#they are his beloved little furbabies

[razzle-zazzle]

Random character HC that does or doesn't make sense GO

Morris is a ferret enthusiast. There's nothing in canon to support this but I think it'd be neat so Morris has a little business that he loves very dearly. His ferrets are so spoiled.

[cloveroctobers]

HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL — RIO [Summer Prompts]

A/N: I was debating between making this Rio or Manny based and usually I like to alternate but for this prompt it felt more Rio like 😂 so hopefully for my October prompts if I write for Mayans again I’ll probably write for Manny. Anyways! Hope you guys get a kick out of this as much as I did writing it.

WARNINGS: language & things actually got a little 🌶️ towards the end which isn’t normally my thing but I guess I got inspired 😈 Enjoy!

SYNOPSIS: Rio’s so productive he hardly gets a day where he can get enough rest in…what happens when you disrupt that over something so irrational? He swears he loves you but he’s also not putting up with your shit.

PROMPT IS FROM HERE & I’m using: "what's the point of the blanket being on the couch if it can't be used?" "it's for show!" "oh for the love of god-"

<- check out my previous summer anthology writings here.

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Rio preferred it cold.

It just made sense for the weather to be cold or cool rather than as hot as Diablo’s breath. He wasn’t made for hot weather and he couldn’t get away with his dark attire in the hotter months either. That’s where you two deferred, you loved the heat over the cold any day so as soon as the first day of summer hit…you seemed to glow more even when it wasn't golden hour.

You were outside way before the official day of summer hit because the warm weather was actually sticking around in Detroit and usually Rio was down for whatever, in fact he already booked a trip to Grenada in August (which his skin would probably regret as soon as y’all touched down in the West Indies), but for this particular outing felt like a waste of a time. A older Australian couple that the two of you became acquainted with when the two of you picked up the sport of pickleball—Rio still liked tennis better—invited you two to celebrate their furbaby’s (a Chinese Crested) birthday.

Thats right a whole ass birthday party for a dog who was now widowed, you two attended the wedding just last year and the Chinese Crested, Harlowe was still dealing with the loss of their loved one so the couple thought a party would uplift his spirits. It was ridiculous what rich people got up to but you liked to entertain it sometimes.

For Rio? It was all about networking considering that the wife of the pair was a retired attorney and her husband owned a billionaire company. You knew it wasn’t really a genuine friendship (more so out of convenience) they were the couple you mainly chatted with just to past the time when you all appeared at the same events. So the both of you didn’t appear that disappointed when the husband called Rio up just fifteen minutes before the both of you were getting ready to leave telling you that they, “regretfully want to inform that their beloved Harlowe was not up for a party and rather a intimate gathering with just his parents.”

“Do you think they’re still having something but much smaller and we got uninvited?” You asked, already stepping out of your heels when Rio came back into the bedroom to tell you the news.

Rio lifted his shoulders, “we’ll find out if they did but I didn’t want to go no way.”

“I know you didn’t,” you laugh as you spin around motioning for Rio to help you out of your dress, thanks to a old shoulder injury that had you attending PT from time to time.

He pauses with his fingertips brushing against the nape of your neck, “whatchu getting undressed for? You don’t want to find other plans for tonight?”

This wasn’t shocking, usually when plans got dropped the both of you always found something else to get into. It was rare for either of you to just take cancelled plans for what they were since the both of you stayed busy as a couple and separately.

“Nope…we can stay in. We’re hitting the gym in the morning anyway right?”

“I did say that didn’t I?” Rio sighed while you laughed to yourself, knowing he would prefer doing his own workout at the park or even in the backyard of your contemporary colonial—when you were with him—rather than at the gym.

He already had to put a few people in check for looking at you too long or even turning a friendly conversation into flirtations. Of course you loved Rio letting his protectiveness come out but you drew the line at him causing a few to lose their jobs when it was never that serious (to you). In this economy?! He even tried to persuade you into another gym—which was about an hour AND thirty minutes away from home but you liked the set up of your current gym and already made a few friends there as well.

Which is why he was putting in that work to get ownership over the building these past few months (which went from professional to lethal) but that was a need to know basis for you.

“Uh huh,” you nodded holding the front of the now slumped cowl silk aqua dress, “I know you can’t hang with me, so I’ll let it slide and you can enjoy your PTO.”

“Thank you for your permission, mama.” Rio rolled his eyes playfully, which then proceeded to follow you as you disappeared into the closet by the bedroom door.

Rio leans against the doorway just watching you as you shoved into some loungewear.

“I think I washed these on the wrong setting, ain’t no way these shrunk after only having them for a month.” You stated, pulling at the ends of your plaid boxer shorts with a huff.

Rio hummed, tugging his bottom lip into his mouth while he viewed the length of your legs in those shorts, “nah…that ass is growing and it’s giving me and those shorts something more to eat.”

Throwing your head back with a shake of your head you sharply exhale through your nostrils in warning, “behave.”

“It’s kinda hard to when you look like that.” He licked his lips, tempted to pounce.

“Please, I’ll put you to sleep as soon as you get up in it.” You tease as you step to cradle your husband’s face, “get some rest first honey and then we’ll talk.”

Patting his cheek, you went to squeeze by him but Rio caught your wrist to gain your attention once more. Peering up at him, Rio let his eyelashes flutter as he took his time analyzing the shape of you which was part of the many reasons he loved you, “you’re lucky I could use a few hours.”

You just smile at the heaviness in his raspy tone, leaning forward to press a kiss right to his plump and always moisturized lips. “I’ll be downstairs deciding on bourbon chicken or honey pineapple salmon for dinner.”

Rio kept a straight face as he fought back a yawn but still nodded his head at your retreating form. It felt like as soon as you told him to take his rest, his body was underneath your spell and normally he liked having that effect on you more so but he’ll fight you on it later.

What he hoped you didnt fight him on was taking a spot right on the couch to get these much needed hours in. He couldn’t exactly hide it as the kitchen and living room were basically side by side in an open floor plan but once you got on the phone with your girlfriends…that Kiking was unstoppable and lengthy. Moments later it only took you placing the fillets into the oven, sides done and covered to keep warm, with you getting off the phone and finally glancing to your right to notice the lanky frame of your husband snoring on the sofa. His limbs were always too long for the couch in the living room, which is why majority of the time he spent time on the 2-piece sectional downstairs.

Thankfully Rio wasn’t much of a snorer but sometimes when that sleep really hit? It came out and you knew he needed it. Rio was always sitting on ready regardless of his laidback but cardinial personality but you knew his profession as a, “businessman,” was anything but sweet—unless it came to counting the bag that is. You didn’t get much into his business, always being the one to turn the other cheek until necessary.

The both of you shared words a few times at the start of your relationship when you became serious and found out that Rio had people (before Mick) following you. You were an artist with a successful art gallery, which contained half of your artwork along with other local artists, new and young, and you even had some imported from all over the world. Rio tried it with the import portion of your gallery once before but you shut that shit down and the both of you didn’t speak for at least a week—almost two until the gym became his second focus—after making things right with you. Take that how you will. At the beginning you didn’t appreciate being followed and figuring out that Christopher had something to do with it after pulling out your own piece—something you hated to do but you knew how to handle your own business—Rio tried to persuade you later on that it gave him comfort knowing that his men can keep a eye on you when he can’t.

Some may have felt like that was a red flag (half of your girlfriend’s being the “some,” but one of them always had something negative to say about anything you had going on…which is why you weren’t friends at this point in time) but with a love so immense? And a career like Rio’s? You grew to accept it as a source of another security blanket since you didn’t like to get your hands dirty. Having that kind of power where someone could do that for you? Was indescribable. Sure Rio’s methods of getting to the money may require things you didn’t really agree with, you kept your own business clean just how you wanted but the way you felt about Rio was not something that could just vanish. You knew what his business entailed but you didn’t need to see the grit of it.

So maybe you did get off just a little at your man having that kind of pull on these streets.

Somebody should sue oh wait…they tried that and were part of a missing person’s report but that case was closed back in January.

You leaned against the white marble countertops, another small smile playing on your lips as it was your turn to watch your lightly snoring of a husband on the couch. He didn’t even get the chance to turn the tv on to fall asleep to, another opposite of your relationship, he needed some noise while you preferred it quiet and no light. His ankles hung off the sofa, one hand crossed over his chest as he held onto his shoulder in slumber. It wasn’t until you noticed the bright colored fiesta floral blanket pulled up and slanted underneath his chin that had you entering the living space.

You almost stopped your actions as you stared down at him in peace. You hated him watching you sleep and here you were doing the same but that didn’t last long as you shifted the spatula in your hand.

SLAP!

The stinging Rio felt against his forehead jolted him awake. His lengthy lashes popped open, making him sit up some as he tried to figure out what and who just assaulted him. He blinked a couple of times, trying to focus his vision before he shifted his view to you and that teal silicone spatula.

A furrow appeared seconds later, hand going from his shoulder to rub at the spot in between his thick brows. “What’s goin’ on?”

His voice is groggy and you almost felt bad for slapping the mess out of him. Yet he should be thankful that you didn’t slap the eagle tattoo right off the skin of his throat. The blood rushed to that spot on the center of his forehead but him rubbing at it only made it worse.

“I can ask you the same thing, why are you cuddled up with that blanket?” You motioned to the item with the cooking utensil.

Rio licked his lips, glancing down at the peach, orange, yellow, green, and navy blue blanket. He clears his throat, “Whatchu mean? I’m sleeping and the air’s on.”

Not Mr. Cool needing a blanket when he’s the one who loved having the house set on: icebox where his heart used to be, Omarion needs to slide glide and collect his boy real talk.

“Whose fault is that? I told you it didn’t need to be lower than seventy.”

Rio side eyed you a bit and proceeded to close his eyes again, ready to check out but you kicked at the cushion he laid against. Which made him sit up on his elbows, pinching the space in between his brows, “what’s good wit you? You think that makes sense to have the thermostat set on seventy when it’s damn near ninety out that front door?”

“Yes. It’s all about comfort.”

“That’s what I’m tryin’ to do with this blanket, thank you.” He went to plop back down, ready to pull the fallen object back over his shoulders.

You snatch it right off his body, “this blanket isn’t for you to get your drool on.”

“I don’t drool and wait a minute…did you hit me with that? A used spatula? You’re about to mess up my skincare and that’s feelin’ a little disrespectful to me.”

You scoff as you proceed to fold the blanket how you previously had it tossed along the couch, “No it wasn’t used! You know me better than that and I know you take pride in self care. I wouldn’t do you like that but it’s clear you’re disrespecting me by using this blanket that abuela gave to me.”

Rio felt his eye twitch as he exhaled his rising nerves, “…what's the point of the blanket being on the couch if it can't be used?”

“It’s for show!” You exasperated as you finished brushing over the fur of the oversized blanket.

Rio snorted, “oh for the love of almighty!”

You huffed with your hands on your hips, pulling your attention away from the blanket that was back to the way it was, “What?”

“Be real with me.” Rio jabbed a thumb at the direction of the blanket, “you want me to believe that you’re being this extra over a blanket my abuela got you from fucking Marshall’s?”

You tilted your head to the side, “oh no you didn’t, not you being uppity Mr. Serena & Lily.”

“I didn’t even mean it like that.”

“Now you’re disrespecting Abuela!” You pointed at him accusing, “Just wait until she hears about this!”

“Nah you’re not telling her nothing!” Rio latched onto the waistband of your shorts, yanking you right on the couch as you squealed feeling the air hit your lower back.

You elbowed him as you collapsed right on his lap, “are you trying to get me to moon you? What’s wrong with you?!”

He shushed you with a smirk, “Thanks for confirming just what I needed to hear…” his hands slip down your sides and towards your bare hips beneath the fabric, squeezing the sides of your ass.

“No, we have beef now you pervert.” Your attempt to get off his lap was not working for you, at all.

His lips are at the space beneath your earlobe and the way he’s sucking on the skin is definitely leaving some tingles all over your body. Rio chuckles as he feels you shudder in his lap, “what beef? I think we should talk it out, don’t you?”

He moves one hand from the side of your ass to travel up the valley in between your breasts, grabbing a hand full of the one on the left and his right. Your breathing is picking up now as Rio settles you both back against the couch and it isn’t until you feel the plush of the blanket against your shoulder that you come back to your senses.

You pull yourself from Rio’s hold, snatching the spatula back to aim right at him in defense, “that wasn’t talking.”

“Well I disagree and thought it was until you rudely interrupted me.” Rio briefly rests his elbows against his knees as he sizes you up while you cautiously step back towards the kitchen, “you clearly don’t want me getting in that overtime of sleep anymore so I guess I’m well rested enough to spend quality time with my wife.”

Rio has his eyes set only on you and he can visibly see you gulp at the distance you put between you. That feeds his ego enough, he sniffs as he pushes himself to his feet, stalking over you to pluck the spatula out of your hand and to slide it against the counters towards the deep sink. Rio towers over you, using his fingertips to grip your jaw firm enough to get your sight back on him. Quickly he latches onto your thighs, lifting you against the counter and making space for himself right in between.

His forehead is pressed against yours breathing you in as he yanks you right to the edge of the counter, his hands caressing the warmth of your upper thighs, “you care about that damn blanket so much, I want your eyes to stay only on it while I sample my appetizer, you got that?”

A finger ran over your clothed center and you pushed your moan back down your vocal cords. The both of you were famous for your poker faces but eventually one of you would take it off of the other.

Your heart was pounding against your chest along with the adrenaline also running wild at the way Rio was looking at you, seeking to devour you while biting down on his bottom lip as he fought to keep his eyes on you and not on the increased rise and fall of your chest.

His hand snakes up to your throat, squeezing just enough to let you know what time it was, “I said, do you got that?”

You sucked your teeth, “I heard you—

You started just for Rio to push you by the throat with the swiftness against the counter, other hand flying behind your head just in time to protect the back of it while your thighs instantly latched around his hips in alert.

He laughs a bit, “yeah I knew you’d like that shit,” as he lets go of your throat after turning your head to face the living room, right where your blanket sat then using both of his hands to nudge your thighs apart so he can leave you bare from your shorts.

Curiosity got the best of you as you tried to take a peek to see what your husband was up to. Usually he was the light sleeper but you didn’t miss the sound of the pop of his lips, making you turn your head to see two damp digits.

“What did I say?”

Quickly shutting your eyes, you shielded them with a free hand trying to fight back a smile and still holding your “innocence,” as you waited to open your eyes again.

“Wait!” You called out, just knowing what was to come, “…check the timer for the salmon.”

Rio barely let the annoyance hit as he gazed over his shoulder to the clock on the stove, “ten minutes left. That’s all I need for right now…desserts a different story.”

And with that being said you let his touch be felt in the most pleasing of ways, folding at the way Rio knew just what to do to set you right.

Sitting in the dining room, since you refused to sit at the island—which Rio found humorous and promised he would clean—you can’t be eating at everybody’s house y’all—the both of you sat face to face with you on the bench and Rio in the navy chair across from you.

He chewed on his last piece of fillet, hand underneath his chin as he stared at you slouched over a bit. His long limbs tapped against you underneath the table, watching you flinch as you pushed your shoulders back, which added to more of Rio’s amusement.

“What’s the matter?” He questioned, his dark eyes can’t help but to falter down to your white tank top, “you look cold and might need a blanket? There’s one not far from us actually.”

You scowled while he laughed grinning at you, “you’re such a dick!”

“And you took it so well.”

A gasp fell from your lips while you tossed a folding napkin right towards Rio’s smug face, who snatched it before it could touch him. Leaving him to mockingly kiss his lips at you, “it’s all love.”

“We’ll see.” You chewed back a smirk but Rio can read you just by looking into your eyes.

Rio raised his brows, “That a challenge? I can guarantee you we can make it happen.”

Rio loves leaving you a crying mess and talking you down from your high. His drive was hardly ever low but he thought it was respectable for the both of you to get some nutrients in before the full rounds started.

You held up a finger, grabbing your glass to chug the rest of the water, making Rio rest his cheek into the knuckles of his hand with a glint in his eyes.

“Okay,” you exhale, “but it’s my time to set it off.”

Rio nodded his head ready for whatever you had in mind although he’s envisioning reverse cowgirl, “cool, no complaints on my end.”

“I bet,” you raise a foot to caress his lap, “Can help you back to sleep in some blankets that are actually meant for sleeping with.”

Rio groaned for two separate reasons of course, reaching one hand down to grip your ankle, “lead the way, mama.”

“Not until you do the dishes and clean the counter. I know how much you hate going to bed with a dirty kitchen and we ain’t got shit to do so…get to it. I’ll be waiting.” It was your turn for some small payback as you hopped up from the bench, a glare crossing Rio’s features.

You laughed as you gripped his shoulders, leaning down to press your lips against his. The both of you tilted your heads just right as your lips battled against each other soon before you slipped your tongue against Rio’s. It was getting nasty again and he was ready to pull you right in his lap and let you do your thing right there but you pulled back with a bit of saliva between your lips.

“Hurry up, I’ll be ready to take my own nap myself soon.” You wink at him before you quickly pulled yourself from his grasp.

Rio swallowed his own breathing down, hands rubbing at his wet lips first and then the tension in his jaw all while feeling the twitch below again. Looking at the dishes and feeling the pull towards you was another battle within itself. Usually he wasn’t the clean up crew, he had people for that professionally and personally and as he started cleaning one dish he checked his own pocket to book a cleaning service for the morning. However he did take his time cleaning down the island, he wasn’t that cruel.

And who needed the gym anyway when you had his heart pumping enough?

He didn’t have to cancel that too.

Rio always ran shit.

The gym was just as much as his now as you are.

Just how he liked it.

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Continue with my summer anthology prompts & writings here.

[stars-n-spice]

A home with the door always open. Never not filled with delicious smells and lively music. Couches covered in cat fur. Scraped knees and dirt under fingernails. Toys on the floor. Paintings on the walls. A pile of stuffed animals and disassembled explosives. Animated dinner talks and native tongues. Endless pranks. The rumble of laughter. That feeling of trust, of learning to love and be loved again in return. That feeling of knowing you are not alone in your struggles and can share the weight of your burdens with others who love you.

Introducing the Nultezes!

Feel free to ask any questions about the family! :D

Links to the others and their families are here:

Hunter + Jung's Family // Echo + Viram's Family // Tech + Phee's Family // Crosshair + Tay's Family

Additional Information Under the Cut:

Wrecker & Khea:

- Put a Mandalorian and a clone together and you're going to have a big family with a lot of kiddos and furbabies - They practically have a little farm at their place with all their animals and the garden that their kids tend to, though on the side Khea continues to run a repair business and she and Wrecker help fix things up around Pabu - Wrecker takes up fishing and baking as hobbies while Khea sticks to her roots as a tinker and stays as far away from the water as possible (she can't swim) - Their doors are always open to anyone and everyone, with something always cooking or baking and music playing in their house, making it a hot spot on Pabu for its welcoming environment - May or may not add an additional OC (who was set up to be Khea's BFF with benefits) to make them a throuple because polyamorous Wrecker my beloved <3 - but I don't have a design for him at this moment, so we'll see

Stak:

- Was the first of the cadets to be adopted, Khea saw a kid in need of a family and was like, "is anyone going to adopt this Foundling? No? Okay, I will." - He's been raised as a Foundling alongside Itri, so over time he's acquired his own beskar'gam which he lets his younger sisters paint every time he's back at home (he is also quite often a test subject in their little experiments and games) - Like the older cousins in the family, Stak also helps out with the Rebellion as a skilled slicer and a pilot (skills he's learned form Tech and Khea) and he may or may not have met someone while working for the Rebellion - The scar on the side of his face was a result of him losing his footing while trying to get into a boat and subsequently hitting his face against the hull, scraping it up and falling into the water - he never tells this story and instead makes something new and dramatic up every time someone asks about it - Also pretty close with his Uncle Hunter (has learned a thing or two from him in terms of combat) and really admires his Aunt Phee

Itri:

- Khea found Itri as a toddler on her journey to reunite with her estranged older brother (that she nearly killed after he got their younger brother killed, long story-) and decided to adopt her as a Foundling - Was the flower girl at Wrecker and Khea's wedding - She has a faint connection to the Force that Jung has tried to help her with, but Itri is very much a Mandalorian since she was raised as one and has no desire to pursue much with the Force - She really, really wants to join the Rebellion and help her older brother and cousins out but Khea is having a hard time letting her go, claiming Itri is still too young - Is pretty close to Echo and Viram and will often go to them for advice or to see where she might be able to help the Rebellion out despite what her parents think and she also highly admires and respects Omega, seeing her as an older sister figure - Character Inspo: Kristofferson (Fantastic Mr. Fox), Ash Graven (Final Space), Blake Belladonna (RWBY) Leonardo (TMNT 2012)

Marama:

- The older twin by 32 minutes, Marama is a bright kid who takes after Khea and loves to tinker and create - Also enjoys gardening on the side and takes care of the little farm that they have on their property with the help of her twin and their cousin, Mox - Has a plushie collection that has accumulated over the years, starting with Lula (that was regifted by Itri who'd gotten it from Wrecker) and includes stuffed animals Tech and Phee had brought back and plushies Crosshair has made for her - Her hair is naturally poofy (the humidity of Pabu doesn't make it any better) but unlike her twin, she leaves it as is - Loves to spend time with her Uncle Tech, with whom she's learned a lot from and has gotten a lot of gifts from (including a lot of tools) and she's close with both Omega and Vela - Character Inspo: Meriadoc Brandybuck (LOTR), Aviva Corcovado (Wild Kratts), Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service)

Maia:

- The younger twin by 32 minutes, Maia has an affinity for demolitions and stirring up trouble, taking after Wrecker - Wears hearing aids to help combat with sensory issues and because her eardrums got blown out during an incident she had when she was younger - She's an abstract artist who loves painting her older sibling's beskar'gam and really any kind of canvas she can get her hands on - Has developed her own little "water bombs" that she hides under her poncho (they look like thermal detonators) - Loves, loves, loves her Uncle Crosshair and Tay, she's always trying to climb Tay and loves to play pranks on Crosshair - she's also really good friends with Akona and they delight in messing with Crosshair and Tay - Character Inspo: Little Cato (Final Space), Ed (Cowboy Bebop), Nikki (Camp Camp)

Elio:

- The baby brother of the family and he is constantly reminded of this fact by everyone but wishes that they'd see him as the totally grown-up boy he is (though he does secretly enjoy the privilege of being the youngest) - The main reason why the family has so many tooka cats and the like because he seems to be able to "talk" to them to the point where he's essentially a Disney Princess - He's a little closer to his Dad than he is with his Buir because Khea had bad postpartum depression after his birth and a difficult time with him as he got older since he reminded her too much about the younger brother that she lost; but she's trying now and they're slowly rebuilding a relationship - He knows the most Mando'a than his siblings because it's a way for him to better connect with his Buir and because he does enjoy learning about other languages - Is a big fan of his Aunt Viram since she's a baker as well and gives him good tips and guidance and he's really close to Zisanu since they're alike in personality and the two of them plus Rangi have formed a little "club" centered around being the younger brothers of their families - Character Inspo: Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit/LOTR), Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls), Peter Parker (Tom Holland's Version)

💫 Silly Squad Masterlist 💫 All Families SecGen Initial Post 💫 All Families SecGen Second Post

[izzyeffinhands]

“Smile, Izzy.” Stede tells him, readying the camera for what he knew was going to be an absolutely precious photo. When Izzy looks at the camera, though, Stede huffs. “Oh, come on… that’s not a smile.” But Izzy remains firm… and though it isn’t a smile, that intense look on his face still makes Stede feel things. So, he takes the picture.

And then another.

Stede’s heart flutters at the second photo and he smiles, lowering the camera just so he can watch the two of them. So he can admire and adore the love of his life looking so soft, looking so happy and at peace with their furbaby in his lap.

Izzy’s boyfriend always loved taking photos and videos for him. For Stede’s millions of followers, Izzy had become the subject of fascination and labeled “the grumpy boyfriend”. Think grumpy cat phenomenon in human form and that was exactly what Hands had become. Although, his boyfriend often just took sweet videos, and even took short baking videos whenever Izzy was in the kitchen. His little bakery had grown all the more in popularity because of those videos, and he wasn’t about to begrudge the blonde his fun and humor.

So he didn’t smile even though he asked. Instead he gave him a serious little pose with their rescue pup. He thought he might have stopped taking pictures after that, so he’d simply nuzzled his nose into the fur of their beloved doggo. It was rather interesting he thought that this dog was basically Izzy if he was turned into a dog. He was so shabby and cute. He was very much an affectionate lap dog, which he had to battle Hannibal often for, but at least the two animals very much got along. They even cuddled together.

“ Don’t you give in, Copper. Daddy’s just wanting a picture of his grumpy boyfriend and grumpy dog. “ Copper whined then at that little name, which made the grumpy boyfriend suddenly bright with laughter, fingers scritching into his fur. “ Awe, I’m sorry.. you’re not grumpy, you’re just.. chill. “

[woozten-x]

#. 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐲 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧

‹3 gif originally posted by ohoshi

[ ; M.List including other Neos! ]

─ Synopsis: You and your boyfriend always have days where the two of you are busy and tired, but everything seems to be worth it once the day ends.

At the end of each day, you are always returning back to Na Jaemin with all worries laid to rest.

─ Pairing: Barista!Na Jaemin x Gender-Neutral Reader

─ Genre: Fluff/Wholesome, Humorous Moments w. Dreamies, One-Shot, Comfort 

─ Concepts: Domestic AU!, Barista!Jaemin, established relationship, yall have a pet samoyed aka jaemin’s daughter named Riceball jeno is riceball’s brother, NCT Dream Cafe are sassy to their customers (especially haechan), mark got bean boozled, lowk jealous jaemin towards the end

─ Count of Words: 3.7k

─ Inspiration of the work: End of a Day by Jonghyun + literally jaemin with a dog 

ෆ

“What do you think you are doing, hm?~ You don’t want me to trip on you while I cook for Y/N~”

Cooing at the white puppy near his feet with occupied hands of steaming, freshly cooked food; he carefully treads around the kitchen to avoid the excited furball. He lets out a low hum with a tilt of his head, a smile expressing from his pink lips - regardless of the possible dangers of the little canine jumping on her hind legs onto his legs, he continues to adore her without any irritation whatsoever.

To Na Jaemin, his furbaby has always been a bright little creature with lots of energy. If anything the little Samoyed is a walking fluffy cloud, purely white as though it belongs to the blue sky of a clear day; the energy of the puppy’s helps him relieve stress and simply forget his worries.

However, he is unsure if that was the case with you. Unfortunately, you’ve been arriving home late into the day due to your new job and haven’t been able to join Jaemin or Riceball - which Jaemin personally gave to the Samoyed - for any quality time to bond and relax. Even if you were to try and grab a few days off, the opportunity seems too far to grasp due to being a new employee; thankfully enough, Jaemin understood to stay at home for the first few days until your schedule becomes more flexible.

After all, little Riceball needs to grow familiar with her new environment!

Quietly cooking dinner, Riceball whines for attention at the male’s feet, the head tilted upwards with her cute beady eyes nearly resembling a stuffed animal. Jaemin pays no mind, stirring the sauce over the cooked rice cakes inside the pan before glancing down at the canine - “Don’t worry~ I am not cooking your family.” The playful comment leaves his lips, the puppy whining despite his light-hearted attempt to give her attention.

Suddenly, across the home the door unlocks and instantly the puppy scrambles off to the front door and Jaemin quickly turns the knob to lower the heat. “Is that my beloved Y/N?~” He sings out, following after the puppy yapping away at the door being pushed open to reveal you. Jaemin meets your eyes, instantly giving his signature bright smile with his pretty eyes glowering back with delight; it seems like his own excitement is similar to the puppy jumping on your legs in greeting.

Although, the tiredness of working without much rest with your boyfriend and newly adopted puppy, you felt your own lips lift up into a small smile. Shamelessly, his eyes trail along your figure and he instantly notices the tension within your posture, the wary smile enough proof of your own drainage; he approaches you and takes your bag while you shrug off your coat, a hand ghosting over your lower back when closing and locking the door behind you.

“How was work, darling?” He softly asks, guiding you into the home after placing down the bag elsewhere. You look towards him, a sigh leaving you upon the mention of your new job - “Same as yesterday. Don’t worry about me, I’ll get used to the routine.” You assure him, knowing your boyfriend is the type to worry about your well-being; surely, you will get used to the longer hours of your new job. “I know you will. You are my darling, after all~” he says with fondness twinkling in his eyes, the very stars brightly glowing back at you. 

Despite the dullness revolving your day, Jaemin’s very presence is enough to glow like those stars pasted on a night sky - to him, you are the moon he is willing to accompany throughout.

“How was your day? Was she okay?” You ask, Jaemin pulling a chair for you to sit at the table and you give him a smile of gratitude before settling down. You watch your boyfriend move towards the stove, intensifying the heat with a twist and stirring once again - “It’s going well, Riceball is finally learning not to potty inside the home. I am cooking some Tteokbokki with boiled eggs and rice.” He tells you, your eyes landing on the puppy hopping up onto your legs with a wagging tail.

You let out a small laugh at Riceball, hands reaching down to pick her up and place the canine onto your lap. Fingers run through the soft fur, occasionally you would entangle your fingers with the strands by accident; you always apologize whenever it occurs, not wanting to hurt her. “You’re a good girl, Rice! You are learning from your bad potty habits,” you chuckle out with Jaemin smiling at your words. The two of you are definitely proud parents for your furbaby.

Distracted with the puppy on your lap, her tongue meeting your skin and laughter escapes from you; momentarily, you’ve forgotten about the stress weighing you down for the day. White noise of Jaemin’s cooking and your puppy’s bright personality is what you needed after a long day. Setting up the table and placing down the cooked dishes, Jaemin walks to your side and leans down to kiss near your lips; the familiar touch bringing you to ease.

“I want a kiss on my lips,” you pout while looking up at your boyfriend and Jaemin gives a smug smile while tilting his head. “Do you?” he teases, you roll your eyes and reach up to grab him by the shirt and pull him down to reach his lips; though his physical affection is a remedy regardless of the actions, you always favored his lips much more - it was a cure for you, no matter the occasion. “Enjoy your dinner, my darling.” He mumbles against your lips, kissing you once more.

Suddenly, Riceball jumps up against your chest and licks at your face, both of you laughing at her interference. “Is my daughter jealous? I give you kisses all day and that isn’t enough, hm?” Jaemin leans down to Riceball’s eye level, murmuring at the puppy in a childish tone with his hands reaching up to squish her face in his hands. You look between the two, grinning and adoring the sight in front of you; you always cherish where your boyfriend is being incredibly soft for cute things.

Sometimes, he can go overboard but the smile plastered on his face with eyes shimmering is a sight you will never forget nor avoid the opportunity to witness it.

Jaemin looks towards you and leans forward, pecking the tip of your nose before moving away to sit down across from you. His touch lingers warmly on your skin, a small pink dusting over your cheeks at the giddiness of your boyfriend’s affection; you thank him for the food after placing Riceball onto the floor, reaching out to fill your plate with a longing for his cooking. Across from you, Jaemin lovingly watches with a gentle smile, watching how you glow with excitement ready to eat his cooking.

Taking the first bite, you sigh in relief - “You never disappoint, love.” The pet name causing Jaemin’s heart to flutter, the title of being your lover is something he could never let go of - it is his pride and one he wholeheartedly devotes to.

“Grab some! I might eat all of it,” you exclaim while pointing at the dishes with your chopsticks. You always remind him to eat after taking the first bite, a habit you grew to once dating Jaemin; for some odd reason, he is always waiting for you to eat first before taking a bite himself. He nods his head, “That’s right. It would be gone in a blink of an eye,” he chuckles. Finally, he gathers his own share of the food and begins to eat his dinner with you.

In a comfortable silence, the two of you ate and Jaemin would spare glances to you. His never ending adoration for you always distracting him, no matter how busy he is - it was something he couldn’t exactly ignore, an urge to take a look at his beloved as though you held a spotlight above your head and his eyes could never look away from. You are the moon of his own world, the celestial he could look forward to no matter the time of the day.

Jaemin pauses, a thought ringing in his head and he swallows before speaking up - “I have work tomorrow. Since, no one will watch Riceball, I was thinking about bringing her to work.” He said. You look up confused, “What? We can probably drop her off at some doggy daycare or have someone watch her. I think she’ll be fine,” You suggest. Knowingly, your boyfriend is a barista, how the hell would a puppy be appropriate at a cafe?

“I can bring her, I already let Mark know.” He adds, ignoring the other suggestions that could avoid possible problems in the cafe. Uncertainty expresses from your face, pursing your lips in consideration and instinctively sparing a glance at Riceball; the puppy chewing on her toy, small grunts leaving her when she tugs at the tough material of the toy. “Are you sure…? She might be too hyper to be handled in such a place,” You say with doubt weighing your words.

Jaemin observes your expression, “The others want to meet her. She is not really a handful to care for…” he trails off, taking notice of the lack of trust to bring your puppy to such a busy place. “I can probably look for a daycare tomorrow, if you aren’t comfortable with it.” He reasons, seeming to find a middle ground; after all, he understood your worries. You shook your head, “Are you sure you discussed it with Mark?” you question, emphasizing how this is a decision accepted by his coworkers also.

Smiling, Jaemin nods his head - “Yes, I am sure of it~ You can visit me and Riceball at the cafe too!” He said. The thought of seeing your barista boyfriend, cute puppy and having a cup of coffee or tea does seem like a good idea; in fact, you can go straight to the cafe after work and pick them both up and go straight home. It seems like an easy plan! You sigh and release the buzzing thought of hesitation, nodding your head in agreement. “Okay, well we do get off work at the same time so…I’ll pick you up, okay?” You tell him while he gets up to place his empty plate into the sink.

“Of course, darling. Don’t worry about us~” He says, placing the plate inside the sink before walking up to you and kissing the top of your head. Jaemin places his hands on your shoulders, the touch causing you to relax, his hands lightly squeezing and fingers massaging into the skin - “You trust me, right?” Jaemin hums, looking down at you with a lopsided grin and you look up at him. Reaching up, your hand meets his cheek and fingers caress the skin, against your touch he melts.

You smile up at him, “I trust you with all my heart, Jaemin.”

. . .

“Jaemin…Why do you have a puppy in your hands?”

Standing in the middle of the Dream Cafe with the wriggling puppy in his arms, Jaemin smugly smiles at his surprised coworkers. Among all of them, the pale blue haired male - Mark Lee - stood with bewilderment, seeming to not understand how this was anything they'd discussed. Even if Mark asked for more clarification, Jaemin had left him on seen; though this does deem inappropriate, maybe Mark should have insisted on details.

Jaemin bounces her a bit in his arms, treating her like some sort of baby - “What do you mean? This is my daughter, Riceball.”

The members looked at one another, specifically towards Mark the manager of the cafe. Unsure on how to react to the unexpected guest, a light haired brunette speaks up - “We thought you actually had a kid!” Lee Donghyuck exclaims. Zhong Chenle smirks, “I was right! It wasn’t some kid he was bringing.” He said loudly, turning to a blonde - “Pay up, Park Jisung!” he lets out a hand for the male to pay for the shared bet between the two of them. For a few moments, Jisung stares at the older with the puppy before turning to Chenle.

“Isn’t Hyung going to get fired?” Jisung asks, his eyes moving towards Mark after seeing Chenle shrug. A heavy sigh leaves the stressed Mark, seeming to be too late to scold Jaemin since it was almost opening time - the unexpectedness of the situation is one to be ignored of consequences until the cafe closes. “Will she behave?” Mark asks, motioning a hand towards the puppy and Jaemin nods. “Of course~ I promised my Y/N that I will look after her,” he replies back with a nod.

Clapping his hands, “Okaaay! Let's get ready guys. Make sure she’s on a leash, Jaemin.” Mark said towards Jaemin while Chenle and Donghyuck approached him, hands reaching out to pet the cute puppy in his arms. Jaemin places down Riceball on the floor, attaching the leash onto her harness with a click, the two members captivated by her already; Mark sighs, “Guys we have to get to work!” he calls out to Chenle and Donghyuck, the pair playing with Riceball with wide smiles on their faces.

Huang Renjun appears from the backroom with ingredients in hand, not seeming to be aware of the situation and he jumps once the puppy jumps on his legs after running up towards him. “Oh gosh, who is this?” Renjun laughs, regaining his composure and placing the ingredients down for the small cakes the cafe specially sells. “He probably thought it was a big rat that’s why he got scared,” Donghyuck teases the poor Chinese male. Renjun scoffs, “I never thought that! It’s obviously a puppy.”

“Hyung I can take care of her when you get too busy,” Chenle offers once calling for Riceball with Jaemin standing with the excited canine jumping onto Chenle. Jaemin hums in acknowledgement to the proposal, handing the younger the leash and Chenle enthusiastically takes it with a grin - “I am your uncle, Chenle!” He introduces himself to the puppy and Donghyuck joins the younger in babying the puppy. Mark looks towards Riceball, smiling a bit at the cute canine hopping around.

Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea for the puppy to join them for today.

Within a few hours into their shift after opening, the cafe collected more attention than usual due to Riceball’s popularity. Working excessively, especially with Jaemin working alongside Lee Jeno with drinks, Jaemin had trusted Chenle to look after his puppy - the young Chinese male advertising the customers to take photos of the special guest. Occasionally, an awkward Jisung would join them and had instances of mishandling Riceball and Chenle would scold him while taking her away from him.

“Who dropped chocolate here?!” Donghyuck exclaims, nearly stepping on the fresh stool on the floor. Jisung places down a few drinks for seated customers before following the light haired brunette’s gaze, he scrunches up his nose in disgust - “Hyung, clean it up before someone else steps on it or slips on it.” He said, Donghyuck scurrying off to grab a few paper towels. “Riceball is such a good worker for making the customers leave right away~” Donghyuck praises.

After some time, the bustling cafe calms down with only a few customers entering and a majority leaving with Donghyuck and Renjun’s persistence. Finally, for Jaemin, he could see his furbaby and settle down with a Iced Americano - or Namericano, as the cafe calls it; he sits down at a table with Riceball laying next to his feet, Chenle busy with cleaning up a few tables alongside Jisung. Jaemin looks down at Riceball, “Is my daughter hungry?~ Do you want a treat?” he coos while picking up the bag on the table, holding the canine’s essentials.

Riceball doesn’t seem to react, seeming to be tired as her owner and Jaemin laughs lightly at her while taking out a few treats and dry food into a bowl. Placing down the bowl, Riceball is up on her feet to fill her belly, Jaemin watching her with such endearment - he decided to take a photo and send it to you without any text message attached. After all, the photo is enough to stop you from worrying for these past hours. “You did so well today,” He praises the canine with a hand petting her.

Soon enough, closing time comes much closer. Jaemin finishes up a drink and places it for Donghyuck to serve, the male picking it up and handing it to the last customer - “Thank you, please never come again!” he says, bowing his head and the customer laughing before moving away with their drink. Jeno is sitting with Riceball, petting her and giving his signature eyesmile towards her; in a way, the two have similar facial expressions - as Jaemin noticed. Chenle seems to notice also, “Jeno looks like her brother.”

“Oh! I can see it,” Jisung agrees with a nod and Renjun places the leftover baked sweets on the counter. He looks towards Jaemin, “Do you want to bring these home? I am sure Y/N will like them a lot.” Renjun suggests and Jaemin nods his head, grabbing a few boxes to pack away the sweets. Surely, you would never reject these treats as you’ve been one to eat dessert after dinner; upon packing up, he decided on cooking some ramen for dinner tonight, a quick and easy meal for the two of you.

The bell rings above the door and Donghyuck groans, “Sorry we are closed. We just haven’t flipped the sign yet!” He calls out, turning his head to the door. “Yah!” Jaemin yells out, glaring at Donghyuck once taking notice of the arrival - it was you. You laugh and wave a hand, “Sorry but I wanted to grab a coffee late.” You jokingly say, Donghyuck instantly leaving the counter and going down on his knees in front of you to bow in apology. “Sorry! Sorry! My mistake~” He says, pressing his hands together.

Mark rolls his eyes and grabs Donghyuck’s shirt from behind to pull him up onto his feet, “Welcome Y/N! Did you get off work also?” he asks with an innocent smile. Riceball runs up to greet you also, her tail wagging quickly with renewed energy upon seeing her other owner - “Yep! I am here to pick up Jaemin and this little girl~” you sang out in reply, picking her up and securing her into your arms. You kiss her head, “How was she? She wasn’t a distraction right?” You ask while stroking her head.

Mark shakes his head, “Nope! We actually got a lot more customers. We might actually hire her.” He jokingly replies back and you laugh at his words. Jeno perks up once hearing the possibility, “Can we? She can be our mascot!” He said rather excitedly and you found it cute to see the raven-head gleaming like a child begging their parents for an item from a store. “I don’t know about that…Jaemin just came up with a dog in his arms, he didn’t really specify what his daughter is…” Mark tells.

You narrow your eyes at Mark before looking at Jaemin behind the counter, quietly packing away the sweets in boxes to take home. “You said you told him, Jaemin!” you scold and Jaemin looks up, “What do you mean? I did tell him. I said I was bringing my daughter.” He reasons and Mark looks between the two of you. “No it’s alright! We didn’t expect a dog that’s all,” he chuckles, not wanting to make it a huge deal than it seems - even so, Riceball did bring in lots of attention for the cafe’s business.

“I really do hope she wasn’t a problem while you guys worked,” You say looking towards Mark and bowing in apology. He lightly laughs and shakes his head, defensively bringing up his hands - “No worries! Really, it’s not bad. She did great today!” he said and you mentally sigh in relief. Sitting down at one of the few clean tables with Riceball running around with Jeno, you spoke with the other members. On the other hand, Jaemin collects his belongings and takes off his apron, silently listening in while making a warm cup of chocolate milk for you. Walking up to you, he quietly gives you the mug and you smile at him, taking it in your hands.

Warmth engulfs in the palms of your hands, blowing at the rising steam from the drink and Jaemin had sat down beside you. He watches you converse with his close friends, your expression laughing and smiling as you invest into the conversations, he pouts a bit with the lack of attention - weren’t you here to see him? You weren’t here for his friends. Jaemin leans over to rest his head on your shoulder, glancing at your empty hand sitting on your lap and he reaches out to hold it and intertwines his fingers with yours.

Mindlessly, he listens to your voice and lets his thumb massage the skin of your hand, rubbing small circles repeatedly, and he would swing both your hands occasionally in hopes of getting your attention. After some time, you finish speaking with Renjun and look at Jaemin - “It sounds like a very busy day, love. I heard you and Riceball did great,” you softly compliment with fingers brushing a few strands of hair from his forehead; you plant a chaste kiss on the exposed skin and he smiles at the contact.

“It was very busy, but I am glad to see you at the end of the day.” Jaemin gently confesses, love weighing his words and his eyes holding the familiar starlight. You smile and let your fingers brush against his cheek, caressing the soft skin with a loving touch - “I am also happy to see you at the end of the day also.”

Jaemin leans further into your touch, nuzzling his cheek against your hand - “I love you.”

“I love you too, Jaemin.”

At the end of each day, Na Jaemin is always seeking solace in the presence of the moonlight welcoming him back home.

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 35

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 3.7k

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: Just a soft, fluffy chapter for you all after the angst and smut of the last two haha. Please leave comments and reblog it for me so others can read! Send me asks and so forth, we’re getting close to the endgame here so...I really hope you can spur me on.

; Flower Masterpost

-

“Ahhhh, I’m so excited!” Hoseok is practically vibrating in the passenger seat as you drive carefully, eyes firmly on the road and watching the car ahead of you. There’s nothing ahead of them but they’re still doing about ten miles less than the speed limit, frustrating you.

You don’t complain though, instead just sigh deeply while rolling your eyes at the slow person. It was hard to truly feel too annoyed though because Hoseok’s enthusiasm was so infectious. Which was why you’d been sporting a smile for most of the morning, thoroughly bemused by his excitement.

The reason for his bubbly demeanour today was because you were officially going to pick up your new puppy. You’d known for a long time that Hoseok wanted a dog; he’d loved them a lot and had always wanted one. But he just hadn’t had the time or space to get one, particularly given his old apartment not being pet friendly.

It had taken some convincing for you to say yes to a dog, mainly because you’d worried how Kasumi might be around another pet and also because you weren’t a huge dog fan. You liked them obviously, but they required so much more work than a cat. As much as Hoseok loved Kasumi though, you knew what he wanted.

The convincing had mainly been that he wouldn’t leave all the taking care of the dog to you. You didn’t want to end up being the only one cleaning up the mess in the yard or walking them, etc. He’d promised that he would care for the dog just as much as you did, maybe even a little more.

It wasn’t like he didn’t help out in the house anyway, he did because you wouldn’t let him not help, but you just didn’t want to get stuck doing all the dog duties when he was the one who wanted it the most. You doubted he would do that as he was pretty good with looking after Kasumi, even though she wasn’t even his. Given this was something he wanted, you had faith that he’d be a good doggy daddy.

The two of you had poured over websites that advertise puppies for sale alongside looking over rescue centres to try and find the best dog for you both. It had been hard to narrow down your requirements as there were some breeds that you just didn’t want to have and Hoseok had his own opinion on some as well. Other important things were that they needed to be okay with cats and being left alone during the day while you were both working.

But you also wanted something energetic when necessary and enjoyed walks. Part of the reason that you’d said yes was that you hoped it would get both of you to start going out on walks to just enjoy nature a little more instead of staying cooped up in the house. You always enjoyed when you’d gone out but it was hard to break your habits.

Your problems had been resolved happily when you’d been told by Hoseok’s parents that his aunt had a dog who had had a litter of puppies recently. They’d bought a female puppy and before they’d been able to get her spayed, she’d, unfortunately, got the attention of the neighbour’s dog. Which meant she’d been way too young to breed and they’d ended up with surprise puppies.

The mom was a working Cocker Spaniel breed with the prettiest colouring; a soft lemon tan and white with the most adorable eyes. The dad was a Bichon, a breed you weren’t too familiar with but who looked pretty cute too. What resulted was called a Cock-a-Chon, the most adorable bundle of fluff you’d ever seen.

Each puppy had the cutest curly fur and was the perfect mix of both their parent’s beautiful faces. They wouldn’t be too large when grown which was good for you both, as neither of you wanted a really big dog or anything. The puppy you’d both chosen was a creamy golden colour and you’d both fallen in love with her as soon as she’d fallen over her feet when running over to you.

Well...you say that you’d chosen her. It was more like she’d chosen Hoseok because he’d immediately ended up with a tiny puppy crawling all over his legs while her tail wagged at such speed you were worried she might hurt it. Needless to say, Hoseok had been completely lost to those sweet black eyes.

It had taken one look at you with equally big and cute eyes that had been earnestly begging to get your agreement. And that had been it. You’d officially known you were going to be collecting her a few weeks after that point and you’d let Hoseok name her, choosing Ciri from the Witcher series.

The time spent in-between that visit and going to bring her home had been spent making sure that the house was puppy-proof. You hadn’t known how to do that but the two of you had done a lot of research, hoping that if she was kept entertained enough then you wouldn’t have to worry about chewing or anything.

Given that Hoseok had been the one to want a dog in the first place, you’d let him run wild with all the stuff he wanted to get for her. There wasn’t any room for argument considering the number of things you’d bought Kasumi over the years and it had been heart-warming to watch Hoseok get so excited over a patterned collar and a personalised name tag on it.

So she had a ridiculous amount of dog toys already, alongside what you were convinced was a mountain of puppy food and treats, those mats to help house train her, two dog beds, a collar, a cage and lots of blankets to go inside it to train her for when neither of you was home. You hadn’t particularly liked the idea of caging her but you’d resolved to make it her safe space where she could go when she was feeling tired or just didn’t want to be bothered instead of punishment or anything.

Honestly, you’d warned Hoseok many times to make sure he didn’t go too overboard and spoil a dog neither of you even had yet.

Quite clearly, it hadn’t worked given how much he’d bought the little puppy. But again, you were loath to put a leash on his enthusiasm for it all. Pun not intended.

He never asked for a whole lot from you, even now with your three-year-anniversary approaching in just a few months. It always felt like you were taking a lot from him and not giving much back, so if he wanted to go wild and buy a lot of stuff for the new puppy then you weren’t going to complain too much.

There was a lot worse to spend his money on. Not to mention the fact that you weren’t even paying for Ciri. His aunt didn’t want to be paid for the puppy given she was going to a family member and she hadn’t even been expecting them at all. From what you knew, the other puppies had been sold for only a hundred dollars each. Just to cover their medical expenses up to that point.

It was a fantastic deal really, but you were mostly just pleased that Hoseok was finally going to get the dog he’d always wanted. He spoiled you often enough so you were revelling in the fact that you got to spoil him in turn.

That thought made you snort with laughter, the very idea of you two fighting not because you were angry but because you were trying to one-up each other with affection and love. You don’t get to see the curious look Hoseok gives you, slight confusion on his face before he shrugs to himself.

“I hope Kasumi will be okay with this.” Whispering the words, you frown slightly as you watch the road ahead. There’s only maybe another five minutes before you’ll both be there, reading to pick up Ciri and take her home but you’re a little worried about your other pet. 

Ciri would probably be fine with her, being so young that she’d grow up with the cat as her big sister. But Kasumi had spent a long time with it being just her getting all the attention from you, and Hoseok when he’d entered her life. Not to mention the fact that she could hurt Ciri if they didn’t get on, those sharp claws easily causing harm to the tiny puppy.

“We’ll take it slow. The good thing about cats is that they can take themselves away if they’re not happy. She’s used to Ciri’s scent and we’ve got plenty of treats and toys for her too so she doesn’t feel so left out. We just have to make sure that we don’t let Ciri overwhelm her. She’ll be okay Meeps.” Hoseok reaches out and takes your hand, rubbing at your knuckles in reassurance.

His aunt had sent over some blankets and toys that she’d rubbed all over Ciri, soaking them in the puppy’s scent so that you could introduce it to Kasumi. Hopefully, it would mean that while your beloved cat probably wouldn’t appreciate the exuberance of her new sister but she would at least recognise the smell.

“Is it silly that I’m worrying about stuff like that? I mean...your friends are getting married and having babies but I’m here just concerned that my cat might not like our puppy.” That makes Hoseok snort in amusement, slipping his hand beneath yours to link your fingers together before squeezing.

“Hey...that’s their choice. We’ve chosen to have furbabies instead, nothing wrong with that.” Wrinkling your nose, you indicate to turn right and drive slowly down the street his aunt lives on. It’s a nice area with large houses set back from the road, each one having an equally big drive leading to two-car garages. Tall trees, probably decades old at this point, line along the street with luscious green grass between each one and the dips allowing cars to park.

Much like the rest of Hoseok’s family, his aunt is pretty wealthy. She never had any kids though, living in her beautiful house with her wife and a menagerie of animals. Alongside the cocker spaniel that had gotten pregnant; she also had a chocolate labrador, a black cocker spaniel, a parakeet and three cats. It was your idea of a dream in terms of all the animals but the clean up must be terrible.

Pulling into her driveway, you take in the sight of her house once more in awe. You doubt anyone in your family could ever afford something like this and it still leaves you with a sense of imposter syndrome when you realise just how rich Hoseok’s whole family is.

Thankfully though, he’d never made it an issue.

“Oh my god! Come on! Let’s go.” Hoseok practically squeals, his excitement making him look so young and completely at odds with his metalhead appearance. Snorting, you can’t help but smirk as you turn off the engine as he’s already out of the car. Sighing affectionately, you follow him at a much slower pace.

He’s already vanished into the house by the time you get to the door, his aunt, Miyeon, standing with the door held open and an exasperated look on her face. Smiling at her, you take your shoes off and hand her the bag that you’d prepared earlier with an apologetic look on your face.

“Hi, Auntie! How are you? Oh, I’m good thanks Hoseok, and you?” She says sarcastically, rolling her eyes at you. There’s more than a little fondness in her face and voice though so you’re not too worried that she’s genuinely annoyed at him, smiling a little brighter as you greet her.

“Sorry. He’s excited. It’s been like having a toddler in the car rather than an almost 31-year-old man. Thank you so much though, I know you didn’t want anything for her but I couldn’t just..give you nothing. Hoseok said that you collect wine and I don’t know anything about wine because I don’t drink but-” She interrupts you with a hand on your arm, a smile on her face.

“You didn’t have to. But thank you, I appreciate it. Don’t worry, wine is wine. I’ll enjoy drinking it no matter what, I guarantee you that. Anyway, come on. I’ve baked some cookies for you both. Hobi always used to adore eating them when he was younger; peanut butter, hazelnut and chocolate chips.” Leading you through her home, you can already hear the barking of puppies alongside Hoseok’s joyful laughter.

You don’t even realise you’re smiling until you see yourself in a mirror, your expression light and happy. Who’d have thought that just the sound of someone’s laugh could be such a fulfilling experience? 

“Ahhh, so that’s why he likes them. He always asks me to bake those if I’m in that kind of mood. Always thought it was a bit odd as he doesn’t eat anything else with peanut butter, just those. Seemed a strange combination for him to love.” Her kitchen is just as big as the rest of the house, tastefully decorated with all the latest appliances.

You were a little envious of her fridge. It was one of those super fancy Samsung ones where you could see inside without even opening the door thanks to a panel on the front alongside what you could only describe as a tablet embedded into the door. Who needed to watch Netflix on their fridge? 

But all you can truly focus on is the delicious scent of freshly baked cookies. Inhaling deeply, you hum and can’t help but wiggle in delight. His aunt laughs, handing one to you and you eat it quickly. They’re not your favourite flavour but you’d never turn down a homemade cookie.

Especially when it was still warm and slightly gooey.

“Go on, go take one to Hoseok. If he’s not gone into a puppy coma or something. Bora is working late tonight so she won’t be home,” She mentions her wife, letting you know that you won’t be seeing her today. “And I’ve got some paperwork to catch up on. Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

“Are you sure? Do you need any help?” Shaking her head, Miyeon smiles softly at you before suddenly cupping your cheek. Her hands are soft, likely through years of a careful skincare regime, and warm but there’s nothing strange about it. More like she’s just observing you.

“He’s lucked out with you, does he know that?” Snorting, you grin as you move away towards the sound of happy chaos. Looking back at her, you hold the cookie up with pride.

“I try to make sure he realises that at least once a day. Keep him on his toes, you know?” Her laughter follows you out of the kitchen and you marvel at yourself for how bold you’d just been. Your past self would be shocked to see you now, probably confused as to how you feel confident enough to say something so bold.

“Hey, butthead. You didn’t say hello to your aunt. That was rude,” You say to Hoseok, your tone only slightly playful. “Go say hi. Look, she even made you cookies.”

Handing one to him, you note how he’s laid on the floor and is surrounded by all the puppies in the litter. Ciri was going to be the first one to go so her four brothers and sisters were all still here. Small tails were wagging furiously at your arrival and you couldn’t help but giggle as they ran over to you, jumping and standing on Hoseok’s exposed stomach from where his shirt had twisted up and causing him to groan.

“Hello, puppies! Oh, aren’t you so cute!” Cooing to them, you hand the cookie to Hoseok as he sits up with a slight wince. For a minute or so, he just eats and watches you with the little ones as you play with them all, unable to stop smiling as they practically throw their small, furry bodies against you in an attempt for your attention.

“Go say hi!” Hissing slightly, your eyes narrow at Hoseok until he holds his hands up and gets up, heading out of the room to go properly greet his aunt. Once he’s gone, you look at all the puppies with a gleeful expression and sit cross-legged.

“Good, he’s gone. Let’s play!” The last word is loud and sharp while you reach forward, tickling one of them until they fall onto their back, showing their tummy for scratches and yelping enthusiastically. His siblings are barking too, tails hitting you almost painfully from how hard they’re going.

Glancing over at their mom, who’s currently laid in her dog bed with tired eyes, you smile affectionately before crawling over to her and giving her a loving stroke too. She seems to almost let out a deep sigh and you can’t help but laugh, running your fingers through her soft fur.

“Is it tiring, mama? All these babies wanting your attention all the time. I bet you can’t wait for some alone time. You’ve done well though, look how cute they are!” It must be a law somewhere that everyone should take to animals as if they’re human, especially in that voice that’s reserved for cute things.

But her big eyes are full of warmth and her tail wags lazily against the bed at your words, causing a few pups to try and attack it. You can’t help but marvel at how she just doesn’t seem to notice them, letting them do what they want.

“Not long now, they’ll all be going to their new homes soon. I bet you’ll miss them. We’ll bring Ciri by sometimes so you can see her!” The other dogs in the house had been socialised with the puppies for the last few weeks and Choco, the labrador was currently laid out against the couch. He was watching you carefully but for the most part, didn’t seem to be too bothered by all the noise.

You presumed that Bella, the other spaniel, was with Miyeon in her office.

“Okay, I said hello. And apologised,” Hoseok said, sitting down next to you and immediately welcoming two puppies onto his lap. “Sorry, I was rude, you’re right. They’re even cuter than last time.”

Grabbing one of the toys they had, he played with one of them enthusiastically until the puppy seemed to exhaust itself. There was a brief moment where it tried hard to keep up but then the next thing you knew, it was fast asleep on the floor. Laughing, you pointed at it before grinning at Hoseok.

“Oh my god, it’s you when you’re drunk.”

That gets a playful scowl but he just shrugs, reaching over to rub Choco’s ears to make sure he didn’t feel left out by it all. The labrador’s long tail beats against the floor tiredly, almost like he can’t be bothered to do it and you smirk at the sight. No doubt all the animals in the house are feeling a little tired and overwhelmed with all the excitement that’s been happening.

Finally, though, the puppies all seem to lose their energy and start to fall asleep wherever they are. Soon enough, you’re surrounded by bundles of fluff that are all twitching in their sleep, the silence pleasant after all their noise.

Hoseok carefully, and slowly, lifts Ciri into his lap. Her colouring was more cream than the rest of them, the others skewing more towards an almost golden tan. It had been part of the reason he’d named her Ciri. Her character in the show, video game and book series was infamous for her ash-blonde hair.

She doesn’t wake up, even as he takes off the coloured collar that had indicated whose puppy she was and replaces it with the one you’d both bought. The tag clunks loudly against the metal ring, causing you both to pause in fear that you’ve woken the others up but none of them stirs.

Finally, he shuffles back until he’s resting against the couch next to you, Ciri sleeping soundly in his arms and looks at you with a bright grin. The sheer amount of affection and happiness in that expression makes your heart physically ache, causing you to press a hand to it without realising.

“Ahh, we have a dog!” He whispers, eyes dancing as he tilts until he’s leaning heavily against you. His head rests on your shoulder and you smile, kissing his hair and just inhaling deeply. The smell of him always makes you feel content and relaxed, but even more so right now after all the chaos of the puppies for the last fifteen minutes.

“We do. Happy?” Nodding, he looks up at you before carefully reaching and cupping your cheek. His hands are rougher than his aunts, but you lean into the touch happily. There’s a brief pause before he kisses you, the movement soft and gentle with no real pressure. It’s more of an ‘I’m-happy’ kiss than anything else and you reciprocate it with ease.

The two of you stay in comfortable silence after that, just stroking and admiring Ciri for a while with no inclination to move just yet. You didn’t want to take her from her family so soon, even if you were her new family now. She should get to play with them all one last time before she goes.

“God, if you told college Hoseok that in a decade he’d been in a long-term relationship with a job, a house, a car, a dog and a cat...well let’s just say that laughing would have been the politest thing he could have done.”

“You know, I was thinking something like that earlier. I don’t think my old me would even recognise me now. But I think that’s for the better. I like who I am now, where I am now.” Stroking Ciri’s velvet-soft ears, you don’t see the fond smile on Hoseok’s face.

“I love you.” Smiling shyly, you take the chance to lean against him now and rest your head. Gently, you poke at his arm in your silent language, letting him know that you reciprocate before sighing contentedly.

For once, you finally felt completely at ease.

[ruckis--rookie]

I had a dream that the way to a speakeasy existed in my gran’s basement which nobody ever uses.  It was a club filled with monsters and demons, the particularly mean spirited kind.  Apparently Panda (my dog and beloved furbaby) wandered in there by accident and when I found that not only was he in there but being treated poorly (branded, whipped, etc) I went ballistic.

I broke my way into the speakeasy (I was my sona for this btw) and tore into the attendees there starting with the bouncer... which I think was Lemon Grab from Adventure Time with a more new york accent for reason???

even though I started out as my regular fursona my shapeshiftin headass quickly took the form of a Kitsune.  Not Kitsuneoctua unfortunately just a normal Ruckis version one.  But it did the job because they all knew all too well what a Kitsune was, and eeing one blinded by the anger of a thousand burning suns really sent t hem into panic mode.

for some reason the way you could enter the bar was climbing up a long slide, like the tunnel slides you see in playgrounds.  The only reason Panda was able to get up there int he first place was because he poked his head in out of curiosity and then they saw him and was like “ah, a dog, the perfect innocent creature to bully relentlessly”.  Which was a big mistake on their part.

Also my gf as her spectatorsona look was there because she was the one that told me about the speakeasy’s existence in the first place after I was rushing around in panic to try and find Panda.  She suggested it as a possibility and then I ran off as fast as I could.

So yeah!  The dream ended in me terrorizing demons as a giant angered Kitsune for bullying and hurting my little fur son.  Panda was safe in the end.  Granted battered and bruised and very much in need of healing, but he was alive and very happy to see me come to his rescue.

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

How long did it take for everything to start feeling normal again after you lost Shy and how long did you wait before getting Mei? We want to get another puppy to keep Lucy's sister Josie company and to make Lucy's passing easier for us, especially my mom, but we don't want it to feel like we're trying to replace her, the new puppy will definitely be extremely loved just has much as all of our dogs but nobody will ever be able to replace her or take her place.

It's really hasn't been normal since losing Shy, but I was getting tired of falling into old habits of checking around under tables and at my feet for her, and just really missed having a cat laying on top of me when I was sleeping. It's probably going to be a long time until it's easier, but the entire household was affected by her absence as well, especially my dog, Tori, who has known Shy all her life (Shy was 13 when we got Tori at 3 months old, and Tori is 5 years old now), who kept going to Shy's preferred spots in the house and throwing fits over not finding her.

Shy grew up with me, since she was my 13th birthday gift, and has been a major chunk of my life over all. The house full of cat accommodations really didn't help me forget that the kitty they were for was no longer there, and the lack of kitty sounds was unusually loud to me.

We heard about a pet adoption event in our general area last month, and decided to take a look to see if anyone there clicked with us. I was adamant in making sure whichever one we chose, they were going to be as different from Shy as possible, because I wasn't replacing her; I was filling the empty space she left behind for a new kitty to find a forever home.

Mei was one of about four cats up for adoption (one of them looked too much like Shy to me) and had been on display for a couple of months apparently, and she immediately wrapped her paws around my hand and rubbed her face on me. Already a different meeting of circumstances, because Shy was a tiny kitten at a pet shop that hooked her little claws in my shoulder on our first encounter.

Mei is loud, unlike Shy, who was selectively mute (tiniest squeaks you ever heard).

Time between losing Shy and getting Mei would probably be about 2-3 months. We're so small town that a pet adoption event is rare, and these types of events covers all the necessary starting measures, such as vaccines and microchipping.

Likewise, my younger brother recently lost his beloved furbaby, a Papillon named Jereth and that same weekend, he found Yasha, a delightful mixed breed with heterochromia (that had been abandoned to the shelter twice due to being too energetic), and welcomed her to his home. I should note that my brother has issues that would normally prevent him from getting outside during "bad days", so him getting Yasha so soon was better for his health on account of a dog being such a good insensitive to keep you active.

If you're interested in getting a new fuzzy buddy after losing a long time pal, there's really no etiquette for how long you should wait; you take that step when you feel it's time to do so.

Just remember that the new critter is a completely different individual, does not have the same experiences as the last one, should not be held up to the same standards since they don't understand, and absolutely do not reruse the same name again. Don't be discouraged to look for the absolute opposite sort of appearance and personality, if you want.

There's a great website, Petfinder.com, that let's you put together a profile and what you're looking for in terms of age, gender, size, preferences, disabilities or not, breed, and if they can do good in a household with other pets or children. It'll check the local verified shelters and foster homes for anyone in that description, and you can call up the places to arrange a meeting. All of this is approved by reputable pet adoption agencies, and might be a good way for you to browse around for anyone who might be the right fit. That way, you don't get tricked by a puppy mill or something shady.

I've always been a cat person more than a dog person (though I love dogs just as much), and for as long as I can remember, there's always been a cat present. I have cat items all over the place, a majority of my shirts have cat designs, my blankets and curtains are cat themed, so it really feels horribly wrong to not have a lovely kitty to look after.

Also, I chose to adopt from a shelter this time around because shelter pets really need forever homes and I myself am an adopted child, so this is a bit of a personal preference.

Still missing Shy, obviously, but I think having Mei around helps.

[growing-wonders]

Good evening everyone! How are you doing? I’m finally back and found time to make an update on here. Yeah, the whole "starting over with the blog" didn't exactly go as planned. It's been over TWO MONTHS since I made that "first post," but it’s been forever since we've had a newborn in the house, it’s taken some time for us to properly adjust. Clair is doing amazingly well, and has grown so much since birth. She’s got the most beautiful blue eyes (hoping to post photos of her soon) and we are very excited to have another blue-eyed child in our little family. Her hair seems to be leaning more towards brown than red, so that's fun. Would have been kind of cool with another redhead, but it seems that Max is happy to be the only one, haha. For now, at least. We do want more kids after all.

Since we decided to start over with the blog, I also made all of our older posts private, so there’s no real introduction on here anymore. I might as well write a few sentences about us in this post, even if most of you already do know who we are. On another note, we also want a new family photo for the blog, and I can already tell it's going to be an absolute horror show! Fortunately, my brother will be the one taking the photos, so we won’t be driving a pro photographer into early retirement, so we're good!

Speaking of photographers, Max and Lumi actually took the photo of Damien and I above, and I must say, we were very impressed by their skills. Max was carrying his little sister on his back to get the right angle, and to carefully conceal any unfortunate triple chins, and the photo came out really well.

But as stated above, it’s been over two months since the last time I posted on here, so as expected, a lot has happened since then. We are in the process of moving to a bigger house, and we are now living in the beautiful Rosewood Park. Of course, we do miss Dreamer's Bay at times, but are happy with where we live now. Everyone are so wonderful here. Max and Lumi have made so many friends in the short time we've lived here, and it's a very close and friendly community. For example, I don't need to worry a lot when we let the kids go outside and play with their friends, because there will always be someone around to look after them. That's what we do here. We take care of everyone 💗

But let's move on to the introduction:

I won't go into too much detail this time around though. If you’re a new follower on this blog, it might be a little helpful, and so you’ll at least have an idea about who you are reading about. My name is Tabitha Elizabeth. I am the owner of the blog (together with my husband, Damien) but I'm mostly the one who will be posting here. We got married on July 13 last year, and we have three beautiful children together—Maximilien Étienne (7), Lumi Pauline (5) and Clair Anaïs (3 months). Our little family also consists of two furbabies, my daughter's beloved rabbit, Raisin, and our donkey, Mango. We are currently residing in Rosewood Park, where we plan to spend the rest of our lives as a family together. This is where we want our children to grow up, but we have lived quite a few places in the past (Dreamer's Bay and Mirth, to mention some). My husband works as a police officer. He was recently transfered to RP police department, and I've been a stay-at-home mom since my friend and I decided to close our bakery around the time of Clair's birth, and I'm currently in the process of choosing a different career path. And that's it. I can’t think of what else to add, so this will have to do.

[katisback]

Today I had a talk with my therapist at the very end of our session about this boy, and I’d like to open up about it, because Chris told me something that I think is important for all pet owners. 

This beautiful boy is Goober. When I was about three, four (?) years old, our neighbor rescued him from the street and we adopted him. I was a very annoying child to him, tail pulling, putting him on makeshift leashes, carrying him places he didn’t want to go... the works. He didn’t like me for the first several years, and then I started to learn how to be better to my cat, and we adopted another kitten, whom he did not love. I don’t know if it was because of her appearance, or my changed behavior, but he started to willingly spend more time with me. 

By the time he was about 13 years old, he developed arthritis in his back legs, and it was very hard for him to climb up on things that he liked to, and to move around and be held and all those things. I started my junior year of high school that year. He had become much more willingly friendly with me over the last couple years or so. He would come into my bedroom sometimes. If I was on the couch working on my laptop, he would jump up next to me and lay against my thigh, allowing me to lay my arm over his belly, holding my wrist between his front paws. Sometimes, if I was lying on my front on the couch, he would jump up to curl up on my back. If I pulled him onto my lap or into my arms, one of the best ways to keep him calm was to pet his ears. He loved it when I stroked his ears. 

That year, the spring semester of my junior year, we had to put him down. I stayed in the room with him and carried his box home, and I was the one to lay him in the little grave we dug. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard for someone before. I missed him terribly, and I still do. 

For a while right after, it was hard to look at the couch or into another room and see his absence. Sometimes, I thought I saw him out of the corner of my eye when he wasn’t there, or when it was just our other cat (who does not like me unless I’m brushing her when she’s shedding). Eventually, that stopped, and I didn’t see him where he wasn’t. 

This school year, I started university. I started to notice that when I was walking to class, or sitting at my desk in my dorm room, I would see him trotting past me from the corner of my eye, ducking behind a bush, or tree, or my wardrobe. My eyes hadn’t done that in years. I saw him in my classrooms, my friends’ apartments, at home when I visited, and even at my grandparents’ house. The last few weeks, I’ve been seeing him a lot. 

Just yesterday, I was sitting on the couch, leaning against the arm, and on my left, where the back of the couch is, I thought I saw him sitting on top of one of the folded blankets -- his favorite blanket to curl up on. I looked up and he wasn’t there, and a part of my heart felt so empty, like I’d just had to bury him the day before. 

So today, I told Chris that I’d been seeing Goober, and I didn’t know what to do about it, I was confused why I was seeing him now when I hadn’t since we’d put him down. 

He told me that it was normal, and I couldn’t believe it, but he explained that it’s part of the grieving process. 

I’ve been fortunate in that I haven’t had to deal with much grief and loss in my family life. However, Chris explained, I did just go through a pretty significant loss by graduating high school and going to university. Not only did I leave an environment full of people that I knew for a long time (and probably got to know more deeply than I realized), but I had to leave the area entirely, leaving my peers, friends, and family behind. I may as well have had a large funeral for all of those people, because many of them I will never communicate with again, or will only see again at class reunions. 

He explained that grief will often compound. So while I had just lost my whole support system of people and all the things I had grown up and become comfortable with, the loss of my beloved Goober was a similar feeling and was probably resurfacing with those feelings of loss. 

When losing family members or people that are close to us, it is common to see them out of the corner of your eye, and in places where you would usually see them. Most people agree that it is a normal part of the grieving process, but I was terrified that seeing my cat in the same way was somehow abnormal. Chris confirmed that many people have the misconception that it should be different for pets. 

But pets are your family. Most often, you adopt an animal and care for them their entire life, and then outlive them. You bond deeply with them and when they have to leave you, it is just as painful and impactful as losing a human family member. Seeing Goober from the corner of my eye is a normal reaction to losing a beloved pet, and also to the recent grief and loss in my life. It’s okay that I’m still grieving his death, and I should allow myself to feel sad and miss him, because it’s only natural. 

Don’t feel ashamed for missing your pets or having reactions like mine, because your grief is natural and healthy, and it just means you loved your furbabies well. TL;DR - I’ve been seeing my cat, Goober, out of the corner of my eye lately, even though we put him down years ago. I brought it up to my therapist, who assured me that it was a normal part of the grief process, because loss is loss, no matter the person or animal, and having this reaction is just as natural as if I were seeing a human family member. Grieving over pets is natural, even years and years after their passing, and is nothing to be ashamed of or worried about.

[eric-thetherapycat]

The Colour (of Your Eyes)

Chapter 19

Pepper rubbed a hand down her face and Tony frowned at the pure exhaustion dragging at her features, blue eyes red rimmed. “It is a he and you get to name him.”

Tony glanced back down at where the small furrball was brushing his face across Tony’s knuckles, tongue darting out across his fingertips. “He’s mine?”

“Yeah, he’s specially trained to tell you to go to bed and take your medications.” Pepper stood to her feet smoothing a hand down her skirt, still pretty even with the bags bruised underneath her eyes. “FRIDAY and the cleaning bots will take most of the responsibilities from you while you recover. After that, I think routine will help.”

Rhodey was still enamoured with the cat when Tony’s gaze fell back down, smoothing his thumb across a furry cheek. Stunning blue eyes blinked up at him and suddenly Tony fell back into the memory of musicals, sitting on the couch in strong arms. Beautiful azure eyes and sunny golden hair. He shivered, blinking the haze of the thought away.

The Little Mermaid was his favourite Disney movie, never mind the person he was watching it with. Tony was going to spoil his cat, he already knew the small furball would be lavished with all the riches Tony could afford.

“His name is Eric.”

A name fit for his little prince.

500 years later silky sin has entered the chat

Howdy folks!

Ah this was just a lil thing i made for @starksnack to show give a certain blue-eyed kitty my appreciation for looking after our beloved iron babe. It was originally on my AO3 TCOYE fanart collection thing /cough/ but then I remembered that there’s a whole blog dedicated to this precious furbaby so, why not upload it here? Duh.

( Yee. I hope you like it hun! :D )

Take care, toots.  ♡

[scoopexplainsit]

Our beloved Tyco, who rescued us as much as we rescued him, was confirmed as having lymphoma on Friday, and today he had his first chemotherapy treatment. After my dad died twelve years ago, I knew I needed something to distract me through the summer, and so we adopted this little brown puppy when he was just 8 weeks old. We are praying this helps him feel better, and makes his remaining time with us joyful and happy. #dogsofinstagram #cancersucks #dogmom #furbaby

[your-ginger-angel]

I’m sorry for yours!  I’ve been following your journey through your photos and it mirrored my own.  Sadly, that made me feel just a little bit better about what I had to do last weekend.  Give your puppers some love from this anonymous online person.  He deserves all the love for losing his brother and you deserve all the love for losing your beloved furbaby.

We got Sheldon's urn and paw print tonight and Bucky Barks sniffed the bag and has been laying next to the bag ever since.

[lunakinesis]

Archie

I had a teddy bear that just had to go everywhere with me as a kid. I'm nothing special there, I'm sure we all had that one toy, stuffy or comforter that went everywhere and anywhere with us. Mine wasn't really a 'bear', it was a grey and white Husky dog that I'd named Archibald, Archie for short... Don't ask about the name, I was a weird kid.

Archibald and I did everything together: he slept in my bed, sat on the lid of the toilet whilst I bathed or brushed my teeth, sat on the table beside me whilst I ate, sat in my backpack or on my desk at school and in my lap on the school bus as well as any car trips. I cherished him, kept him incredibly pristine for a child. The only damaged he suffered was unfortunately losing an eye, but he was clean and neat and I loved him.

But one day Archibald went missing.

I don't know how it happened since he was always with me, I especially don't know how it happened since I had him in my bed. But one morning I woke up and Archibald was gone. He wasn't in my arms like he had been when I'd fallen asleep, he had been pushed to other parts of my bed as I wriggled around nor had he managed to get between the duvet and its cover. I even looked under my bed in case he had fallen out during the night. He was nowhere to be found.

I was inconsolable. My mom and dad both tried to make me feel better but I cried for hours and didn't stop until my face was red and puffy and my eyes were burning, I think I only even stop then because I'd exhausted my tiny body. But I was still upset. My parent and I tore the house apart looking for him, we went through every room and closet at least three times. But he was just... gone. They were as baffled as I was, the only explanation they could come with was that our cat had somehow managed to take him from in my sleep and dragged him through the house and out the cat-flap in the kitchen door, eventually dragging him of somewhere outside. It doesn't make much sense looking back on it. Cinnamon wasn't the kind to take my stuffed animals. My socks, yes. My toys? No. I don't even think he could've fit through the flap with Archie in his mouth. But it was the only way we could explain this Husky doll vanishing off the face of the earth.

We did check the back yard but he wasn't out there either. I think my parents asked the neighbours if they could check their own yards, but I don't think many of them bothered, and he wasn't in any of the ones that were checked. I had to face the unpleasant reality of things: Archie was gone forever.

I had lost a few toys before and a good number since and I recovered quickly from each. But I never really got over Archie because of the inexplicable nature of his disappearance and how much he had meant to me. My parents replaced him with another stuffed Husky dog, but it just wasn't the same, grateful as I was for them trying.

Time went by and Archibald was largely forgotten except for during the occasional dinner where his mysterious disappearance was brought up between my parents, myself and any guests. I grew up and went to college, got a job and eventually managed to get a house of my own with my husband. We weren't interested in having children, that was something we'd both discussed. But we did have another thing in mind: furbabies.

We both loved animals, especially dogs.

Shelters were our first stop, see if we clicked with any of the dogs in the local ones and give the animals who been dealt a bad hand in life a chance of finding a forever home.

It was at the second shelter that we visited that we found the first dog we wanted to bring home with us. Boy, did I get a shock when I approached than pen.

There were three Huskies inside of it. All beautiful and alert, tails wagging. But one especially caught my attention. He was big, even for a Siberian Husky. He had the iconic grey and white colouring and the equally iconic piercing blue eyes the breed is known for. Or rather 'eye'. Yeah. One eye. This dog looked like a living, breathing Archie. It was love at first sight, and me and my husband took him home as soon as everything was taken care of.

My husband knew the story of Archibald by this point, and so we renamed our new family member Archie. He was a gentle giant and a big baby. He loved to go for runs with me in the morning and snoozing on the sofa beside me and my husband in the evenings (even if it was a tight squeeze to get the three of us on the couch with how big he was.). He wasn't allowed to sleep on the bed simply because of his size, but he had a bed in our room and would either curl up there or lie on the floor on my side of bed at night.

Life was perfect with him, our little unit felt complete. We wanted to add more animals into the mix, but we wanted to see how we did with one first. We were doing pretty great but.. one of our neighbours hated Archie.

I don't know why. He only barked when the mail came or when firecrackers went off. He never strayed from our yard to do business in someone else's, and he wasn't an aggressive dog. Samuel Cooper just hated him. Kept telling me and my husband we should 'put him out of his misery'. Apparently only having one eye was enough for this dog to deserve a one-way vet trip.

Naturally we were disgusted by this and it lead to many arguments between this neighbour and ourselves. We never thought much of it beyond him being some bitter man who just hated happiness.

That all changed in the middle of November. We found a dead cat in our yard. She belonged to someone a few doors down. When her owners took her body to the vet, it was revealed she'd been poisoned. Those neighbours new we had a dog and knew we would never think of poisoning another animal. It left us all to conclude it had been our next-door neighbour, Mr. Cooper. We couldn't prove it at the time, no evidence was found. But we knew it was him. The death glares he shot us every time we passed one another outside were enough to tell us he'd been trying to kill Archie.

I'm very sorry to say that several months down the line he tried again... and succeeded.

It had been so long since he'd tried anything or said anything beyond his usual grumblings and we'd let our guard down. He'd thrown a piece of chicken into our yard and stuffed poisonous pellets into it. Archie ate it without a second thought and a few hours later he was convulsing and vomiting. There was nothing the vet could do. We put him down so he didn't have to suffer a slow, agonising death.

I wish I could say the bastard got what he deserved and was caught this time but again, we couldn't prove HE had been responsible, even if one look at his smug face gave his guilt away. We were devastated, in fact that word doesn't seem enough. I was utterly crushed. I'd lost Archie all over again, only this time if was even worse because he was a real dog, not just a plush toy.

About a month or so after we lost Archie, Mr. Cooper confronted my husband as he was tending to our lawn, he started ranting and raving about our 'new dog' barking all night long out in our yard and that if it happened again he'd call animal control. My husband told him he didn't know what he was talking about, we didn't have a dog anymore, not since he'd murdered our last one.

Of course he didn't believe a word of that, but my husband turned the lawnmower back on and ignored his screeching. We both agreed when he relayed the story to me that Samuel Cooper was delusional, or that his guilt for killing our beloved pet was getting the better of him. We shrugged it off, thinking he'd realise when he didn't see it at all that we definitely didn't have a new dog. Boy, were we wrong.

A few nights late at around two in the morning he was banging on our front door so hard I thought someone was trying to break in until we both heard him screaming "Shut that fucking dog up!" between his pounding on the door. I didn't want my husband to go down and answer the door to him, but he had had enough of Cooper's 'bullshit' to quote him.

I listened from the bedroom door as my husband stormed downstairs and threw our front door open, demanding Cooper get off our properly. It was met with more nonsensical rambling about our dog howling non-stop all night. My husband reiterated that we had no dog but the man just wouldn't have it.

The door was slammed in his face at that point and my husband slumped back up the stairs, as confused as I was about our neighbour's ravings. He stayed out there for another ten minutes before finally leaving. We decided if it happened again, we would call the police to remove him.

Morning came and when I was out for my routine jog I saw Mr. Cooper getting into his car to go to work. He looked exhausted: eyes heavy with black bags under them, skin pale. He still managed to sneer at me as I passed his house and entered my yard. I was tempted to ask if he should be driving when he clearly hadn't gotten enough sleep but I didn't want to bait a foul-tempered man in a Jeep into attempting to mow me down.

His usual time for returning home came and went, and my husband and I noted Mr. Cooper hadn't returned from work. It's just one of those things you notice after a while, you know your neighbours routines almost as much as your own. We shrugged it of however, maybe he'd gone to run errands or visit family or just have a drink. He'd looked in dire need of one when he'd left this morning. I expressed that I hoped if he did have a drink, he didn't drive home as he'd already looked in no condition to be behind the wheel when he'd left that morning, nevermind with alcohol on top.

The next morning came and he still wasn't back. The neighbour who'd lost their cat was however, coming down our drive as I was heading out.

"Did you hear?" she asked me.

My face scrunching up was enough of an answer as I popped my headphones out of my ears.

"Oh! You didn't!" She gasped, the sound genuine and not dramatic as I'd expected from something I'd assumed would be gossip. "Samuel got into a crash on the way home from work last night. Apparently he fell asleep at the wheel! His car was wrecked and he's in an induced coma but they don't think he's going to make it."

I stared dumbly out across my yard into Mr. Cooper's. He really hadn't been in any state to drive. "He did look exhausted yesterday morning but I didn't want to say anything, you know how he is."

She nodded. "I know it's awful but I hope he doesn't pull through. Karma if you ask me, for what he did to our babies."

I felt terrible to admit it, but I felt the same. It wasn't as if he had any children who needed him. He was just a cruel, bitter man who'd taken the lives of two, sweet animals. I decided I didn't care what happened to him, and beyond relaying the news to my husband thought nothing else of it until that night.

My husband had a late shift at work and so I was home alone. I'd settled into bed with my table lamp on reading a book when I heard something scratch at the bedroom door. I thought I was simply hearing things at first, maybe missing Archie's company so much I was hallucinating the sound of him 'asking' to be let into the room. But then the sound came again.

Thinking maybe a stray or pet cat had managed to get in the house I got out of bed and opened the door. What was on the other side left my mouth agape.

An old, one-eyed Husky stuffy. Archibald had finally come home.

[uta-no-knb]

Hi, I saw you lost your cat.. If I may ask, how many days are you crying over her and what are you doing to make yourself feel better? Because I'm undergo the same way

Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry for your loss. This might be long and I’m sorry, but I’m going to start off with the day it happened.

Every night, (at least for the first few days of her passing), the memory of her euthanasia kept playing in my head. I had decided weeks prior that it would be for the best to put her down so she wasn’t suffering; so it wasn’t an on the spot decision, but one I had been anticipating

She loved my snuggie-so we wrapped her in it and I was tearing up. The moment we walked into the vet, it dawned on me that this would be the last time I’d take her to the vet. My mom paid right away so that after she passed, we could just go, and I sat on the benches waiting to be called. God I was crying-not sobbing, but crying and I soaked her fur. She didn’t try to run-she knew and she accepted it. 

The moment my mom finished paying, we were led to a room, where we waited; I was holding her and crying, just talking to her. She was heavy, but I didn’t care. When the vet came in (and the assistant) to ask what the problem was (she wanted to make sure that we weren’t just putting her down because we were tired of her), I refused to let her go and chimed in when needed. We paid extra for her paw prints and ashes. When the vet came in the second time-this time with the shots, I reluctantly placed her on the table and she curled in the corner, but we held her on her side. The vet gave Misha a drug which knocked her out, before giving her the pentobarbital (the actual drug that puts the animal to sleep). 

Once she was asleep, the vet injected the pentobarbital...and Misha passed quickly. That was when I really sobbed. I kissed her head and kept whispering that she was a good kitty over and over. Once Misha had passed, the vet was kind and shaved off some of her fur and put it in a bag for me. I had never seen an animal being put to sleep in person, so it was a first experience for me...God I cried so much. (We ended up leaving the snuggie much to my protest)

My cat was always a scaredy cat, so she mostly lived in my room. When she was starting to get sick, I had her litter box in my room and her food and bed (and towels everywhere). When we came back from the vet, I walked into my room and it was so empty; my dad decided to clean up the cat stuff.  The first night was rough; I cried myself to sleep and luckily, I had a stuffed animal that was scented that i cried into. I had to take 4 days off of work to cope with my loss (I pinned the bag of her fur above my bed).

It was weird; I ended up starting the new year without my furbaby (keep in mind, I put her down the day before New Years Eve). After a week or two, the crying at night stopped and since I had some of her fur, I felt a little better, but when I found out that my mom had had her ashes hiding in her closet, that was when I cried even harder; I hugged the box with her ashes and cried for hours. 

So back to your question in regards to how I’ve been coping; 

I cried for a few days on and off - just whenever the thought of her came to mind. 

I took a lot of pictures and videos of Misha so I downloaded them all and I’m making a memorial video (I have a mini one on my youtube and Vimeo accounts) with them

I was cleaning my room recently and I found some of her toys; I didn’t cry, but I was sad. So I ended up making a mini memorial spot for her on my desk ( she didn’t wear a collar so I made a name tag with her name and when she was born to when she passed)

I was also lucky that Build-a-Bear just released a stuffed animal cat that looks exactly like her, so I bought it and when I stuffed it, I put some of her fur in it. 

I think the main thing that has been helping me was the support of my friends. Not a day goes by where I don’t think of Misha, but I have my friends with me and they were always willing to listen (one of my friends spent a few days drawing a picture of misha holding a little note that made me fucking cry). 

Misha was a birthday present when I turned 16 and I value every memory I have with her. I purchased a remembrance journal and I’m filling it out. When we got Misha’s remains back, a poem came with it and I’m going to write what it said; 

“There is a bridge connecting heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors.  Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge is a land of meadows, hills and valleys, all of it covered with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this lovely land.  There is always food and water and warm spring weather.  There, the old and frail animals are young again.  Those who are maimed are made whole once more.  They play all day with each other, content and comfortable.

There is only one thing missing.  They are not with the special person who loved them on Earth.  So each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up!  Then, the nose twitches!  The ears are up!  The eyes are staring!  You have been seen, and that one suddenly runs from the group

You take him or her in your arms and embrace.  Your face is kissed again and again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.

Then, together, you cross the Rainbow Bridge, never again to be separated.” ~ Author Unknown

I’m so so sorry about your loss, Anon-and I’m in the same boat as you. The best thing you can really do is just treasure the memories that you had with your cat (or dog?). 

If you want to talk more about it, or want someone to talk to, shoot me a message; I’ll gladly listen. I find that talking about your pet helps a bit-and I can give you more advice if you would like. 

Here’s a link to the journal that I purchased 

My Pet Remembrance Journal

I hoped this helped a bit; I’m always here to listen if someone needs to talk. You’re in my prayers anon; you’re strong and you can get through this :)

[lisboeta1]

April 11th is National Pet Day! Come celebrate with us!  Pets of all shapes and sizes enrich our lives and bring us joy.  Some of our favorite authors have included beloved pets as characters in their books.  After all, pets bring people together! If you enjoy stories that feature furbabies, fish and pets of a more unusual variety, have we got a sale for you! For a limited time, only on our website, the ebooks featured below are on SALE, at a discount of up to 75%.  Grab one – or more than one – of these today and discover your next amazing read!

And while it’s our party, we’d love to gift YOU with your choice of ONE of the books included in our Pet Day Celebration Sale.  Sign up for our newsletter to enter! Share the giveaway via the blog post for another entry!

We’ll choose four winners, one paperback book each.  Open Internationally. Follow this link to enter the GIVEAWAY:

AFTER THE SCRUM by Dahlia Donovan

Sherlock is one of those pets who is larger than life. He has more personality than some of his human counterparts. Sherlock is a service dog that recognizes impending anxiety attacks in his beloved human and quickly attempts to comfort or distract.

AT WAR WITH A BROKEN HEART by Dahlia Donovan

The pets of At War With A Broken Heart are some of my favourites in all my stories. We have Rabbit, who’s a fox, and Fox, who’s a rabbit. Still with me? I love the not-fox and the not-rabbit. And lastly, Haggard, a loyal and intelligent service dog, who lives for his human. Haggard was trained specifically to help a retired military veteran dealing with survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress. A blue merle Australian Shepherd. Beautiful, clever, and funny. He’s the perfect companion.

THE TRAIL TO YOU by Lindsay Detwiler

My mastiff, Henry, appears in all of my novels simply because I love him. I’ve always wanted to write a book, however, in which he is a more integral part of the story. In The Trail to You, Henry is a main character; several of the chapters even follow his journey. When his owner, Ronan, returns from a deployment to find his best friend Henry missing, he will set out on an epic journey to get him back. Ronan doesn’t expect that Henry will lead him to the path he was always meant to find, however. Even though my real-life Henry has never been in this situation, there are many true-to-life traits of the character in the book. For example, my real Henry is obsessed with cupcakes and would love Cupcakes of the Abyss as featured in the book. This story celebrates the magic that happens when a human and dog bond, a magic I’ve come to know firsthand with Henry in my life.

  THEN COMES LOVE by Lindsay Detwiler

I used to say I was an aspiring crazy cat lady, but now that we have five cats, I think I’m definitely there. Charlotte Noel in my chick lit series Then Comes Love shares my love for cats. When she moves into the nursing home and her daughter is forced to adopt her five cats, chaos ensues. One of the scenes in the book where the cat is stolen by a neighbor is based on a real-life event with my own cat; a neighbor of ours ended up snatching our cat by mistake, and after looking for her for months, I happened to see her in their window.

OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX by Genevive Chamblee

Hockey captain, Christophe Fontenot, is tall, blond, and sexy with a “massive” personality larger than the area he pulverizes his opponents. It stands to reason that this stacked with muscles hunk’s furry companion would be his four-legged match. Claire, a slobbering but lovable Bullmastiff, is a rags-to-riches canine sort of speak. Nearly starved and beaten to death as a pup, Claire was rescued by Christophe. With nothing in his heart to give other than love, Christophe spoiled her rotten with gourmet treats, hugs, and special-order plush toys. Now, Claire’s pastime consists of sunbathing by the pool and chasing Allie, Christophe’s pet gator. Yeah, it’s like that in bayou country. Read more about Claire in Out of the Penalty Box.

BREAKING DOWN by Megan Lowe

In Breaking Down Buttons comes along at just the right time for Jax. In her he sees a lot of himself and identifies with her. At a difficult time for the youngest Ryan, she becomes the family he feels he has lost. The relationship between Jax and Buttons is pure love, of two “abandoned” souls coming together to form a family. I think it proves that pets are as much a part of a family unit as any person can be.

BLUE, Dragon Runner Book 3 by ML Nystrom

Toto and Sam were my son’s childhood dogs. My son had turned four years old when Toto joined our family. She had such a variety of DNA, I have no clue of what breeds she had in her. Her version of a doggie hug included walking up to you, pressing the top of her head into your chest, and staying there until you petted her. She was just short of sixteen when she passed. Sam came into our lives with a sadder story. A rescue group found him in a box abandoned in a parking lot. By some miracle, he was still alive and won the doggie lottery by coming to live with my son and me. Sam was a boxer/pit bull mix and the biggest cuddle bug ever. Toto helped Sam tremendously on how to be a family dog. They would play hard in the backyard, eat together, and sleep curled up next to each other. Very often all four of us would crowd in my bed. They took up more than their fair share, and I learned to sleep on a tiny piece of the edge during those times.

TIME FOR LOVE, Timeless Love Book #2 by Laura N. Andrews

Thor is loved by his two daddies, Nicholas and Caleb. A German shepherd cross husky, Thor’s light blue eyes can sparkle with mischief and shine with intelligence. He’s both cheeky and smart and loves to have his dads chase him around and dote on him. His favourite things in life are sleeping in their bed and running and swimming at the beach.

OCEANS AWAY by Skye McNeil

In Oceans Away, Gideon Taggart has two Australian Shepherds, Diesel and Dallas. As an owner of a blue merle Aussie and lover of the cute wiggle of the breed, I had to incorporate a little of that into this story. Diesel and Dallas are quite the pair. They help Gideon around the farm with chores of chasing anything that moves. Both dogs also get into trouble when it comes to the woman in Gideon’s life: Ireland Leighton. I won’t give too much away, but I will say that slobber is involved with these cuties. Since Ireland and Gideon live on farms, animals are abundant, and pets are equally as involved in their day to day routine. If you’re an animal lover, Oceans Away is sure to bring a smile to your face and a desire to hug your furry best friend.

  HEARTS ABROAD by Skye McNeil

In Hearts Abroad, Callum Archer has a basset hound named Sherlock. As you can probably guess, the dog is slobbery, lazy, and loving to all. Once a hunter, Sherlock now spends his days lounging in his favorite dog bed near Callum’s desk and chases squirrels every so often. He prefers leisurely walks around the mansion or playing with Callum’s two daughters to hunting these days. Sherlock isn’t the only fun pet in Hearts Abroad, though. Enter Oreo, a black and white tuxedo kitty who also happens to love chicken lo mein and crawling wherever he desires. While Oreo belongs to Londyn Bellerose’s roommate, the chubby cat tends to walk all over Londyn and even hide in her luggage. He’s the epitome of a curious cat who just wants you to sit down long enough to pet him. Both Sherlock and Oreo bring the characters in Hearts Abroad to life. Plus, a little fur makes a story warm in all the right places. Check out Hearts Abroad to learn more about Sherlock, Oreo, and the humans who make the story come to life.

FINDING MARNIE by MV Ellis

They say dogs are man’s best friend, and in Finding Marnie Luke puts that theory to the test when he gifts his love Marnie a gorgeous female puppy who is in need of a home. Marnie is going through a rough patch in her life, and wanting to help, Luke thinks the new puppy will be both a distraction, and a source of uncomplicated and unconditional love–something Marnie’s in desperate in need of. It’s fair to say that her life hasn’t been easy–in fact, at various points, including when she was very young, it has been marred by hardship and tragedy. As she points out, it wasn’t the kind of upbringing where she had a pet, or anyone, to love her, or whom she could love in return. Luke’s hunch is right, and Marnie falls instantly in love with her new dependent. If only opening her heart and accepting her love for Luke could be so simple.

THE JEWEL CHRONICLES – DESERT JEWEL & SNOW JEWEL by Natalina Reis

In the Jewel Chronicles series, Princess Milenda has a special kind of pet. His name is Mjusi and even though in Afrika they call him a forest lizard, he’s actually a young dragon. Mjusi’s relationship with Milenda is so much more than that of a pet and its owner. They’re best friends who grew up together and would do anything for each other. He might be green and iridescent—and at times cough up smoke—but he was Milenda’s only friend growing up and was always there for her through thick and thin. They found each other in loneliness and filled an empty space in each other’s hearts. Such is the power of a pet’s love.

      The Jewel Chronicles

  Hot Tree Publishing Pet Day Sale

  National Pet Day Book Sale April 11th is National Pet Day! Come celebrate with us!  Pets of all shapes and sizes enrich our lives and bring us joy.