmless Cullen. I'm talking about the other bloodsucker who tried to kill Bella because of you," Jacob snapped, his muscles were so tense that they barely moved as he took a breath.

"Victoria?" Alice questioned Bella, who nodded.

"Yeah, Victoria's been around," Bella answered, her lips forming into a straight line.

"I didn't see her. I didn't see you get pulled out of the water, either," the black-haired girl worried, then snapped her head over to Paige and Jacob. "I can't see past you and your pack of mutts!" she snarled, and they ground their teeth together.

"Don't get me upset . . . . or things are gonna get very ugly!" Jake snapped, and Bella rushed over to stand in the middle. Paige pulled Jake back by his arm a little, and he finally unclenched his muscles.

Bella looked at the werewolves than at the vampire and sighed. "I'll give you a minute," Alice whispered to the brunette.

She was heading outside when Bella stopped her, "hey. You're not going anywhere. You're gonna come back, right?"

"As soon as you put the dogs out," Alice perked up, and Paige sniggered at her. Once the door closed, Jake huffed.

"Is he . . . . are there others? How many Cullens are here, and how long are they staying?" Jacob interrogated eagerly.

"No. It's just Alice," Bella replied sadly, and Paige scoffed.

"Good," she hissed.

"And she can stay as long as she'd like," the sister snapped and looked at Paige. Bella grabbed the dishes they used and walked into the kitchen to clean them up.

"Well, are the rest coming back?" Paige questioned.

Bella took a deep breath, trying to control her overwhelming emotions. "No. Not that I know of. Anything else?" she said with annoyance laced in her tone.

"That's it," Jake responded with a look of defeat.

"Well, if that's all, then you better go run back to Sam," Bella muttered to Jake, then turned to Paige. "And . . . . and you can . . . . go back to Montana, I guess. Or go to the Miller's, I don't know," Paige gave her an emotionless face that hid her true feelings. Not wanting to stay around the awkwardness anymore, she walked up to her room.

Her fury was rising at super speed, and she kicked her desk chair. It flew into pieces. She plopped down onto her bed with so much force she heard a crack, but it never broke. She layed on her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Go back to Montana," they said. "Go to the Miller's," they said. "Go to Forks," they said.

[cottage-babe]

Burning Scars part VIIS

Previous | Chapter 7.5 | Next

Masterlist 

figured id drop this real quick before the next chapter!! Its really short and not that important so its not really a real chapter ig

also! new update schedule is on sundays <3

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar’s destiny?

*****This chapter takes place on Season 2 Episode 13*****

___

Groggily, Y/n sat up and yawned.

The sun was blinding; they all should’ve slept in the covers of the ferry, not right next to the railing and fully susceptible to the elements. She rubbed the palms of her hands over her eyes to remove some of her sleep, but all it did was further the blur of her vision. The werewolf had to owlishly blink until her sight cleared. 

When it did, the view didn’t disappoint. 

There was a large wall stretching farther than her eyes could see. It was still a bit away, but the impressiveness had her awestruck. She looked around at her friends and saw that her travel buddies, along with her new acquaintances the Freedom Fighters, were still sleeping peacefully in their bedrolls. Y/n figured that it was the rocking of the waves that woke her and stood. 

Actually, now that she was taking account of everyone again, she noticed that one person was missing from the group. Standing at the very front of the boat, the werewolf could see the familiar figure of Zuko, standing with his back facing her. 

It was very cool that morning. It must’ve been due to the sun barely rising or the slight sprays of the water around them. Either way, it relaxed her in a way that she never truly felt on land; it almost made her nod off again. Despite all this, she pushed through her drowsiness and made her way over to Zuko.

The golden light from the sun made his hair shine brightly. The boy’s posture was relaxed as well, it seemed like she wasn’t the only one falling for the morning’s charm. He was leaned over the rails and rested gently on his forearms.

“Hey,” Y/n yawned as a greeting as she finally reached him.

Trust her, it was such a nice morning and she wasn’t all there. That was completely, 100%, the only reason why when she paused at his side, her head found itself leaned on his shoulder, eyes closed. He had tensed up at first, but once he realized who it was, relaxed once again. 

“Why are you awake?” Zuko asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, sleep almost overcoming her before he spoke. 

“I don’t know, but it’s way too early.”

Y/n looked up at the boy and found that he was already looking at her. His eyes were almost as breathtaking as the Wall that they were heading toward. The sunrise seemed to hit his iris’s perfectly, making the auburn color seem more accentuated. If she thought that they were pretty before, now couldn’t even be described. 

Unfortunately, the memories of what happened last time she was in this position flooded back to her. She cleared her throat and removed her head, replicating his position on the barrier. The werewolf missed the disappointed look that he gave her. 

“So, why are you up?” 

Zuko nodded his head toward the large wall that Y/n had seen when she woke up. “I wanted to see the Wall while I still had the chance,” at her confused look, the boy continued. “That’s the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. I’m sure once everyone wakes up they’ll be crowding to see it.”

Y/n remembered what Jet had said the night before, about wanting to set his eyes on the wall. This must’ve been what he meant. She had to remind herself that this was a monumental moment for a lot of people.

“Do you think it’ll be good here? Like the people and stuff?” She asked.

The boy’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Probably not, the only people that come here are filthy refugees. It’s not like we’ll be here long anyways; we’re just waiting for everything to calm down and pass.”

“Right... and then you guys will go back to your ‘castle’ or whatever.” She whispered solemnly. 

“Well, yeah, that’s the plan.” Zuko snorted. 

People had started to crowd around the edges of the boat; it seemed like more passengers were waking up. She looked back to her group and found that Iroh and the Freedom Fighters had risen as well. She stated that fact to the boy next to her. 

“We should head back anyways.” He offered. 

Y/n shook her head. “You go ahead, I want to take one last look.”

Zuko went back to the group and left her to her thoughts. 

Some part of her knew that this was going to happen. Their partnership was just that, a partnership. Zuko let her join their trip because he thought that she could help them; not because he cared. And once he does whatever his father wants him to, he’ll go running back home with his uncle. She was never part of that equation. 

She scolded herself after thinking this, but she wished that she was more permanent in the duo’s life. She would probably still keep in touch with Iroh after they left, but with Zuko? Not so much.

And what was she going to do after then? Stay here in Ba Sing Se? 

Y/n decided that she was just going to cross that bridge when she gets there. Worrying was just going to stress her out. 

_

After that inner battle, she had gone back to the group and helped them pack up. Just as they finished, the ferry had landed on shore and the workers were directing them off. They had to walk a bit, but eventually they made their way to a train station that would bring them into the walls of the city. 

First, however, they had to get their passports checked one last time before they could hop on the train. They waited in the line for what felt like hours until finally, they were up next.

“So... Mr. Lee, Ms. Y/n, and Mr... Mushy, is it?” The ticket woman asked with a suspicious look on her face as her eyes scanned their passports. In response, they all smiled at her politely. 

Iroh, however, just had to correct her. “It’s pronounced Mushi.”

The woman fumed. Her nostrils flared and her eyes turned to slits. 

“You telling me how to do my job?”

Iroh visibly panicked. He quickly made his way up to her desk. “Uh, no, no.” He cleared his throat. “But may I just say: you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating.”

Y/n let out a laugh, but disguised it as a cough when the ticket woman glared at her. The werewolf looked off to the side and saw that Zuko had a repulsed look on his face. 

“You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome.” The woman winked at Iroh and let out a purr. Then, she stamped three tickets and handed them to the old man. “Welcome to Ba Sing Se!”

Iroh smiled at her and turned around, looking at the teens with a proud look on his face. Zuko, instead, snatched his ticket out of his uncle’s hand and stormed off, muttering how he never wanted to see that again.

‘Mushi’ handed Y/n her ticket as they followed his nephew. 

“You know, I didn’t know you had that in you.” She smirked and bumped shoulders with him. 

He held himself up and puffed out his chest. “I used to be quite the lady’s man when I was your age.”

They laughed together and caught up with Zuko. The boy was still a little upset about what he had seen, but was otherwise in a pretty good mood. 

The trio had to wait a couple minutes for the train to come; the teens sitting on both sides of Iroh. They sat in silence, with Y/n starting up her people-watching hobby again. She looked over to her left and saw Jet walk up to them once again.

“So,” He started, “you guys got plans once you're inside the city?”

Y/n was going to answer him, saying something about how she was dying to eat some food, when a screaming man passed by them with a cart. 

“Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!” The man yelled. 

Iroh waved his hand excitedly at the cart. “Ooh! Jasmine, please!”

The tea man brought his cart over and poured his drink into Iroh’s and, after asking, Y/n’s leaf cups. The uncle paid for their drinks and smelled it happily. Y/n took the first sip, but swallowed it quickly with an ‘ew.’ Iroh looked at her curiously, then took a sip from his. 

“Ugh!” He spit it out dramatically. “Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it! What a disgrace!”

“I know right.” The werewolf replied with a scrunched up face. 

While they insulted their cups of tea, Jet and Zuko left to go talk privately. It’s probably because of how loud they were being. 

“Can’t you just like,” She made movements with her free hand. “Heat this up?”

Iroh looked at her like she made the greatest epiphany. “You’re right!” 

Y/n couldn’t see any flames emitting from his palms, but soon enough, steam began to slither out the top of the cup. 

The girl’s eyes widened in excitement. “Do mine!”

They switched cups and she watched as the same procedure occurred to her tea. He handed it to her and they both took a sip happily. Zuko came back, but they weren’t really concerned with what he left to talk about. 

Suddenly, though, Zuko’s hand stuck out and slapped the cup out of his uncle’s hands. Iroh’s arm, not being prepared for the movements, flew back and hit Y/n’s cup as well. Two cups laid on the floor, their contents spread around them. 

“Hey!” Iroh and Y/n yelled out at the same time. 

Angrily, Zuko looked at them and whispered. “What are you doing firebending your tea? For a wise, old man, that was a pretty stupid move!”

Y/n almost went off on the boy, but, after seeing the calm and mournful expression on Iroh’s face, calmed herself down as to not get into another argument. 

“I know you’re not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but it’s just so sad.” The uncle sniffled with his eyes trained on the floor. 

She almost felt bad for him, but decided not to bud into their family drama. Instead, she expressed her confusion on Zuko’s phrases. 

“What’s so wrong with firebending, huh?” She huffed and crossed her arms. 

Y/n didn’t really mean anything by her question, she kind of asked it jokingly, but Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes. Was there really something wrong with it?

She looked out at Iroh questioningly, but he just smiled and waved his hand to dismiss her. Maybe it’s a prince thing? I really don’t know. 

Before she could question it further, the train came down the railways, but it was being pushed by... people? Were they earthbenders?

Could I learn to do that? 

Zuko ushered the two of them up and over to an empty part of the train. They entered it and took a seat, Y/n in the middle of them. 

“What a handsome baby,” Iroh smiled at the family next to him. Y/n bent to look at the baby and awed at the sight. This was the first human baby she’s seen!

Suddenly, they started moving and Y/n looked around as they were surrounded in darkness. She almost panicked, but after seeing that no one else was scared, she calmed down. 

Then, light burst through the windows. 

The werewolf’s eyes widened as she took in the sight around her. There were blocks of plants racing past them, possibly farming areas. Everything was just so spacious, the only time she had seen something so empty was in the Wu Shong Desert, the only difference here being the lush greenery. She stood up from her seat and turned to look out the window behind her.

“Zuko! Look!” Y/n grasped onto his shoulder to make him see an animal, something huge that she’d never seen before, only to have him pull her back to her seat abruptly. 

“Sit down, you’re being weird.” He looked around cautiously. “And if we’re in public, call me Lee.”

Y/n looked around as well and saw that a few people were looking at her; some of the adults smiling at her childish curiosity. She blushed and adjusted her skirt in her seat. Still, though, she tilted her head to see the passing views.

Maybe being in Ba Sing Se will be better than she thought...

___

and now we go to Ba Sing Se!! I was so excited to get here, I just wanted to get this out of the way oml

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Masterlist

Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes @lozzybowe @woohoney @whalerus @cece-lives-here @bwndito @kiaoizz @lrmilikepie 

[wexhappyxfew]

SHANNON!! HELLO MY FRIEND ☺️☺️ hope you're having a lovely day!! Okay you know I absolutely your character Death, so whatever you want to talk about with him :)

KRYSTAAAA hello my friend! I hope you are having a great day yourself! You sent this yesterday but I wanted to take my time with this as discuss one of my *FAVORITE* things about Death in this post - appearance and reasons WHY he appears this way. I know we don’t see actual images, but I try to work with the description in Landslide to give Death, in my personified way, an appearance - because in my mind he has an appearance, quite similarly to a man - LET ME STOP MYSELF WE’LL GET INTO IT BELOW HAHA!!! AW THANKS!! :,) I’m so glad you enjoy it truly, that means so much and I’ve worked to really develop Him and His character all together along with His role with Natia because it is one of the most important connections Natia holds with someone in Landslide - even though they can’t ever speak - AGH I LOVE IT!! Let’s get into it!

SO -- we are going to work with 4 general images that I’ve always envisioned Death as and I’ll really talk about WHY I have Him as such because there are reasons why these pictures are the way they are and why I decided on these pictures for Him!

Let’s solidify two things first!

(1) When I created Death in general, I wanted to make Him a male, just because I saw Death as male in my mind and for the dynamic of the story it would work best. But for a spin-off from Landslide (there may be a few!) I’ve thought about digging into another aspect which is - in this sort of fic, Death is seen in the way the seer wishes to see Death, which I think is pretty cool! There’s a reason though Natia sees Death as male....ahem...Agent Mortem I’m looking at you.

(2) The two important things to touch on with the Death I’ve created - cloaks and wings - cloaks (+hood) have been broguht up a various amount of times already for Death n the 26 chapters of posted Landslide chapters and content BUT we have yet to discuss wings. I can’t jump TOO into that yet exactly, but that is the second most important aspect of Death I’ve crafted together! Keep that in mind!

OKAY...now that we have all of that put together, let’s jump into it - 4 pictures, 4 ideas - WE LOVE TO SEE IT!! There may also be a cut somewhere below - idk where, but it’ll be there! Enjoy! 

AND AS A SIDE NOTE - THESE IMAGES ARE FROM PINTEREST SO NONE OF THESE IMAGES ARE ACTUALLY MINE OR CREATED BY ME!!! 

FIRST IMAGE: This is probably the best, accurate description and image of Death in my eyes at least - I’m sure the readers have envisioned Him differently (just imagine He has a cloak on and it’s covering His head LOL!) - but in many ways this is my portrayal of how I envision Death. Almost looking as if he is a regular man - dark tousled hair, a grey coat, dark boots - the works! But he’s quite sad, this wandering person, aimlessly moving about and he’s quite grief-filled. And so, that’s a reason I particularly love this photo because we get the head focused downward to convey this portrayal of grief and how consuming it is. I really wasn’t out to make Death this emotionless person who just takes and takes - I wanted in my portrayal to show how much pain he holds - and how he is protecting Natia with all His might from someone like Himself because He can’t bare to do His duty that He has for eternity on Natia. 

AND THE WINGS!! Okay, wings - we get more into the wings at the end of part 3 and extremely expanded in part 4 - but wings are extremely important. They are in fact black and feathered - I begin to reference him at the end of Part 3 as if he were a ‘Father of Ravens’ in a sense because of what a raven represents and for Death’s character I feel that is very true to his character specifically His role He takes in with Natia. You might even see him int he form of ravens as we come particularly out of Bastogne and the weather gets warmer - it will be very prominent. 

I would say this is my absolute favorite - if you ever need a reference - this is image is 100% what I would have crafted for Death if he were portrayed in a picture! 

SECOND IMAGE: Here is an absolute FAVORITE!!! (1) We know Natia sees Death essentially as male (for various reasons regarding Agent Mortem who literally is Agent Death or Agent of Death if we want - but that’s for another ask!) and so this I would say is a very good representation of the wings + ravens + eyes + profile of Death. The narrow-eye expression of his facial features if very prominent - Natia does much of the same - and let’s just say Death has picked that up as well. He sees the world really in blacks, whites and greys - similar to how Natia views the world because of Agent Mortem ( a morally grey character) and so I really took all of that and worked with it in this way! Natia, Death and Mortem are the mains in my mind and so they all see the world in grey - but who will break from that? They’re all connected with one another in many ways - who will break that?

But yes, in this picture, I go off the fact that in Landslide, Death will take the form of a raven as his best chance to get closer to Natia, to even try and interact with her and that is very prominent at the end of Part 3 and all of Part 4 and even some postwar! 

THIRD IMAGE: OKAY - so here is where we get into more of the ‘cloaked figure’ that encompasses Death and this image of his cloaked figure. The cloak hides quite a lot of things and one of those things are his wings - which don’t really make an appearance until the end of Part 3 for various reasons! Which I can’t say just yet :) But it also hides his face - his expressions - why might you ask does he want to particularly hide that? 

Let’s reference the most recent chapter update - Chapter 26, entitled Weapons Don’t Weep. (1) Natia is in fact a weapon, not only crafted by War, who makes his somewhat annual appearance, but also my Agent Mortem - who’s to say Death might’ve also crafted her? (2) Death and Natia have a unique connection - they can’t communicate through words, they can’t really communicate through much if you think about it - just feelings, emotions, thoughts. SO - this just adds onto evidence of how Death actually can control her a bit. The chaos that ensued at the end of Chapter 26 was a precursor to that - he can control her chaos, she can’t control his. The closing of his eyes - he uses a cloak to hide that he is abusing his power of control on her - and letting chaos warp her. NOW THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING - A MERE PRECURSOR AS STATED. We’ll get into it much later on and why, but the cloak covers wings + facial expressions for good reasoning.

AND THE HORSE YOU MAY ASK? Well...I did call Natia a dark horse right? The definition of a dark horse is “a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.” Not only is Natia a lone wolf BUT she is very much a dark horse - you don’t know much but she manages to win her battles - she may not win the war, but she will wage a battle and win what she must to survive, that’s the name of the game currently. Plenty of times in discussion - it’s like Death and Natia at a game of poker, in a black room (as described by a friend!!) and that’s very real almost every chapter that is written and published - a tension continually building, awaiting to see what will happen next, and just a constant build off of that over and over again. She takes on the persona of a dark horse more often than not - she’s underestimated, never entirely trusted, yet she survives?! People start to take that into consideration, especially in Bastogne - BUT THAT IS FOR ANOTHER TIME!!!! :D

FOURTH IMAGE: OKAY NOW -- this is sort of the expected image - Death with his cloak, a cane, dark gloves, shadowed face that you can’t see. This is the image I imagine when I am writing and Death is sort of watching Natia from afar - purposely I place him in those scenarios for various reasons depending on what is happening in that time during the story. And this is the image he sort of takes on. I don’t have many notes particularly for this image, only simply the fact that this is what masks what is portrayed in the first image - it covers the wings, the facial expressions, the man that is evidently underneath and simply that a man - yet a being forever wandering aimlessly, doing his duty given for all of eternity. But I really think this is what most will remember the Death I chose to personify him by! :D

OKAY SO THIS WAS SERIOUSLY JUST SO FUN OMG!!! This is the first time I’ve used pictures to really dig into what I’m getting at with characters - especially handling a character to the capacity in which Death withholds - there’s a lot to unpack with Him! But I truly hope you enjoyed this - I’m always happy to do more of these for any of my characters - especially even War, or Natia, or Agent Mortem - I might even just do it for fun who knows - OF COURSE WHEN I HAVE TIME HAHA!!! But I really enjoyed this so thank you for indulging and enabling Krysta!!! This was super fun to give my in-depth take on someone like Death and how I decided to craft and personify him! 

[mankai-onlyfans]

Mankai Method Acting 6/2

Character Profiles

Spring Troupe: 🙇‍♂️ Host Club

Itaru Chigasaki --- Ruby

• Welcome to the Shining Jewel Host Club, where all our guests are treated like royalty, the shining jewels in our crown. Ruby is the ringleader of the host club, and the most requested member of the club. He began the Shining Jewel as a fun side business with his friends. Charming, suave, and considerate, he's the picturesque boyfriend.

Sakuya Sakuma --- Emerald

• Emerald has been friends with Ruby since high school, and they've always talked about going into business together. While Ruby is the dreamer and visionary, Emerald serves as the critic, considering each plan and picking out the flaws to be solved. He's as sharp as his name, quick to call out those around him, and is perfect for guests who prefer a tsundere type.

Citron --- Jasper

• Jasper has the most gap between his real personality and his host persona. In real life, he's cunning and sly, always arranging the chess board in his favor. But if you showed any of his guests this side of him, they wouldn't recognize him. As a host, Jasper is the epitome of the boy next door, and he charms guests of all types with his innocent and sweet charm.

Masumi Usui --- Sapphire

• Sapphire takes care of most of the runnings of the Host Club, from budgeting to catering. If Ruby is the director, then Sapphire is the stage manager. Sapphire aims to be the caretaker boyfriend, anticipating his guests needs and pampering them beyond their wildest dreams.

Tsuzuru Minagi --- Onyx

• Onyx plays the part of the sleepy boyfriend. Cuddling, dozing, and sharing snacks is the way he shows affection to his guests. He loves any form of skinship, and will get pouty if his guests play coy about it. Onyx is fully content with this arrangement, and most of the time doesn't even consider being a host as work.

Summer Troupe: ⚽️ Sports Stars

Misumi Ikaruga --- Kenta

• Kenta loves soccer. It's his biggest passion in life, and all he wants is to be able to play with his friends and have fun. But once he enters high school, team tryouts start to get more cutthroat. He's the only one of his friends who makes it onto the new team. Faced between a chance of popularity and his closest friends, Kenta decides to rewrite the rules, and forms his own soccer team with himself and his friends, determined that they can be successful if they all stick together.

Tenma Sumeragi --- Hiroshi

A ball of energy, Hiroshi is team's loveable goofball. He's always cracking jokes and keeping his friends' spirits up. He was the first to join Kenta's new team - the Uncooked Noodles - and is the most determined, behind Kenta himself, to see them succeed.

Muku Sakisaka --- Aito

Aito is a jack of all trades, but he struggles with focus. He's in almost every extracurricular at school, and his friends don't know how he keeps track of everything. The answer is his digital planner, which is more valuable to him than gold. Aito is under a lot of pressure from his parents to get excellent grades, and upkeep all of his extracurriculars, even though soccer is the only one he really enjoys.

Yuki Rurikawa --- Yosuke

Yosuke was always a lone wolf. He hasn't been playing for as long as the others, and his biggest fear is being deadweight to the team. That's why he trains twice as hard, oftentimes collapsing by the end of practice. But seeing his friends' smiling faces as they help him to his feet makes him feel like he's finally a part of something.

Kazunari Miyoshi --- Koji

• Koji is the goalie for the team, and the biggest skeptic of Kenta's plan. He was the last one to officially join the new team, but after seeing how passionate Kenta was, it made him start to believe that this crazy idea could really work.

Autumn Troupe: 🎤 Rock Band

Taichi Nanao --- James

• The battle of the bands is coming up soon, and James is ecstatic. It's always been his dream to take his garage band Static Shock to new heights. As the leader and drummer, he doesn't get as much spotlight, but that's alright with him. All he wants is to have fun making music with his best friends. But trouble starts brewing when the rival band in town scouts his lead singer, Tony. Will he and the rest of his crew be able to pull together and win the competition?

Banri Settsu --- Lenny

• Lenny steps in as lead singer after Tony leaves, but they are some big shoes to fill. He'd only done backup vocals until now, and he's struggling to balance playing guitar and delivering consistent vocals. He's worried he may have to give up guitar for the good of the team, but he's not giving up yet. Determined and fierce, Lenny is eager to make the most of the limelight now that it's on him.

Sakyo Furuichi --- Griffin

• Bassist of Static Shock. Griffin is laid back and positive. He's always offering food and drinks to the others, and breaking the tension with a joke or two. He was best friends with Tony before he left, and without Tony's serious attitude to balance him out, Griffin hasn't been taking this competition seriously enough. Now James is worried that Griffin may jump ship too, to stick with Tony...

Omi Fushimi --- Squash

• Squash is a man of few words. He plays the keyboard exceptionally well, because he's actually a classically trained pianist. But ever since his friends started Static Shock, he's had more fun playing simple chords for them than the accomplishment he feels from playing even the most intricate pieces of music. Though he doesn't say much, he's always there for his friends, offering a shoulder to cry or lean on. And when he does choose to speak, it's often to give incredibly good advice.

Juza Hyodo --- Tony

• Tony didn't want to turn on his friends, but the Zippers made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Actually getting paid to sing. Having a paid gig to put on his resume will put him one step closer to going pro. He tried to tell the others it was nothing personal, but he still feels bad about abandoning them.

Winter Troupe: 💥 Yandere

Tasuku Takato --- Daniel

• Daniel is a businessman, unassuming, and utterly alone. He's stressed and unsatisfied with his job, and is looking for a change. That's when he stumbles across a business card for "Silken Thread", a night club. Figuring he has nothing to lose, he visits the club that weekend, is able to relieve a little stress and get in a few drinks. Little does he know that his movements were being closely monitored by the club owners, who have found a new muse in Daniel. After he heads home, he expects his life to go back to normal... expect now it seems that he has four new secret stalkers- er, admirers.

Tsumugi Tsukioka --- William

William invades Daniel's workplace under the guise of a new intern. He's clumsy, but a hardworker, and very friendly. He wants to get closer to Daniel, and loves everything about him, his face, his body, his voice, his cute expression when he's confused or scared... but William would never hurt Daniel, and in fact protects him from others most of the time. Yandere level : 3/10.

Hisoka Mikage --- Timothy

• Timothy isn't as subtle as some of the others, and instead begins following Daniel. Daniel grows paranoid and eventually confronts him, but Timothy insists that he and Daniel are old friends, that they went to the same college campus, doesn't Daniel remember? Timothy seems harmless and friendly, but he slowly begins gaslighting and charming the people in Daniel's life, including his family, in the hopes of seamlessly becoming an important person to Daniel. Pretty soon, it'll be like he had been there from the start, just like it should be... Yandere level : 5/10

Homare Arisugawa --- Jeffrey

• Jefferey is a romantic. He starts sending Daniel love letters, handwritten. In his own blood. Isn't that the ultimate show of devotion? After Daniel changes addresses, he starts calling him on the phone, leaving cryptic voicemails and promises that soon they'll be together and nothing can tear them apart. Daniel tries to contact the police about it, but he's unaware that the voice he spoke to was actually Jeffrey once again. Daniel's so cute, thinking he can call anyone he wants to... Yandere level : 8/10

Azuma Yukishiro --- Charles

• Charles becomes Daniel's new therapist. Even tempered and soothing, he fits the roll so perfectly that no one would suspect the madness lingering just below the surface. Charles is singleminded with his infatuation of Daniel, and in his role of a therapist, he's able to learn all the details of Daniel's life, slowly twisting Daniel's memories and mindset to love Charles himself, and him alone. He may play nice on the outside with his fellow club owners, but Charles is not above killing to keep Daniel all to himself... Yandere level : 10/10.

----------

Please send in any questions you have for these characters today (6/2) and our actors will respond in character, as part of our 100 followers celebration! 🎉

[angrylizardjacket]

the last house at the end of the street {Daniel Webber}

A/N: 2871 words. This is for @rogerandhishair and also batnon, both of whom I love, but especially Gabs for helping me along the way and inspiring me, and yelling about Daniel a lot. Was this meant to be cabin!Daniel? Yes. But it’s lakehouse!daniel now! So part of my family is originally from Wangi Wangi, and I used to go there a lot when I was a kid, esp. around Christmas/Summer time. It’s a very chill, picturesque place. God I hope this is coherent to anyone who’s not Australian. Feedback would be great!! Fluffy As Hell and AGGRESSIVELY Australian.

“This is where horror movies happen.” You tell Daniel, the two of you stopped for lunch at a spot you’re told is only a five minute walk from the property he’d bought once he’d had the means. It’s in a place called Wangi Wangi, which you’d never heard of before, but you’d been assured that you’d love it, and, alright, looking over the sparkling water of the Lake, seeing the little boats bobbing their way across the water, the smell of the gentle breeze as it whistles softly past the native trees, you’re actually rather charmed by it. But you still can’t help yourself. “Seriously, this is where Crocodile Dundee himself crawls out of the lake to kill his helpless victims, which probably includes us.”

“Crocodile Dundee isn’t a horror movie,” Daniel tells you flatly, his lips quirked in the barest smirk, and your expression turns to a frown as you consider it. “You’re thinking of Friday the Thirteenth.”

“No, I’m thinking of... - Wolf Creek!” It’s like a eureka moment, your eyes lighting up, and oh, somehow it’s just so endearing, the light of the sun glinting off the water to highlight your smile. “I’m thinking of Wolf Creek,” you tell him with a self-satisfied conviction, going on to half-jokingly explain that ‘wolf is going to crawl out of the creek and kill us, just like in the movie’. You’re fully aware that that’s not what Wolf Creek is about, but it doesn’t really matter, because it makes Daniel laugh.

The property is the last house on the street, a dark gravel driveway leading to a spacious garage next to a handsome, red brick home. The windows are large, filling the rooms with air and light, looking out over the Lake, a view you know you could really get used to.

It’s empty, bare walls and plush, clean carpets, linoleum you’d replace with actual tiles when you get a chance. He’d always said he wanted a house by the lake, always told you how much he’d adored coming out here as a kid, and now, seeing him lean against the balcony out the back, smiling like everything was right in the world at this very moment, you can’t blame him. Wrapped your arms around him, you press a kiss to his back, between his shoulder blades, before perching your chin on his shoulder.

It’s so serene.

It’s going to end up as a holiday home, but you’re both between projects, so you’ve got the time to fix it up, to make it perfect. But for now, tonight, the first time you’ll ever sleep in this quiet little dream you’ve picked out for yourselves, you sleep on a blow-up mattress in the main bedroom, talking and laughing and dreaming up schematics in the Summer air. The window is open, and if you’re quiet, you can hear the lake lapping at the shore. 

Tomorrow, you can start the process of making it perfect, but for tonight, it sort of feels like it already is.

It’s not easy work, it’s the tail-end of Summer, though February is still painful at the best of times. You’re covered in grime and grout and paint, and retiling a bathroom and a kitchen is far more involved than you’d realised. Painting room after room hurts your back, and you know that when you’re done, you still have to do the skirting boards, and replace the counter tops and furnish the whole house. You’ve got the basics, a refrigerator, and wifi, and deck chairs, though they’re uncomfortable metal fold out ones, but you get through the day, jamming out to Spotify playlists that keep your spirit up. 

Naps become common, as does having at least three water bottles in the fridge at all times. Each. You’re sweaty more than you’re not, but it’s worth it, it has to be. 

One particularly hot afternoon, Daniel wraps his arms around you where you’re reaching into the fridge for some cold water, and you squawk at it. You’d just been taking a break from painting the main bedroom, giving yourself a rest before powering through to the marginally-cooler night.

“I’m so gross right now,” you protest, feeling every point where your shirt is sticking to you, but he doesn’t release you from his loose grip.

“So am I,” he laughs, pressing his face to your back, wiping his grubby forehead on your back, covered in sweat and grim from where he’d been replacing the wood of the back porch. You wriggle, yelping at that, though you don’t protest, and when you shut the fridge, you turn to him with two bottles in hand. He takes the one you offer, finally letting you go, grinning from ear to ear. 

“You wanna head down to the lake for a swim?” He offers, and it’s almost four in the afternoon, still feeling hotter than hell, and the lake sounds so enticing right now.

“Absolutely.”

Daniel always seems to know when your mood is dipping, he takes the paintbrush or tool that you’re working with, and you want to protest, because you’ve still got some of the wall to do but -

“Tomorrow, there’s always tomorrow.” He’ll assure, and something about the way he says it eases the tense set of your shoulders. Tired and covered in paint, he’ll grab a drink for the both of you, so cold it feels like a godsend, and you’ll walk down to the shore. There’s a little, stone pier that’s a ten minute walk from your house, with other people’s overturned canoes resting in the grass nearby, and something about the sight is so full of implicit trust. You sit, side by side, on the pier, feet in the water, watching boats cross the skyline. Some days it’s clear enough that you can see Swansea on the other side. 

The stress washes away with the water, leaning against Daniel, your head on his shoulder.

“I was thinking of getting, like, a dinghy or something,” he muses one evening, sunset having painted the sky lilac. You yawn, having spent the day finishing off painting the skirting boards; it meant you’d officially finished painting the house, and all that was left to do was replace the linoleum countertops in the kitchen. It had thoroughly sapped the energy from you. “Maybe not a dinghy, maybe something bigger; we could go out on the lake and swim, maybe fish, just have a time of it.” He sounded tired too, and he takes a swig of his beer before resting his head against yours. The moment hangs in the air, warm and gentle like the last rays of sunshine, and you tuck your arm into his, basking in it.

You’re rather wrapped up in refurbishing the home for the stretch of time that you spend there, you’d missed Christmas and Australia Day, and before you know it, the house is done. It smells like fresh paint and plastic from your new furniture and appliances, and you find yourself burning candles everywhere to make it smell like home.

You get used to the comforting sound of the lake, the rustle of the wind through the trees, and it becomes routine to walk through the park that borders the left of your house, going out to the picnic spot where you’d stopped that first day, overlooking the whole town and it’s surrounds. Daniel takes comfort here like you’ve never really seen him before. Seemingly stress free, he finds himself enjoying afternoons exploring the Conservation Park nearby; sometimes you join him, sometimes you take a nap, and wake up when the sun’s setting, the air’s cooling, and you find yourself with a blanket over you, and a little bunch of wild flowers on the coffee table. Daniel, you can hear, is cooking dinner in the next room, listening to music and humming along. Something about it makes your heart melt, just a little.

It seems like it’s all too soon before you’re both off again, to work on new projects, the real world calling you back, but at least now you know you’ve got this refuge when you need it.

The year drags on, and for all it’s filled with fun and achievements, you find yourself longing to go back to the little lake house. 

You return just after New Year’s. It’s the middle of Summer, and this time you buy a barbecue for the back yard, and a tent, because you’ve got a beautiful park right next door, it would be a shame to under utilize it. You get to know your neighbors, the people around the street, and it’s surprising how friendly they are. You suppose you do live at the end of the road, no-one further down apart from the animals in the park, and the vacationing families in the holiday homes a few kilometers away. 

Johnno, who lives four doors down, baulks when you call him Johnothan, and in the same breath invites you and Daniel to his Australia Day get-together that’s happening next week. You tentatively accept, but he seems to sense your hesitation.

“Listen, it’s just a little thing, get all the neighbors round and have a splash in the pool, get the barbie runnin’ and listen to Triple-J’s Hottest 100,” he pauses, shrugging, not even giving you time to process everything he’s said, “I don’t really go in for all that patriotism stuff, but it’s a good excuse to get everyone together, you know?” Daniel accepts with a bright smile, and Johnno’s on his merry way.

“Please tell me you understood anything he said,” you half laughed, and Daniel grins, nodding, explaining that you’d essentially been invited to a very casual lunch.

Personally, you think having a pool while living so close to a lake seems like overkill, but you wouldn’t turn down a kind invite. 

“I feel like I’ve seen your face before,” Johnno’s expression is thoughtful as you and Daniel hover by the barbecue, feeling a little out of place in the spacious backyard, surrounded by people and their families. There’s kids splashing about in the pool, older women sitting on the porch under an umbrella holding glasses of champagne, and men scattered about, talking to each other like old friends. Johnno, for his part, is diligently sweating away, cooking enough sausages to feed a small army, with plates piled high of more food to be added when there’s room. He’s not even wearing an apron, just a pair of board shorts, wielding a pair of tongs with one hand, a beer in the other.

Daniel laughs a little at that, the sound warm and good natured, and a woman comes out of the house holding a bowl of freshly tossed salad. 

“Jen, babe, where have we seen him before, he’s got a face I recognise,” Johnno asks, and the woman, Jen, joins him after putting the salad on the fold out table that had been set-up beside the barbecue. She frowns for a little, but it’s not unkind, and Daniel beats them to it.

“I was on Home and Away a couple of years ago.”

And both their faces light up, talking over each other with their own realisations as they nod, agreeing that that’s where he’d seen them. It’s slow at first, once Jen leaves to head back inside, a few of the people who come out after her, carrying drinks of their own, or more food for the table, they give you and Daniel an appraising look. As time passes, it seems the news of a celebrity in their midst spreads to the rest of the gathered neighbors, though it just means that everyone’s more excited to talk to them, well Daniel, than they were before.

“He’s the cute one from Teenage Kicks,” a teenage girl whispers a little too loudly to her friend, maybe her sister, while they’re all lining up for food. Daniel tries to hide his smile and pretend like he didn’t hear them, stepping up, grabbing himself a paper plate, and collecting food. 

“I feel like they’re too young to have seen that,” he mutters to you, though he’s grinning a little, and you can’t help your own smile at his amusement.

Soon enough, just like you’d watched earlier, the others start to talk to the two of you like you’re old friends, but Daniel never leaves your side. You’re a little bit surprised at how much you find you’re enjoying yourself. You and Daniel take up residence on a set of banana lounges beneath an umbrella. At one point, he goes to get the both of you new drinks, giving you a quick kiss on the forehead before he goes, and you’re pretty sure you actually hear the two teenage girls give a dreamy sigh from where they’d been trying to inconspicuously watch the two of you. While you found it a little strange, they obviously meant no harm by it, and when you smiled at them, they both averted their gazes quickly, embarrassed at getting caught.

The whole day feels surreal, like a moment from someone else’s life, where the sky is always blue, and grilled pineapple is a delicacy, and it feels like a home away from home. 

You don’t stay long; his shooting schedule for his next project has him in America in late February, and your own project is set to enter pre-production only a few weeks after; you’re sad to leave the haven of the lake house, but excited to say goodbye to the heat of the Australian Summer.

Every so often, you get invited to neighborhood events, usually by Johnno or Jen, though you’ve actually kept up communications with a few people from around the neighborhood, having enjoyed that Summer afternoon too much to let the people you’d met go completely.

You return sooner than anticipated, at the start of July, the two of you having a few weeks off and wanting to see what the property was like in the Winter, out of sheer curiosity.

It’s absolutely freezing. The wind cools as it crosses the lake, and chills you to the bone. It’s only made bearable when you and Daniel wrap yourselves in various duvets, curled up on the sofa you’d bought for the porch, drinking hot drinks and enjoying the view as much as you could. You think you prefer the view in the Summer, everything seems that little bit more gold around the edges, but here, now, he wraps his arm around you, lets you wrap yourself up against him.

“We should bring people out here,” he muses, breath warm against your cheek, a small comfort on this overcast evening, “like friends and stuff, ‘nd family. In Summer of course.”

“Spring,” you suggest, “before it gets too hot.” He nods, but doesn’t answer for the crack of thunder that rumbles ahead of you, and the two of head inside quickly before being pelted with rain. The rain itself sets the atmosphere nicely when you head back inside, curling up on the sofa, planning on who you could invite to your little lakeside paradise.

Bit by bit, as you collect memories in the house, you collect knicknacks, and then there’s photos on the wall, and props from projects on display, and you have friends and family around, you invite the neighbors for a barbecue of your own, and then there’s little scratches and knocks along the walls, and someone spilled something on the carpet that didn’t manage to come out entirely, but you find that you sort of love it. It feels lovely. 

There’s a little yacht docked to the bigger pier that’s only about a twenty minute walk from your home, but it’s yours. The guest room is always neat when a friend comes to stay. In 2019, you politely decline the invite to ‘Johnno and Jen’s annual Australia Day Shindig’, you tell them you have family plans. In a sense, you’re not lying; you have the other three stars of The Dirt over for Australia Day, and they make themselves at home on your sofa, on your spare bed, on a blow-up mattress. There’s something freeing about the lake house, about being away from prying eyes, and while you watch the boys toss themselves into the water from the yacht, you feel contentment spreading from the warmth in your chest to the tips of your fingers.

You have your own little barbecue that evening, everyone still in board shorts, hair curling from the salt water and sitting around the back porch. Colson’s singing along to half of the Hottest 100 as it plays from your bluetooth speaker, and later, you’ll all watch the fireworks over the water. Daniel seems in his element, grinning from ear to ear as you’re all discussing your upcoming projects, how they’re all looking forward to the The Dirt premiere in only a few months. Iwan’s got a few television opportunities, Douglas is going to be doing some philanthropy, and Colson’s got his album coming out soon. Both you and Daniel have films going into production in the near future, and you can see him regarding his friends with a quiet pride.

This is what had been missing, you realise. 

The house was finally perfect.

[chasingthecosmos]

By Any Other Name

Fandom: Doctor Who Rating: T Pairing: The Doctor/Rose Tyler, Eleventh Doctor/Rose Tyler (The Doctor/Clara Oswald, Eleventh Doctor/Clara Oswald) Chapters: 16/26 Read on AO3 here.

“Rose Tyler was dying - or, at least, she was relatively certain that that’s what was happening …” A Season 7 AU where Rose returns to her home universe only to find that 100 years have passed and nothing is quite the way that she remembers it. She wakes up with a new body, a new life, and a new Doctor. What has the Bad Wolf gotten her into this time? The 50th Anniversary will be included in this story.

"I don't like this, Doctor," Rose murmured nervously as she watched the two Maitland children dashing about the steps and balconies of the new TARDIS console room. "We don't even really know who these kids are! What if something happens to them?"

"Nothing's going to happen to them," the Doctor assured her with a small wave of his hands. "We're going to an amusement park in space! What could possibly go wrong?"

Rose turned and raised her eyebrow at him in a pointed look and the smile quickly dissipated from the Doctor's face as he rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, alright, I know I've said that before. But this time will be different!" he insisted eagerly.

"And what happened to finding answers about Clara?" Rose asked, making sure to keep her voice down to a whisper as the children continued to dart around them in wide-eyed wonder. "I thought we came back to Earth to do some research and investigation."

"We've got two key subjects, right here in the TARDIS!" the Doctor explained, gesturing grandly in Angie and Artie's direction. "We'll just take them out for a fun day at the park, let them ride a few rides, and subtly find out what they know."

"Yeah, you know I've actually seen your interrogations before, Doctor," Rose reminded him pointedly. "I don't think 'subtle' is the word that I would use ..."

"Hey, is this the Spacey Zoomer ride you were talking about?" Artie called over to them, instantly interrupting their conversation as he raced down a set of stairs and peered curiously into one of the TARDIS hallways.

"Nah, this is just the shuttle to get us there!" the Doctor called back eagerly, pointedly ignoring Rose's lack of faith in his plan as he darted forward and began pulling dials and levers on the center console.

"This is a shuttle?" Angie asked dubiously, eyeing the glowing time rotor with suspicion.

"Well, no, not really," the Doctor agreed with a shrug as he continued entering in their destination and preparing the ship for dematerialization. "But just for today, yes! Let's call it a shuttle!"

"It's a time machine, isn't it?" Angie asked, flashing Rose that knowing smirk once more. "That's how you ended up in all of those pictures. You've been traveling around in time with your ... professor."

"'Professor'?" the Doctor repeated, throwing Rose a look of disgust from across the center console. "I thought I was your boyfriend?"

"Are you?" Rose shot back teasingly, deciding not to be too concerned about Angie's keen perceptiveness since the Doctor didn't seem to be paying it any mind for the time being.

"It's better than professor," the Doctor grumbled under his breath as he finished setting the final coordinates. "Now," he added loudly, addressing the children, "hold on tight." He grinned broadly at Rose before he flipped the dematerialization lever. "Geronimo," he muttered gleefully.

Both of the children shouted in terrified delight as the TARDIS whirled and whirred around them, spinning them off towards whatever destination the Doctor had chosen for their adventure that day.

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

Unfortunately, the Doctor's attempt at a child-friendly, simple space adventure quickly ended in disaster as a full-scale cyberman attack suddenly closed in around them on all sides. The imposing metal army took Angie and Artie first, leaving Rose feeling helplessly and dangerously out of her depth.

What would happen if the cybermen did something to them? What would happen if she were never able to get them back? What would she tell George, waiting patiently back at home for them to return form their fun, friendly outing with the landscaper/nanny? Rose realized with a sinking sense that - whether she liked it or not - she was responsible for these children, and she felt horribly guilty for allowing them out of her sight for even a moment.

When she finally found the Doctor again, she was elated to see that he had Angie and Artie with him, but terrified to notice that they all now had strange, silver wiring covering the left sides of their faces. The Doctor seemed to be the only one in his right mind (for now) - and Rose suspected that it had something to do with the small strip of gold paper that was hanging loosely off of his cheek.

"I'll explain later, in a bit of a hurry," the Doctor assured her breezily. "Get me to a table, and somebody tie me up! Need hands free for chess." He smiled confidently in her direction and Rose recognized the expression as his go-to Doctor-look for whenever he was attempting to stay positive in the wake of crushing disaster. "And immobilize me. Quickly," he added ominously.

Rose and the few soldiers who had taken to following her command after the Doctor had named her acting captain of the planet's punishment platoon did as he instructed and set up his chess board in the throne room that they had found in the fake castle that they had taken up residence in.

"Right, that's good. I won't be able to move, but hands free. Good," the Doctor exclaimed as he squirmed against the ropes that Rose had wrapped tight around his middle and then flexed his arms experimentally.

"Are you going to tell me the plan, now, Doctor?" Rose muttered as she clapped her hands on his shoulders and leaned her head in close to the non-cyber side of his face. "What's with the chess board?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"Playing the Cyberplanner," the Doctor replied cryptically, tapping a knowing finger to the silver wiring against his left temple, "and winning!" Without warning, he ripped the strip of gold off of his cheek and his whole body jolted as he leaned heavily against the table before him.

"Doctor?" Rose asked nervously as she watched the tense set of his shoulders.

"Actually ... he has no better than a twenty-five percent chance of winning at this stage of the game," he muttered, his tone low and dangerous as he took on a strange (yet oddly familiar) Northern accent. "Some very dodgy moves at the beginning. Hello, flesh girl. Fantastic! I'm the Cyberplanner."

His eerie words immediately sent a chill up her spine and Rose stepped forward slowly to get a better look at his expression. The Doctor sneered up at her with a look that she had never seen on any face of his in all the time that she had ever known him and it instantly sent a stab of fear deep into her heart.

"What did you do to the Doctor?" she asked breathlessly as she leveled her gaze on the man before her.

"Ha!" he chuckled darkly. "Clever one, isn't she? 'Course that's probably why you picked her. Ooh, but there's something of the Wolf about you, my dear. Allons-y!"

The familiar words spoken in the right tone of voice but paired with the wrong face was disorientating enough without adding the Cyberplanner's acidic, dangerous glare into the mix. Rose blinked at him in open-mouthed shock as her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Her hands curled into tight fists at her side and she fought to keep herself as steady as possible as she forced herself to meet the man's poisonous gaze.

"Stop it," she murmured quietly, unable to manage much else as her old hurt for the previous incarnations of the Doctor who she had loved and lost resurfaced within her mind.

"Oh, come now, that was me attempting to be considerate," the Cyberplanner sneered up at her, his feral grin making her shiver. "I was trying to give you a taste of something familiar. Or have you decided to trade in the old models for the new? Frankly, I don't see the appeal."

"Stop it!" Rose repeated, her voice rising and becoming hard as steel as she leveled her onw glare on the Cyberplanner's familiar green eyes.

"Oh, but you know all about new models, don't you girl?" he continued as though she hadn't spoken. "Ah, but that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet ..."

"Stop!" Rose shouted, her voice ringing through the room around them as another powerful bolt of fear and adrenaline shot through her. She could feel the confused stares from the soldiers standing at her back as the Cyberplanner began hinting none-too-subtly at her true identity. How could he possibly know all of this?

"Oh, but he's had some cowboys in here!" the Cyberplanner went on eagerly, his own voice rising as his eyes glinted up at her in a look of pure, manic glee. "My, my, Miss. Clara, for shame," he paused to make a disappointed clicking sound with his tongue as he shook his head at her, "carrying on with a married man like that. What would your late husband say?"

Ice immediately flooded Rose's veins at the word wife. The Cyberplanner somehow knew her name, knew about the Bad Wolf, knew about her husband, knew about the Doctor's past selves - but how could she possibly accept that this was true? Surely one hundred years wasn't enough to change the Doctor that much. There was no ring on his finger (though for him, that didn't mean much), but more than that, Rose knew for certain that he hadn't telepathically bonded with anyone. Her own mind's desperate attempt to reach out to him and complete her severed link was proof enough of that. She would have known if he had been married ...

"You don't know what you're talking about," Rose insisted stubbornly, staring down her nose at the creature wearing the Doctor's face in wary disbelief.

"No? Let's ask him ourselves, shall we?" the Cyberplanner muttered darkly. "Oh, Mr. Tyler ..." His tone took on a lilting, sing-song quality as he pretended to call out to her husband (who had not gone by the name Tyler, but they both knew that the Cyberplanner was using the name now simply for effect).

However, Rose had heard quite enough, and with this last hateful barb sitting heavy in her heart, she drew her hand back and slapped the Doctor hard across the face, the skin of her palm stinging where it scraped against the metal implants on his cheek.

"Argh! Ow!" the Doctor cried, tentatively raising his hand to the left side of his face in shocked defense. "Oh, that hurt! No, stop! Enough! Bit of pain, neural surge, just what I needed, thank you."

"Doctor ..." Rose muttered quietly, her eyes staring down at him with intensity as she fought to remind herself that it was really him this time and not the hateful Cyberplanner, "what are the stakes? What are you playing for?"

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, explaining quickly as though he knew that time was running out. "If he wins, I give up my mind and he gets access to all my memories - along with knowledge of time travel. But, if I win, he'll break his promises to get out of my head and then ... kill us all anyway."

"Doctor, the children," Rose reminded him pointedly, closing her eyes briefly in frustration as she gritted her teeth together. She knew that it had been a mistake to bring them along - now she held two innocent lives in her hands and the Doctor had a malicious entity trying to take over his mind. "Please tell me you can fix whatever's happened to them."

"Children," the Doctor repeated distractedly as he blinked up at her and tried to focus. "Yeah. They're fine. I mean, right now their brains are just in stand-by mode."

"I think we have varying definitions of 'fine'," Rose growled as she flashed him her best no-nonsense look.

"Listen!" the Doctor snapped, leaning forward and grabbing her nearest hand roughly with one of his. His touch immediately sent a nauseating feeling rolling through her stomach and Rose gasped at the strange sensation. It just felt ... wrong in a way that she couldn't quite describe. No touch from the Doctor had ever made her feel like this.

"Right now, they have a much better chance of getting out of this situation alive than you do," the Cyberplanner threatened her ominously.

Rose blinked at him twice and then forced herself to lean closer so that she could level her gaze directly with his. "You're in the Doctor's head," she reminded him slowly. "You can see everything in there. You know as well as I do that he's never going to let anything happen to us."

The Cyberplanner chuckled low under his breath as he clapped his hands loudly and leaned away from her once more. "Oh dear, Doctor," he muttered as he slowly looked Rose up and down with a considering look. "I think you married the wrong blonde."

Before Rose could open her mouth to snap at him again, the Cyberplanner continued loudly, "Now, if you don't mind, I have a chess game to finish, and you have to die - pointlessly, and very far from home."

Rose simply glared down at him, refusing to reveal the fearful, panicked sensation that was currently making her heart beat out of control. The Doctor would fix this - he had to. She had seen him get out of worse scrapes than this, and she knew that if anyone could outsmart a supercomputer, it was the daft alien sitting before her now.

"Finish the game," she demanded coolly, not entirely sure who she was addressing at that moment. "Quickly."

"Toodle-oo," the Cyberplanner spat ominously as he reached for the black knight piece and the game continued.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

FRIEND FRIEnd friend fr-

I have a 🌟 question 🌟

Souvenirs from days gone: Does Fane have a mundane object he's emotionally attached to from his past (draconic past or most recent)? A toy, a piece of clothing that doesn't fit any longer but he can't find in his heart to get rid of, a pretty pebble or a dried flower someone dear gave him in days long gone?

FRIEND, FRIIIIEEENNNNDDD! >:D Your questions always leave me pleasantly surprised and EXCITED because I just love explaining Fane's oddities and softer side!

So, objects that Fane is emotionally attached to? There are quite a few, actually! (Surprise, right? X'D) However, I'll go with the one that Fane cherishes the most!

In my fic, Mhairi gives Fane a crimson sash as a birthday present, and it's the only article of clothing (other than his leather wraps) that he wears that has Dalish inspiration. Though, he doesn't wear it because of that, of course, but the gift is something Fane rarely goes without because it was the first gift he received after his father's experiments ended (about a year after, in fact). It was like a safety blanket, a reminder that he wasn't truly alone, and that what he did perhaps wasn't in vain since Mhairi was alive, whole, and 100% unaware of everything that had happened to him.

----

"Vhenan, what is this? It appears to be of Dalish craftsmanship, but the materials are not what I'm accustomed to seeing.", Solas asked, turning to face where he was at the desk.

The rich crimson flowed over his sky's hands, delicate gold embroidery of leafless trees and the tiniest of hallas all along its edges and woven into the very core of velvet. Solas had a thoughtful, curious expression on his face, blue and grey orbs fixed on the beautiful article, almost appraising it. Fane chuckled at that, lifting a hand to scratch at his temple idly. Leave it to this elf to immediately pinpoint the one thing that actually meant something in his 'hoard' and assess it.

"You're too nosy for your own good sometimes, you know that?", Fane said, but he kept his voice light and a small smirk on his face. He wasn't miffed with the man; there were no secrets between them, just surprises as they learned and relearned.

Solas blinked, eyes and face snapping up to him as he was caught red handed. "I only--", he began, but Fane cut him off with a small wave of his hand.

He rolled his eyes, smirking more. "I know, my sky. Relax.", he assured, slowly pushing himself up from his seat with only a minor grimace of discomfort. He sat for too long again. How he did that with his job, he would never know.

Fane circled around the other end of his desk, strides slow, but not seeming like it as he easily closed the distance between he and Solas. The mage looked up at him, a wry smirk on his lips and the uncommon sight of sheepishness in his sky-line eyes. It was always a treat when he could coax out those hidden emotions with a few words. Always a treat.

"Here," Fane held out his hands, palms up and beckoning with two fingers. "..give it.", he said and smiled a tad more warmly as Solas gave him the crimson article of cloth without protest or question. The wolf was as keen as it was curious.

"I assume it is of sentimental value?", Solas asked as Fane began to fold the length of velvet and gold in a specific fashion, shortening it one way, lengthening it in another.

Fane nodded. "It was a gift.", he said, pulling the material taut to work out the kinks before seamlessly starting to wrap it around his waist. It was a bit harder to work this into his normal attire, especially with what he wore now, but the mage would get the gist.

Solas watched him raptly, head tilting a bit. "A gift?", he asked.

Fane huffed with amusement. "I know, an odd thought, but yes.", he affirmed, deftly tying and tucking without any thought. He had done this for so long that he barely had to visualize how the sash would lay, how the material would bunch or smooth out. As such, he glanced up, meeting soft orbs and a tender expression and greeted it one of his own. "..It was from Mhairi, so I guess it really isn't that odd of a thought if you think about it."

Realization flashed across his sky's features, thoughtfulness dissolving, blue swallowing grey as irises widened and pupils did so in turn. The shock wore off quickly, however, Solas' expression warming to where Fane could swear he could feel its heat physically. Or maybe that was just his face. His cheeks did feel warm. Which meant...he was blushing. Lovely. Why did he always blush when confronted with that look? Damn it all.

"I see. The craftsmanship makes more sense now with that in mind. Your sister is immensely talented in the delicate arts.", Solas said, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips more as he took a few steps to where Fane was suddenly having trouble tying due to how much warmth was between them. Damn the sky... It was too beautiful, too strong.

Fane cleared his throat harshly. "Yeah, she is.", he agreed, quickly turning his gaze down to crimson and gold because the view of blue and grey was making him lightheaded. "She spent months gathering the supplies and funds to make it. Odd jobs in the clan for coin and whatnot. I remember snapping at her when she told me she had gone to local villages to gather rarer items. Stubborn girl.", he grumbled, but smiled fondly all the while. His sister was indeed stubborn, but so was he. At least they were related in that fashion.

"She was willing to tempt to danger for you. I do not believe that is solely stubbornness, vhenan.", Solas explained with a fond chuckle.

Fane shrugged. "Guess not, but I still didn't like the thought of her traipsing into a town full of templars ready to maim her, to silence her.", he growled before taking a deep breath. Calm, calm. He would end up tearing the sash if he thought on those memories too much.

"Truthfully, nor do I relish that thought. Especially since I have seen the effects those in the armor have upon her.", the mage admitted. Fane remembered the event that Solas spoke of without full context. He would not let another gauntlet touch either of them again. "But, her gesture and endeavors were well meaning; they came from a place of love."

Fane hummed, ire washing away as he gazed at crimson and gold, trees and hallas. "Don't I know it.", he whispered with fondness. A new feeling of tranquility washed over him as he gazed down at the masterful sash, memories beginning to wiggle into his mind. "Material magic. That's what I've always called it."

He heard Solas chuckle, his hands coming into to view to help resume the task Fane could no longer complete due to emotions and more innocent days painting his psyche in gentle shades of pink. Every time he looked at his sister's gift for over long he...drifted, but not like how he once had when he gazed up at the sky, watching its expanse shift and feel his heart ache with yearning. This was more gentle, more welcome. It was nice.

"Explain?", Solas inquired, voice soft and gestures softer as slender hands skimmed along his waist and plucked at cloth. The mage was less prodding and more...reverent now. That made Fane lean forward a bit, resting the side of his head against Solas'.

"I just..feel calm from mere sight and touch. It's like how I feel when you speak to me in Elvhen in the morning.", he murmured, glancing down to see Solas was being less productive now, fingers merely tracing, feeling and memorizing delicate designs as his eyes were. "The material holds warmth and love; things I feel I still don't deserve, but am learning to accept. It's...something I don't think I'll be able to abandon even if the world commands me to." It would be one call he would not answer, and he would not feel guilt over it this time.

Solas' eyes fluttered shut. "Some must be obeyed, some mustn't. That is one I believe would be forgiven.", he whispered, coming closer still, fingers curling into lushness as Fane brought his arms up to loosely wrap them around an unadorned waist.

Fane hummed, nuzzling against the mage's temple absently. "We'll see about that, won't we? I may not abandon my sister's gift, but--"

Solas cut him off with a gentle shake of his head, eyes turning away from sanctuary to bore up into him, face soft, but expression hard. It was a look Fane was all too familiar with; they wouldn't think past today, or rather, he wouldn't. Easier said than done, but his sky was right. As always. He would find sanctuary tonight, not tear apart fabric as surely as he would one day tear apart a heart plated in gold and wrapped in velvet.

----

Fane loves Mhairi with all his heart. They may not be brother and sister in blood, but they are in soul. It's why everything he has to do and say later hurts so immensely; he doesn't want to do it. And it only hurts worse when the sash becomes a sword of pain to his heart rather than a blanket of sanctuary, but he keeps it, he endures. The sash seems mundane to those on the outside, but Fane doesn't care about them or what they think. He'll take any ounce of love he can, even if he feels, deep down, that he truly doesn't deserve it.

[hiyo-silver]

"What's Up You Guys It's Me, Bdenbrough!" - NEW FRIEND VS OLD FRIEND - WHO KNOWS ME BETTER?

Summary: Bill has Eddie and Beverly on his channel to challenge them to see who knows him better.

Chapter 1 2 3 + ao3

Taglist: @hazelash @fuckboykaspbrak @thesquidliesthuman @rachi0964 @beepbeep-losers @bigbilliamdenbro @jalenrose1122 @sleepygaybrough @itandstrangerthingsfanfic @boopboopbichie @peachywyatt @aizeninlefox @sockwantstodie @ahoybyeler @yooonbum @coffeekaspbrak

Bill decides to get on an uploading schedule. He wants to post every other week on a sunday, giving him Saturday to film and edit. He makes a habit of it, the hardest part is coming up with ideas for his videos, so often they end up being viral challenges that have long past, or tags he hasn’t even gotten tagged in, like his first video.

His titles give him a few more subscibers, “SLIME MAKING”, “THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE - HYPOTHERMIA?”. He learns to become the king of clickbait. He rises up to 100 or so subscibers in a couple months. It makes him feel on top of the world, like the coolest kid in Derry.

Summer comes and he decides it’s finally a good enough time to introduce his newer friends in a vlog or in another type of video. His audience has met Richie, Eddie, and Stan, but not Beverly or Mike or Ben. He especially wants to introduce Bev, he thinks she’s really pretty, and maybe she’ll be impressed by his whopping 257 followers. Maybe she’d even go to get milkshakes with him, or even get a bag of candy to share.

So he sets out on how to execute his next idea, “Best Friend vs New Friend: Who Knows Me Best?” He enlists Eddie for this one, he knows Richie may be too animated for even YouTube in his fresh out of school haze. Plus it’s good to get Eddie out of the house whenever he can, Sonia is something else.

He pulls the bean bags out of the closet so he can sit on his desk chair between them. He’s excited for this one, he can basically call it a collab, even though Eddie and Bev aren’t necessarily other content creators. He could pretend they are though, even linking their instagrams in the description box. Call them influencers, basically anyone can be one of those these days.

He looks down at his arms, covered in blue and black pen, doodles all down his forearms. He gets bored when he’s planning questions for these, more often than not turning to Google for a lot of them. His left arm is laced with planets and stars, even an attempt at recreating the milky way on his wrist near the root of his hand. He decides not to wash it off, it only adds to his charm.

He awaits the knock on the door, Beverly had said that they would meet up and walk together to his place. His parents work on weekdays and today is a Friday, so it’s perfect for him. He loves the summer, his parents aren’t always around when he’s home, it gives him room to enjoy himself.

He finally does hear the knock of the two of them while he’s propping his tablet up on some books on his desk as a tripod, he had hoped to get one for his birthday but his parents obviously wouldn’t, and they’re a little too expensive for his friend’s style.

He bolts down the stairs with his socked feet, slipping slightly on the corner, almost stubbing his toe on the wood baseboard. He has a bad habit of rushing himself to put out videos, he’s a workaholic on a self inflicted job at the age of twelve.

He’s going to be starting seventh grade next year, he hopes the work that comes of that doesn’t put a damper on his creativity for his channel. His channel is about all that brings him joy when his friends aren’t around. A self sufficient antidepressant. It’s even better when he gets to bring them in for videos.

He opens the door out of breath, pushing his hair back behind his shoulders. It’s getting long, he’ll have to ask for a trim soon. He smiles at them as he takes in gasps of air to control himself better. “Ready to f-f-film?” he asks, still leaning against the doorframe.

“Damn, you’re wheezier than Eddie,” Bev smirks, chuckling as she steps into the threshold of the house, patting him on the back firmly enough to get him to choke. He gives her a smile, his face as red as his hair, as well as hers. They’re the two red head chicks at school, they stick together. Though Bill has always been more shy, Beverly is better at being abrasive in response to the teasing.

“Hey! I r-r-r-ran to let y-you guys in,” He defends, moving out of the way to let Eddie come in as well. “It’s all s-set up upstairs, I have a-all the questions and the props all r-ready,” he says with pride on his face as the shorter boy comes in through the door, wiping off his feet and closing the heavy wood door behind him.

“Sounds good, you’re on, Bev,” Eddie says with his own devilish grin, he plans on winning, he can do it all with his memory. He probably knows everything about Bill there is to know, they’ve been chumming since kindergarten, the age of five all the way to them being twelve now.

They all stomp up the stairs, allowed to be as loud as they want with the lack of parents in the house, the premises all to the kids. Bill plops down on his chair, spinning in a circle happily. Bev and Eddie sit hard in the bean bags, on his left and right sides respectively.

Bill leans forward to start the recording, sitting back in his seat, putting on the usual energy. “What up you g-guys! It’s m-me, Bdenbrough back here with y-your Saturday entert-t-tainment!” he announces with a bright smile. “Here I h-have for you, Beverly and Eddie, the b-best friend vs n-new friend challenge,” He says with a slight smirk, feeling as if he’s got tricks up his sleeve.

Beverly smiles and waves with the tips of her fingers, the gap between her teeth showing through her parted lips, covered in her favorite cherry lip gloss. “I’m Bev,” she introduces, “Basically this one’s twin,” she says, pointing up at Bill in his seat, crossing one of her legs over the other.

Eddie adopts a slightly less nervous expression as the filming actually starts, “I’m Eddie, call me any funky nicknames and I’ll castrate you,” he states, giving the camera a smile that’s almost eerie after what he just said.

“Well! L-let’s get started with the questions I’ve pr-prepared,” Bill says, pulling out his organized filming journal, scanning his eyes over the page of questions, they aren’t too hard, but hopefully just enough so he can claim a true winner to this channel. Or else his clickbait would be even worse.

“First, w-what’s m-my favorite color?” he asks, crossing his own leg over the other, a smug look on his face despite the easiness of the question. He’s saving the big guns for later, giving him the false sense of security.

“Blue!” Bev jumps in before Eddie can. Blue is Bill’s favorite more recently, Eddie was about to say either lime green or purple, those are the colors he’d planned to paint his room a couple months back. He also wanted some wolf posters, but what his mom provided were some ones with bunnies on them. She doesn’t want her daughter to get too rough or aggressive. Bunnies are the perfect role model.

A few more easy questions come, about animals and about what his favorite subject at school was this year, up until he brings up one of the most complicated questions of the game. “W-what am I most scared o-of starting Middle School n-next year?” he asks, a quizzical look even on his own face.

“Uhm…” Eddie starts, cradling his chin in his hand in focus, his eyes nearly piercing the camera with their sharpness. “Having a reputation that’s not what you are?” He guesses, and Bill’s expression softens.

“I’ll take that a-answer. That’s nine for Eddie and e-eight for Beverly,” he says, striking his pen across the page for another talley on Eddie’s side. “That w-was the final question! The rumors are true, b-best friend since kinderg-garten wins!” he smiles, patting Eddie on the shoulder as he smiles.

It is true. He doesn’t want a reputation. He doesn’t want to be seen as girly, he thinks he might like girls which makes him feel weird inside. It makes him shiver with even more fear and excitement when he thinks of Bev. He likes her, but he can’t be gay, he’d be the first one to be outed if he ever uttered a single word about it to anyone.