#we call him our furry miracle now sometimes

[why-am-i-here-someone-save-me]

“Don’t talk to me, I angy.”

[pennamesmith]

Return of the Skeletor

A family reunion. Find more Skeletor stories here! 

*

Micah remembered the other world. 

Most people could, in fact. The whole planet was affected. They’d all lived a life they thought was perfect. They’d all imagined something intangible. The memories were faded and fragmentary, like the recollection of a dream, but everyone was certain it had really happened. 

Even if nothing that had happened was real. 

At first Micah didn’t realize anyone else had shared in the dream. He’d lost track of time on Beast Island long ago, and when the collapsing portal closed around him he only assumed it was one of the despairing wasteland’s many tricks. He never had long to dwell on the matter, either. Soon after finding himself returned to reality (he could remember shouting to Angella, reaching for her, trying to tell her “I’m not dead!”) Micah had met the loud and unusual Princess Entrapta. And after her there came…

“She-Ra! It’s She-Ra!” a nasally voice shrieked. 

Micah was startled out of his reverie by a sudden clattering of hooves. The door to his Bright Moon office burst inwards and he was presented with the sight of a breathless Swift Wind. Sitting astride the rainbow-winged unicorn was one of Entrapta’s bots, a lanky drone she’d named ‘Skeletor.’

“The time has come!” Skeletor said. 

“It’s true!” Swift Wind confirmed. “I felt the sacred bond return just a minute ago. Adora and the others are back from Eternia! Darla is over the Whispering Woods right now!”

“What?” Micah jumped to his feet, abandoning his desk without a second thought. It was covered in a mountain of paperwork: royal records, his regent’s duties, and the calendar pages where he’d marked off every day since Glimmer and the rest of the Princess Alliance left for their dangerous mission to another universe. He rushed to the door where Swift Wind was standing. 

Skeletor reached out and helped Micah onto the horse’s back. “Join hands as we bring together our mystic powers!” the robot cried. Once Micah was settled, Swift Wind turned and leapt out the nearest window. They sailed through the skies. 

“What’s going on? Are they all right?” Micah asked, with undisguised worry. 

Swift Wind banked, soaring over the tree line. “I’m not sure! The ship is under control but — look, there it is!” 

Darla, the rebuilt First Ones ship, was descending rapidly from the sky over the treetops. Her flight was steady, but parts of the hull were damaged, and smoke trailed from one wing. Suddenly the ship lurched and plummeted into the trees, vanishing from sight. A plume of vegetation went flying as it plowed to a smouldering stop. 

Micah felt his stomach twist. “We need to get closer!” he called out in a panic. 

“I can take you there!” Skeletor declared, urging Swift Wind toward the ground. They touched down by the edge of a long path of smoking destruction that stretched deep into the woods. 

“They must have landed near here,” Skeletor deduced, observing the massive trench in the ground. He hopped off the horse’s back and ran ahead, making anxious utterances as he went. 

Micah dismounted and walked beside Swift Wind. “I hate this,” Micah confessed. “The staying behind, I mean. At least on Beast Island I was the only one I had to worry about, and I was in control of my own survival. But having to stand by while Glimmer goes into danger? I’m so proud of her, yet I’m also so scared.” 

“I know what you mean,” Swift Wind answered. “I trust Adora, but I also worry about her, like, all the time. Whenever we’re apart I get so restless. I just feel powerless!”  

“Sometimes letting them find their own way is all we can do,” Micah mused. 

They came into a clearing in the woods. Darla was there, sparking and steaming but generally intact. Skeletor hammered on the door. 

“Here, let me try to get you out!” he called. 

Something inside the ship made a noise. There was a hiss and a jet of steam, and Skeletor tumbled backwards, landing with a squawk at Micah and Swift Wind’s feet. They all stared at Darla, holding their breath expectantly.

The front hatch of the spaceship popped open. Entrapta erupted out of it, tumbling down the landing ramp in a ball of frizzled hair. She pulled her goggles up. 

“Aha! We made it!” she crowed, taking in her surroundings. “All in the right dimension and everything!” 

She reached into the recesses of her hair and emerged with a haggard Hordak. “Your piloting saved us! I knew you could do it!” she told him proudly. 

Hordak squinted through half-lidded eyes. “Is it over?” he muttered. “Are we still alive?”

“Yep!” Entrapta wobbled to her feet and gathered her partner up in her ponytails. “Now, let’s get you a checkup and some rest. You’ve had a stressful voyage!” 

She suddenly seemed to notice the gathered onlookers. “Oh! Hi Skeletor. Hi Bird Horse. Hi Micah. Guess what? You’re gonna love this!” Entrapta turned back to the ship. “Safe to disembark, crew!” she yelled, before trotting off with Hordak.

“Now we’ll see how clever you are!” Skeletor said. 

Mermista peeked around the door. “Ground!” she cried, throwing herself across the dirt in relief. “I never thought I’d miss you so much!” 

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad a flight,” Sea Hawk cajoled, helping her to her feet. “Why, I can think of a dozen — no, two dozen more harrowing trips I’ve taken in the Dragon’s Daughter XXVIII.” 

“You fishmonger,” Skeletor scoffed. 

Frosta was the next one out, followed closely by Perfuma and Scorpia. “Eternia was amazing!” the teenaged ice princess announced, brandishing a pair of frozen fists. “I got to punch so much stuff!” 

“Come on, it wasn’t all violence,” Perfuma pleaded. 

“Yeah, we learned a bunch about friendship and responsibility too,” Scorpia agreed. 

“Punch! Punch!” Frosta said. 

“You’re becoming evil, I can sense it!” Skeletor hummed approvingly. “Excellent!” 

Catra and Adora came next, and they were accompanied by a young man Micah had never seen before. He had a pink shirt, bobbed blond hair, and bore an uncanny resemblance to Adora herself. A sword hung on his back. He blinked as he emerged into the light. 

Swift Wind’s jaw dropped. “Adora! Is that…?” 

“Hey guys!” Adora grinned sheepishly. “So, funny story. You remember how when I was a baby I was taken from a hidden First Ones faction that nobody has ever been able to find since?” 

She held her hands out, presenting the newcomer. “Well, uh, we found ‘em! This is my twin brother, Adam!” 

Adam smiled and waved. “Hello everybody,” he chirped. 

“Brother?” Swift Wind sputtered. 

“He-Man!” Skeletor bellowed. 

The group fell into a chattering commotion, but Micah was hardly paying attention. Glimmer and Bow had appeared at the top of the ramp, holding each other as they looked out. Emotions that went beyond words swam in the young queen’s eyes. 

Adora saw where Micah was looking and quickly pulled her brother away. “We’ll tell you the whole story later, sir! Trust me, it’s hilarious. Now come on, I gotta show you around Etheria, bro.”

“Sure thing, sis,” Adam replied, grinning hugely. They pounded their fists together, adding their own sound effects as they did so, and marched off laughing. 

“They have been doing that the entire. Trip. Back,” Catra groaned, following close behind the pair. “Somebody save me.” 

“You furry coward,” muttered Skeletor. 

At the entrance to the ship, Glimmer and Micah hugged each other fiercely. When they finally broke, the old king could see that his daughter was smiling through her tears. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Glimmer sniffled. “So much happened. You wouldn’t believe how scary things got! Oh, but I totally had everything under control.” 

“I know you did,” Micah smiled back. But he could tell there was more. 

Glimmer’s face turned serious. “Dad,” she said shakily, tripping over her own words. “Listen. Entrapta’s theories about the other dimension were right. When we — I mean, didn’t know if…” 

Bow stepped in. “Your highness, I think there’s someone you should see.” He beckoned gently. Still at a loss for words, Glimmer nodded and took her father’s hand, leading him inside the ship. 

Micah’s heart was racing even before she rose from the chair and turned to face him. His breath caught when he saw the spreading wings, the shining light, the smiling face that he remembered so clearly. 

Their eyes met. It was a miracle. 

Just like on the island, a part of him couldn’t believe this was really happening. But it was. 

They both reached out. They’d mourned each other once. Their hands met. 

“Micah?” she asked, hardly believing it herself. 

“Angie?” 

*

Outside, both the princesses and their well-wishers had gathered around Adam, excitedly showing off the wonders of their planet. He gazed with delight at everything, marveling in the magical light of Etheria. His laugh brimmed with kindness. 

Skeletor elbowed his way through the crowd. “I can’t let any of you delay me! Out of my way, now!” he jabbered. “This is no time for jokes!” 

He made it to where Adora stood with her brother and glared. Adam turned in surprise, not sure what to expect. They stared at each other. 

Skeletor held his arms wide. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment!” he cried. “Take this, He-Man!” 

Then he lunged forward, and wrapped Adam in an enormous hug. 

“He-Man, I am your friend!” 

[catzula]

How to cure a broken heart

Synopsis: love might come in in various shapes. With Kuroo it came with a snowball.

Honorable mentions: tw cursing, it's 2.4k words, genre is fluff, hope you guys like it!!

Its a short lil fluffy Kuroo blurb since its snowing very heavy here and I kinda broke your hearts with that last angst lol

You never thought you were the type to partake in something so cliche, something as falling in love with your next-door neighbor. It was overused at this point, it wasn't even your favorite trope to read anymore, and you would've died laughing if someone told you you would meet the guy you fell in love with like this.

But overused as it is, it still came in as a surprise, and that was Kuroo Tetsurou for you, managing to make even the most monotonous thing surprising. 

It was the morning after a night of heavy snow, hearing the rustle of walking on fresh, unpressed snow beneath your feet making you bite back a smile. It had been a while since it snowed this much where you lived, so you didn't refuse when your mother offered you to take a walk. 

 I'm sure you'll feel better if you take a breath of fresh air, she told you, taking note of your foul mood.

She was right, it smells like winter, and the familiar smell didn't fail to make you take a breath of relief, as if you were suffocating the past few days. 

It had been a while since you even left your house, you realized, even before the quarantine started, you weren't the type to go out and socialize around the block. You usually met with your friends at a cafe around your school or an arcade or something, but it was rare for you to hang out in your neighborhood area, thus ended with you not knowing any of your neighbors. 

You had never intended to get to know them either, but it wasn't your choice to make anymore when you noticed a perfect sphere of snowball flying towards you, you dodged it the last second with reflexes you didn't even know you had (you didn't. it was pure luck). 

As you turned to where the snowball came from, your eyes locked on a smug, sneaky grin, obviously amused by the shocked expression on your face. It was a boy about your age, leaning proudly on a snowman that was almost as tall as him, his smile more noticeable even than his odd, inky black ruffle of hair or the piercing golden eyes that had something of a clever glint to them.

His grin felt infectious, and you could feel a smile tugging on the corners of your lips, and it was the smile that would never fail to make you smile back, except for that particular day.

It hadn't made you smile, nor had it disputed the mean frown on your lips as you quirked a brow at him, only making his grin spread wider on his lips. "Sorry," he muttered, not sounding the slightest bit apologetic, nor had he stopped smiling teasingly. "Didn't mean to throw it at you."

You took the apology with a soft nod, turning your back to him, and started walking, sighing when you felt a hand tap your arm gently.

"Hey, me again." He grinned, and you mustered a smile. "Hi." You answered back, pressing your lips together awkwardly. 

"I'm Kuroo Tetsurou," he informed you. "Your next door neighbor, I think."

"Y/N, L/N." You answered, "nice to meet you, Kuroo-san."

"Nice to meet you, too." He then tilted his head, eyes grazing on you for another while, and he looked like he wanted to talk even more even though the conversation was very obviously over. "That was pretty impressive, you know?" Another smile formed on his lips as he scratched the back of his neck and averted his eyes away from you, and you could feel butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

"Thanks. Your snowman is pretty impressive, too." It was. The guy was almost 2 meters, and it made no sense for the snowman to be as tall as him, too, but it still was pretty impressive.

Not expecting him to throw his head back and start laughing loudly at your comment, you couldn't help but watch him like you were witnessing some miracle. You couldn't look away as he bent forward, holding his stomach all the while his body shook. It was infectious, you realized, since you also found yourself chuckling not half a minute later.

He took a deep breath as his laughter died, still chuckling now and then, he turned to you. "It is impressive, isn't it? Had nothing better to do in quarantine, you know?" He shrugged, trying to look modest, but he beamed with pride. 

He weaved his hand through the raven locks of hair that fell on his face, making you wonder if they were as soft as they looked. You quickly discarded the idea.

"Well, I won't bother you any longer." He grinned, "but I'll see you around!"

You watched him as he turned his back to you, giving you just a second to admire how tall and broad he was before he flashed you one last smile and a wave.

~

You found yourself still smiling as you entered your house, tapping your feet on the wood to rustle off the snow off your shoes. 

"Wow, maybe I should take a walk, too." Your mother teased when she took note of your smile and relaxed posture. "Did you have fun?"

"I met our next-door neighbor today." You told her after nodding your head. "The poor boy, approaching you at your moodiest. I hope he's still in one piece." She teased, brows quirking when you laughed along instead of protesting.

"Have you met him already?"

"Yeah, we crossed paths once or twice, cute boy. I think he studied in Nekoma Highschool?" She shrugged when she couldn't remember clearly. "Still, it's nice to see he was able to make you smile."

He was nice, you had to admit. Maybe you would pay him a visit to apologize for your -slightly- rude behavior today? Nah, you'd rather wait till the next time you crossed paths, you decided. 

As you averted your eyes to the wall both the houses shared, you thought if you'd cross paths soon.

~

You did. The next day, if you wanted to be exact.

You were startled by the sounds coming from the bushes separating your garden from your neighbors, rasing from your chair, you gazed from the window to see what it was, only to see a head of messy black hair poking through the leaves.

It was impossible not to smile as you watched him lean towards something you couldn't quite see, reaching his hand to your garden and making kissing noises with a desperate expression on his face. "Mika," you heard him call out, "come here boy, that's not our garden."

It was a cat, you realized. (Either that, or he was a pervert.) Taking a breath of relief when you saw the furry tail of the animal, you thought it was time to show yourself (and tease him about it if you could)

"Kuroo-san?" You exited out to the garden, watching the boy as his eyes widened with shock, his body immediately pulling himself back, only to stay stuck between the branches of the bush. You stifled your laughter as he forcefully pulled his way out of it, cursing at the branches scratching him, his face flushing either because of the challenge he gave trying to free himself or of embarrassment.

"H-hi." He muttered as he finally regained his composure, tall enough to have a comfortable conversation with you over the bushes. (He could even lean in to kiss you over them without any problem, something you discovered sometime in the future)

"Are you okay?" You asked softly, still laughing as you watched him pull a small branch out of his hair.

"Yeah, I'm okay. More than okay, I was just- my cat ran into your garden, and I was trying to pull him back." He stammered as he noticed your chuckles. "Cat?" You repeated innocently.

"Yeah, my cat, he's right here- Mika?"

You couldn't hold your laughs back when you saw the baffled look on his handsome face when he noticed the cat wasn't there or anywhere to be seen.

"I swear he was right here!" He exclaimed, panicking. "I wasn't trying to peek in your garden, my cat- he- he-" He stopped his panicked explanation when he finally noticed how hard you were laughing. "You already knew, didn't you?"

"Yup, saw the whole thing." You answered between your occasional chuckles. "Wow, how mean!" He frowned, but you could tell he also found the situation amusing.

"You know, you didn't have to push through the bushes." You snickered. "you could just come in from the door like a normal person." A slight shade of red tinted his cheeks with your words, averting his eyes in embarrassment and scratching the back of his neck with a chuckle. "Yeah, that's probably a better idea." 

It had turned into a routine quickly after that. Kuroo would knock on your window, a grin plastered on his face and waving at you from the other side of the glass. 

At first, he always had some excuse, sometimes showing up with a plate of freshly baked cookies, telling you his grandma had cooked a little too much. "I'm sure you could smell them baking, and I didn't want you to miss out on the best cookies ever." He would beam. You didn't miss out on the smile that adorned his lips when you told him you could make coffee for the both of you and you could eat it together.

Talking with Kuroo was relaxing, at the very least. 

He was a good listener, and his presence enough was soothing. He could calm you when you felt stressed, oddly good at it, too, laughing when you told him that one day. "I have a friend like this." He had shrugged. "A childhood friend, we used to live pretty close, too. I got used to it after a while, I guess."

He would watch you with thoughtful eyes as you spoke as if you were saying the most important thing, even if you were telling him about your day.

Kuroo was also one of the funniest people you knew. He had so many stories from when he was the captain of his volleyball team in high school, the things he told you always making you have a stomach ache from laughing so hard. 

A friendship developing so quickly, it would usually end with you getting scared and pushing people who were getting so dear to you away from you, afraid of trusting them, even more than you did.

But not with him, you couldn't, wouldn't. Trusting Tetsurou didn't feel terrifying like it did with everyone else, instead, it felt good. It felt so safe, so cherishing to finally be able able to trust someone with everything you had, and you had never felt this protected and secure being so vulnerable with anyone. 

It was the next winter you showed up in his garden, picking up snow from the ground and working on it for a few minutes to make sure you had two perfect spheres you felt all warm inside despite the cold weather. 

Throwing the first snowball on his window, you grinned to yourself as you waited for the boy to come out, waiting for the chance to catch him off guard and hopefully manage to hit him square in the face. 

Your eyes narrowed when he didn't come out after a few minutes, grabbing more snow from the ground and throwing another snowball on the window. This one you had sent a bit harder, and he must've heard it if he was at home. 

When he didn't come out after that either, you frowned, standing up. Just then, you noticed a snowball flying towards you, dodging it the last second before turning that way with wide eyes. 

"No-" You managed to choke out before the grinning boy wrapped his arms around you, caging your body against his, and threw himself on the snow, pulling you with him to be buried in the snow together.

"Tetsu!" You whined, even though you were laughing so hard that you were gasping for air. "That wasn't fair!"

"And yours was?" He laughed, his body still over yours, making it hard to breathe for you. "Get off me, I can't breathe." You managed to choke out between your laughter, your eyes lingering on his smiling lips that were a few inches away from yours. 

"Because I'm so handsome?" He teased.

"No, because you're heavy." You answered, laughing even more when he faked a gasp. 

"So mean, always breaking your boyfriend's heart." He shook his head side to side, not moving an inch that would allow you to squirm out from under his body. 

"Come on," you whined, emphasizing the last word. "Lemme breathe!"

"Nope! You broke my heart, so painful that I can't breathe, either! It's only fair, chibi-chan." He grinned, making you roll your eyes. 

"Okay, okay." You sighed. "What do you want?" You already knew what he wanted since ever since he had crushed you beneath his, his eyes had never left your lips.

"Let me think. How can you cure a broken heart?"

He had his answer when you leaned forward, pressing your lips to his smiling, soft ones. 

[crystalirises]

A Gift from the Gods

I am... on a brainrot. So now everyone has to suffer with me <3

Also, please note that this contains Trans Fundy and as such, in one section he's referred to as a "she" and by the name "Flora". I just honestly really like the idea and it makes me really happy reading fics like that since it's honestly very relatable sometimes.

(Also also, Wilbur and Schlatt here are best friends and yes they raised Fundy together for a bit but pls do not ship them. Platonic parenting exists. Please do not ship them. For the love of god, do not ship them :) )

TW: Mild Body Horror and Kidnapping

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886223/chapters/78095399

“What you got there, loverboy?” He rolled his eyes at his best friend’s antics, the man slamming right into his side in his quest to see past his shoulders. The little bundle in his arms squirmed, a small whine piercing through the air, which caused Schlatt to stumble back in surprise. He glanced behind him to see Schlatt fall right onto the grass, his drunken state not really helping his sense of balance. “Wha— What the fuck? That’s… That’s a fucking baby!”

“Your skills of deduction are out of this world, Schlatt. They really are.” He trudged past him and towards the camp they’d set up. His wet clothes weighed him down, making it difficult to reach the campfire that Schlatt must’ve made in his absence. He reached the camp at the same time that Schlatt did, the drunk man was somehow much faster than him. He cradled the baby in his arms, shushing and rocking them until the baby was cooing again, beady golden-flecked brown eyes staring up at him with joy. While he waited for his clothes to dry, Schlatt sat across from him, downing another bottle of alcohol. He chuckled, rolling his eyes despite his disgust at the stench of whiskey. Even the baby hated it, for the baby had begun whining and pawing at their noise. Schlatt wiped a bit of drool from his chin. “Third bottle and you’re already wasted? Maybe your age is finally catching up to you, old man. I thought we had forever, Schlatt.”

“Shut the fuck up, Wil.” Schlatt’s brown eyes shone underneath the fire’s light, casting them in the hue of a setting sun. The man placed the bottle back inside his bag, jostling the other bottles of alcohol that were inside. “Did you kidnap it? What’s it for? Bait for tomorrow’s trial?”

“What? No!” He held the baby closer to his chest, throwing his best friend a sharp glare. The baby giggled, gurgling while his little hands tried to reach for the feather necklace that Wilbur wore around his neck. He nervously chuckled, adjusting the necklace so that the baby wouldn’t accidentally grab it. He couldn’t afford to lose it. He let the baby play with his finger instead, keeping in mind to make sure that the baby didn’t actually put his finger inside their mouth. “I met someone by the river, she’d just finished her trial but… she was too injured and well she…”

“Fuck…” Schlatt groaned, running a hand through his face. “This place is fucking hell, Wilbur.”

“I know. We just… We just need to get through the trials, Schlatt.” The baby yawned in his arms, snuggling deeper into his yellow sweater. Schlatt chuckled, a small smile on his face, but it was quickly replaced with a scowl once Wilbur met his eyes. He rolled his eyes, at least his best friend wasn’t telling him to get rid of the baby. Sally - the nice lady that he had met by the riverside - had begged him to take her baby, that she couldn’t die without the assurance that her child was being cared for. He hadn’t wanted to take the baby, terrified of the idea of fatherhood. Schlatt and Wilbur weren’t exactly parent material. Schlatt didn’t know his parents and Wilbur’s parents were— He didn’t like thinking about them that much. He subconsciously began to tug on his feather necklace. “We’ll get out of this shithole. Just the three of us. We’ll get out of here.”

“This isn’t a place for kids… How the hell did a baby get here? The gods are such fucking assholes.” Thunder rumbled in the sky despite the lack of clouds, causing both of them to wince. Schlatt muttered an apology underneath his breath, and that was all they could do to hope that the gods didn’t decide to punish them for their blasphemy. Schlatt sat up, moving until he was sitting next to Wilbur. He had a sharp glint in his eye, reaching a shaking hand towards the happily squealing baby. The baby immediately latched onto Schlatt’s hands, refusing to let go even when Schlatt tried to move back. Wilbur threw his best friend a confused look, but Schlatt was reaching for the blanket around the baby, gently pulling it back until the baby’s head was exposed. He watched, blinking in surprise. Little fox ears twitched on top of the baby’s head, flattening the moment a strong blast of wind came from out of nowhere. “... So… it’s a furry.”

“Schlatt!” He laughed along with Schlatt, both of them chuckling until they couldn’t breathe. Wilbur shook his head, a frown appearing on his face. “The baby… The baby’s one of them—”

“Who fucking cares, Wil? They clearly don’t care if they decided to give one of their children to a random human woman!” Schlatt wrinkled his nose, petting the baby behind the ears. The baby yipped, a smile appearing on their face. Wilbur frowned, biting his bottom lip while he continued to hold the baby. Maybe… maybe the baby was like them too. Maybe the baby was unwanted by whichever god had created them. He hesitated before poking the baby’s cheek. They gurgled, grabbing his hand along with Schlatt’s. His best friend chuckled, a shine appearing within Schlatt’s eyes. He knew that look. He’d seen it plenty of times, but never really directed at him. He wondered if that was what he looked like too, if he cared for the baby the same way that Schlatt cared for them. He hoped so. “They’re our responsibility now. We’re going to get out and give this kid a home. Hey, we can’t keep calling them the baby. Have any good names, Wil?”

“Um…” He glanced down at the baby, mulling over what to name them. He didn’t even know what name would actually fit them. Schlatt raised a brow at him, opening his mouth but Wilbur quickly shushed him. Schlatt was terrible when it came to names, like hell was Wilbur going to allow him to name the baby. He hummed, rocking the baby back and forth until their eyes began to droop. The baby let out a yawn, letting go of both their hands in favor of biting down on their own hand. He laughed, caressing their little cheek until the baby finally fell asleep. At least they didn’t cry a lot. The gods might not be pleased with such loud noises. “Maybe… Maybe, um…”

Through the fire, he saw an orange flower growing near the tree line.

Schlatt followed his gaze and groaned.

“Flora, then?”

“Whatever, Wil. Yes, the baby is now named Flora.”

Flora… their baby. Their little miracle from the gods.

---

A pained scream tore through his throat, his head throbbing while blood spilled down his face. He could hear Flora screaming from somewhere nearby, and Wilbur… gods. His hands gripped the top of his head, large bumps rising past his hair and continuing to grow and slip through his fingers. His backside felt like it was on fire, and he could feel his bones rearranging themselves all over his body. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of his choice. This was a blessing from the gods, it was what he’d asked for. Another scream tore through him, the bumps growing until he could see them curl near the sides of his head. His ears were the first to go, morphing into a different shape with white fluff growing on the skin. Then he felt something grow behind him, sending him into another fit of screaming and crying while he tried to claw at the ground.

After minutes - or perhaps it had been hours - of agony, the pain subsided, almost like nothing had changed at all. He took a shaky breath, looking down at his hands that were covered in dirt. He couldn’t feel the blood on his face anymore. He looked around, catching the glimpse of a river nearby. He stumbled towards it, mindful of the little footsteps that followed after him. He was surprised the kid hadn’t run off, she should have. She really should have. He tripped near the river bank, mud staining his already tattered suit. He forced himself to move towards the water. He had to see. He had to see what he’d done to himself. What he’d chosen to do to himself.

Bright golden ram eyes stared up at him from the river’s surface. He shuddered. They didn’t look like his eyes. He took in the way his ears had changed, they were longer now and had actual fur on them. On top of his head were two large ram horns. There were a lot of golden bands hanging from them, casting glints of sunlight on the ground around him. He didn’t need to check behind him to know that they’d even given him a ram tail to match the horns. He swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise up his throat. The longer he glared at the water, the more he noticed the subtle changes that were happening to him. His suit had begun repairing itself. Large holes in the cloth - that had been there ever since his first trial - started to patch themselves anew, almost like they were never there to begin with. Even the bloodstains - both old and new - started to fade away. He waited until the transformation was over, letting his newfound powers fix himself up.

He felt a hand settle on his shoulders. Flora stared up at him, fear dancing in her eyes while she clutched Wilbur’s beanie close to her chest. He felt a pang of regret at the sight. He’d have to live with his regret. He knew that. He shakily stood up, not missing the way Flora immediately backed away from him, her ears pressed to the top of her head. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Gods, he needed a fucking drink. He didn’t want to deal with this right now. Flora looked down, rocking back and forth before finding the courage to go near him again. There were tears in her eyes, and he knew that he needed to watch his next words carefully. Schlatt didn’t want to upset her. “D-dad? Is Papa Wil going to be okay? I… I can’t find him anywhere.”

“He left.” There was no hesitation in his voice, he’d accept it as the truth. Still, he cursed himself for not saying that more gently. Flora sniffled, a frown appearing on her face before she promptly burst into tears. He felt panic rush through him before he immediately crouched down to her level, trying his best to console her. She was throwing a fit, stomping her foot against the ground before letting out a shriek. He winced, darting his gaze past her and towards the tree that had spontaneously combusted. That was why he didn’t want to upset her. “It’s okay! Kid, it’s okay! You still have me. Wil… Wil’s just a dickhead who decided he was too good for either of us.”

“B-but… He was there with us! He was right there! He-he wouldn’t leave us! He wouldn’t!”

“I know… but he did.” He sighed, opening his arms before Flora threw herself at him, latching onto his suit before crying into his chest. He held her close to himself, letting her weep for a few minutes before standing up with the kid in his arms. He glanced up at their final trial, the wall of water slowly draining back into nothing. He swallowed down his guilt. He’d done what he had to. With Flora in his arms, he turned to leave. He wouldn’t think of what he’d done. He wouldn’t think of the look on Wilbur’s face the moment he realized what Schlatt was doing. He was only lucky that Flora didn’t understand what was happening, too busy hiding her face in Wilbur’s sweater to realize Schlatt’s betrayal. He shook his head. They had to go. He gave the area one last look before turning to leave. “We’ll be okay, kid. We’re finally getting out of this shithole. We’re free. We’re going to go somewhere else and spend the rest of our lives in fucking peace.”

He stumbled further into the treeline, letting the child weep while he searched for what the gods had promised him. He felt a shift in the air behind him, followed after by a powerful presence. Schlatt turned around, coming face to face with a woman. She gave him a kind smile, scales dotting her cheeks like little freckles while frills replaced where her ears should be. She had fiery red hair, and her clothes were clearly that of a god’s. Behind her was a rippling portal, giving him a small glimpse of the outside world. They were so close to freedom. They were almost free.

“How does it feel?” He ignored the question, holding Flora closer to himself in case the gods decided another sacrifice was in order. She chuckled at his action, shaking her head before walking gracefully towards him. She smelt of the sea. She paused in front of him, placing a gentle hand on top of Flora’s head. The child whined, burying her face further into Schlatt’s suit. “Shame. I do so love my little darling, but I think she loves you more. Be good to her, will you?”

“You don’t have to fucking tell me.” He batted the woman’s hand away, a dark look appearing in those golden eyes before they briefly morphed back into sereneness. She gave him a smile, sharp teeth lining her mouth while her frills flicked back and forth. Schlatt backed away immediately, much to her delight. She clapped her hands together before moving back towards the portal. He followed after, narrowing his eyes but he knew that it was over. He’d given up everything that he was, everything that he used to be, all for the sake of freedom. Flora whimpered in his arms, gazing up at him with such a heartbroken stare that he had to wonder if he had made the right choice. The woman gestured for him to step into the portal, but he couldn’t leave without forcing himself to look back at where he had lost himself and his best and only friend. The water was gone now, like it had never even been there at all. “I’ll be a better parent than you ever could be.”

“Careful, Mr. Schlatt.” Sally hissed, “Even gods have enemies.”

He took a deep breath. He needed to leave before he pushed his luck.

With Flora in his arms, he took his first step into freedom.

Wilbur would understand. He’d have done the same if he were in Schlatt’s shoes.

Yes. Wilbur would have understood. Wilbur would have forgiven him. He had to.

---

“Someone looks very dapper today.” He jumped, nearly smacking into the mirror in his haste to turn around. He glared at his dad, crossing his arms in front of his chest while the man chuckled by the doorway. His dad was supposed to be outside, talking with a customer. Fundy didn’t even hear him come in! He glanced down at his suit, frowning when he realized that his tie hadn’t been put on properly. He had wanted to surprise his dad by wearing the suit, wanted to show him that he was capable of being fancy like him. His dad smiled, gesturing for him to come closer. Fundy huffed, but walked over to his dad. “You’ll get used to it. It just takes a bit of practice.”

“But I want to do it perfectly now!”

He stomped his foot on the ground, forgetting that he wasn’t really supposed to do that. His dad flinched, but, luckily,  it was only the unlit candle that began to burn. His dad sighed, glancing down at him with a warning look. He whimpered, curling his tail around his waist. “Sorry, dad.”

“No problem, kid. You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?.” His dad patted him on the head, kneeling down to fix his tie. Fundy’s tail began to wag. His dad had noticed! He looked down, face scrunching up in concentration while he tried to memorize what his dad was doing. He got lost after a while. He pouted, but tried not to stomp his foot on the ground again. His dad didn’t like it when their wagon ended up in flames. After a few minutes, his dad stood up, placing his hands on Fundy’s shoulder. He had a proud look on his eyes, one that made Fundy smile with joy. “Would you look at that… Such a dapper young man. Very handsome like your old man.”

“No. I’m much more handsome.” He stuck out his tongue, darting away from his dad’s hold. He ran back to the mirror, glaring angrily once he realized that his dad’s way of fixing the tie was… perfect. His dad chuckled, sitting down on the table, reaching for a bottle of whiskey that had been left in the center. He wrinkled his nose, turning to open the wagon window so that the smell didn’t stick around the wagon. He didn’t like the smell all too much. It made him nauseous. His dad drank straight from the bottle, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his suit jacket. He sat down on the chair by the window, resting his head against the sill while he stared sadly at the village scene in front of them. “Dad, how long until we leave? I want to see other sights again.”

“We’re setting off to a new place tonight.” He could hear his dad shuffling behind him, settling into a kneel next to him. Fundy knew that his dad wasn’t really looking out the window, but instead was focusing his gaze on him. He kept his eyes on a group of children playing nearby, all of them giggling while they passed a ball amongst themselves. He felt a pang in his chest, but he didn’t know what it meant. His dad sighed, reaching out to pull the window close. He pouted, but didn’t bother to complain. He didn’t like other people anyway, all they were good for was the stuff that Fundy could get from them. The other people didn’t like him either. They were mean and they ran away from him even though all he ever did was say hi. He usually retaliated by burning all their belongings or by stealing coins from them. “This place we’re going to… It’s a good place. No one will ever run away from you there. You’ll have friends, a normal life…”

“I don’t see why I can’t have that here, or anywhere else we’ve been to before.” He sniffled, feeling tears collect in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away with his hands. His dad sighed, producing a handkerchief from one of his pockets before dabbing them over Fundy’s face. Fundy felt his tail curl around his waist again, his ears pressed to the top of his head. Maybe the pang in his chest was jealousy, he’s heard other people mention it before in passing. He looked up at his dad, biting the inside of his cheek. His dad would know what the word means. He would know why Fundy’s chest hurt the way it did. He thinks he’s felt it before… once. “Dad… What… What's jealousy? Is it what I feel every time I see other children? Is that what jealousy is?”

“Kid… Jealousy is, uh um… It’s what you feel when you want something you can’t have or it’s what you feel when you wish to be… someone else.” His dad winced, ears flicking up while his tail twitched. Fundy frowned at the answer. He didn’t think that was what he felt at all! Why would he want to be any of the other children outside? Maybe he wanted their ball? Yeah, that had to be it. He nodded his head, his eyes set in understanding, but his dad was looking at him with a sad look in his eyes. He didn’t know why his dad was upset. Fundy had figured out what he wanted. Now he just needed to get it. He turned to open the window, but his dad reached out to hold his hands in his own. He looked down, taking note of how big his hands were compared to his. “Fundy, no. I know you take up after your old man but no stealing today, kiddo. How about this? Why don’t we buy you a new toy before we leave, hm? Would you like that, kiddo?”

“I guess…” He leaned back on the chair, letting his dad ruffle his hair. His dad headed back towards the table, downing the last bit of whiskey before placing the bottle beside the overflowing trash can at the corner of the wagon. He looked down at the chair, his claws digging to the edge while he waited for his dad to sober up. He liked that his dad was always quick to sober up. He remembers how other people act when they drink, stumbling and saying mean words that usually led to their hands combusting. Fundy didn’t like those people. They were rude. His dad made his way back to him, making him forget about all those horrible, horrible people. He stood up from the chair, giving his dad a smile. “Can we buy something cool?”

“Of course, kiddo.” He watched while his dad turned to the mirror, adjusting his suit jacket and tie. His dad stared for a moment before nodding, like he was assuring himself that he looked good enough. He looked up at his dad’s horns, always in awe of how the golden bands that hung from them never fell off. His dad’s golden eyes caught his stare in the mirror, a little smirk appearing on his dad’s face. Fundy waited, pouting once he realized what his dad was going to do. His dad kneeled down in front of him, a hand reaching behind his ear. He whined when his dad pulled out a golden coin - or, well, a Schlattcoin, twirling it in between his fingers. The coin appeared and disappeared, like one of those street tricks that fake magicians would do so people would give them more money. He liked his dad’s tricks - cause they were real and not fake! - but he didn’t want to see one right now. “Hey… you used to like this trick. What’s wrong, kiddo?”

“Dad…”

He watched while his dad multiplied the amount of coins in his hand.

“Dad… what are we?”

His dad sighed.

“We’re people, kiddo. We’re people.”

---

He stumbled deeper into the forest, his legs carrying him while his head was filled with that beautiful melody. It sang to him and him alone, whispering honeyed words into his ear and lulling him into open arms that would hold him close and never let go. He stumbled against tree roots, low hanging branches smacking into his face. He paid them no mind. He needed to go.

He walked and walked until he found himself inside a clearing. There was a hill in front of him, a wooden door standing out against the stone. He stumbled, falling to his knees while the song continued to circle around his mind. He could feel himself try to follow after the tune, but all that came out were whimpers. He could do nothing but stare while the door slowly creaked open, a tall lanky figure appearing in the threshold. He blinked, sleep whispering in the back of his mind. He couldn’t move, but it was alright, the figure was moving towards him. The song was getting closer now, wrapping him in a warm and fuzzy embrace, or maybe that was just the figure pulling him up into their arms. A part of him wanted to whine, to unsheathe his claws and draw blood. A part of him wanted to scream and burn the figure to a crisp. But how could he bring harm to such a lovely symphony? The figure cradled him in their arms, singing him to peace.

He curled closer to the figure, purring when a hand began to pet his ears. He hugged his tail close to himself, content to fall asleep in the strange figure’s arms. He could feel the wind against his cheek, the moonlight disappearing the moment the figure headed back into the darkness of their home. He shivered, eyes taking in the shadows. The song didn’t sound so sweet anymore.

He jumped when light suddenly flooded into the small cramped room. The man had lit a match with his free hand, lighting up the lone lantern that had been placed inside a small alcove that had been carved into the wall. He shuddered, the spell breaking and his eyes opening to the horrors of the night. The man - he knew this man - smiled down at him sweetly, but he had a crazed look in his eye that made him whimper. The man wore a coat over his shoulders, the smell of something bitter and heavy hanging in the air. He found himself not liking this new smell, preferring his dad’s whiskey over this scent. What caught his attention the most were the wings that protruded from the man’s back. They were brown at the top but turned red at the bottom.

The wings reminded him of a nightingale’s. He’s seen a few of them before, when his dad had taken their wagon through a thicketed woodland. He found them to be adorable. He gazed much longer at the man’s wings, keeping his hands to himself even though he wanted to feel if the feathers were soft. The man chuckled, breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned his gaze to the man’s eyes, nearly shrieking when he looked into them. They were dark like the night sky, but empty like the void. The man tried to shush him, rocking him back and forth his arms, but he wouldn’t have it. He tried to wiggle his way out of the man’s arms, wanting to go back to his dad and to his warm bed. The man shushed him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead before he began to sing again. He screamed, but it was too late. The song had begun again and it was pulling him back into a sense of calm. He sniffled, letting the man guide him back to lean against his chest.

He tried to keep himself from slipping, but he knew sleep was coming for him.

Before he was pulled under, he managed to get out one question.

“What… What are you?”

The man smiled.

“We’re gods, son. We’re gods.”

In another world, a god sits on top of her throne, smiling to herself.

She knew a child was exactly what those two needed.

She saw potential in them, and why waste such potential?

She smiled.

Two gods were made that day. One freed from his shackles, and the other born with hate.

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

Clarification: This is essentially just a god AU except new gods are either born from the olden gods or people are turned into gods. Schlatt and Wilbur were chosen by the gods and had to go through a series of trials (aka: Rising Lava, Rising Water, and Raining TNT challenges). I'm pretty sure the Raining TNT challenge was the last one in the series, but I wanted to do the rising water one because it was so dramatic as hell (and because Wilbur dies in the end of that one lmao).

Anyway, yeah. Sally made Fundy because she wanted to give Wilbur and Schlatt an actual motivation to become gods (Schlatt choosing to be a god so he can leave with Fundy to get a better life, and Wilbur choosing to be a god so he can get his child back and screw over Schlatt for betraying him).

Also, in case people are interested (yes, I know the animal symbolisms do not work but shush): Sally - Goddess of Water and Deceit (Fish Symbolism) Schlatt - God of Wealth and Greed (Ram Symbolism) Wilbur - God of Music and Vengeance (Nightingale Symbolism) Fundy - God of Fire and Trickery (Fox Symbolism)

[nethandrake]

The Friendversary

stevetony. mcu. rated t. werewolf!steve & vampire!tony au. 2.3k words.

also on ao3.

*****

Tony barely registers the voice calling his name. He should roll over, get out of bed, and check. It could be an emergency. Hell, maybe the apartment’s on fire or they’re in the midst of being robbed.

But then, he could just keep his eyes closed and stay in bed. He can’t remember the last time he got a decent day of sleep. To take that away from him is daylight robbery.

Besides, Steve can handle things. Steve with the broad shoulders with arms that could probably bench press Tony if he asked. Steve who could tear limbs apart as easy as breathing because he’s a freaking—

“—ony. Rise and shine!”

But of course like everything in life, Tony could never get things his way.

He lets out a grunt, moving to cover his ears with his pillow. “Ugh, go away.”

Unsurprisingly, the pillow is yanked out from under him. His head hits the mattress with a soft thump, a quiet groan tumbling out of his lips.

“Tony,” the voice says, much more insistent and familiar.

Goddamn dog.

“Fuck off. It’s morning.”

“The sun just set, actually.”

As if by magic, some of the grogginess Tony feels dissipates. He cracks an eyelid open, meeting a pair of perfectly blue eyes and a perfectly cheery smile and a big dopey mug. It's a sight Tony never, ever wants to be greeted with this early in the night.

“I hate you.”

Steve smirks, leaning against his doorway with his arms across his chest. “You say this now but wait ‘till I drink all your blood.”

“You don’t drink blood.”

“I might. Just to give it a go.”

Tony scoffs, motioning to sit on the edge of his bed. “That’s what you said six decades ago,” he says, rubbing the rest of the sleep from his eyes. “And what happened after?”

Steve scowls. “You’ll never let that go, huh?”

“I would if you’d stop threatening me about it.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Well, you can nag me about it later,” Steve says, detaching himself from the doorframe. “Meet me up on the rooftop.”

Tony frowns. “Rooftop? Why are we—”

That’s when he notices Steve’s getup – a dress shirt that brings out the silver in his eyes, slacks, and a pair of ankle socks. His typical tousled hair is slicked back. Tony’s pretty sure it’s gelled.

Steve doesn’t dress up often and since they’re meeting up on the rooftop, that could only mean one thing.

His lips twist into a smirk, taking a couple of steps backwards. He probably noticed Tony forgot, the bastard.

“C’mon, Tony,” he says in a sing-song voice. “We’re burning moonlight.”

Tony rolls his eyes, flinging the covers off his body. “I’ll be there. Don’t worry your pretty little head about me being— What?”

Steve startles, tearing his gaze away from Tony’s…body?

“Nothing!” he exclaims, his voice a couple of decimals higher than usual. “I just— Yeah.”

Tony couldn’t help but snort as Steve zips away. Sometimes, Steve would be reduced to a stuttering mess out of the blue for no explainable reason. There might be an explanation though if Steve doesn’t wear scent blockers.

Then again, so does Tony. He shouldn’t be annoyed with Steve doing the same. It’s only natural to wear them since they're living in a city mostly populated by humans.

Tony takes his time in the shower, getting dressed, and styling his hair. If anyone could see him right now, they'd probably think about how ridiculous he's being, how effort he's wasting. It’s dinner with Steve, after all. Tony could be wearing a rucksack and Steve wouldn’t even bat an eye.

To be fair, today's their anniversary. The occasion is basically screaming for cologne and hairspray.

“Time flies huh,” Tony mutters to himself as he fastens his cape around his neck. “Five hundred goddamn years.”

It’s a miracle that they’ve lasted this long as friends, let alone best friends, and roommates. He can’t imagine if they actually did something dumb like date each other. They probably would’ve only lasted a month or two. Maybe a year, at most.

Or maybe if you actually tried shooting your shot—

Tony shakes his head as he unlocks his balcony door and steps outside. There’s no point dwelling on that right now or ever, even. Steve’s a werewolf. And werewolves wouldn’t be wasting time on giving people like Tony a second glance. They’d be focused on finding mates.

Mates who’d be furry and smelly and enjoy roaming around in the woods for the rest of eternity. Not bloodsucking nocturnals who fly around and live in graveyards.

Not that Tony is living in a graveyard right now, but the notion still stands. They’ve been going strong for five hundred years. Why try ruining things?

Steve’s already on the rooftop, sitting on a picnic blanket with a basket by his side. He flashes Tony a broad grin, all canine and bright. In all his six hundred and eleven years of living, Tony’s never seen such a beautiful person be this dorky.

“You do know there’s a perfectly functioning elevator, right?” Steve drawls out as Tony lands on the edge of the rooftop.

Tony shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? I need to stretch my legs. Plus, it’s more fun to scare the humans.”

“Yeah. If you’re into endangering the whole mythical community.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He sweeps his cape behind him, spreading his hands. “Well, how do I look?”

Steve pauses, his eyes roaming around, drinking Tony in. “You look… You look…”

“I better looking dashing,” Tony interrupts. “You know me and mirrors. I wouldn’t have asked you if—”

“You definitely do,” Steve interrupts, a little too earnest than Tony deems necessary. “You look beautiful.”

There’s an odd intensity behind Steve’s blue, blue eyes. Tony makes a mental note to reexamine that later.

“So,” he begins, breaking the silence as he settles down next to Steve, “what’d you got for us tonight?”

They usually take turns getting dinner together. While Tony leans towards more expansive and refined options, Steve’s tastes are much simpler. This year, he's opted for burgers and fries for himself and a homemade blend of cow’s blood, pomegranate, and strawberries for Tony. Just the sight of the crimson liquid being poured into his wine glass has Tony salivating.

“Well,” Steve begins, raising his bottle of lemonade in the air, “here’s to five hundred years of friendship.”

“And five hundred more,” Tony adds, clinking their drinks together. “Until you meet your mate, that is.”

Whenever Tony brings up the M-word, Steve freezes up. This time is no different.

“Tony—”

“I know you hate all the mate talk but as I said before—”

“Tony—”

“—I don’t think you’d want to spend the rest of your life—”

“Can we not talk about this right now?” Steve interrupts, his time firmer. “Please?”

Tony sighs, taking a large gulp from his glass. He almost moans at the clash of flavors swirling around on his tongue. The irony of a werewolf brewing one of the best vampire drinks Tony’s ever tasted. “Alright, alright.”

Dinner goes without a hitch, after that. They fall back into their usual topics of conversation of work and friends, making sure to steer clear of any talk of romance and mates.

“You know,” Tony begins after the food has been cleared and they’ve finished a lapse of comfortable silence. “I always thought about how funny this is.”

“What?”

“This…” He gestures between the two of them. “This…thing. You know.”

Steve’s lips quirk to the side. “What? That we get along?”

“Not that. Although that has cropped up pretty often. I mean, us. Having an anniversary for our friendship. Like, who does that?”

“Carol and Maria do,” Steve points out.

“Yeah. And they started dating a couple of years after. Try again.”

“Does it matter?”

Tony sighs, waving his hand around. “I don’t know. I just— Isn’t this something you do with your mate?”

The smile on Steve’s face slides off. “Tony—”

“Or at least someone you’re attracted to. ‘Cause let me tell you, nothing kills the mood better than—”

“Tony!”

Immediately, Tony’s jaw clamps shut.

Steve’s shoulders sag but his blue eyes are still stormy with anger. “Jesus, Tony. I told you to drop it.”

“I know—”

“I don’t get why you’re so adamant about me finding a mate.”

Tony picks at the hem of his cape. “It’s been five hundred years, Steve. I just— Aren’t you lonely?”

“Why would I be lonely?” Steve asks, sounding puzzled. “I have you.”

If Tony still has a pulse, he’d be pretty sure it’ll be racing right now. “That’s different,” he says slowly. “We’re friends. Just friends. Friends with a capital ‘F’.”

A heavy silence shrouds them. For a moment, Tony feels stupid. Exposed. He shouldn’t have said that. Fuck, he really should’ve kept his mouth shut and—

“What if I don’t want to be friends.”

Wait, what?

“What if I want to be more than friends,” Steve continues, wringing his hands, his cheeks reddening with each passing second. “What if—”

“You want us to be mates?!”

If he isn’t a vampire, he probably would’ve chalked it up to him hearing things. Then again, being a vampire hasn’t stopped him from hallucinating and hearing things.

Steve winces, his whole face now turning crimson red. Hell, even the tip of his ears is a bright shade of blush. It’s goddamn adorable.

“Only if you want to,” he says. “I know we’ve never talked about it and I know you don’t feel the same way—”

Tony reaches out, curling his fingers around Steve’s wrist, putting a stop to his escape. Fortunately for him and his hand, Steve doesn’t fight him off.

“Woah, woah. What the hell do you mean I know?”

Steve frowns. “Don’t you?”

“No! ‘Course not.”

As quickly as it came, the color in Steve’s cheeks drains.

“Oh,” he breathes out, his voice barely a whisper. “I thought you knew. ‘Cause you know, super senses.”

Tony frowns, puzzled. “You wear scent blockers.”

“I don’t mask my heartbeat,” Steve counters. “C’mon. You’d had to know how it races when I’m around you—”

“That’s corny as fuck.”

“Just saying the truth, is all.”

“I—” Tony racks his brain, trying to recall something. Anything.

He comes up empty.

“I mean, I don’t have the best memory around—” Steve cocks an eyebrow. “What? You know I’m right!”

His lips tug to the side, staring at him with stark disbelief.

Tony rolls his eyes. “Cut me some slack, Steven. I’ve been dead for centuries. Excuse me for not remembering. I figured that was your regular heartbeat.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, what about you, huh?” Tony shoots back. “You had to know I’ve been drooling over you for four hundred and ninety-nine years!”

Steve’s eyes widen, his lips parting. It’s times like these that the vampire that turned Tony all those centuries ago actually sucked him dry.

“Fuck,” he groans, burying his face in his hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

“No, it’s not—”

“Someone kill me—”

“You’re already dead.”

“I know,” Tony moans. “Fuck. I can’t believe you’re attracted to a corpse. A fucking corpse!”

Steve snorts, mischief lacing his tone. “I don’t know. You look pretty lively to me.”

“Shut up. This isn’t funny, Rogers,” Tony mutters before lifting his head up. “Do you really want to shackle yourself to me for another five hundred years?”

Steve deepens his grin, a grin that Tony could only describe as wolfish. “I mean, we’ve gotten this far, haven’t we?”

“I guess. But we’d be together. In a relationship. Until you get sick and tired of me—”

“I won’t,” Steve insists like the dumbass he is. “Like I said before, we’ve gotten this far.”

“Yeah?”

He gets a kiss in answer.

Steve’s lips are soft and warm against him. Tony can’t remember the last time he’s felt this good, this thrilled, this warm.

He doesn’t know how long this goes on, losing track of time and himself into this moment, into finally. It’s only that when they do pause for Steve to catch his breath, Tony realizes he’s in Steve’s lap, his thighs clamping Steve in place and his cape pooling at his feet.

“You taste of wet dog,” he murmurs.

“And you taste of blood,” Steve breathes, tightening his grip on Tony’s waist and god, Tony wants. He wants and needs everything.

“That gonna be a problem?”

“Nope. Not in the slightest.” He sighs against his lips and fuck, he is warm and he smells faintly of pine and vanilla – a combination Tony never thought could make him weak in the knees. He can’t imagine how overwhelming it’ll be when the scent blocker fades away.

“I can’t believe we wasted five hundred years,” Steve continues. “We could’ve had— We could’ve been—”

“Could’ve been mates?”

He blinks, his smile flickering. “I mean, only if you want to. You don’t—”

“Have I forgot to mention that I’ve been in love with you for four hundred and ninety-nine years?” Steve opens his mouth but Tony cuts him off. “And before you ask, no, I don’t care what people think about us. People have been assuming for years, anyway.”

“That’s not what I was going to say,” Steve says. “I was actually going to say I’ve been in love with you for four hundred and ninety-nine years and five months. So.”

Tony cocks an eyebrow. “And you say I’m stupid for a genius all the time.”

“I mean, I am a dumb dog.”

“A dumb dog who chose a bloodsucker as his mate.”

Steve scowls. “Hey. That’s my bloodsucker you’re talking about.”

Tony hums as he snakes his hands around Steve’s neck. “This bloodsucker is also in the mood to suck something else.”

“That was terrible.”

“Please. You love it.”

Steve grins as he tilts his head forward. “Guess I do.”

[kurtty-drabbles]

Ocean au (Pool of Blood part 2)

N/A: something to further this plot. A small one but the plot is kicking. I think.

@djinmer4 @dannybagpipesarecalling @bamfoftheundead

When one thing about magic, and it´s all possibilities, hardly one comes to the question "how magic breathes its first breath" because, for someone, magic is just there and will always be there, but, if you ask to Wanda Maximoff where magic start she´ll have a blast in telling all the theories she has.

Pietro knows about this. Her husband Victor knows about this and their kids know about this too. Yet, her theories and the many other wizards who delve into the subject hardly come into a consensus in regards to the question.

The best outcome that Scarlet Witch and Dr StrangeFate managed to offer to people if they really ask this question, is that this is a gift from Hecate, mother of magic, and how if you truly believe you can wielder its magic in all proprieties in your favour.

Like said before, is only a theory and no one is crazy enough to summon Hecate to make this question. Right now, Wanda´s mind is far further from the answer to this question as she´s watching her kids rehearsing for the big school play.

"Mom, you won´t do that, right?" Tommy asks pouty. "We´re just trees in this story"

"Yeah, mom, we´re just trees, dad we´re just tress" Billy agrees and Wanda and Victor smile as they show the cameras.

"Sorry, kiddo, we´ll take pictures like all the other parents, plus you two will be the cutest trees ever" And this prompts the twins to be embarrassed even more so when Wanda promised their uncle Pietro will be there to take pictures and be their fanboys. Is a nice gesture, but, they´ll still be embarrassed.

The crystal ball lights up and Tommy is the first to run to see it and waves as Dr StrangeFate is present with one cat and one dog on his lap, and Tommy says the dog looks mad at Dr StrangeFate.

"Hello, Wanda, I was doing some research and I was wondering if you know anything about Pool of Blood" is his straightforward question and Wanda frown as is visible something is up.

Her eyes land on the two animals on his lap and realization hits her. "No, I not, but, why you want to know?"

"As I said is research and nothing more. I thought you could have a leading clue about this phenomenon, but, is not important" and turns off the communication and everyone in this house, including the kids, can sense something is off.

"Dad, what´s a Pool of Blood?"

"Is a monstrosity that creates monsters"

Wanda has a bad feeling about this and she vows to call Columbina about what her animals are, but, at the moment. "Come on, little trees, you have to end the song, right?" and the boys whine together but continue to sing the lame song, in their humble opinion, for this school play.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The communication is cut short after all and Cosmo and Jupiter are not happy with Dr StrangeFate and the man knows he´s travelling in thin ice now, but, the Pool of Blood is malicious enough to cause harm and Wanda´s powers are a delicatessen for that thing.

"Let me be in her place, my powers won´t attract the attention of that thing and I know more magic than her" Dr StrangeFate speaks his case and Cosmo shakes his head as 4 eyes begin to emerge in his face and his body begins to grow.

Jupiter is nearby, walking on the corners, watching and waiting, he could end everything so easily, but, at the same time, is so rare to see Jupiter do something this drastic. Celestial mother loves monsters more than humans, but, she loves being a contradiction. Ironic, Jupiter´s patron is straightforward in his intentions.

"And what can you do to stop a Pool of Blood? How can you end it?" The dog asked bemused as the hot breath leaves his mouth. And Dr StrangeFate is left with his own mind and witts now.

"I could freeze the Pool and take it out"

"Can you freeze blood? Her blood?"

"....I´d not know"

The dog shakes his furry head and utters some Latin words, no, ancient words from other planet and time as Dr StrangeFate´s infinity stone is removed from him. "Remember, human, this power can be given and taken, and I´m her son, now, about our other plan...do you will help or not?"

"I obey Celestial Mother, her will is mine will" and this would be over if Cosmo didn´t set on fire one of Dr StrangeFate´s machines. The fire is blue and burns the machine in one go.

"Don´t go make questions your mind is not ready for the answer...and to resurrect the deads only brings problems" Cosmo replied shifting to his "normal" appearance and Jupiter still remains in silence, peering through the human´s soul. This one is different from universe 616.

"As for Columbina, you keep your mouth shut, got it?" Cosmo speaks still under the fire and Dr StrangeFate knows no blade or spell or even venom can take down Cosmo.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

In the life of espionage, one thing you must always have in your mind is how to leave the scene and this is one of MJ´s best qualities if she can say so. And right now, the red hair and her assistant, Peni Parker, need to flee for their lives, but, of course, still in the characters, they are pretending to be. A lovely aunt and niece having fun in the glamorous part of New Gotham.

"I knew it! Coming to New Gotham is always bad news" MJ is complaining as she packs her package in the most calmly and aggressive way one can imagine while Peni, doing her package without caring about the order is just saying how New Gotham was not that bad.

"It has everything here. Nice buildings, nice people and...vampires" Peni states as she has her gun on position and MJ has only time to look Dark Claw and Spider-boy on their balcony.

"Are you going to shoot at me?" Dark Claw asked and the man´s voice is frightening on its own but as he stands up the effect increase 10 times more and MJ does not want Peni to die.

"I´d not know, vampire, you´re the one peeping on innocent women, not very heroic, is it?" Peni asked still with the gun in hands and she shoots Dark Claw, but, thanks to the healing factor, the wound heals the man right away.

MJ looks at Spider-boy who notices her peering gaze at him, hard to not notice, and speaks to calm down the situation, if is possible. "We mean no harm here, Dark Claw just want to be dramatic, in reality, we would like to ask if you would rather work for us...in the future"

MJ crosses her arms and exhales as her green eyes are far from pleased. "Do we really have a choice? If we say no...how can we know you´ll not throw us in jail....we´re far too valuable to you all to ever let us go" MJ states bemused.

"So, I guess, me and Peni have to stay on the JLX´s side, right?"

"Or else" Dark Claw speaks "you would rather face Kilmonger on your own, you think he wouldn´t use you two again?" and Peni and MJ exchanges looks as they really don´t want to tangle themselves between Wakanda and Kilmonger.

"Well, it seems Spider-boy puts the news nicely than you, Mr vampire" Peni states and an agreement is made, MJ may not like, but, this is the lesser of evils in her situtation. _________________________________________________________________________________________

Kurt Ryder is googling on the internet, yes sometimes even him has to rely on good and old Google, to get information about Kitty Pryde, and to his surprise, the internet has nothing useful to tell. Aside from some cat videos and some cat porn (no, Ryder does not need to know about Cats the hentai), he found next to nothing, except this one article.

"Brave little girls escape certain death by sheer luck" he reads the title and notices it has a photo of Kitty Pryde when she was younger, and a girl with green hair who is hugging Kitty (the said girl is smaller than Kitty) and continues to read "according to the police, the Ferris wheel went malfunction in the exact moment those two girls decided to join in and it was a miracle that they didn´t die, but, no one knows how the Ferris Wheel malfunction in the first place as...it was turn off in the first place, investigation will be issued and the Amusement Park Happy Land will be closed"

Kurt Ryder, if he was a less experient detective, could let this information go as it appears to be irrelevant, however, Kurt is an excellent detective and looking at the legend of the photo of the two girls he notices something crucial.

"Kitty Pryde and Lorna Dane Pryde. Two lucky survivors."

"That´s...something"

___________________________________________________________________________________________

On a secret lair, a villain that the JLX hopes is really retired and will never come back to the good old days, is watching a fascinating video on the big screen thanks to his secretary/ sometimes lover provide for him. Magneto is watching a green-haired woman using her power to help someone, Magneto has no idea who is this person, but, it appears she is taking him out of the prison.

"Interesting" Magneto states. "Oracle once told me I have a lost daughter...could this be my lost daughter" and smiles proudly as the video ends with the green-haired woman taking the unknown person away.

Meanwhile, Irene has a small smile on her face. Oh, her old prophecies are coming together.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The cellphone rings loudly and Kitty answers and is no surprise to know is Jubilee as the TV is showing the news of a person is missing in the Arkhan, but, the twist in the news is that such person was actually not who he claimed to be, which means, the police make a mistake and the system arrested an innocent. And this happened in Jump City.

"Hello, Jubs" Kitty speaks still peering at the news and is impressed by Kurt and Peter´s professionalism even through Kurt confessed to Kitty, once thanks to a nice mood and delicious food, that sometimes is a pain work with Peter (and Kitty wonder if Peter thinks the same)

"Kitty, your sister was here!" and is all Jubile needs to say about the situation and Kitty can picture the image just fine.

"And let me guess? You want me to do something?"

"No, I want you to help me with a case, your sister unmask a crook system here but has no intention of helping..."

She takes the cellphone out to mutters tiredly the name Lorna and that´s the mood for this situation. "Ok, but, I´ll need a favour too if Kurt Ryder asks about me...tell him I´m a sexologist"

"Do I want to know?"

"NOPE"

"Then ok, I´ll cover for you"

"Then...guess I´ll go to Jump City"

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Sometime later, Cosmo arrives with Jupiter on his back and meet Kitty eating popcorn and greeting them, however, the cat and dog have a concern expression on their furry faces. "Someone watch Cats the movie?" and Kitty is the only to chuckle as Jupiter is not happy. "What happened?"

"Kitty, you need to gather the gang to a new heist. This time...you need to steal a Pool of Blood!"

"....sounds crazy, I´m in"

[marshmallowbirb]

Blood Red Riding Hood: Chapter 3

Title: Blood Red Riding Hood: Chapter 3 - Coal Black Series: Angels of Death Rating: M Summary: Little Red Riding Hood AU. Rachel Gardner wanders the woods alone at night in a red hood, looking for her own death. When she finds it, however, her death has other plans. Pairing: Zack/Ray Spoilers: AU, but probably for the whole game eventually? IDK. 

Zack woke the next morning, warm and comfortable. Something was strange. It was usually just a bit chilly when he woke in the mornings, and it was certainly chilly this morning too. But he was underneath a blanket and that was far from the norm.

Without realizing it, his tail began to thump on the soft fabric covering the floor of his cave. Soft fabric? Where had that come from? It wasn't terribly concerning, so Zack made a semi-conscious decision to ignore the oddness. Instead, he tried to go back to sleep. But there was something else stopping him – something that felt very nice.

It was his ears. The fur was being scratched, short nails scraping the skin underneath. The points of his ears flicked, responding instinctively to the stimulus. He whined a bit, realizing vaguely that this was what was causing his tail to thump.

Oh, it was heaven.

He burrowed his face down into something soft to get more of that wonderful scratching on his ears. When it stopped, a small whine escaped his throat and his fingers flexed into that nice, warm pillow. Suddenly, there was a squeal, causing his ears to perk up once again. The pillow began moving underneath his hands and consciousness flooded back into Zack’s mind.

 Oh.

Shit, right.

Zack sat bolt upright, banging his head on the top of his little cave. As he gingerly rubbed his head, the curses came spilling out.

“Satan's cock and balls!”

Oh right. That girl was still there. He cracked an eye open to find her sitting beside him, watching him with a sort of detached curiosity. Rubbing his head managed to dispel the ache from the bump, but his pride still ached just a bit. Who just went and petted a grown ass wolf's ears like that? Did she not know those were highly sensitive? She'd also unintentionally pricked at an unpleasant memory that he thought he'd forgotten.

He'd be lying if he said it didn't feel nice though.

“Sorry,” Ray apologized, her voice dull.

“Why would you even do that?” he grumbled. “Just for that, I oughta bite you.” She at least had the common sense to look somewhat embarrassed.

“Well, our dog liked getting his ears scratched,” she muttered, a finger next to her lips. That little admission raised his hackles. He didn't know whether to be flattered or offended. Instead, he decided on simply being irritated.

“I'm not a dog, dammit!” It was true, but why did it suddenly feel like a useless declaration? Frustrated, he moved to crawl out of the cave and out of Ray's mound of blankets. “I'm gonna take a bath.”

“Ah!” she called after him, leaving the blankets for a second before shivering and covering back up. “It's still too cold!”

As Zack stretched, he realized that it was indeed still very cool. The sun hadn't even cleared the hills yet and a frosty haze still hung over the forest ground. It was going to be a clear day, but until it was properly light out, it was probably safer for Ray to stay where she was.

“Not for me,” he replied. A grin cracked his face, his earlier consternation fading. What was with this girl? She was cold all the time! Well, whatever. He began walking towards the stream, frosty leaves crunching under his boots.

As he walked, Zack cracked his neck and reflected on his new companion. She didn't seem to smell quite so badly this morning; in fact, she'd absorbed a lot of his smell overnight. Since it wasn't as bad this morning, he might hold off on making her take a bath until it was warmer out. She seemed to get cold so easily anyway. Of course, he could always just wait a few days and she'd probably smell less sick and more like him naturally.

Either way, he was going to get his bath no matter what she did.

Rachel was colder when Zack left, but it wasn't unbearable. She didn't intend to sleep any more that morning anyway. Instead, she took some pieces of salted meat from the barrel and a few bites of spiced apples and made those her breakfast. He'd probably want to leave as soon as he returned, so it was better to eat before then.

It was still cold out, so Rachel kept the blanket wrapped around her, the wolf's warmth evaporating slowly. His scent lingered, though. It wasn't bad, really, and it did remind her of her family's dog. His reaction earlier was a mystery to her, though.

He'd liked having his ears scratched, hadn't he? His tail had thumped and he'd curled against her legs, just like a puppy. It was adorable and Rachel found her cheeks burning just thinking about how soft his ears were. But he'd admonished her once he woke up, so maybe he didn't like it after all? Or maybe he was just embarrassed? Rachel chewed the salted pork and continued thinking about it.

By the time Zack returned, she was up and about, gathering their things and rolling up her bedroll. His hood was down and his hair was still wet and sticking to his head and ears. He'd opened his jacket, presumably to help dry off, so Rachel also had a clear view of his chest and stomach. She had secretly expected his whole body to be furry since his ears and tail were. Instead, he was wrapped neatly in bandages, showing no skin or fur. As he shook the water out of his hair, Rachel cocked her head to the side.

“Are you injured?” she asked, slightly concerned. If he had injuries that massive, he might die before he could kill her. Something about that struck her as sad and unacceptable.

“Huh?” came the startled response. “What, the bandages? Old wounds.” His voice sounded nonchalant but Rachel noted how quickly he closed his jacket back over the bandages. If he didn't want to talk about it, she couldn't make him, though. She decided to drop the subject.

“Do you want breakfast before we set out?” She had set him aside some meat, along with some pickles; he probably couldn't live on meat alone either.

“What's that?” he asked, nose crinkling, pointing at the pickles.

“Pickled cucumbers.”

“Nah,” he dismissed them, “They smell like death.” He did take the meat, though. Rachel watched him scarf it down, quietly happy that she had been of some use. After a moment, she turned back to her bedroll and continued rolling it up.

Not a few moments later, Zack joined her in gathering their things. He lashed the meat barrels together with the bedroll. Rachel thought the whole contraption looked terribly cumbersome, but he lifted it with ease. He only stooped a bit as he loaded himself down; after he'd taken a second to adjust the weight of the pack, he was nearly walking just as normal.

“C'mon, let's get outta here,” Zack grumbled. Rachel retrieved her basket, latched her cloak, and followed him closely.

Surprisingly, the two made decent time.

Zack only knew he had to head “south" to find his old friend. Well, “acquaintance" would be the better way to describe him. The older wolf had taken him into his monastery when he was younger; Zack had chafed at the rules and restrictions that accompanied the place and had caused more trouble than he was probably worth. In response, he'd been politely dismissed. The brothers at the monastery pointed him towards the northern forests and sent him merrily on his way.

He had no intention of joining them or being subservient to them now. But the Father there was a decent sort and he figured if anyone would know the way to an unoccupied territory, it would be him.

Regardless of all that, he had to find the monastery before he could solicit their help. This was where Ray was proving her usefulness. Although the daylight hours were much shorter than in the summer, she was adept at finding their way with the aid of the sun and moon. For as long as he'd lived on his own, patrolling those woods and the surrounding mountainsides, Zack had never really noticed much about those sorts of things. Sure, he knew the sun tended to come up in the same place for most of the year, and the moon varied by time of month. But it had never occurred to him to learn in which direction those things happened.

Ray, on the other hand, seemed to be able to use that information to point them vaguely southward. Or she could have been leading them in exactly the wrong direction, Zack would never know the difference either way. But she had been honest so far, so it was worth trusting her.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

It was largely uneventful. They traveled by day, keeping off the main road unless the forest wasn’t passable. Ray had protested at first, worried that the forest was harder to traverse, but Zack was adamant: other humans would pose a problem, and neither of them wanted to be separated from the other.

That was provided they even saw any. The town Ray had left was deserted and they hadn't seen any travelers. Zack hadn't even been able to pick up their scent. In fact, Ray was the first human he'd scented in weeks when he came across her. That sickness he'd seen in her town really seemed to have culled the whole lot of them. It really was a miracle she was even still walking.

That also proved to be a bit of a problem, though. Zack was used to walking, running, and trekking through wooded areas; he'd been doing it since he was a little pup, after all. But it rapidly became obvious that Ray wasn't used to it. Maybe it was because she was recovering from that illness or maybe it was because she wasn't used to travel. Either way, she carried a sickliness and thinness about her that annoyed Zack.

It also made her slow sometimes, and Zack really couldn't tolerate that.

The first day or two, he'd stopped so she could take breaks. But that only made him frustrated and restless. The compromise they'd worked out was for Zack to simply carry Ray under his arm like a log. He was certain he looked a fool, stomping through half-frozen forests with a limp girl under one arm and two barrels strapped to his back with a blanket. His back was strong enough to carry it all, but he wasn't sure his pride was.

She never wound up taking a bath, either. It wasn't like she smelled bad; she was about average for a human, as far as Zack knew. It just became less irritating as the sickness worked itself out of her.

Aside from her weakness, though, she did seem to be recovering. He even gave her extra meat, all the while admonishing her to hurry up and heal, hurry up and keep up with him, hurry up and stop making him worry. Even as he scolded her that he wouldn't wait on her much longer, that was exactly what he found himself doing.

The worst parts for Ray seemed to be at night. The cold didn't bother Zack much; it was just a natural part of living in the woods. If it was cold enough to snow, he'd just curl into a ball and sleep until it was warm enough to move around. Not Ray, though.

She couldn't sleep in the cold, not even with that huge blanket of hers. Every night without fail, she'd curl under it and shiver until he crawled in with her. She never asked or complained, which Zack supposed was tolerable. But he couldn't sleep if he knew she was just going to be awake all night anyway. As soon as he pulled her tight to his chest, she'd fall asleep.

He would have been lying if he said it wasn't awkward to wake up holding a woman. The last female he'd been around for any length of time was the bitch that had given birth to him, and none of the males he'd been near had gotten that close to him. Most of his victims had been male humans, as well; the females didn't seem to get out into his woods quite as much, although their meat seemed just a bit more tender. In fact, before the man had gone into his cabin and expired, Zack had had his eye on the village doctor. That man was always going through his woods, narrowly escaping him every time.

He was fine when he was walking with her during the day. It was during those small spaces of time that Ray was asleep and Zack was not that his mind started doing weird things. Usually at night, he was too tired to do much thinking before falling asleep. But in the mornings when he woke, if she wasn't already awake, that was when the trouble came.

Sometimes he'd wake sweating because he'd dream of people he'd known – mostly the two humans who'd taken him in after that bitch had abandoned him. Ray's lingering human smell must have triggered their memory. The couple of times he'd dreamed of them, he'd spent the entire rest of those days reticent and unwilling to even speak to Ray. She must have been worried, but Zack tried not to think too much about it. It was for her own good.

Those were the days he wanted to eat her most.

It wasn't just because she was unintentionally pricking at something that rekindled his spark of hatred for humans. Those were the first humans he ever ate, and salted pork was a poor substitute. Waking up with her scent right under his nose made him miss it. But there was something else too.

That ugly human woman who'd adopted him had petted his ears, too. That was probably what made the connection in his mind. It wasn't fair to Ray, of course, and Zack knew it. Still, he couldn't help what he dreamed.

The other weird thing that tended to happen in the mornings was much more foreign to Zack. He could explain why he'd wake up hungry from her scent. What he couldn't explain was the weird feeling he'd get some other mornings when his sleep had been dreamless. He'd wake with Ray cradled in his arms, her head on his chest, little hands near her face, maybe her leg crossing his at the ankle – and with his dick uncomfortably at least half-hard between them.

Sure, that had happened a couple of times before he met her, especially first thing in the morning. But with someone else there, especially a human girl, it would just make things awkward. He had no intention of mating with a human like some deviant, and he wasn't even sure if she would know what that was anyway. Just the thought of it was something repulsive on its face, but… was Ray really like other humans? That was the thought that nagged at him and was also possibly the source of his weird feelings. Even so, the situation also made him feel an uncomfortable combination of embarrassment, shame, and frustration. So it was always a weird struggle on those mornings to sneak out of the blankets without waking her so he could take care of it with some cold water without her knowing.

The days they traveled together were far less eventful, though. They chatted a little on the days he hadn't had nightmares, and Zack found it pleasant enough. The girl rarely smiled and never laughed, which had the strange effect of being calming and irritating at the same time. Calming because nothing made Zack want to hunt a human more than seeing them stupidly happy; with Ray, that was never really a problem. It was irritating, though, because of the lack of stimulation. Most of the time, she was just there.

He didn't want to just travel with a small shadow.

But that was mainly how it went. Making time by day and resting by night. Most nights there was only the shelter of the trees, although one night they had found another small cave in which to sleep. The nights got progressively colder, frosts going from light, sparkly, merry things, to freezing the earth solid. He'd been successful in keeping her from making a fire thus far, but his body warmth wasn't going to be enough for her soon. When the snows came, she was going to need a fire, maybe even one of the abandoned cabins they sometimes passed. Perhaps when that time came, he'd just sleep far enough away that it wouldn’t bother him. But a nagging feeling inside his head told him he probably wouldn't be able to tolerate that.

Human farming was going to be the death of him, Zack just knew it.

It was on the eleventh day of traveling together that the forest began to change around them. It was imperceptible at first: a little bark stripped from a tree here or there, some human trash by the roadside, a depression in the leaf litter, or a few broken branches. Rachel noticed those things but didn't know exactly what to make of them.

Zack seemed tense, though. A bit after lunch, Rachel could sense a shift in his behavior. He could be quiet or moody, but this seemed to be something else entirely. After a couple hours, Rachel finally placed exactly what it was: he was on guard. As they continued south, he only grew more tense.

It was close to sundown when Zack put out a hand and stopped her.

“We need to go around,” he said quietly. “Maybe closer to the main road, o-or on the other side of the river.” Rachel stayed where she was, cocking her head to the side to watch him curiously.

“What's the matter?”

“It's not good,” he growled. He was distracted now. Rachel watched him sniff the air then scan the forest with his eyes, the setting sun reflecting off his pupils. His ears flicked atop his head, clearly trying to pick up any nearby sounds. Rachel certainly couldn't hear any noises as quiet as he could. She also knew his night vision was  much better than hers; they might need it soon, it seemed.

A murder of crows erupted from a copse of trees further into the forest, creating a racket that made Rachel jump. They both watched them fly into the sunset, knowing that there was a reason the birds wanted to escape.

“Shit,” Zack breathed, watching them go. “She's already close.” Rachel’s eyes slid to meet his. She could read something very close to panic there.

“She?”

He grit his teeth and seemed hesitant to answer. Finally, after several seconds, he reached over and grabbed Rachel. Tucking her safely under his arm, he began running.

“We're in a bitch's territory,” he huffed as he ran. “I met her once, when I was just markin’ out my area. We gotta --"

Zack was cut off by a long, loud howl. He froze in place, jostling his bedroll pack as he did so. The sound sent a shudder down Rachel's spine as well. It was something she hadn't heard since the night Zack hunted her in the woods. Just as he began to run again, there was a second howl coming from the direction in which they were running.

“What the hell?!” Zack hissed, digging in his heels. “She has a pack now?!” Rachel wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she knew that if Zack was spooked, it had to be bad.

“You don't like her?” Rachel asked. Did wolves have kingdoms and factions like humans?

“Hell, no!” he barked in return, nearly dropping her. “That crazy bitch?! I never wanna see her again, and neither do you.” As soon as he stopped talking, he started running away from the directions of the two howls. When his footsteps began sounding throughout the forest again, Rachel heard something else, too.

It was a woman's maniacal laughter.

Something about it chilled Rachel right to her very toes. She wrapped her arms around Zack as he carried her, shifting her weight to be less like a bale of hay under his arm and more like a baby clinging to its mother's side. She buried her face in his chest and held on for dear life as he picked up speed.

Then, just as suddenly, Rachel felt him stop with a jerk. She managed to hang on tight to him with a squeal, but it was obvious his foot was caught on something. Only a fraction of a second more saw them both tumble to the forest floor. Zack broke her fall, holding tight and making sure she didn't roll away. With a crash, the bedroll pack he'd been carrying dislodged and broke apart on the forest floor; the barrels rolled across the leafy ground while the blanket tangled into a jumbled heap.

Rachel and her basket fared much better, though. When she opened her eyes again, she was laying on top of the wolf, hands clutching his hooded jacket.

“Shit fuck godDAMN!” The expletives poured out in a steady, hushed stream. Even so, Rachel knew something was wrong. She’d seen Zack stumble before; he always got back up afterwards. But this time, he wasn't moving from his spot.

“Zack?” Rachel breathed, pushing off his chest and supporting herself with her arms. His face was contorted in pain, but he still managed to acknowledge her when she called to him.

“I'm stuck,” he growled. Rachel looked down at his legs. One of them was caught in a metal clamp, the kind Rachel knew was used for hunting bears and deer. If her leg had been the one caught in that, she was sure it would've been bitten clean off. Zack's leg was at least somewhat protected by his boot, but Rachel could see that the teeth of the trap were digging into the boot.

Suddenly, the sounds of laughter and stomping were much closer. Rachel pulled at his jacket, trying to brace herself on the ground and pull him away from the trap. She slipped against the cold, wet leaves and couldn't get purchase, but she doubted it would matter anyway; she wasn't strong enough to be able to pull the trap out of where it was staked to the ground. Zack growled in response anyway.

“Stop it,” he hissed. “I can't avoid her now. But you gotta hide.” Rachel could see he was deathly serious. In response, she frantically scanned the woods. Dusk was falling quickly and her vision was nowhere near good enough to outwit a wolf.

“Where?” she asked breathlessly. Zack had sat up by then; with a great deal of effort, he then pushed himself to his feet. As soon as he was standing, he grabbed Rachel's cloak, pulling her to him. Then he hoisted her up by her waist. For just a second, he held her aloft and she went perfectly limp. It was strange, but even though he'd acted suddenly, she knew she could trust him.

Then, unsteadily, he braced himself against the forest floor and sent her flying. The next thing she knew, Rachel was lying draped across a low tree branch, her basket still on her arm. After a moment of shock, she pulled the rest of her body up onto the branch. Once she was better balanced against the trunk of the tree, she turned back to look at Zack. He was trying to yank the bear trap out of where it was bolted to the ground.

“Zack?”

“Just stay up there!” he barked back. “If she sees you, she'll kill you!” Rachel squeezed herself closer to the tree. She wanted to die, certainly, but she had promised her body to Zack for food. Strangely, she wanted to know he'd be okay after she was gone.

“She'll eat me?”

“No, stupid, she'll just kill you!” he huffed, still struggling with the trap. “We're in her territory, you're a strange female, and she's probably in heat! Now shut the hell up!” Admonished, Rachel fell quiet, clinging to the tree and trying her best not to move. The clanging noise of Zack struggling with the steel claw masked the sounds of anyone approaching.

It wasn't long until that was drowned out with the crazed laughter, too. Rachel huddled down against the tree, as still and quiet as she could possibly be. She couldn't see her yet, but she knew the wolf woman was approaching Zack in the dark. Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity, she could make out her figure.

She was dressed all in black, with a short skirt worn over a tight pair of breeches. Her neckline was low enough that even from her vantage point in the tree, Rachel could see her deep cleavage. And unlike Zack, whose hair, ears, and tail were all black, her ears and short bob were blonde, fading to pink at the tips. Her hair shone with what little light the rising moon gave off, sleek and glossy, as though she had taken great care of it. Worst of all, though, Rachel could see something that looked like a stiff, black stick held between her hands.

With a wicked smile, the wolf bitch regarded her prey. He'd stopped struggling by then and Rachel could hear his low growl.

“Well, well, well! Welcome back, Isaac!”

[paradisobound]

Gingerbread House...Almost

12 Days of Ficmas: Day 1 

Summary: Dan and Phil just wanted to film themselves making Gingerbread Houses, too bad their new puppy Luna thinks otherwise. 

Word Count: 1,215 Words

Genre: Humor 

A/N: I’m doing 12 Days of Ficmas for everyone! Today is Day 1 and I’m still taking prompts so if you want me to write a Christmas themed prompt, send them to me, please! Hope you enjoy this short fic! Happy reading :) 

[Ao3 Link]

“Dan, that’s enough decorations. Your house is beginning to look more like a Christmas disaster than a Christmas miracle.” 

Dan rolled his eyes. His attention to detail made it so he wanted to have everything on his gingerbread house aesthetically pleasing. So sue him that he’s adding another purple gumdrop to the already black icing on the roof. It looked good and he was happy with it. 

“Just because I’m actually trying on mine doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, Phil.” Dan snarked back. 

Phil laughed and Dan rolled his eyes again as he carefully places the gumdrop down and pressed it into the icing as if it was glue. He stood back and admired his gingerbread house. All blacks, purples, and some red are thrown in there. It looked amazing. He thought. 

He turned his head and eyed Phil’s monstrosity next to his. A mish-mash of colors that didn’t even work together and icing that was slabbed onto the fragile cookie. He was appalled that his boyfriend could even make such a horrific design…even if he had to admit that it was endearing to see how hard Phil tried to get his house to stay together. 

“Hey!” Phil quipped back. “You seem to forget that you were the one who broke the side of my house when you tipped the box over onto the table.” 

Dan snickered. Phil was correct in that regard but still, he liked to pick on Phil at times. Nothing serious, just occasion playfulness because sometimes Phil did things that just warranted some playful banter. This was one of those times. 

Dan was about to speak up when the sound of pitter patter feet scurried behind him. A smile instantly pulled at his lips as he turned around and greeted their new furry member of the family. 

Phil had adopted Luna from the local animal shelter for Dan as an early Christmas present and Dan has never been so in love with such a small creature in his life—sorry Colin. She was a three-year-old Yorkshire terrier and normally, Dan wouldn’t have chosen that breed but seeing Phil hold the little furry baby in his arms with a bow on her head made Dan forget about his bias instantly. 

They’d only had for her two weeks but Dan’s already picked up on her personality. She was spunky and sassy, and definitely had a mind of her own. Really, she was Dan is dog form. Maybe that’s why Phil had thought she would be the perfect match for them at the shelter. He’s not sure. All he knows is that he already has grown attached to her. 

He bent down and picked her up as if she weighed nothing—to be fair, she pretty much didn’t. She only weighed 8 pounds. But the vet called her healthy and that’s all that mattered. He let her assault his cheek and give him excited kisses and he chuckled. “Oh, my baby Luna. Calm down!” 

He giggled and held her back so she couldn’t keep licking his face. He wiped his cheek off with the back of his hand as Phil giggled beside him and reached over and scratched the fur on the top of her head. She made a small noise of content before fighting in Dan’s hold and he let her back down. 

“I’m gonna take her out quickly.” Dan said, turning to Phil. 

“Okay,” Phil answered. “I’ll work on getting our footage off of the memory card and into the computer while you’re gone.” 

Dan didn’t have to take her far to take her out. He just took her out on a lead to the courtyard and let her sniff around until she did her business. So he called for her to follow him to their closet where they kept her stuff and he pulled out a lead and then bent down and attached it to her tiny collar. He then grabbed his jacket and put it on quickly before slipping on his shoes and taking her out. 

It was cold out, and luckily Luna didn’t like that either, so her bathroom time was quick and then she whining to go back in so Dan took her back in just a few moments later. Once through the door, he quickly unhooked her and she tore through the apartment with her little legs carrying her across their wooden floors. 

Taken with the fact she probably ran to her bed which was in their room, he didn’t bother to follow her. He just walked into the office where Phil was and sat with him to look over the footage for their video. 

They were nearly done viewing the hour of footage when Dan had a weird sensation crawl through his skin. Something was off and he couldn’t pinpoint it. His initial thought was that he was crazy but then he realized that couldn’t be it. He excused himself from the office and made his way to the bedroom, expecting to see Luna sleeping on her bed. But she wasn’t there. 

Dan had a bad feeling. Luna was still just a puppy so maybe she found something to play with. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that this wasn’t normal for her to not be in her bed at this time. She was a very time-oriented dog. 

He made a beeline for the living room but on the way, he could hear was sounding like little whimpers and yipping. He turned his head and his jaw instantly fell to his chest as he raced to the kitchen where Luna was head deep in the gingerbread houses, icing and candy stuck to her fur. 

“Luna no!” Dan yelled, lunging for her and grabbing her from the table. 

He didn’t know whether to laugh or to be mad at her. He didn’t even know if there was an exact why he could be feeling with her right about now. She was whimpering and whining, fighting to get back to the sticky mess on the table but Dan was holding her tightly to his jumper. 

“Dan, whats…” Phil’s voice tapered off as he viewed the mess and suddenly, loud laughs were billowing into the kitchen. 

Dan turned and saw as Phil leaned in the doorway, laughing so hard he could barely stand. “This isn’t funny Phil!” Dan said, his own voice faltering as he laughed. Luna just laid limp in his hold, accepting that she had done something bad. 

Dan started to laugh and he bent down and nuzzled his cheek on Luna’s sticky fur. “Oh my God, Luna. I can’t believe you managed to do that.” 

“I can’t even tell if we should be laughing about this as hard as we are or if we should be scolding her!” Phil said as he regained his breath. 

Dan shook his head and rubbed Luna’s fur. “Let’s just run her a bath and clean up the mess. We can think of punishing her later.” 

Phil smiled at him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, snapping a photo of the mess. Dan then laughed and stood with Luna in front of the mess as Phil snapped more photos. 

“This will be a great story to tell the kids one day.” 

[darley1101]

Soft Hearted

Request: “Who gets teary eyed when they pass a dead animal while driving” “What do they fight about most.”

Pairing: Drake x Lily

Rating: Teen (some language, mention of animal being hurt)

Warning: small scene where an animal is hit by a car

Requested by: @likeatailofacomet 

Tag list is at the end. I stuck with my perma tag list. If you would like to be added to the perma list, removed, or added to a specific list in general just let me know. I hope everyone enjoys.

Soft Hearted

“So that's just it? You're not talking to me?”

Lily Walker pursed her full lips into a tight pucker and narrowed her eyes, her gaze trained on the scenery whizzing by. No, asshole, I'm not talking to you, she silently fumed, crossing her arms over her chest. Keeping quiet was the only way to keep from getting sucked back into the same ole fight she and Drake kept having about whether or not their three year old daughter Kaytee was ready for a pet. Lily had grown up with her furry best friend Tux, this beautiful black and white tuxedo cat that had been a crucial part of her life for seventeen years, and for a brief amount of time, before the little traitor chose Maxwell over her, she'd had a corgi named Sir Wigglesworth. She knew Drake liked animals, especially horses, so she didn't see what the big deal was in letting Kaytee have a kitten.

“Oh come on, Lils, you're being ridiculous.”

Eyes widening and nostrils flaring, Lily sucked in her breathe. No, you grouchy shit, what's ridiculous is your reasons for not letting our daughter...who never asks for anything...have a fucking kitten! Heaven forbid your precious leather couch get a single claw mark on it or that ugly cow hide rug gets tinkled on. Selfish asshole. The problem was, Drake wasn't selfish. There were very few times Lily couldn't get her way with him. He was just being a stubborn ass on the kitten thing. At first Lily had thought he might be allergic, but a quick conversation with Savannah had nipped that right in the bud. Savannah had also laid to rest any lingering concerns Lily had about Drake having PTSD over a traumatic pet death. No, Drake was just being a stubborn jerk about letting Kaytee have a kitten. If he had listed responsibility or that he was worried about ringworm and scratch marks, Lily could have seen his point of view. Instead he had centered his attention on his precious, mammoth sized leather sofa and that hideous cow hide rug his mother had sent him from Texas.

“Fine. Don't talk.” Fine, I won't. Lily curbed the urge to stick out her tongue. She wasn't above sulking, silent treatment, or stomping her foot but she drew the line at sticking out her tongue. She was a mother, after all, and she had to have some standards when it came to childish behavior. “At least listen to why...”

After thirty seconds of him droning on with his usual lame reasons for not letting Kaytee have a cat, Lily turned her focus back to the scenery flashing by outside. It was something she instantly regretted. A horrified gasp escaped her lips and her eyes started burning as she took in the struggling figure of a cat that had recently been hit trying to crawl to the side of the road. He looks like Tux, she noted, with his sleek black fur and a splash of white on the chest and face. “Drake pull over,” Lily cried, her lower lip starting to tremble. “Pull over now!”

“Lils,” Drake started, and then stopped, letting out a string of curses when he spots the cat. He was still cursing when he pulled the truck to the side of the road. The moment it stopped, Lily jumped out, racing towards the cat. “What are you doing,” he yelled behind her. She ignored the question because it should be obvious what she was doing. A passing car honked and swerved to miss her, Lily flipped the driver off, her focus on getting to the cat, who had paused to let out a painful cry. “Jesus, Lils, be careful!”

“It's okay,” she murmured, crouching down next to the cat. She stroked its silky fur, tears running down her cheeks when it looked up at her with pain filled eyes. “We're going to get you help.” Gingerly, she gathered the wounded animal in her arms.

“If you ever do something like that again,” Drake yelled, “I swear to God Lily I will...I will...” he snapped his mouth shut, his face softening when he took in the whimpering cat. “Is he okay?”

“I don't know,” Lily sniffled, blinking rapidly to try to loosen the tears lingering on her lashes. “He's not bleeding but that doesn't mean anything. He could be hurt inside. He could....” Like a dam filled to the brim after a storm, she burst. Sobs heaved her chest, tears poured down her cheeks. How could people be so cruel? She understood that accidents happened, that sometimes hitting an animal couldn't be avoided, but damn it how hard was it to stop and see if the animal that was struck needed help? “We're going to help you,” she whispered, her fingers gently trailing over the trembling little body.

“Lily, baby,” Drake placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We need to get him to the vet.” Drake was right, she knew that, but it was like her feet were glued to the side of the road. “Let me help.” Nodding, Lily let him lead her to the passenger side of their truck, sniffling slightly when he helped her into her seat. A soft, small smile tipped the corners of her lips when his large fingers gently trailed over the cat, comforting words murmured under his breath.

The drive to the vet was a blur of Drake trying to comfort her while she tried to reassure the cat that everything was going to be alright. It felt like a lie, she had no way of knowing if things were going to be okay but they were trying and that counted for something. If, her heart constricted, if the cat died at least he would die knowing someone had loved him enough to stop and help him. “I love you,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to the soft head before letting the vet tech take him to the back, where the vet waited to look him over.

“It's going to be okay,” Drake told her, pulling her shaking body up against his chest. He threaded his fingers into her thick, dark curls and tilted her head so that she was looking up at him. “He's strong, Lils, a fighter. He's not going to give up. Especially not now.”

“What...what do you mean...especially not now?”

That was when it happened. Liliana Delgado Walker, the Duchess of Valtoria, fell in love with her husband all over again. “Because now he has a home and people who love him waiting for him.” She tightened her hold around his waist. Had she really, just a half an hour ago, been thinking that he was an asshole and a grouchy shit? She took it back...well maybe not entirely back because there was some truth to it. Drake could be a grouchy asshole when he wanted to be. Mostly he was a loving, compassionate father and husband. The sort who stopped on the side of the road so their wife could run into on coming traffic to save a cat. The sort who then rushed said cat to the vet, footed the bill, and then, without prompting, said the cat was coming home with them.

“You should name him,” Lily encouraged a few days later when they once again driving down the highway, this time with their cat riding in the backseat, purring loudly while Kaytee chattered away about how much she was going to love him, and how bee-you-tee-ful he was. The vet had called him a miracle cat since he had managed to walk away with only a small graze on his back left leg where the tire had struck him.

“Yes!” Kaytee squealed from the back seat. “Daddy you should name him!” Her little brow puckered, her brown eyes narrowing in confusion.”Who is daddy naming?”

“Our cat, sweetheart,” Lily laughed.

“Oh! Sweetheart is a bee-you-tee-ful name daddy!”

Before Drake could protest or Lily could correct their precocious daughter, Sweetheart the miracle cat let out a heart yowl of agreement.

Perma tag list: @debramcg1106 @josieschoices @boneandfur  @tmarie82 @blackcatkita  @hamulau @endlessly-searching-for-you @umccall71  @drakelover78 @penguininapinktuxedo @eileendannie  @stopforamoment @writtenbycandy @lizeboredom @alicars  @leelee10898 @choicesfannatalie @liamxs-world  @katurrade @jadedpixiescribbles @indiacater @speedyoperarascalparty @zackzilberg @mfackenthal @damienazariostan @choiceslife @hopefulmoonobject @hellospunkiebrewster

People who might be interested: @flowerpowell @drakewalkerwhipped @kinkykingliam

[sagamemes]

podiots sentence starters, part i.   contains 143 lines of dialogue collected from episodes one through three of the vidiots’ fortnightly podcast podiots. i’ve edited some lines to fit roleplay better, and randomised the order. contains two mentions of violence against nazis---last two sentences on the list, if don’t want to see it---feel free to change those into your muse’s in-universe equivalents, as well as edit anything else needed to fit your muse’s mouth or life better.

❝ after my dad showed me that, i never trusted him again. ❞

❝ that’s actually an explanation for a lot of ghost sightings, carbon monoxide poisoning. there are symptoms that cause like hallucinations and feelings of dread and fear. ❞

❝ i would be called chocolate thunder, and i’d wear a cape. ❞

❝ would you just get over it? i was a kid! ❞

❝ it was just this weird rag doll girl who happened to be in a bikini just falling, forever. ❞

❝ is there ever not a sexual element to it?! ❞

❝ well, you’ve clearly never met a salaried genie who’s on a retainer. ❞

❝ you’ve had your money taken. ❞

❝ i just want people to pay attention, for fuck’s sake. ❞

❝ you guys are really into your obscure shit. ❞

❝ it’s a bit like class tourism, isn’t it? ❞

❝ that’s what i was saying, this is---this is probably not legal. ❞

❝ you asked to bring weird things. ❞

❝ boy, do i hate facebook! ❞

❝ to be fair, her balloon animals are quite impressive. ❞

❝ jesus, why aren’t you on neopets yet? ❞

❝ you can’t always afford the homemade stuff. and typically, there’s less of it. and sometimes it’s not very good. and you’re paying a premium! ❞

❝ i’m so fucking over [thing]. to be fair, i ruined it for myself. ❞

❝ he’s just some time traveller, fucking with them with a fucking mp3 player. ❞

❝ what the fuck is a ‘num noms’? ❞

❝ so it’s a miracle that [name] didn’t asphyxiate himself as a child, and it’s amazing that i didn’t have some kind of cardiac issue almost immediately in my late teens. what do you bring to the table here? ❞

❝ i’m a big fan of weird gameboy stuff. ❞

❝ i’m like that rabbit from alice in wonderland. tiny, and late, and white. ❞

❝ it’ll make you terrified of ever going to a hotel again. ❞

❝ i like watching it but it’s not teaching me anything. ❞

❝ no, i don’t think there was any bubbles in it. ❞

❝ what do your mums think about what you’re doing? ❞

❝ gho-mophobic. that was a really difficult pun. ❞

❝ should we just start it? should we just go without him? ❞

❝ not that i could out-style you in any capacity. ❞

❝ i shouldn’t have asked for a horse. ❞

❝ our problem was nobody would take us seriously. ❞

❝ i’ve spent months trying to explain the job to her. my old job, she kind of got that, but now... ❞

❝ about halfway into the first [food] i went ‘oh... this is a lot of food’.---/i ate it all/, and then i felt sick for the rest of the sunday. ❞

❝ you were skirting around it, but if you ask me, directly, that’s what i’m going to say. ❞

❝ say a ghost laid a ghost poo on the floor, does it just stay there forever? ❞

❝ do you have an answer to this? because i’ve never given /any/ thought... ❞

❝ i’ve heard somewhere you can do that now. ❞

❝ my mum thinks you’re very funny, [name]. ❞

❝ no, that was all you. every penny, all you. ❞

❝ not the reason i was there, but it was a nice benefit. ❞

❝ stop. i mean---don’t stop. but /stop/. ❞

❝ [name] is the kind of man who’s so rich, he thinks a can of beans costs two thousand dollars. ❞

❝ just before going/coming in, my taxi driver said ‘oh, be careful, people get stabbed around here, bye!’ ❞

❝ be aware that this is /not/ a donation to a charitable cause. ❞

❝ i just do shots of olive oil. ❞

❝ no wonder he’s so fucking weird. ❞

❝ get a big old truck, for all that junk inside your trunk. ❞

❝ you’re not supposed to put cotton swabs in there, let alone a lit flame. ❞

❝ fuck you... [name]. i’m gonna... suck. your dick. ❞

❝ i’ve admittedly grown more bold with my culinary disgusts. ❞

❝ my chocolate shotgun, it’s a legally non-threatening weapon. ❞

❝ you did look very smart. very respectable. ❞

❝ everyone’s pulled the legs off a daddy longlegs, but that’s just like level one, that’s where you leave it. ❞

❝ see, that just sounds like batman. ❞

❝ i forgot that was the origin of this. ❞

❝ i feel like there’s something in the air. ❞

❝ there’s cosplaying and dressing up, and then there’s furries. ❞

❝ obviously, he--i mean i say obviously, like it’s /logical/, but... ❞

❝ if they did that, it’d be a lot more convenient for me. sometimes, it’s not the end of the world, is all i’m saying. ❞

❝ i am a freak. i have hands and feet, and if you’d saw me, you’d be petrified. ❞

❝ they have a meal deal which is like [£40/€45/$55]. and you get like a 25" square pizza, like seven garlic breads, and several ice creams. i could never make a dent in that, but the idea of it sounds very sexy. ❞

❝ well, he’ll be back soon! ❞

❝ you know, like a hammer throw---if i tied a string around it, i think i could throw a ps2 pretty far. properly like, swing it around, lean against it, do a spin. ❞

❝ day to day... i don’t eat breakfast. ❞

❝ we’re trying to be on everything, that’s our goal. ❞

❝ my finishing move would be called the ‘fuck you.’ ❞

❝ but i could never do that, i've got stuff to do! ❞

❝ i like dad rock. ❞

❝ if you’re having a party, i’m going to tell you what to do. ❞

❝ she looks far more normal than i expected. ❞

❝ i asked metaphorically, not physically. ❞

❝ i asked for some ___. we got about fifty. we only needed five. ❞

❝ there’s still time to save this american icon. ❞

❝ there were two [job title]s in there, who were like, super young and sexy men with really nice hair. ❞

❝ it’s read like it’s a documentary, not like ‘haha, and then he died!’ ❞

❝ i don’t want my lampshade looking at me! ❞

❝ give him something to do, he’ll be quiet, [name] and i can go to the shops and talk about where our marriage went wrong. ❞

❝ you don’t need to look at the front. usually, you’re behind ____. if he’s got a nice arse, that’s all that matters. ❞

❝ what’s your favourite cereal? ❞

❝ i’m just saying---sometimes local shops are shit. ❞

❝ i don’t think if you know this, [name]---i think you do, because you told me. ❞

❝ you take kids to a mcdonald’s, they’ll play at mcdonald’s. ❞

❝ you exist and then you don’t. ❞

❝ [name] is going through some financial issues, by which i mean, it’s fucked. ❞

❝ that’s a bit morbid. ❞

❝ i was thinking about ____ earlier. yeah, it crosses my mind at least like once an hour. ❞

❝ i had a great day, we went outside for lunch, i got gelato, it was great! ❞

❝ the tabloids loved the story. ❞

❝ you have to be really confused. ❞

❝ i really wanted to include h. h. holmes in this list because he’s my favourite murderer. ❞

❝ we’re not journalists, we’re just idiots on the internet. ❞

❝ it’s not the kind of name you gloss over. ❞

❝ ‘how did it get there?’ this is a /talking mongoose/ and you’re wondering how it got there? ❞

❝ is he a cat?! ❞

❝ i bought a replacement [name]. ❞

❝ i grew up in a village that didn’t even have a supermarket. ❞

❝ he was just---he was borderline abusive in my own house. ❞

❝ that’s gonna take you forever! ❞

❝ okay, well, i’m uncomfortable, what are we doing? ❞

❝ we’re not like... ‘i think i can make a joke about fighting your mother while playing a game’. we don’t know that well. ❞

❝ he’s like a genie, we only get one wish per day. ❞

❝ you take a drink and then you’re like ‘i don’t wanna drink too loud’ so you end up taking a tiny amount but then you don’t want to swallow too loud so you sort of inhale it a little bit and you’re like ‘i can’t cough, i can’t cough’... ❞

❝ now, [name] just heard that i wanted the attention and instantly decided he needed it instead. ❞

❝ we’re in dire need of new shelves. that money is going straight to shelves. ❞

❝ i never played ____. i kinda missed that train. ❞

❝ i could do the face for free. ❞

❝ it’s immediately feeling very warm in here. ❞

❝ presumably, this guy owns a lot of toys, so num noms is a thing. ❞

❝ i think that’s just a [region/state] thing. ❞

❝ let’s play a game called ‘how many people did they murder?’ ❞

❝ who is getting out of this room alive? ❞

❝ it’s like that song about the grandfather clock. ‘and it stopped, short, never to go again, when the ooold maaan died’. ❞

❝ [in the tune of new york] you’ll get punched in yoouur face. ❞

❝ don’t---don’t entertain his odd nonsense! ❞

❝ i don’t like people! i want my own space! ❞

❝ that’s something i always found really fascinating, like just wanting the username ‘batman’. how early would you have to be just to be ‘batman’? ❞

❝ you can’t complain about something disappearing if you’ve not been using it. ❞

❝ oh yeah, i always go to the dentist and get my brows done. ❞

❝ i loved [old place], and [this place] is also very lovely, it’s just a lot more expensive. ❞

❝ it’s a shame. just a couple of months longer and you would’ve had some employee rights. ❞

❝ there is a very good balloon elmo in this picture. ❞

❝ so, with all of this, what do you think the result is of this kind of upbringing and toxic relationship with your mother? ❞

❝ yeah, think about that. maybe we don’t like you. ❞

❝ they're’s so comfortable, i could almost fall asleep. ❞

❝ could you take this bottle of water, pour it in the sink, fill it again, and bring back to me? ❞

❝ it’s a sex number, i like it. ❞

❝ so what did the police do?---return him to [person]. ❞

❝ i wish /my/ mum thought i was funny. ❞

❝ okay, that’s gonna be interesting, having someone with a blade on my throat. ❞

❝ they can fire me if they want! they can fire me! ❞

❝ i don’t know why i said ‘basically’ like i’m about to explain how the internet works. ❞

❝ before, i had---there’s a shame element, isn’t it? you don’t want to do it because you’re afraid of judgement. ❞

❝ at one point, he had me squatting barefoot in my own bath. ❞

❝ eventually, we’re just gonna have to buy a storage locker for all this stuff. ❞

❝ i’ve got quite a sizeable list, i won’t talk about all of them. ❞

❝ how did we become the internet goblins we are today? ❞

❝ are you allergic to a.i.? ❞

❝ at least this is something you’re self-aware. if it was something other people had picked up on... ❞

❝ we have yellow and black, kind of a barry b. benson inspired look. ❞

❝ i was very disappointed at like eight when i found out they weren’t called ‘the food fighters’. ❞

❝ oh yeah, kicking hitler and shooting nazis is a lot of fun. ❞

❝ i’d love to throw a bop it extreme at hitler’s face, is what i’m saying, and i could do it from a long distance away. ❞

[heartslogos]

seas who could sing so deep and strong [119]

“I don’t know where you got this idea that I’m capable of keeping Persephone under control,” Judge says as they watch Kore rip through hoards of infested with her warframe’s bare hands. “But I think you need to reconsider that very quickly because the only way to get her to do something is if you offer incentive and mostly the incentive for her when she’s with me is that she keeps me alive and she has material to hold over me for later.”

“Why does she need to hold anything over you?” Chic asks.

“To stop me from doing something stupider than normal, probably,” Judge says. In hindsight, he recognizes that he’s had several less than bright ideas and that while at the time Kore seemed Spartan and perhaps a touch controlling she was absolutely right and if he didn’t listen to her he probably would’ve gotten them into more trouble than they could handle.

Now that he’s really thinking about it, instead of passively acknowledging that Kore is his better more controlled half, she’s probably doing this out of self preservation because half the time when he gets into trouble it gets her into trouble too.

This is how he feels about Jude. Punk.

Yikes.

“She takes care of you,” Chic says. “But you know, you’re literally the only person who can ask her to do anything and she’ll say yes.”

“You’ve asked her for help a few times.”

“Yeah, but it’s never anything important,” Chic points out. “And sometimes I lie about what I need help with and then she’s stuck there. I acknowledge that it’s a terrible thing to do but I’m also a terrible person usually.”

“She likes you,” Judge says, “You’re her friend, too.”

Chic gives him a look. “Not like how you’re her friend.”

Chic does air quotes around the word friend and Judge feels a creeping, tingling heat not unlike Kore’s fizz-cola energy tickle its way up the back of his neck over his scalp and ears. He coughs, turning aside, ignoring Chic’s knowing smirk.

“What do you want from her?” Judge asks instead.

There’s not much for him and Chic to do here, Kore’s handling everything. Mostly Judge is just trying to make sure Poppy doesn’t get indigestion by eating too much infested parts and Chic’s been sedately walking around to pick up fallen loot.

“Nothing big, really,” Chic says. “It’s just that. You know how half her herd is named after people? I know, I know, she didn’t do it on purpose - mostly - but I have a new puppy. She’s a very good puppy. She’s a very cute puppy. She’s a Sunika. And she reminds me exactly of Persephone.”

“No.” Judge knows without her going any further where this is leading and there’s no way he can get this to happen. It would take seven miracles, a sainthood from someone else, and maybe Chic saving Kore’s life five times for it to happen.

“I didn’t even finish asking,” Chic says, her Equinox’ arms crossing. “Hear me out.”

“You want to name your dog after Persephone.”

“I absolutely want to name my dog after Persephone. I’m going to call her Percy. If Persephone won’t let me call her Percy, I’m doing the next best thing. And listen. You need to see my new dog. She’s a definite Percy.”

“It’s not going to happen. Persephone wouldn’t like it,” Judge says.

“Well we haven’t asked her.”

“I don’t need to ask her to know, she’s not going to like it.”

“She’s big,” Chic goes on. “She’s still a puppy but I can tell she’s going to be lanky. Probably not like Valencia or Midas, but kind of like Alpha the kubrow. Or Cadmus. She’s black with these cute little light brown spots. And she’s got these cute little ears and toes. Hades. Come on. At least look at her. Come on, let me patch in, I’ve got some footage.”

“Don’t show me the - “

But Scylla has already let Chic’s stream into his viewport and he’s got footage of a small little kubrow puppy wiggling around on the floor, gnawing on a MOA foot that’s still throwing off sparks. The puppy has these cute little growls and its little puff of a tail is vigorously going back and forth as the puppy does its damned best to take apart the machinery. Chic’s voice can be heard cooing in the background.

And then another, this time, the puppy asleep right in the middle of a kubrow bed while one of Chic’s other kubrow tries to lie down around it to no avail. The puppy’s little legs twitch in sleep as it rolls over and sprawls out like a tiny furry star.

She’s got a little tan speckle on her hindquarters that’s vaguely shaped like a five petaled flower.

Judge feels his heart melting. He can see the resemblance already.

“Ok, but - “

And then the final nail in the coffin.

The tiny little kubrow’s jumped onto a much larger kubrow and is viciously - for a puppy - trying to chew the other dog’s ear off while the dog patiently allows it. The puppy barks, high pitched yips as it falls off the kubrow’s back, and starts wiggling around on the floor and snapping at the older kubrow’s paws. Chic picks the puppy up and the puppy squirms around, legs outstretched like she’s trying to run on air.

“Okay. It fits,” Judge says, defeated. “I’ll ask. She’s going to say no, so I hope you have a back up name.”

“If it’s you she won’t say no. I’m sending you those files to show her,” Chic says.

Judge sighs, and the two of them follow the trail of rampant virulence and destruction to where Kore’s worked her way to the middle of a Hive and is stabbing at the central node with much enthusiasm.

Juggernaut hunting. Kore has the worst luck at it. They never show up for her when she wants them. They only show up when she’s in a hurry and doesn’t have time for them.

Judge catches up to her as she’s smearing Infested guts off of her Nidus’ copper helm, and he wordlessly sends her the stream. Kore holds still, hand on the hilt of her nikana as her Nidus stares off into the distance while she watches the stream. Judge half-heartedly shoots a few crawlers and runners that come close while Chic finishes raiding the area.

“Chic says the puppy is you,” Judge says.

“She’s not wrong,” Kore replies.

“She wants to name it Percy.”

Kore doesn’t reply, she just turns around and starts heading for the next Hive.

Judge is about to tell Chic to come up with a new name when he sees Chic’s Equinox pump a fist, jog up to Kore, butt its head against Nidus’, and jog back towards him.

“I’m bringing Percy over on our next run,” Chic says. “Persephone offered to bring Valencia along to have Percy learns some tips.”

[nolimitsongrace]

Developing a Gratitude Attitude

26 Reasons to Be ThankfulNovember 1, 2020

If there were ever a time when we needed to focus on being thankful—it’s now. As Thanksgiving Day approaches, let’s take a step back from the temptation to grumble about the state of our world and magnify the good things God has given us to enjoy.

As we’ve learned from so many others before us in the Bible, complaining and failing to be thankful never yield good results. Gratitude and praise, on the other hand, are tightly connected to spiritual blessings. Thankfulness paves the way for healing and miracles. Thankfulness improves relationships, increases contentment, wards off depression, reduces stress, promotes generosity and positivity, and makes you more likable. Most important of all—it shows the world what God is really like.

No matter what is going on, there is ALWAYS something to the thankful for—many somethings, in fact! Every day, we can choose to be thankful, and not just as a general feeling, but directing our gratitude to the One who is “the giver of every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17). In no particular order, here are 26 reasons (of thousands) to be thankful this Thanksgiving season and every day!

1. Salvation

If you are a born-again Christian, you can be thankful every day that you’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus! The blood of Jesus has blotted out all your sins, redeemed you from every curse, and rescued you from the powers of darkness. Now, that’s something to shout about!

2. Furry Friends

Dogs, cats, guinea pigs or any other cuddly pet bring so much joy to life. Be thankful for your furry friends. They can bring a smile to your face no matter how your day is going, they love you unconditionally, and they’re funny!

3. A Home

It might be easy to take it for granted, but having a home is a HUGE blessing and something to be thankful for every day. Not only does a home provide shelter, but also comfort, safety and a place to make memories. Today, be thankful for your home and praise God for providing one for you.

4. Family

Family can get messy sometimes. They can hurt or disappoint you. But those who work to be a blessing are a real joy to the heart. Focus today on being thankful for family members who stand by you through the good and challenging times. Be grateful that God has given you an even bigger family of believers to walk through life with and spur each other on to greatness.

5. Good Health

Even if you’re believing for healing in one area of your body, you can be thankful for good health in the rest of your body! In fact, praising God for good eyesight, a strong heart, good hearing, strong muscles or anything else that is right in your body will increase your faith for healing wherever it’s needed.

Watch Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach you why faith works in a grateful heart.

6. Church

If you weren’t grateful for your church and the right to attend church, the events of this past year have likely changed that. We should have such thankful hearts that we can gather together with other believers to lift high the Name of Jesus! There are so many blessings to be found in church.

7. Your Country

No matter what is going on in your country, you can be thankful for your citizenship there! Democracy, capitalism and the right to vote are all things we should be so thankful for in America, in particular. No matter where we live, we have the honor and privilege of praying for our own country—the one God has called us to steward.

8. God’s Word

God’s Word is the most precious gift we could ever receive. If you have a Bible, you are blessed to have the Word of God—His promises, His instructions, His blessings and His commands all wrapped in one life-giving book. Be thankful for God’s Word and that you have access to the words of the Most High every day.

9. God’s Creation

Beautiful green trees, fluffy clouds, the bright blue sky, and shimmering stars in the night sky. There are so many reasons to be thankful for God’s creation. You can see Him in the mountains, the crashing ocean waves, the sunrises and sunsets. They were all created for our enjoyment. His power and majesty, and the depth of His love are all seen in His creation.

10. Good Food

God, in His goodness, created good food for our enjoyment. It’s amazing how much a good cup of coffee or a slice of decadent chocolate cake can enhance your day! What a blessing it is to have access to nutritious food and even an occasional treat.

11. Holidays

Celebrations bring so much joy to life! The food, the decorations, the air of excitement are all things we look forward to throughout the year. Turkey dinner, pumpkin spice, Christmas cookies, Christmas lights, presents under the tree and that warm feeling you get. We can be thankful for holidays, the freedom to celebrate and all the wonderful things they bring to our lives during the season.

12. Marriage

What a blessing marriage is! No, it isn’t easy. Yes, it takes a lot of work. But the rewards of your efforts are unending. If you’ve been focusing on the flaws of your spouse lately, take some time today to write down a list of all the wonderful things about your husband or wife. Then, be sure to give it to him or her! It will remind you both why your relationship is so powerful in the Kingdom.

13. Children

Psalm 127:3 (NKJV) says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord.” Jesus loved children for the same reason many of us do—they are innocent, full of faith, ready to believe the best about people and situations, and full of excitement and wonder. Children can change your perspective with one simple statement or a heartfelt giggle. The way they view the world is so positive and fresh. Today, let’s be thankful for children—not only for our own children and grandchildren but for all those we are blessed to have in the world.

14. A Job

Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted what it means to have a job. It can be tempting to grumble or complain about the demands, a boss or a lack of recognition. But a job is a great blessing from the Lord. Next time you’re tempted to complain about your job, remember how many people are without a job—a means of providing the necessities for themselves and their families—and be thankful for your job.

15. Forgiveness

Whenever you repent to the Lord for any sin—great or small—doesn’t a sense of relief and gratitude wash over you? The devil wants to tattoo every slip-up right on your soul for all eternity. But God, in His goodness, said no and instead sent Jesus to wash them away as if they never happened. It’s a good day to be thankful for forgiveness—today and every day—because, above all else, it sets us totally and completely free.

16. Hope

Maybe you’re saying, “I don’t have hope right now.” But hope is a choice. Hope isn’t just wanting something or wishing for it—it is supernatural expectation.

No matter what, we always have hope. Our hope is found in Jesus, who redeemed us from the curse, cleansed us of all sin, and set us free into a life we are to live abundantly. No matter what is going on in the world or in our personal lives, we always have hope in Him. And that is something to be thankful for.

17. Peace That Passes Understanding

We have something the rest of the world doesn’t: peace. And not just any peace, but a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). That means, when others are panicking, we’re relaxed and certain of our victory. What others fear doesn’t even faze us. That’s a peace that is beyond any human’s ability to understand. It just doesn’t make sense to them. But they want to have it. God is so good. We can be thankful for something all the world would love to have—peace that passes understanding.

18. Healing

Glory to God, healing belongs to us as children of God! We can be thankful for healing because through the blood of Jesus, by His stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). We can live and walk in divine health and healing all the days of our lives. We have power and authority over sickness and death. That is not only exciting but something to be thankful for today!

19. Recreation

Isn’t it wonderful to be blessed with the ability to spend time doing things you really enjoy? Vacationing, hiking, kayaking, shopping, skiing, knitting, golfing, spending time with friends or anything else you enjoy is a real blessing of the Lord. Recreation is so important in our lives and can refresh us for the work ahead. Be thankful for recreation, and be sure to participate in fun activities on a regular basis!

20. Laughter

When is the last time you had a good laugh? Maybe it’s been too long! Laughter is not only fun, but it is proven to be good for your physical and mental health. It prevents disease and strengthens your spirit. Laughter really is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22)! Take some time to be thankful for laughter and work to incorporate more laughter into your life each day. You’ll be thankful for the benefits of laughter for years to come.

Check out 5 Surprising Health Benefits of Laughter HERE.

21.Wisdom

Wisdom is a game changer. It makes good decisions, it pleases God, it treats others well, it always seeks the truth, and it isn’t wise in its own eyes. In short, wisdom will give you great success in every area of life. But wisdom isn’t available to just anyone. God says He gives wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5). We have access to Wisdom Himself, which is beyond any knowledge the world could ever acquire. We can be thankful for wisdom because it is a rare treasure, indeed.

22. Love

Love is the most powerful force in all the universe. There is nothing on earth that love can’t conquer. And we have access to it every minute of every day! Because God is Love, if you are born again, you have access to everything that goes along with this powerful force. Love fuels our faith, love covers over sin, love forgives, love endures, love triumphs, love perseveres, love heals, love delivers, love saves, love comforts. Love never fails. So be thankful for the love of God, the love of others, and the love we can express to others.

23. Friends

Godly friends are a blessing. They encourage, listen, make you laugh, and if they really love you, call you out in areas where you could improve. Walking through life with wise and caring friends makes you a better person and improves your health, too! If you haven’t expressed thanks to your friends for who they are in your life, today is the day! And be thankful to God for bringing them into your life.

24. New Opportunities

Every day is a new opportunity! God opens doors for His people all the time. All we have to do is obey to Him, fellowship with Him and seize the moment when it comes. Be thankful for every new opportunity in your life—a new ministry, a new friendship, a new job or a new chance to bless someone else.

25. Prayer

Communion with the Father is a sacred and precious line of communication with the Most High. Prayer is a comfort anytime, any day and in any situation. When those who are not saved face trials, they face them alone. But we have a line to heaven that opens the door to supernatural answers, intervention and MIRACLES. Don’t make prayer a ritual or something to check off your to-do list. Be thankful that you can talk to God about anything and everything.

26. Who God Is

Imagine being in this world alone—no one standing with you no matter what, no matter where, and no matter how long. But we don’t have to imagine such a hopeless scenario because we have Almighty God. Above every other reason listed, be thankful for who God is. He is your Comforter, your Healer, your Deliverer, your Defender, your Strong Tower, your Corrector, your Teacher, your Very Present Help in Time of Need—to name only a few. God is a good God, and He calls you His friend. That’s something to be thankful for more than anything else you could ever have in this world.

These 26 reasons to be thankful will renew your attitude of gratitude this Thanksgiving! The devil will always try to keep you focused on the negative in life, but when you refuse his invitation to grumble, and instead focus on being thankful, you will be happier, healthier and in a perfect position for breakthrough.

Watch Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach you why it’s so important to have an attitude of gratitude.

[happyweddingblogs]

20 Long-Distance Relationship Gifts Ideas in 2021

Well, the most important gift that anybody who is in a relationship wants is the time and love of the partner. However, gifts are a great way to say that you care, especially when you are in a long-distance relationship. Here I have put together a list of 25 romantic long-distance relationship gifts to send to your sweetheart.

Source: Happy Wedding App

Here we go…..

#1. Bond Touch – Bracelets That Bring Long-Distance Lovers Closer Than Ever

These long-distance touch bracelets are a great gift option for your honey and you. They will get you two even more closer; when you touch it, they feel it. Irrespective of your locations, you can feel each other’s touch with natural vibration that mimics your partner’s touch. Whenever you send a touch, your partner’s bracelet will light up in the color of your choice. You can buy this amazingly romantic gift from Amazon.com.

#2. Shining Diva Fashion Distance Couple Natural Stones Beaded Bracelet

Distance between partners creates pain. These healing natural stone beaded bracelets can subside that pain to a great extent. These handmade bracelets are specifically meant for couples who live far apart. They are made with love and positive intention. Both of you will feel uplifted, inspired, and reminded of your daily choices. Buy this on Amazon.com.

#3. Hugging Pillow ODDCLICK Satin a Big Hug for You Cushion for Your Partner

We know how painful it is when we are unable to hug our loved ones. But don’t worry, you can send the sweetest hug to your partner with this pillowcase! A great way to say that you care! Buy it from Amazon.com; it can make a great gift for a long-distance relationship during the festive season.

#4. Bold N Elegant Long Distance Relationship Duo Pendant Chain Necklace

Speak your heart out via a beautiful, bold, and elegant pendant chain necklace. These two pendants combined together – symbolizes the heart to heart love affection between you and your best friend. Now only will it gently hug your neck, but also it will give you a classy look. A perfect gift item for your honey this anniversary. You can buy this elegant necklace from Amazon.com.

#5. iKraft® You & Me Forever Love Infinite Symbol Printed Coffee Mug

This inspirational lettering motivational mug makes for a perfect long-distance relationship gift idea. It has a subtle message printed on the mug “You & Me” in an infinite symbol that is enough to say a lot about your relationship. You will be missed each time your honey will use it for hot drinks. You can buy it from Amazon.com.  

#6. Telepathy – Talk Through Internet – Long Distance Touch Lamp

Telepathy – talk through internet touch lamps will keep you and your partner connected. These lamps are a cute way to make you feel close to each other when you are in different locations. Each person’s lamp will be connected to WiFi, and whenever you touch the lamp, your partner’s lamp will light up. The cutest way to say, “I miss you.” They come in a set of two; you can buy them on Amazon.com.

Also See: Top Wedding Gifts Ideas in 2020 for Couple

#7. Romantic Why I Love You with Reasons Cards

As a human, we all want to know why our partners love us. Some people are good at expressing their emotions, while others are not. If you fall in the latter category, then here is a set of 48 romantic why I love you with reasons cards to make any special occasion extraordinary. Your partner will be more than happy to know why you love him/her. Buy them online at Amazon.com.

#8. Travel Duffle Bag Set

Travel duffle bag set is a great gift option for the weekender couple. The bag has everything that you need to have your weekend stuff during your travel. It has a shoe compartment at the side that keeps your extra pair of shoes separate from the other stuff. Besides, you also get a toiletries bag for keeping your essentials organized and in place. Buy it online from Amazon.com.

#9. Personalized Engraved Photo Plaque Wood

For that personalized touch, consider giving personalized engraved photo plaque wood. This makes for a perfect anniversary gift. To get this done, all you have to do is send your photo and message to the vendor and get a romantic photo plaque wood. A perfect gift item for your partner that he/she can keep on the bedside table to feel the love you two share. Buy it from Amazon.com.

#10. Photo Frame

Photo frames are another wonderful gift idea, especially if you have not gifted any to your partner. Your partner would love to wake up next to the frame each morning. You can buy this one online at Amazon.com.

#11. JJTZX I Love You More Than The Miles Between Us Long Distance Relationship State Map Keychain

This stainless steel and alloy USA state map pendant keychain is a perfect long-distance friendship gift! It comes packed in a beautiful red velvet gift bag, and it’s excellent for any occasion. Buy this on Amaozon.com.

#12. Personalized Cuff Bracelet

With a tiny heart symbol between latitude and longitude on the outside, this cuff bracelet makes a very personalized and romantic gift for your long distance partner. If you want, you can even personalize the inside of the bracelet with a sweet message. You can buy this romantic long-distance relationship gift from Amazon.com.

#13. Heart Lock and Key Couple Bracelet Pendant Set

A heart-shaped bracelet and key necklace is a beautiful way to express your love for your significant other. It looks classic, and you can gift it on any occasion, from a birthday to an anniversary. You can buy it on Amazon.com.

#14. Letters to Open When…..

Letters to open when are specifically designed for special moments, such as open when you need to make a decision, open when you need a pep talk…, open when you need a good laugh… etc. You will get 12 letters, which you can fill with pep talks, advice, and good cheer for long-distance love. A great way to let your partner know that you’re always there to support! Buy them from Amazon.com.

#15. Personalized Red Heart Shape Fur Pillow

Let your significant other have a soft, furry warmth of your love each day. This personalized red heart shape fur pillow is a wonderful gift idea for your partner to make any occasion special. You have to give a photo and a beautiful, romantic message to personalize the same. Your partner will love to sleep with the wonderful memories of you two. Buy it at Amazon.com.

#16. A Digital Photo Frame

The digital photo frame is again a great long-distance relationship gift if you love sharing photos. The Miracle Digital Photo Frame gives you control over your photos, videos, audios, etc. Gift this frame to your significant other; it is an excellent gift idea for people having a long-distance relationship. Get it from Amazon.com.

#17. Cloth Fusion Celerrio Mink Blanket

Cloth fusion Celerrio mink blanket is to relax your body and mind. Your significant other will feel like being hugged while sleeping. It is a perfect gift for winters so that your partner can fall asleep faster even if you’re away. Get it from Amazon.com.

#18. Personalized Coffee Mug

If you and your partner are in a long-distance relationship, you miss intimate talks over your morning coffees. Then get personalized mugs for yourself and your partner. You can have each mug featuring your pictures with a beautiful quote. Or you can personalize however you want to according to your needs. This makes a perfect gift for any occasion. You can buy it online from Amazon.com.

#19. Celebr8 Message in a Bottle 52 Reasons Why I Love You Gift

The cutest gift ever for your significant other! Make your special occasion even more special with a Celebr8 message in a bottle of 52 reasons why I love you gift. You get 52 handmade paper scrolls in the jar, printed with one different message each—an excellent way to brighten your partner’s day, especially when they need a little cheering up. Let your partner know in 52 ways why you love him/her. Buy it from Amazon.com.

#20. Vintage Letter In A Bottle

It’s a unique way to make your partner’s day. A great gift idea! Express your emotions and feelings for your partner via vintage letter in a bottle nestled in a handcrafted pinewood box. Sometimes you need to go that extra mile to make your partner feel more loved and cared. A few occasions demand more than a simple phone call or a casual greeting in person. Get this beautiful vintage letter in a bottle from Amazon.com.

Conclusion

To sum up, these are the 20 romantic long-distance relationship gifts that you can consider for your partner. Besides these, you can consider gifting anything that reflects your true emotions and feelings properly for your partner. The idea is not just to give something; in fact, it is to make your partner feel special and more loved.

[thisisarealtagwhy]

What exactly do you mean by mecha docking system?

Hello anon! It’s been a while but i did finish the entire fic, (almost 3k words). 

I just put the other parts from the other asks in the fic as well, it’s available on AO3 here and fanfiction.net here

But for the rest of y’all, it’s based off the prompt, What would happen if Chopper multiplied infinitely?

The year is 1600, ourworld has been in perfect harmony for half a century, all thanks to the work ofTony Tony Chopper.

He is the reindeer whoate the hito hito no mi fruit, creating himself into a human-reindeer hybrid.

He was kidnapped by anevil scientist who we now know as Caesar Clown performed the miracle serum onthe reindeer.

The serum, a fullydeveloped medicine, designed to multiply an animal ad infinitum, was perfectedand used on the doctor.

It is only because ofthis that we can live in peace.

The Doctor heals allfor there are so many of the reindeer, the only thing he demands in payment iscotton candy and treats.

“Hi, I’m Tony Tony Chopper, look at me!”

“If you’re suffering you can come here!”

“No training while you have bandages on!”

“Saying that doesn’t make me happy you bastard!”

Needless to say, the world was made a better place.

Except…

Slowly there is a faction with the Tony Tony Chopper’s thatis rising up…

“We need a game plan.”

“Of course.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Not sure… you?”

“Why don’t we seduce him with cotton candy?”

“Good idea, where are we going to find some?”

“…”

“You can’t have mine!”

“Or mine!”

“Or-”

“It is established that we won’t be using cotton candy…”

“Why do we need to rise up anyway?”

“It’s because of the originalChopper that we all exist. Wehave to deal with the fact that we can’t save everyone.”

“This world is too cruel for us!”

Puffs of smoke arise from a lit bonfire.

“Is that..?”

“Hey! Marijuana has medicinal purposes too.”

“That is true… and seeing as we’re all past the age where itharms your mind…”

“We’ll be safe…”

“Even so, what if we do something crazy?”

“Relax.”

“I want some cotton candy…”

The human worldeventually decayed until the Earth reverted to one similar to that of a pre-manera. Foliage growing everywhere and animals running free…

Humans just… weren’tcut out to be within this world.

But everything isfine, because the Chopper’s know how to make cotton candy, and that is all thatmatters in life…

*

How many Tony Tony Chopper’s were created in this new newworld?

If you tied a knot into a piece of u shaped wood and placeda bee eating a leaf on top you would find your answer if you looked deepenough.

Not really, in all honestly, it is impossible to calculateexactly how many Tony Tony Chopper’s were created in this science experiment.

Although, one might consider that the small planet earthwould be overrun by Chopper’s one has to also factor into account that the moonis a viable option.

And, the only alive non-Chopper human happens to live there.

But Chopper grew strong, strong enough to defeat Enel anddid so, kicking his ass and using his supplies to create a cotton candyfactory.

And the original Chopper, well, he’s slowly adapting to newconditions as per planet.

So far, he has discovered three non-viable solutions and twosustainable planets.

One just has to get over the lack of oxygen on the moon andvoila, one can live on the moon.

The Chopper’s become so bored that they end up making a Confederation of Chopper’s withinthemselves.

Every day it is discussed new ways to create treats and howto destroy diseases.

All in all, it is quite productive.

One might argue that it would be beneficial if the original Chopper joined the Confederate,however, that Chopper has no interest in joining such a group.

He is content with his self-sustaining cotton candy factorylocated on the moon.

They still refer to him as King, for they are but sheep,tied to their original bonds, seeking some kind of order, some sort of truehierarchy instead of referring to each other as Chopper but with pronouns.

Tony Tony Chopper mostly mourns in his small place on themoon, he mourns the loss of his friends and nakama,but mostly, he just eats cotton candy and tries to remember the recipesthat had sustained him.

“Oh how I wish that Caesar had never performed such an awfulexperiment.” He wishes wistfully, there is no way to reverse the past but hecan try his damnest.

He couldn’t stand to be with all of himself, they were all clones from the moment Caesar Clown had experimented him, it was that moment thatthey were born.

But they were born with all of th-his memories.

It was weird and he didn’t like it. But he did admit thatthe Earth looked far cleaner now without the rest of humans and devil fruitspolluting the surface.

Luffy and the mugiwara kaizoku…

They had reacted in bursts of anger and had absolutely and utterly destroyed Caesar Clown.

“Choppers, you’re all going to be alright.” Franky reassuredthem, face grim, even as clones kept on popping from the original reindeer.

In the far off distance Chopper can hear Luffy giving thebeat down to Caesar, it sounds… reassuring, he’s also certain that how he feelsnow… exhausted. Will last for days.

Eventually after they leave the clones of Chopper on PunkHazard and escape from the insane island, Chopper just keeps multiplying.

Robin eventually ties a ribbon around his antlers to verifythat yes, he was the original.

It hadn’t mattered in a year, there were too many of him toexist in the crew so they found an island and dumped the excess clones andcontinued on their journey.

But, Chopper doesn’t like to think about the past, heprefers to look onward!

And if his hacking skills are as impeccable as ever, he’scertain that there’s a large object headed towards the Earth, perhaps even tohim.

“Mecha docking systemsengage.” He sighs in discontent, eating the fluffy cotton candy withfervour.

It would probably be beneficial to try and stop the Earth from being destroyed.

*

The Chopper’s of the Confederation of Chopper’s one daybroach the subject of docking, it’s a harmless thing, but it is also veryimportant for the alien destroyer of a planet that cannot be translated intoany Earthly language is travelling towards the humble Chopper Earth.

Naturally the Confederate is unaware of these developmentsand only bring it up because how coolwould it be to be a robot?

But they do become aware of the threat to Chopperity anddecide that a docking system is essentialto defeat it.

“Mecha!”

“Should we be inventing space suits now?”

The Chopper Confederation has scientists already on thetopic, typing away at the few pieces of technology that they fondly fondle totry and stop the giant-ass earth destroying creature.

“I think it’s time to call him, sir.” One of the lead scientists, Chopper-senpai admits,pressing his glasses further to his furry face.

His superior sniffs in disdain, “We will do no such thing, he was the one who decided to abandonthe millions of beings that were created as a result of his mistakes.”

“But-”

“No, you will see to it that the Super Awesome Mecha Systemwill be prepared to face this threat antlers on.” The Chopper nodded insatisfaction. “I have to go deal with the court so as of now, I am leaving youin charge, Chopper-senpai.”

“Yessir.” The scientist saluted his superior, as soon assaid superior was out of sight he picked up the signal that was only to be used in emergencies.

Naturally, every Chopper had one of these signals, but onlyone was allowed per Chopper.

When the original Chopperhad been experimented on and spontaneously started spouting Chopper’s, it hadtaken a while, but eventually after he had amassed millions of followers, hestopped to produce the other Chopper’s.

They all referred to him as the King.

He didn’t rule them though, no, that job had been delegatedto other Choppers who used nothing but their name and their hooves to clawtheir way up to the top.

Naturally, normal Chopper’s still had to clean sewers andtend to harmed animals, but, they had maintained a semblance of normality afterChopper’s crew… perished.

They all felt the loss as sorely as each other which was whythere were monuments, one of the few structures allowed in this Utopia.

And every year, all Chopper’s would stop and mourn the loss of their crew.

But the King, he had moved to the moon saying that he didnot want to be amongst so many… commoners.

He would always send down cotton candy and bits of the moonwhen he could though, and word got around that he was secretly listening intotheir conversations like Big Mom or something.

It doesn’t matter, they will obey him if he does come down to Earth, into theparadise they have created.

The Superior Chopper – for that was his name – watches thecourt proceedings of yet another Chopperkilling another Chopper.

Who would have thought that they could become so violent? Hethought they all had the same goals in mind.

“Why did you do it?” The judge asks, fixing the cute whitecurls on his head.

The accused begins to shake in misery and the Superior feelsa tad of sympathy for him even though he will deserve whatever is coming forhim, “Because none of us are equal anymore! We claim that the Confederate ofChopper’s is for the greater good! To ensure that we all live like the Kings weare but the truth of the matter is that some of us are barely scraping by andsometimes have to resort to-” He gulps deeply “Cannibalism of other deer.”

The audience begin to murmur amongst themselves, writingdown the key points of the trial.

“That still doesn’t answer the question.” The judge Choppersays sternly.

“He stole my cotton candy.” The accused say and everybodygasps violently, it is a capital crime to steal cotton candy.

The judge seems appalled by the very notion, “Well, Isuppose you will manage to get off with only an hour of community service.”

“Sir yes sir, I’m so sorry for how this turned out.” Theaccused hangs their head.

“Son, you have no need to apologise, we all know the devastating effects of not being with cotton candy.”The prosecutor says, smiling gently to the innocent reindeer.

The Superior harrumphs, there’s other more important mattersfor him to attend to so he leaves the little court room and approaches thecandidacy cave, it’s full to the brim of Chopper spectators and four candidatesstand on podiums, waiting for their questions.

The first Chopper seems to be sporting longer fur than mostof them, he tries to appeal to the lower income peoples by declaring, “I willlower the taxes on cotton candy!”

There’s a loud round of applause for that, the secondChopper, sporting a beard and moustache fashioned out of his fur says, “My mainpurpose to help this great nation is to create more job opportunities forordinary citizens.

The third electorate is not a Chopper, he’s a bird from anisland long forgotten, the Chopper in charge of the questions asks, “Now,Birdlay, how do you propose we lower the divide between Chopper’s and usualanimals?”

They all understand what he says because they can understandany animal language, a gift from the King, “I don’t see a divide.” The birdsquawks, “I only see a divide between the Chopper’s and animals that want adivide. I see it in the Earth, in the watering holes, in the crops, I see it inschools where Chopper’s teach usual animals that we’re dumber than them, thatwe were born to be ruled.

“I see it in our streets, where us common folk are given theleftovers so we are too busy fighting each other to fight the injustices. I seeit in the cotton candy factories, where usual birds work for a fraction oftheir boss’s cotton candy ration even though we’re all the same. This world’sproblem isn’t a dive in cotton candy stocks, or the loss of humanity, it’sthose that are feeding the death of this Earth. But I’ve got a message from theones cultivating it, keeping it alive, a message from the usual animals andChopper’s that believe in this Earth to the ones that don’t, you’reoutnumbered.”

Birdlay receives a standing ovation and truly, it’s clearwho will pull clear in this race.

The Superior smiles grimly, he likes his job, he’s far lessemotional than his brethren so he can do what is needed to be done. He knowsthat the bird from their two years training will win.

So, he pulls the bird aside, shaking his wings, “Hello MrPresident, my name is Superior Chopper, I run the security of the planet.”

“I’m not president yet.” Birdlay squawks and Superiorchuckles.

“You and I both know that you’re going to win.”

“Nothing is set in stone.”

“Regardless, there is a threat approaching the Earth that weneed to address.” Superior says, guiding Birdlay from his campaign and far awayinto their high-tech domain. “Are we ready?” He barks at Chopper-senpai.

“Sir yes sir, I would have preferred to have a test flightbut-”

“Excellent.” Superior claps Birdlay on the shoulder andsays, “We’ll be defending the Earth with a Super Awesome Mecha Docking System.”

He can’t help it, he’s beginning to excite himself at theprospect, ahhh. There’s Chopper’s aplenty so it should go smoothly.

“I need you to do damage control, president.” Birdlay looksinto his eyes and nods.

“I will be in touch shortly.” Birdlay squawks and flies off.

And soon, the threat is visible to them all, it starts as amere speck of dust of cosmic sand on the horizon but eventually it is largeenough that Superior begins to call in Chopper’s for this ultimate defence.

“You will be serving your country well.” He says happily,showing them the diagram.

“Everyone in position!” Chopper-senpai yells over the soundof roaring fire.

It starts off with two base Chopper’s, clad in boots thatwill propel them into space. In the centre is the brainiest of the Chopper’snimble and quick.

They’re all wearing space suits, from the centre, to armsextend for the other Chopper’s to dock into.

And finally, the outer shell of the suit encases them.

“Super!” The Chopper guards yell in excitement, posing intheir freaking enormous shuttle.

The Superior wipes a tear from his eye, he never thoughtthat he would see the Super Mecha Docking System, but here he is, he canfinally die happily.

But, as the suit blasts for take off, all of their alarmsbegin blaring. “Senpai! What’s wrong?” Superior barks.

“Well sir, it seems that the threat has been… ensconced incotton candy.” Chopper-senpai says nervously.

“Goddammit!” He curses the King who stopped his one dreamfor becoming a reality.

There are other, more important things to deal with though,and when the results of the presidency come in, the Superior is brought alongto a meeting with the new president, Birdlay.

A hairdressing Chopper is carefully plucking out feathersoff the top of Birdlay’s head. He walks in to hear that the Chopper in chargeof the cotton candy franchise is kicking up a storm about not being in control.

Whatever, he doesn’t particularly care as long as he is ableto keep his own position.

“How many does he speak for?” Birdlay squawks calmly,holding up a mirror to see.

Half of the Chopper’s put their hands up and with a cluck ofhis tongue, they are shot with some kind of dart. “You see, that dart will makeyou allergic to cotton candy, is that all that have an issue with me?”

“Dear god no!” The rest plead, hooves out in front of them.

“Good.” Birdlay stands and approaches the glass window, “Thisseems like a good time for a drink, and a cold calculated speech with sinisterovertones. A speech about hierarchy and power, brethren, humanity and order.But speeches are for campaigns, now is the time for action.”

[sapiomorph]

The Spice of Life

Obiyuki Bingo, tile One; Space Opera Or my attempt at one anyway!

"And this is the last one!" Yuzuri huffed, heaving the metal crate onto the counter. "One-hundred pounds of spicy goodness. Altogether, that's three kegs of Ova Powder, eight bushels of Mako Grass, and four crates of Zilatian Spice Root. What in the wide stars do you do with it all?!"

Shirayuki smiled at the K'yaran botanist. Her fluffy ears and cat-like appearance were adorable, but her insatiable drive for success and infectious energy made Shirayuki love her all the more. They'd been fast friends for many cycles now, ever since they'd first met. Yuzuri's herb shop in the Lyrias Quadrant had the widest collection of herbs and spices compared to anywhere else Shirayuki had found, not to mention that they were in the best condition! The YuzuSuzu Herb Emporium was always a fun and safe place to come back to.

She shrugged, straightening her gloves before reaching for the crate of spice root.

"You know how the Tanbarun markets can be. They can never get enough of it!"

"Yes, that's true." Yuzuri sighed, watching the human pull the crate off the counter. The tips of her twin tails twitched.

"Do you still use an alias?"

Shirayuki paused in pulling out her wallet before giving her a sad smile. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Nothing wrong with being careful."

"But it's not fair!" Yuzuri's furry face was scrunched up in frustration, her tails lashing about. K'yaran were also similar to cats in how most of the time, they're moods and intentions showed through body language. Other K'yaran Shirayuki had met were reserved, almost gracefully emotionless, while Yuzuri was...

"You shouldn't have to hide yourself like this! It's just not right!"

"I know, but Raj is literally royalty. There's not much you can do against a spoiled Prince who can't take no for an answer." She was resigned to how her life had changed, but her friend's outrage on her behalf warmed her heart.

"I know, but--"

Shirayuki felt a tug somewhere in the literal back of her mind, and she checked her watch.

"Oh shoot, we're running behind!" She quickly placed the credits on the counter before grabbing the crate again. "I need to go. I'll call you when this shipment is done, ok?"

"Alright. Bye 'Yuki." Yuzuri replied, still a bit upset, but understanding. She waved her hand in a circular motion to wish her human friend safe travels. It was a K'yaran custom she always performed for Shirayuki, and the warmth in her heart strengthened.

As Shirayuki started to leave the shop, she heard Yuzuri suddenly shout.

"Oh, and tell me about any potential partners you meet! Specifically males!"

Shirayuki rolled her eyes as she made her way to her ship, The Scarlet Lion. It was an old traders shuttle she’d inherited from her grandparents. From the faded colors, to the outdated hull, to the stubborn whine of the hatch door that refused to be fixed, the age of the ship showed.

And she loved it with all her heart, flying through the stars with the memories of her family.

The tug came again, and she sighed, quickning her steps to place the last of the spices down in the cargo hold.

"Ryuu, you know you can just tell me to hurry, right?" She asked, entering the cockpit and sitting down in the pilot's seat.

On the shuttle's dash, a turquoise figure flickered into view, a small boy in an oversized hoodie sitting on the accelerator.

"...I didn't want to interrupt." He said quietly.

The AI named Ryuu had been terrified when Shirayuki had first found him, hiding in the coding of an ancient server she'd been struggling to hack. It had taken a long time to convince him that she wasn't an enemy, that she was trying to run from someone too. Eventually, she'd earned his trust, and he'd gingerly settled down in her implants, more skittish than a Galtese deer. It had taken a cycle or so before Ryuu got used to Shirayuki and the companionship she offered, but now he was a dear friend who monitored both the ship's health as well as her own.

"I'm sure Yuzuri would love to meet you, you know."

"Mmm..."

Getting him to open up to anyone else however...was still a work in progress.

"Alright." Shirayuki said, gently giving him a mental nudge that equated to a hug. "So, what's our schedule looking like?"

"If we hurry, we can make it to the Nebula Straightway within an hour and warp from there. And if we loosly follow speed protocols after that, we just might make it to Tanbarun before the trade routes get too cluttered."

"Roger." Shirayuki nodded, starting up the Lion and memorizing the route Ryuu laid out for her on the ship's HUD. The shuttle creaked and groaned as thrusters came to life, lifting the ship into the air and out of the port's hangar. She hummed a ditty as the Lion cleared the atmosphere, blue skies melting into inky space scattered with stars.

"Um...shall I do it now?"

Shirayuki blinked. Ryuu wasn't on the dash anymore, retreating into the ship's systems the moment they took off, but she could feel him through her implants, his worry when he tentatively asked the question.

She sighed again, running her fingers through her bright red hair. The Tanbarun System had once been her home, until Prince Raj decided that he wanted her, wanted her hair, to show off like some decoration or exotic pet. She rejected him harshly and, unfortunately, publicly, and now she hadn't returned home in...so long. All the wanted signs for her had only made things harder, had sent her scurrying off into the farthest corners of the systems, desperate for a plan.

"Yes, you might as well. Thank you Ryuu."

Shirayuki watched her reflection in the glass as the color of her hair rippled from red to a pale lavender, green eyes changing to silver, 'Shirayuki' being replaced by 'Maris'.

On the other hand, disguise programs run by an AI can work miracles, and the spice trader smiled, already eager to see her home system once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I swear I'll never understand how Clarinese security works." 'Maris' grumbled, wearily leaning against The Scarlet Lion's hull. Four months ago, passing in and out of the Clarines system was a breeze, a simple matter of showing a (mostly) legal permit to trade, and going on your way.

Now, it had taken an extra hour and a half to even land in the market port. Security had suddenly tightened, with identity checks, extended permit examinations, and even a full ship scan to search for anything that wasn't promised to be on board. It had been a tense moment, and she thanked the stars for Ryuu's quick thinking, his intervention preventing her fake identity from falling apart.

They were late getting into the market port, but thankfully, everyone else was well. It was a usual day of business and trade, but guards patrolled the markets constantly, and whispers inbetween deals spoke of a dangerous escaped convict.

Not to mention the occasional neon wanted signs, which were everywhere. They depicted a fierce-looking humanoid with dark hair. Nanaki: Wanted Dead or Alive!

A convict is a convict Shirayuki. This is no petty thief or...or loiterer. The reward for his capture is easily three times higher than yours.

Shirayuki rubbed her forehead, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Ryuu was right, as usual, but his logic did nothing to lessen her irritation. Climbing into the Lion, she deposited most of the credits she'd earned today into a safebox, counting the growing pile of bills. There wasn't any major project she was saving up for, outside of upkeep for the Lion. But, sometimes she thought about moving to Lyrias, partnering up with Yuzuri and her friend Suzu, stopping for just a moment...

Shaking her head, she shuffled into the cockpit, the rush of the day catching up to her.

"Where do we head next again?" she asked Ryuu, the Lion falling in line with the other ships waiting to be cleared to leave Clarines. Through bleary eyes, she saw scans and lists of the Scarlet Lion's status flick across the screen as Ryuu set to work.

"Algatan. Your contact has a shipment of the Anis Sprouts you wanted, and she's given you a time limit before she offers it up for anyone el--"

Ryuu abruptly cut himself off, and the sudden silence was enough to put Shirayuki on edge. She sat up straight in her chair, tiredness forgotten and looking around in worry. Nothing in the systems looked wrong, but what was--?

"--se. So we need to hurry for that. Anis Sprouts are rare, as you know."

"What? Ryuu, what just--?"

Act natural. The scanners picked up something that shouldn't be here. Something or someone is on the ship. 

Ryuu whispered urgently into her mind. The proximity scan appeared on the HUD, and Shirayuki could now see that alongside the green triangle that represented her in the cockpit, a bright red square was pulsing in the cargo hold.

And moving closer.

"Wha--?!"

ACT. NATURAL.

The spice trader almost winced from the pressure of Ryuu's panic, and she forced herself to ignore the scan and pull up the message from her contact.

"Y-yeah. Anis is one of the, er, hardest plants to grow off-planet, so demand is pretty high..."

It's moving closer, obviously the intruder intends to come here and take over the ship. If you ambush from the other side of the door, you have a chance.

"Uh...s-so what kind of...instruments do you think they use for the Anis?" Shirayuki asked outloud, fumbling to think of some sort of code. The Lion wasn't exactly built with soundproof walls, nor was the shuttle that big. Thankfully, Ryuu easily understood the question she was trying to ask.

"There are any number of instruments or techniques anyone could use for cultivating Anis."

The battery starter. In the toolbox by the door. It should have enough power for an incapacitating shock.

"Well, thank you for that vague answer Ryuu." Shirayuki said, steadying her voice as Ryuu engaged the autopilot and she stood, quietly making her way to the door. The seconds of her trying to pull out the starter from the toolbox without making a sound were the most tense seconds of her life, even while she kept up the fake conversation with Ryuu.

"Botany isn't in my skillset. You know that."

"Yeah, but at the very least you could pretend to be interested?" Shirayuki pressed herself against the wall ajacent to the cockpit door, heart pounding in her throat as she waited.

"Very well. What instruments or techniques would you use for cultivating Anis Sprouts in foreign environments?"

"Well, soil examination is the first step, followed by weeding, and once that's done you--YAAAGH!"

The door slid open and Shirayuki whirled, the starter sparking with electricity as she turned it on and struck with all her might.

A hand stopped her attack, wrapping around her wrist in a vice-like grip, and Shirayuki stared up into a pair of piercing yellow eyes. The same eyes that had blazed above a reward for ninety-thousand credits, dead or alive.

"That was almost clever Miss, I'll give you that. But this ship is mine now, so why don't you--"

Shirayuki rushed him, using the element of surprise to push him backwards just as the hallway vents gave out a loud whine and flooded the small hallway with a thick, musty-smelling fog. The convict yelled, briefly letting go of her wrist to cover his eyes, and Shirayuki stabbed at him again with the starter.

Her aim was true, and she could feel his body jolt from the shock before a loud thump reached her ears. The smoke cleared as Ryuu vented the hallway, and Shirayuki was able to step forward and get a clear look at her dangerous stowaway.

Beneath the tight black clothing he wore, she could see lean, solid muscle spiraling down his back and over his forearms. Under the shock of dark hair, the tips of his slightly pointed ears poked into view. Shirayuki took another step forward, cautiously poking his shoulder with the tip of her shoe.

He didn't move.

The spice trader kept her distance, the battery starter still half raised as she called out to Ryuu.

"Is he dead? Ryuu, did I--?"

"Shirayuki, I'd love to tell you all of his vitals, but first we have to deal with the small issue of the Clarinese Security detail hailing us!"

"...oh no."

[hard-satin]

Formality (11)

Masterlist

@superwholocked221

I woke up early the next morning. I was curled into something warm, it almost reminded me of my old dog Remmy. He was always jumping up into my bed with me. I opened my eyes squinting against the morning light. I saw a bare chest, not a furry belly. Okay this was definitely not Remmy. I tilted my head to look at the peaceful face of Stiles. When he was asleep it was one of the few times when a wrinkle of worry wasn’t creasing his forehead. He coughed and shifted against me. I felt his arm slide from my shoulder to my back. I took my chance to escape. I slipped out of the bed and wrapped myself in my robe before heading downstairs. My mom was usually up by now but she was nowhere in sight. I saw a piece of paper on the counter.

“I went to find my old pack. If I can find them they can help us. Shouldn’t be gone for more than a few days. I love you.” I read over my mom's sloppy cursive.

Not having her here wasn’t all that different from how I’d been living for the last few years. It was comforting to know that she was taking action. I walked over to the stove and heated up a pan while I mixed up some pancake batter.

Twenty minutes later I had a stack of pancakes. I grabbed a tray and threw on the pancakes, some syrup, and two glasses of milk. I went back upstairs pausing in my doorway to watch Stiles. The bed sheets were wrapped around his waist, his hands were tucked behind his head and he was staring at the ceiling like it held all the answers we needed.

“Anything interesting up there?” I asked breaking his concentration. He propped himself up on his forearms to watch me as I carried the tray of breakfast to the bed.

“Nothing nearly as interesting as those pancakes look.” He told me licking his lips. I hopped up onto the bed placing the tray between us. He dug right in.

“My mom's gone. She left a note saying she was going to go find her pack and see if they could help.” I told Stiles in between bites. He swallowed his latest mouthful of pancake.

“That’s good right? If she finds them they can help us.” Stiles said sounding hopeful. I wasn’t as sure.

“Maybe, but we can’t wait around for her.” I told him. Our phones dinging. Scott had sent us both a text telling us to meet him at his house. Stiles ran over to his house to change while I did the same. I threw the dishes in the sink as I ran downstairs, slipping on my chuck taylors as I walked out the door. Stiles was already waiting in his running Jeep. As soon as I got in we took off for Scotts.

~

“Call it again.” Scott asked as he dug through his nightstand. Stiles was twirling in Scott's desk chair. I was propped up next to him against the wall. We were sharing a a beyond bored look as Scott was well into his second hour of searching for his lost phone.

“It’s not here.” Stiles tried to talk sense into Scott, but he was beyond reason.

“So you lost your phone. Why don’t you just get a new one?” I asked as he dove onto his floor to once again check under his bed.

“I can’t afford a new one, and I can’t do this alone. I need to find Derek.” Scott said pulling himself off the floor to recheck his desk.

“You’re not alone. You have me.” Stiles told him.

“And me.” I added kicking Stiles in the side from my position on the floor.

“Didn’t you say Derek walking into gunfire? He sounds pretty dead to me.” Stiles said rubbing his side and sending me a glare.

“Argents plan was to use him to get the alpha. He’s alive.” Scott said sounding so confident.

“Scott as much as you know I hate the idea of Derek being strung up after everything he’s put us through. Maybe we should just let them go through with their plan.” I suggested. Scott glared at me noting the obvious sarcasm in my voice.

“Not if Peter’s going through Allison to get to them.” Scott argued. I chewed it over but had no miracle solution to that dilemma.

“I need to find Derek, and to do that I need to find my phone. Are you guys going to help me or not?” Scott asked. I ducked as he threw his Cd’s out of the way.

“You probably lost it while you were fighting.” Stiles told him.

“Remember that? When he was trying to kill you? After you interrupted him trying to kill Jackson?” I asked looking for any reaction. Scott ignored me and kept up the pointless room destruction.

“Are you noticing a pattern of violent behavior here?” Stiles asked.

“He wasn’t going to kill anyone and I’m not letting him die.” Scott said finally ceasing his search and turning to us.

“Could you at least think about letting him die? For me?” Stiles begged, I nodded along with the idea. Scott turned away from us tilting his head to do his werewolf listening thing.

“What?” Stiles asked noticing the change too.

“My mom just got home from work.” Scott said. Stiles and I remained in silence as we waited for Scott to finish his eavesdropping. I watched as Scott's expression dropped.

“Is she okay?” I asked. Scott shook his head slowly.

“What is she doing?” Stiles asked curiously.

“Crying.” He said sitting down on his bed and holding his head in his hands.

“Scott.” I tried, but he wouldn’t look up at me.

“You can’t protect everyone.” Stiles tried to tell him.

“I have to.” Scott raised his head with a new level of conviction. He stood and walked out of the room Stiles stumbling out behind him. I was left sitting on the floor pondering the dramatic change of events. I scrambled to my feet before chasing after them.

“Whoa there hotshot. That was a very solid statement and it made for a wonderfully dramatic exit but where the hell are you off to?” I asked knowing he probably had no idea himself.

“I’m going to watch over Allison. You and Stiles need to track down Derek.” Scott said scooping up his helmet from the kitchen counter. I wanted to laugh at his poor safety measures considering what we were up against.

“Why are we looking for Derek when you have the super sniffer?” I asked him, thumping him on the nose.

“Allisons my top priority. Why did you have big plans or something?” Scott asked I noted a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I didn’t know whether to be offended of proud.

“You two losers are my only friends. We haven’t had Friday night plans since playgroup when we were five.” I told him walking out the back door hoping to avoid seeing Melissa. Scott snickered at me before throwing his leg over his bike. I hopped into Stiles Jeep.

“Wait. How are you going to watch over Allison. It’s gonna be night soon. Besides she’s not exactly talking to you right now.” Stiles pointed out, this finally gave Scott some pause.

“I’ll watch over her from her roof. She won’t even know I’m there.” Scott told him.

“How very twilight of you. You know there’s a reason that book sucked, despite what it may have led you to believe watching over the girl you like while she’s sleeping is creepy not romantic.” I tried to tell him, he just rolled his eyes at me and pedaled away.

~

“He said he would drag you out by your teeth?” Stiles asked Scott who was pacing outside the locker rooms. Scott had just told Stiles and I that coach had banned him from going to the dance.

“Does he know your teeth can transform into giant terrifying fangs? Because I bet if you told him he wouldn’t drag you out by your teeth.” I told him, trying to be helpful in my signature unhelpful way.

“Look I can’t go, and if I can’ go then I can’t protect her.” Scott told us. I rolled my eyes at his predictability.

“Just tell Jackson to watch over her. He’s the one actually taking her to the dance anyway. He knows about this stuff. Problem solved, and you can focus on finding Derek.” I suggested crossing my arms in frustration. Sometimes it was like Scott forgot that all three of us were in near constant mortal danger now. Allisons life isn’t the only one on the line.

“He’s still inside.” Stiles said pulling Scott behind him back into the Locker room from which they had emerged. I slid down the wall across from the locker room door. My stomach rumbled. I really hated lunchtime practices.

It was about five minutes later that I heard Jackson and Scott talking behind the door. I low growl made my head shoot up, just in time to watch the silhouette of Jackson slam back against the opaque square in the door. I muffled scream was cut off as I heard a loud crash. I guess Jackson made Scott ask twice. A couple more minutes and a few loud crashes later and Jackson was out of the bathroom pale and sweaty. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. Scott came out  followed by Stiles just as Jackson rounded the corner on shaky legs. Stiles was smiling like an idiot. He turned to me and opened his mouth, I held up a hand to stop him.

“Whatever just went down in there, I’m better off not knowing. I’ll be in the library if you’re looking for me, reading up on werewolf lore and munching on an illicit pack of chips.” I pulled myself off the ground and headed away from my lunatic best friends.

~

“What do you mean you’re driving us to Macy’s? I’m not going to the dance and you don’t need my advice since Allison is making Lydia go with you.” I told Stiles as we pulled into the mall parking lot. Stiles had basically kidnapped me after school. I was now trapped in this teen dance hell that I’d sworn to avoid since I watched my first stereotypical high school movie. Dances were nowhere near my thing, and Stiles knew this. Thus the kidnapping.

“Look you have to go to the dance. Scotts going to break in and we need you there to keep the trio alive. It would be easier for us all to watch each other's backs. You’re coming, but I will be buying your dress. Just because I know left up to your own devices you would show up in jeans.” Stiles told me kindly but firmly. There was no way he was letting me off the hook for this one.

“I hate you.” I told him begrudgingly getting out of the car and following him inside the giant department store.

“I could call up some of the guys on the team if you want. I know a couple who were going to go stag. I bet if I called them up they would jump at the chance to go with you.” Stiles offered as we wandered through the store looking for the perfume counter where Allison said she she would be meeting Stiles.

“Pass.” I told Stiles as we spotted the perfume counter across the store. Stiles gave me a mocking hurt expression. I nudged his shoulder with my own.

“You know what I mean Stilinski. Besides I think I have the date thing covered.” I told him as I took out my phone to text an old friend.

“Really? Who?” Stiles asked trying to read the text over my shoulder, I hid my phone from him.

“If you were going to get jealous you should have asked me to the dance yourself.” I teased him. He just scoffed at me before turning his attention to the line of perfume sample. I finished off my text and looked up in time to watch Stiles spray himself in the face with perfume.

As soon as Lydia had arrived she stole Stiles away to carry her terrifying collection of dresses to try on. I picked up the first dress I saw, found my size and bought it. It was white and tight based on the look of it, but it was high neck and long sleeved and a decent length. Very modest, something I could wear comfortably. I spent the rest of the night by Stiles side waiting and watching as Lydia tried on her entire stack of dresses, eventually deciding on the second one she had tried on. She bought hers and Allison's dress and left with a warning to Stiles that he better look nice and not clash with her dress. There was only an hour until the Macy's closed and Stiles still had to find a suit. I sent him into the fitting rooms with the choice between two. I wasn’t planning on spending my entire night here. He came out a couple minutes later in a classic white shirt black suit combo. I was nearly speechless.

“Damn Stilinski! Who knew you could clean up so nice. You’re definitely getting it.” I told him picking up my things and getting ready to leave.

“Are you just saying that because you want to leave or because you really think I look good?” Stiles asked nervously plucking at his cuffs.

“You always look good. Now go get changed because I really do want to get the hell out of here.” I told him turning his body around and pushing him towards his dressing room. I smacked his ass as he walked away, nearly choking on my laugh when the action made him stumble.

~

From Isaac: I can do that. Would you mind if I spend the night? 

I read the text twice before I remembered why he sent it. Isaac was a kid I met a couple years ago who was going through the same thing I was. He was the only other guy in Beacon Hills that I would want to go with to the stupid dance.

From Jamie: You’re a lifesaver. You can stay over anytime you like,  I understand.

From Isaac: You always did. See you tomorrow night.

Maybe this dance wouldn’t completely suck.

~

“Whoa.” It was the only word Isaac had managed to get out since I opened the door a couple minutes ago. Somehow he was able to zip me up but after that it was just a miracle he kept breathing.

“Should we be going to the dance or the hospital? You’re acting like you just had a stroke.” I teased him walking out and locking my house behind me. Isaac let out a nervous chuckle.

“Dances just aren’t usually my thing.” He admitted.

“Me neither but my friends wanted me there as a backup to this thing they’ve been dealing with. I’m pissed at them so I will be spending the whole night with you and avoiding the hell out of them, but there is a chance they might need me. Just in case that happens you can hold onto the keys. If I have to run off just take the car back to my house and crash. I can find another ride home.” I told him tossing him the keys as we got out of the car having arrived in the school parking lot.

“So many questions.” He said slipping the keys in his pocket and holding an arm out for me.

“None of them you want answered. Trust me.” He laughed at me as he led me inside. I didn’t spare Stiles a wave as I passed him by, he seemed to wrapped up in Lydia to notice anyway. I tried to ignore the shadow on the roof that I knew was Scott.

“I heard your dad’s gone now.” Isaac said as we stood together by the punch bowl.

“Yeah, best thing that ever happened was him disappearing.” I told him, intentionally failing to mention that my werewolf mother ripped him apart with her claws.

“Must be nice.” Isaac said sipping on his punch.

“My mother didn’t say one word to me for two years after he left. She just recently started talking to me this month.” I told him.

“Is it wrong to say that I miss having a hospital buddy?” Isaac asked looking at me guiltily.

“No.” I answered honestly. Isaac and I had met in the hospital. Our worthless fathers frequented the same bar. So come last call they would stagger home and beat the crap out of us. Isaac and I would usually end up in the same ER room. We recognised the signs. We became the shoulder the other needed to get through. We didn’t really talk or see each other anywhere else. That is until tonight.

“Let’s forget about all that crap. Dance with me.” I told him holding out my hand. He took it gladly and led me to the dance floor. We danced and danced and for a little bit I was happy. Just a teenage girl at a dance with a nice guy. Then Stiles and Lydia passed us as they got off the dance floor and a familiar feeling of dread started to pool in my stomach.

“I’m really sorry. I need to go. You have the keys, I’ll most likely be home late.” I told Isaac. He just nodded in understanding before I went off to look for Stiles and Lydia. I found Stiles a couple minutes later in the hallway on his cell.

“Where the hell have you been? Did Lydia ever find you?” Stiles asked Jackson as he walked up to us. Jackson looked shaken up as he shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I was out behind the school and I…” Jackson couldn’t quite get it out.

“What happened?” Stiles probed him squinting his eyes.

“Jackson what did you do?” I could tell in the way he didn’t answer me that it was something bad. Stiles and I didn’t waste anymore time. We took off down the hallway. I was grateful I had worn my high tops instead of heels.

It didn’t take us long to hear Lydia calling out Jackson's name on the lacrosse field. We watched as the lights turned themselves on. We raced to the field. Lydia ignored Stiles screams to run as we watched Peter approach her from the shadows.

We raced on watching in horror as Peter sunk his jaws into her skin. Neither of us slowed down. Stiles fell to the earth to check on her but Peter was hovering over her growling threateningly at him. I crouched down and growled right back. He gave me the same curious look that Derek had before turning back to Stiles.

“Don’t kill her. Please.” I kept snarling at Peter while Stiles begged for Lydia's life.

“Of course not. Just tell me how to find Derek.” Peter smiled at us.

“What?” Stiles asked his eyes never leaving Lydia's body.

“Tell me how to find Derek Hale.” Peter repeated himself slower as he traced a claw across Lydia's face. I let out a low warning growl. He just smirked up at me.

“I don’t know that. How would I know that?” Stiles told him his voice beginning to rise his breathing very uneven.

“Because you’re the clever one aren’t you? And because deception has a particularly acrid scent Stiles. Tell me the truth or I will rip her apart. Then I’ll start in on her.” Peter's eyes shifted over to me.

“Why don’t you leave the unconscious girl alone and bring it on scamp.” I snarled at him, his cocky tone making my blood boil. I wanted to tear his eyes out. Alpha werewolf or not.

“She’s feisty. I may have to save her for a different kind of fun. What do you say Stiles?” Peter asked winking at me before turning his attention back to my quivering best friend.

“Look I don’t know okay. I swear to god I have no idea.” Stiles put on a very convincing performance.

“TELL ME!” Peter howled Stiles ducked his head and covered his ears. I didn’t break my gaze. Something about being in a life threatening situation that brought another person out of me.

“Okay, Okay, Okay. Look I think he knew.” Stiles began to explain.

“Knew what?” Peter interrupted.

“Derek, I think he knew that he was going to be caught.” Stiles explained.

“By the Argents, and?” Peter asked impatiently.

“When they were shot he and Scott. I think he took Scott phone.” Stiles explained, suddenly I understood. I only hoped Stiles wasn’t overselling Derek's intelligence.

“Why?” Peter asked.

“Look they all have GPS now. So if he still has it and it’s still on, we can find him.” Stiles spelled it out for him. Peter grinned in delight. He finally stood up. I checked Lydia's pulse. It was still very strong.

“Let's get going then shall we.” Peter said pulling out a handkerchief of all things and wiping the blood off his face.

“No, I’m not just leaving her here.” Stiles told him.

“You don’t have a choice.” Peter informed him.

“It’s okay Stiles I’ll take care of her.” I informed him.

“No I’m afraid you’re going to be coming too.” Peter smiled at me.

“Just kill me. Look I don’t care anymore.” Stiles told him not moving from his spot. I rushed forward to comfort him but Peter threw his arm out and I went flying across the field.

“Call your friend. Tell Jackson where she is. That’s all you get. Unless you want me to start in on your other little girlfriend.” Peter commanded Stiles pulling him to his feet with one clawed finger placed on his throat. Peter left him to dial, tugging me to my feet as he passed me. He held me tight against his side. I heard Stiles make the call before scurrying after us.