#would totally be me when i see stray cats

[fujunfuren]

FRANKLY SPEAKING (2024)

[lizziesangel]

TOM RIDDLE - soulmates don’t exist PT. 3

SDE MASTERLIST - x FEM!reader (POC!friendly)

SUMMARY: everything changes for you when snape gives you a certain memory. will you be able to do the task that dumbledore has given you?

WORD COUNT: 4677

GENRE: angst-ish (but not really)

CONTENT WARNING: soulmate (soulbound) & time travel au, english is not my first language, i took names of professor in harry's time (it's easier that way)

You were walking through the Hogwarts courtyard, bundled up in your robes as the wind carried a hint of the colder months that were coming. The sun filtered through the canopy of orange and red; it was a cold day without the sun. As you approached the Gryffindor common room after breakfast, you spotted Lucas—tall, with his messy black curls and easygoing grin—leaning casually against the wall.

“There you are!” he called out, pushing off the wall and strolling over to you. “I’ve been looking for you. Fancy coming with me to Hogsmeade? I’ve got some things to pick up, and I thought you could use a break from all the studying.”

You raised an eyebrow, interested. “And by ‘things,’ you mean what exactly?”

“Important stuff!” Lucas replied with mock seriousness. “Like sweets from Honeydukes and a new quill, since I keep losing mine. And, of course, we have to stop at Zonko’s—can’t leave without some supplies for our next prank on Maeve.”

You let out a laugh, feeling the tension of the past few years slip away. You figured you could use a shopping day—it was a Saturday after all; you could just study after. “Sounds like a plan, though I’m not sure if Maeve would be happy with another one of your ‘masterpieces’.”

“She’ll survive. Besides, I’ve got a new idea that’ll totally blow her mind; just wait and see,” Lucas nudged you playfully.

As you made your way down the long, winding path to Hogsmeade, a sleek black cat caught your eye. It seemed to be lingering just out of reach; you’d seen the cat a few times today, always trailing a few paces behind, watching you with its bright, curious green eyes. It had followed you from the common room to the courtyard, through the grounds, and now it was walking behind you and Lucas as though it belonged with the two of you.

“Look at that,” you murmured, glancing over your shoulder at the cat. “It’s been following me this entire day.”

Lucas turned around, narrowing his eyes slightly at the feline. “Huh, that’s a little weird, don’t you think? Cats don’t usually follow people around for no reason.”

You crouched down and extended a hand toward the cat. To your surprise, it didn’t hesitate. The cat padded forward and nuzzled your palm; its fluffy and soft fur was warm, despite the chill in the air. You smiled, scratching it behind the ears.

“I think it likes me,” you said, looking up at Lucas. “Maybe it's a stray. What do you think?”

Lucas crossed his arms and looked at the cat with a suspicious expression. “It's a little too good to be true, don’t you think? A mysterious black cat following you around Hogwarts. You know there are loads of horror stories about witches using cats as spies, right?”

“You're paranoid,” you rolled your eyes at him, but smiled.

“I’m cautious,” Lucas corrected, though there was a small teasing glint in his eyes. “But if you’re set on keeping it, we should make sure it’s not... I don’t know, an Animagus or something. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“You think someone’s been using this little thing to spy on me?”

Lucas shrugged, but he was already pulling out his wand. “Could be, perhaps. There’s a simple charm to check for such things; it won’t hurt the cat—you have my promise.”

You stood up and took a step back, “Okay, but I’m telling you, it’s just a normal cat.”

Lucas raised his wand, pointing it at the cat as he muttered the incantation under his breath. A faint blue light shimmered from the tip of his wand. It surrounded the cat for a moment before fading away.

You both stared at the cat in silence, holding your breath, waiting for whatever was about to happen. But the cat just blinked up at you, then licked its paw nonchalantly.

Lucas let out a breath, “Phew... what do you know? It’s just a regular old cat.”

“Told you,” you smirked, “looks like you’re now stuck with me and my new pet.”

The cat—as if it sensed your affectionate words—let out a soft purr and wound itself around your legs once more. You knelt down and scratched behind its ears again. A bond was already beginning to form. The only problem was the lice and many more things that were scattered across its fur.

"Alright, alright," Lucas said, laughing. "I suppose it shouldn’t be a problem.”

With the cat in tow, you and Lucas continued down the path to Hogsmeade. The bustling village was already alive with students and locals; shops were gleaming with fresh stock and festive decorations for upcoming festivities. As you entered Honeydukes, the warmth of the shop’s interior enveloped you, along with the sweet scent of sugar and chocolate.

“So, what’s your go-to sweet?” Lucas asked as he grabbed a basket, eyeing the chocolate frogs with heart eyes.

“Maybe the peppermint toads?” you said with a grin, grabbing a small bag from the shelf. “They’re the perfect balance of sweet and refreshing.”

Lucas pulled a face, “You’re a maniac. It’s all about the fizzing whizzbees.”

Both of you wandered through the aisles, piling your basket high with various candies - sugar quills, licorice wands, jelly slugs. At one point, Lucas tried to sneak a handful of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans into your bag, but you caught him just in time.

“You’re not tricking me into eating vomit-flavored beans again!” you narrowed your eyes at him.

Lucas laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. I'll save it for someone else.”

After stocking enough sweets to last almost a month, you and Lucas headed to Zonko’s. The shop was just as chaotic as expected, filled with exploding fireworks, laughing gas, and all manner of joke items. Lucas was in his element, darting from one display to the next with an excitement you hadn't seen since your first year at Hogwarts when you'd go shopping with the Weasleys.

It made you wonder if there was a Weasley in this timeline, or a Potter; surely there must—

“I’ve got it,” Lucas broke your trance, holding up a box of nose-biting teacups. “We’ll switch Maeve's regular tea with one of these. Can you imagine the look on her face?”

You shook your head, grinning, “You’re terrible.”

“Hey! You’re the one who agreed to come with me,” he replied, winking. “Makes you an accomplice.”

After spending almost an hour in Zonko’s, you finally dragged Lucas away before he bought the entire store. The two of you made your way back to Hogwarts, the pockets of your robes stuffed with sweets, joke items, and—in your case—also a black cat nestled happily in your arms.

“Already thought of a name?” Lucas asked as you strolled along the path.

You looked down at the cat, who had fallen asleep in your arms, still purring softly. “I’m not so sure yet; maybe something like ‘Shadow’?”

“Shadow,” Lucas mused, “hm, not bad; fits the whole ‘following you everywhere’ thing it’s got going on.”

You laughed, feeling the warmth of the cat’s fur against you. Despite the whirlwind of chaos that had brought you here, there was something so comforting about the small creature that had decided to be your companion.

And as you and Lucas made your way back to the castle, joking and teasing each other, you felt like things were normal, like you were just a regular student at Hogwarts, living in a time untouched by war and dark magic.

You went to sleep that day feeling better already, with the small feline curled up at the end of your bed, purring, its little collar having a little bell that you bought in a shop.

The following morning, you made your way down the main hall, the familiar hum of chatter and clicking of cutlery filling the air. It was officially your second week at Hogwarts, and though you were still getting used to the time period, you started to have a routine.

You reached the Gryffindor table and spotted your friends, already gathering around a platter of toast and eggs; some of them had pancakes. They waved you over and made space as you slipped onto the bench beside them.

“Morning, y/n!” Maeve greeted brightly, pushing a pitcher of pumpkin juice toward you. Her curly hair was a little wild this morning, as if she didn’t care. “Sleep well?”

You poured yourself a glass. “Pretty well, all things considered. I think I’m getting used to these weird ancient beds.”

Alicia snorted, her red hair falling into her eyes as she reached for a stack of pancakes. “Weird ancient beds? Try getting used to the weird ancient ghosts! I had Nearly Headless Nick hovering over my bed last night, telling some kind of story about jousting. I barely slept.”

“Better Nick than Peeves, though. That poltergeist kept chucking ink at me during Charms yesterday,” Maeve giggled, spreading jam on a piece of toast.

You laughed, feeling a warmth in your chest that you weren’t expecting. These girls had made everything feel… lighter. The constant worry in the back of your mind lessened. Here, in the morning sunlight with breakfast laid out before you, you almost forgot the real reason why you were here.

“Mm, speaking of Charms,” Maeve said, glancing at her timetable. “We’ve got it again this morning. Think Professor Flitwick will finally let us practice summoning spells?”

“I certainly hope so,” Lilith spoke as quietly as ever, but her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Right? I’ve been dying to try action on something bigger. Imagine being able to summon an entire plate of pastries!” Lucas exclaimed.

“As if we need more reasons for you to get distracted during class, Luca,” Alicia rolled her eyes.

They continued to chatter about the day ahead while you found your gaze wandering around. The students were busy with their own conversations; some were studying, others were yawning over cups of tea, while some were also scribbling down last-minute notes for their morning classes. Everything felt so normal.

When your eyes landed on the Slytherin table, the illusion of normalcy shattered. You’d almost forgotten about him.

Tom Riddle. He was sitting at the center, surrounded by his usual group of admirers. He was composed, elegant even, as he buttered a piece of toast, speaking quietly to a blonde male next to him.

You looked away quickly before his group—or him—could notice you staring. “You’re awfully quiet this morning,” Maeve nudged you with her elbow.

“Everything alright?”

You gave a smile, hoping it didn’t look too strained. “Yeah, just thinking about today.”

“Don’t worry about it too much; it’s only the second week,” Lucas smiled. “Besides, you’re part of the group now. We’re in this together.”

“No backing out,” Lilith added, and for a second, you thought you’d melted.

You smiled, relaxing. You felt it reach your eyes; a sense of belonging wandered around in the back of your mind.

Breakfast continued, and so did the conversation to a more light-hearted topic: Alicia’s and Lilith’s excitement about the next Hogsmeade trip, Lucas’s plans for another elaborate prank on their dorm mate, and Maeve’s ongoing battle with Peeves. You listened, laughed, and chimed in the conversation whenever you could.

Maeve slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up. “Come on, y/n. Let’s see if we can make it to Flitwick’s class before Luca drags us to the kitchens for more pastries.”

“I resent that,” Lucas called over his shoulder, “but I do want more pastries.”

You smiled and grabbed your bag as you followed them out of the Great Hall, trying to savour the last few minutes of peace before the day truly began.

⋆｡⋆˙⟡charms class:

When you arrived at the Charms class, it was buzzing with quiet energy as tired students filed in, quills and textbooks clutched in their hands. You took a seat next to Maeve on your left side. Behind another desk with space in between you two sat another girl—Slytherin.

“Good morning, everyone! Today, we will be practicing summoning charms—Accio!” Professor Flitwick said loudly, standing on a stack of books at the front of the class as he clapped his hands to get the attention of all the students.

An exciting murmur passed through the room. You realized how, in their fifth year, they learn about summoning spells in this timeline, while in Harry’s timeline you learned more defensive spells or memory spells. The difference was huge.

Summoning charms were pretty basic, but growing up in times like you did, you almost had no time getting used to a simple spell like Accio while you could easily Obliviate someone or use the Patronus charm.

“Partner up!” Flitwick instructed. You turned to look at Maeve, who was already grinning at you.

“I’ve been practicing this all week,” Maeve said, wiggling her eyebrows. “Let’s see if I can summon a bigger thing than a quill this time.”

“Alright, but if you summon a desk by accident, you’re responsible,” you teased her, setting your wand on your desk.

Maeve pointed her wand at one of the cushions Flitwick had left for practice. “Accio cushion!” she shouted, her wand slicing through the air.

The cushion zoomed toward her, though it wobbled slightly before landing in her arms. “Not bad, right?”

You clapped lightly. “That was impressive!”

Maeve jokingly gave a little bow to you. “Your turn!”

You focused on a cushion that was lying a few feet away, envisioning it flying smoothly into your hands. After a flick of your wand, you called out,

“Accio cushion!”

The cushion shot toward you with more speed than you expected, hitting you on your chest slightly and knocking you back slightly. You laughed, catching it just in time. Maeve burst into giggles beside you.

“Well, at least it's working,” you said with a grin. Putting the cushion down, you glanced around the room and caught sight of Tom. He was practicing at the far end of the classroom. He performed the spell flawlessly, his cushion gliding into his hands with barely a flick of his wrist. His focus was intense, almost unnerving.

You quickly turned towards Maeve again, not wanting to dwell on him.

⋆｡⋆˙⟡potions class:

The potion classroom in the dungeons was dark and cool; the only source of light was flickering. A mushy and earthy scent of ingredients filled the air as you sat down next to Alicia at one of the tables near the back.

“Right,” Alicia said, pulling out her ingredients. “I’ve got a good feeling about today’s potion. We’re supposed to make something simple, so there’s no way I can accidentally melt my cauldron like last week.”

You snickered. “Simple or not, I still think you have a way to make the easiest potions chaotic.”

Before Alicia could respond, Professor Slughorn’s jovial voice boomed across the room. “Today, my dear students, we will be brewing a calming draught. Quite useful for, uh, stressful situations.” He winked at the class. “—I’m sure none of you feel stressed, though.”

You could feel the irony of the assignment, given how much stress you were actually under without anyone really knowing. You could probably use a calming draught or two just to get through the day.

Slughorn’s face was surrounded with enthusiasm as he demonstrated the first few steps, his eyes darting over the class with interest. You gathered the ingredients you needed and carefully measured out the valerian root, hellebore syrup, and the fluxweed oil.

“So, you think Slughorn’s going to invite you to one of his little parties?” Alicia asked as she ground some peppermint into powder.

You shrugged, keeping your focus on your cauldron as you stirred it clockwise. “Not very likely. I don’t really know what those parties are even about,” you lied. You went to one meeting with Hermione and decided to never go again. Simply a waste of time.

Alicia raised an eyebrow. “Well, Slughorn kinda ‘collects’ talented students. You’re smart, plus you’re new and kind. So, I’d say you're prime Slug Club material.”

You smiled at her. “We’ll see,” you said quietly. “Plus, I think Riddle is in Slug Club,” Alicia whispered.

You almost spilled the peppermint that you were trying to add into your potion. “Sorry, what?” you gaped at her. She scoffed at you and smiled. “Don’t act dumb; I always see you looking at him.”

Your potion turned to a soft blue—that was a good sign. “What??? No, I don’t…” you mumbled and glanced over at Alicia’s cauldron, which was bubbling a little too vigorously.

“Uh, Alicia... are you sure you didn’t add too much oil?” you asked her, eyeing the bubbles. “You’re not getting out of this conversation, Y/N,”Alicia said while she kept adding oil.

“No, no, I’m serious; look at those bubbles.”

“Oh, oops,” Alicia gasped and quickly turned down the heat under her cauldron. “Well, at least it’s not melting this time.”

You laughed softly, helping her adjust the potion before it boiled over. Potions was always a mix of stress and humor with Alicia. Seems like you're not as slick as you thought you were.

⋆｡⋆˙⟡transfiguration class:

Dumbledore’s class, there was a different energy in the air. The room was spacious and bright; high arched windows were letting beams of sunlight in that illuminated against the desks. Dumbledore was standing at the front. “Today,” Dumbledore began, “we will attempt one of the more advanced transfigurations: turning inanimate objects into animals. Quite the leap from last week’s matchsticks to needles, wouldn’t you say?”

Maeve leaned over to you, whispering, “What if we give a four-legged animal six legs by mistake?”

You snickered quietly.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and a stack of stones appeared on each of the students’ desks. “Your task today is to transform this stone into small creatures of your choosing: a mouse, perhaps, or a bird. Be gentle and focus.”

You pointed your wand at the stone, visualising a small bird. With clear focus, you flicked your wand, saying the incantation softly.

To your surprise, the stone started shifting, wings sprouting from its sides as it transformed into a tiny sparrow. It fluttered its wings in confusion before hopping onto your desk.

“Well, aren’t you just the star pupil,” Maeve teased with a grin. She was still poking at her half-transformed stone, which looked more like a stone with some fur on it.

From the front of the class, Dumbledore’s eyes met yours briefly, and he gave a small approving nod. You continued helping Maeve when you caught a glimpse of Tom Riddle a few rows ahead. His magic was perfect—obviously. The stone in front of him had turned into a sleek, black raven that perched on his desk with eerie calm.

You sighed, forcing yourself to focus more on Maeve and her furry rock. There would be plenty of time to think about Tom later, but the time was ticking, and you knew it

Shadow, the cat that you’d taken in, padded silently beside you as you made your way to the library. You smiled down at him; Shadow had proven to be nothing more than a sweet, lovely companion. The cat had followed you everywhere except for classes.

“You like books, don’t you?” you murmured to the cat as you entered the library, earning a few curious glances from other students. Shadow flicked his tail and trotted ahead of you, his sleek form disappearing between two towering bookshelves.

The library was quiet and warm, even after dinner. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and dust. You loved it in the library; it felt like a sanctuary, a place where time stood still.

Wandering through the shelves, you scanned the spines of the books you passed. Every so often, you’d glance behind you to make sure Shadow was still with you. Reaching a shelf tucked in a quiet corner of the library, you found a book you'd been looking for—The Founder’s Legacy: A History of Hogwarts. It was a book you needed for your Muggle Studies.

You pulled it down and tucked it under your arm, turning to leave the aisle; but when you did, you noticed Shadow was gone. “Shadow?” you called softly, careful not to disturb the other students. The silence of the library seemed to grow louder, your eyes searching for the black fur you had grown accustomed to.

Frowning, you stepped out of the aisle, looking around for any sign of the cat. Only a few students were scattered around the tables, their heads buried in their studies. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you spotted him.

At one of the far tables, seated in his usual spot near the back of the library, was Tom Riddle.

With Shadow.

Your breath caught in your throat. The sleek black cat had made himself comfortable on the edge of Tom’s open book, his paws kneading the pages as he purred contentedly. Tom didn’t seem bothered by the interruption. In fact, he was watching the cat with an odd expression - almost as if he was amused, though his features remained calm and composed as always.

For a second, you just stood there, contemplating all your life’s choices. Seeing Shadow so comfortable made your heart race. Tom Riddle, the person you were meant to change, was casually petting the cat you had taken in, and it made your situation feel even more surreal.

But only you couldn't keep standing there forever, staring at Tom Riddle.

So, you summoned up your courage and slowly walked over to the table, forcing yourself to remain calm even though you could feel your chest preparing for a panic attack.

“Looking for this?” His voice was soft but cold as he gestured to the cat with a slight raise of his hand. Shadow meowed happily and stretched out his paws, pushing against Tom's book as if he had claimed it for himself.

Hearing Tom’s voice changed something in you; a warm feeling spread through you.

“Yes,” you said, your voice steady, trying to ignore all the feelings you were feeling at once. “I didn’t realise he’d wandered off.”

Tom’s eyes lingered on you for a moment, studying you with the same unsettling intensity you’d noticed in class. Then he looked back at the cat, one hand absently touching behind Shadow’s ear. The cat purred louder, pressing into the touch as though he had always belonged there.

“He seems to like me,” Tom observed. You had to hold back a scoff, so you forced a smile. “He’s a friendly one.”

“I can see.”

You weren’t sure how to respond to that. You cleared your throat and stepped forward, reaching for Shadow. “Well, I should get him out of your way; he’s probably disturbing your reading. Or studying, or whatever…”

Tom didn’t move at first, and for a brief second, you thought he might not let you take back your cat. But then he pulled his hand back. Shadow, oblivious to the tension, stretched lazily before hopping off the table and rubbing against your leg.

You cradled Shadow in your arms as you tried to steady your nerves.

You felt Tom’s gaze linger on you for a moment longer before he turned his attention back to his book, his expression unreadable. “Be careful,” he said, his voice low. “Not everything that follows you is harmless.”

You blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in his tone. Was that a warning? Or something more? Before you could reply, Tom had already turned the page of his book, his focus shifting away from you as though the conversation had never happened

A chill ran down your spine as you hugged Shadow closer. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and you turned around.

Tom’s cryptic words echoed in your thoughts. You were halfway to the library’s entrance when you spotted Lucas striding toward you, hands tucked in his pockets, that ever-present grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He seemed completely at ease, as though the world was just a big joke waiting to be told.

“There you are!” he called out in a low voice, somewhat mindful of the library’s strict silence policy. He walked right up to you, his sharp blue eyes scanning your face before flicking over to the spot where Tom was sitting. “I saw you over there, chatting with Riddle.”

“Yeah... Shadow wandered over to him,” you smiled slightly, still not fully calmed down, but Lucas’s presence helped a bit.

Lucas smiled. “Look, I’m just gonna say it: I’ve seen you stare at him at times, and you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Whatever he’s said to you—”

“He said something about not everything that follows you is harmless,” you interrupted him, needing to get it off your chest.

“Okay, stop. That’s freakishly creepy,” Lucas gaped, stealing a glance at Tom. “Just... try to ignore him. Riddle’s either got everyone thinking he’s the hottest thing to walk these halls, or they think he’s bloody weird.”

Your curiosity piqued. “And what do you think?”

Lucas paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the question. His grin returned. “Both.”

You chuckled at his bluntness. “Both?”

You walked out of the library, your book long forgotten on the table you were supposed to be studying at. “Yeah, he’s good looking. I mean, objectively speaking,” Lucas said. “But there’s something about him that’s off. Like, he’s too good at... well, everything. It's unnatural; people are drawn to him, but they’re also... I don’t know, scared of him. You know? Even if they don't want to admit it.”

You nodded, thinking back to how Tom had looked at you—the way his eyes seemed to see right through you. There was definitely something unnerving about him. “He’s strange. Almost like he’s always one step ahead of everyone.”

“Exactly,” Lucas agreed. “It’s like he’s playing a game no one else knows the rules to. Trust me, best to keep your distance.”

“I wasn’t planning on making friends with him,” you said, shifting Shadow in your arms. The cat blinked lazily up at you.

“Good, I’ve got enough trouble without having to rescue you from the dark and mysterious Tom Riddle,” Lucas replied, giving you a reassuring smile.

You let out a laugh. “Thanks, Lucas. I’ll be sure to tell you first if I get in over my head.”

Lucas grinned. “I’ll be there, wand at the ready.”

The two of you started to head toward the common room together, the tension that had been knotted in your chest since your encounter with Tom slowly began to ease. Lucas had a way of making things feel lighter, like no matter how complicated the situation got, he’d find a way to make it less scary.

“Anyway,” Lucas said, slinging an arm around your shoulders as you walked, “enough about Riddle. Did you get what you came for? Or are we heading back in for round two of ‘Tom the Cat Whisperer’?”

You smirked, shaking your head. “No more rounds with him for today, thanks. I think I’ve had my fill of mysterious brooding for the time being. But I do think I might’ve left my book in there.”

Lucas laughed again, his voice carrying through the halls. “We’ll get it first thing tomorrow. And if you do like him, just don’t go falling for that whole dark-and-mysterious thing. I won’t judge you.”

You rolled your eyes, nudging him playfully. “Please. You know I prefer my friends a little less brooding and a little more… fun.”

“See? That’s the right attitude.” He gave you a wink, his smile warm and genuine. “Stick with me. I’m way more fun than some dark wizard-in-training.”

You couldn’t help but smile back. As strange and intense as things had become, Lucas was a constant source of light. Maybe, just maybe, he’d help keep you grounded as you navigated the dangerous path ahead.

a/n: posted a bit earlier, but umm, i was thinking of naming the cat crookshanks first - so she has a reminder of hermione, harry and ron. but idk :( alsooooo, i'll probably update on sunday for this serie (loads of homework)

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[bunny-jpeg]

can i order belgian waffles and soda served by max verstappen? thanks bunny <3

bakery menu

want to submit your own order?? then hit up the menu! there are tons of items available! i'd love to hear from you! as for this lovely anon, thank you for such a nice order! it's rather short, but i love, love, love it! jealous!max my beloved! thank you!!

belgian waffles ("i cum in that every night.") + soda (jealousy) served by max verstappen (formula one)!!

cw: smut/pwp, jealous!max, jealousy, dirty talk, missionary sex, motor home sex

"you're a jealous man, max verstappen." you said one night in the garage. your arms crossed and you gaze heavy on him.

he mimic your stance and replied, "i don't want the likes of piastri trying to take my mechanic."

you snorted through your nose, "right." you shifted from one foot the other, "because that weekend in lisbon and that christmas present last year really were because i was employee of the month.... that and somehow my supposed contract with alpine fell through."

max wasn't jealous. he was just concerned.

there should be an age restriction on mechanics. they should be old guys who can still work like they were in their twenties. because if max caught sight of you in your coveralls, looking like a total mess.

you weren't just some cute thing in the garage, you moved with the rest of your team. you were strong for all your time lifting and moving things. but yet carried such soft features that yanked on max's heart like a chain. you seemed so dedicated to getting max his fourth championship.

which was why he was curious why you were in the mercedes garage. he stayed a fair distance with his hat low to keep from any unwanted attention. he wanted to see where this was going.

"this is crazy, george! you really shouldn't be showing me this! oh my god." you said. then you starte to ramble about the aspects of the car. you were practically on your knees to get closer to it.

george tried not to think about you on your knees to hard. he didn't have ill intentions with you. and afterwards, you thanked george before you left, telling him you 'owed him one'. you were impressed by the car, if one red bull had the same specs. the team was pushing you to your limit at times, it didn't help that you had the golden boy of the team stalking in your shadows.

"have a good nice." george said before he watched you walk off.

max caught up with george after you both left the garage, a jealousy coiled in his chest. "george!"

the other man looked over, you far ahead now. he waved to max, "hey, mate."

"what are you doing out near the garage? race's over, man." that press smile hung on max's lips. he could see that you were gaining distance. but if max doesn't set a boundary now. george might get the wrong idea.

"ah, ya know. keepin' busy." max was soon in his personal space, "what are you doing around here?"

"aw, well. looking for my mechanic." he smiled as he placed a hand on george's back, giving it a firm smack. he leaned in to the other man and said, "i hope you know, george, i cum in that every night. it's not right to touch what belongs to another man. we're friends, right?" george nodded and max nodded in response, "so just back off, okay? she doesn't need to be poking around in your garage. and tell toto that she isn't interested in that contract either." then flashed the other man one of his winning smiles before he pulled away from him and went to go find you.

max wasn't a jealous man, he just knew your skills were suited better for the build of red bull.

in the room of his motorhome the night before you had to pack up for the next weekend. there was a fair bit of privacy in the place. it was probably more spacious than your apartment. even though max keeps suggesting you move in with him (the cats would love you). it felt nice to be out of your mechanics clothes, it could be sweltering sometimes. but it was needed when handling such dangerous machinery.

you didn't stray from red bull for long. you were in a shirt that had the logo across your chest, your breasts warping the image in the process and a fresh pair of cotton panties.

max loved the sight of you, how sweet you looked in his space. he remembered the first time you were in his home and your mouth went slack from the sight of it. your first comment was the view, which max let you get a closer look when he fucked you up against the window.

but, he'd have to reign it in a little tonight.

you were curled up with him in bed, your head against his chest while he played with your hair. you lifted your head a little to look at him and he kissed you.

"i saw you were with george today."

"oh! that wasn't anything. he just wanted to show me the car. i was interested in the specs that we could use in red bull... if anyone listened to me."

he smiled, "well." he kissed your forehead, "i always listen to you." he got you onto your back and in between your legs. he was able to move you so easily, for a woman who spent her days lugging around heavy materials, max could easily move you.

you were soft under his touch. in the low lighting of the bedroom. his hands on your hips as he admired you. you blushed a little bit, "i promise there was no funny business. plus george has a girlfriend!"

he got your legs around his waist and chuckled softly, "you think so little of me. i know you wouldn't break my heart that way. only being a team switcher. plus, if george tried to put his hands on you... we'd have a problem." he pressed his clothed cock against you, "but you're my good mechanic, right?"

you swallowed, "you're insatiable."

he pulled at the shirt on you, "only for you. i don't want you getting involved with teams that are less than. you only deserve the best."

"and what's the best?" you asked as the shirt was pulled over your head.

"me."

the two of you got out of your clothes, and max grabbed a condom out of the nightstand drawer. you had already gone through half of the pack that weekend. his hands on your thighs as he gazed at your nude body.

the only thing better than red bull or max's logo across your tits was them being bare for his eyes only. he licked his lips as he brushed his bare cock up against your slit.

"hey!" you yelped.

he chuckled, "quiet. i don't want a noise complaint from the other team. i know you want to scream my name, but tonight we have to keep quiet." he put on the condom and laid you out on the bed. he kissed your jaw as he shifted you hips up against him for a good angle.

he got into you, and shuddered at the feeling. being intimate with you was like a breath of fresh air. even on the days where the smell of car lingered on you and sweat was caked to his skin.

he loved your curves, your smile. how you lit up the garage and were a hard working. your knowledge of cars and how excited you spoke about them. he remembered a time where you could point out cars that passed by when you were having lunch together.

"you feel so good." he said softly, "you just feel like a dream. thank you for taking good care of my car and taking better care of me." he peppered your face with kisses, pushed your hair out the way to access more skin.

you glowed at the touch, it was so simple but yet it left your soul on fire. even when max was a jealous man, you still yearned for his closeness. his kisses and touches, his soft words and how he looked at you. he could have a day from hell, but when he saw you it was like the skies opened for him.

you held his face and brought his lips to yours. his lips were soft, a little raw from his biting while driving earlier in the day. his body felt good against yours. when you pulled away, you smiled at him.

it was like being kissed by sunshine.

he moved against you, your legs around his waist. your nails up near the back of his head. the kisses were passionately. the bed shifted a little with max's movements, but it made your heart leap in your chest.

you then cupped his face and ran your thumb across his bottom lip and smiled. heat in your cheeks as he thrusted. "of course max, a champion only becomes one when he has a championship worthy mechanic."

a shudder went through him, "i like when you talk like that." he said with such affection, "seeing that ego of yours inflate."

you giggled and pressed your forehead to his, "it's warranted. just keep getting those podiums." then kissed him once more.

the rhythm max had was steady and made pleasure circulate through your body. your soft moans were highlighted by the creaking of the bed. the heat inside of you bleed into your hands and feet as he rutted against you.

your nails dragged lazily across his broad shoulders. you panted heavily as max shifted your hips to get a better angle.

"so good for me."

"and you're good for me." he replied. he could feel the wash of warmth in his face, probably staining his cheeks pink. like when he finished a race. but having sex with you was not a race.

"max."

he knew you were getting close. he could feel the shudder through his body. it was like a inferno that he fed into.

you covered your mouth as to not get loud. but max pulled them away from you and pinned you to the soft covers. he silenced with you a kiss as he jackhammered into you. your back arched more, stopped by max's wider chest.

you held onto his hands as he pinned them down and kissed him deeply as you climaxed. your legs tightened around his waist and he continued to move against you. he was close behind you, giving you another searing kiss as he finished in the condom.

his pace slowed to a stop and he felt the heat on his back. he pulled out of you and went to go get rid of the condom. you curled up on the bed and pulled the pillow under your head as you eyed him throwing it out with the others from the weekend.

he got his briefs back on and got you back into his arms. you melted into his touch. in all fairness, you had very little intention of running off to another team. even if red bull drove you crazy, to feel close to max as often as you did felt nice.

if you put your soul into that engine, then he gave his soul over to you.

-

max wasn't a jealous man, but the only thing that could sate the throb of emotion were two things. a multi-year contract with red bull with your name on it and the thin gold chain with a small 'm' pendant. something you could tuck into your uniform while you worked.

he smiled at you, and you wiped grease off your cheek with your gloves, "going to make me win tonight?"

you nodded, "of course." you smiled at him before you pushed hair out of your eyes, "win like always, verstappen. and don't." you pointed at him, "damage my car."

he pulled you by the waist for a soft kiss, "of course." he wasn't a jealous man, but he'd be a fool if he let you go. <3

[cranberrv]

⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ prom song (gone wrong)

in which dallas winston is totally whipped!

𐙚

you were always too kind to dallas. he was like a feral street cat, someone that people often tended to stray away from, knowing his unpredictable tendencies. you had heard the rumours, you knew about the way he talked to girls at the drive in, the violent threats directed to anyone who looks at him funny. he was dangerous. but, you never saw that side of him. someone who was described as scary and violent, was also someone who greeted you with a smile whenever he saw you. someone who seemed to genuinely care about you.

there was one day where you were at the diner with your friends, giggling and sipping milkshakes. you were wearing pink sundress with a little bow on the neckline, fiddling with the cherry stem from your vanilla milkshake in your manicured hand, talking to your friend about the record you wanted to buy. as you were talking, dallas and his friend, johnny cade, walked in. you notice the change in atmosphere, the way the diner went quiet as soon as they walked in. you don’t understand how dallas is so confidentally awkward, he stands at the front of the diner with his hands tucked in the pockets of his leather jacker. you smile as you see him make johnny choose where to sit. you’re blithely unaware of the fact that the only reason he’s so awkward is because his little crush is here — you.

johnny whispers something to dallas, chucking as they walk past. you look up to watch them walk past, along with the other people in the diner. johnny is doing a good job at ignoring the glares from the stuck-up socs, and dallas was too, avoiding eye contact with anyone, until he locked eyes with you. he couldn’t seem to pull away.

instantly, a smile lights up your face when his gorgeous eyes meet yours. you mouth ‘hi’ and he just nods his head, trying desperately to play it cool. your friends notice the interaction, and one of them nudges you. “the hell was that, huh?” one of the girls giggles.

“nothing, me ‘n dallas are friends,” you reply, suddenly shy gaze drifitng towards the stem in your hand.

“..right,” the other girl nods softly, not buying it for a second. “hey, you know i heard he broke up with sylvia?” she adds quickly, looking for any excuse to gossip. “she cheated on him ‘cause he was too hung up on another girl, would barely even kiss her. it’s probably you that he wants, y/n,”

“what?” blush instantly rises to your face. “no way, me and him are friends, he doesn’t like me that way. plus, he likes girls like cherry valance. i’m not like her.”

“uh huh. well, he’s still looking at you, so..” she shrugs, giving a sarcastic wave to dallas, snapping him out of his trance.

dallas blinks. johnny laughs. he’s feeling an emotion that’s rare for him to experience: embarassment. dallas winston is embarassed. he just got caught staring at a rich girl who is totally out of his league, and to make it worse, her bitchy friends are making fun of him for it.

you glance at dallas again when your friend says that he was staring. your friend must’ve exagerrated, because he’s certainly not looking now, he’s busy telling johnny to shut up about something. you tilt your head and gaze for a second longer, then look away.

the rest of the stay at the diner goes as usual. your and your friends giggling and chatting, ordering a second milkshake, laughing when one of your friend giggles so much that milkshake comes out of their nose. but you’re still thinking about dallas — the way he nodded at you, the way he was more awkward with you than anyone else. it confuses you, why can’t he just be normal?

after you and your friends finish up, you pay and make your way out of the diner. dallas quickly stands up, he can’t just let you go, he’s not like that! when he see’s a pretty girl, he doesn’t wait. you’ve been an exception, after sylvia he’s enjoyed the peace of just watching you, but now he needs to do something.

you and your friends are hugging, saying your goodbyes as they get into their cadillac and you get ready to walk home. you don’t live far. the little jingle of the bell at the diner door catches your attention, paired with the slight slam of the door of whoever walked out. whoever left wasn’t gentle.

your friends leave, and you start walking, not looking back. dallas was outside, zoned out and staring at you from behind in your pretty dress. but he comes to his senses once you turn a corner. he huffs and takes a second to light a cigarette — he’s addicted to the them — then goes to follow you.

“hey, uh, y/n,” he calls out, taking a drag as he follows you. if anyone on the street was watching this, it would catch their attention. a roughed up greaser trying to catch the attention of a gorgeous soc.

you turn around, stopping in your tracks. “oh— hi dallas!” you smile, walking over to him.

“uh— hey, hi,” he says, suddenly forgetting what he was going to say. this never happens.

“did you need something?” you ask.

he freezes. yes, he did need something. he needed your touch and your smile and your time. but he can’t just say that, can he? and to be honest, you leave him with a loss of words too often, so if he did have an excuse, it’s gone now.

you wait patiently for him to speak. if you knew dallas well, you’d know he was never like this. but this is truly the only side of dallas you know, the wanna-be bad boy who is unable to communicate. you don’t mind, you find it endearing.

“nah, man,” he finally says, regaining himself. he chuckles awkwardly and takes a drag of his cigarette. “jus’ wanted to say hey, haven’t seen ya in a bit,”

“oh, mkay,” you say softly, nodding along.

there’s another stretch of silence. he speaks after a while. “so, uh, you’re good?”

you nod again. “mhm, i’m good. are you?”

“yeah,” he breathes out.

“hey, um,” you start, because this is truly going absolutely nowhere. “walk me home?” you ask, smiling sweetly up at him. he swears his heart stops right there.

it’s like you know him, know his hints better than anyone. you knew what he was to frozen to ask for. he smiles, a kind-of crooked, bashful smile. it makes you smile even more.

“yeah, doll,” he nods, starting to walk. you follow quickly. “put your hand in mine.”

𐙚

a/n — i’m sososo sorry this is ass haha but i haven’t posted in forever n i miss writing sosososo much! hopefully more fics soon 😊 also do we like the new layout?????!!!!

[cosmal]

cake — send me in a character and a prompt and i’ll write you a blurb!

eddie munson + soft!shy!gf’s love language is gift giving. maybe friends to lovers?

guitar pick

summary you come over late at night to give eddie a gift.

content eddie munson x shy!fem!reader

Eddie didn’t mean to scare you, really it was an accident, but it doesn't stop him from feeling bad. But he really didn't know you'd be at his door when he opened it up.

"I'm sorry," you gasp. Which is awful because he should be the one apologising. "Sorry, Eds, Wayne let me in."

"It's okay," he says and looks down at you. Tights tucked into your frilly socks at your feet. They wriggle into the trailer-grade flooring. "Sorry, are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm okay," you sigh, and then you blink slowly. Eddie remembers it's late - really late. And you're here, jacket over your pyjamas, and a beanie on your head.

"Y/N," he says and moves out of the way to let you into his bedroom. You move, and despite months of being together, you're hesitant about it. You scuffle along the ground and turn to make sure he's behind you. You wait for him to sit down before you do. "Did you walk here?"

"Yeah," you say quietly, taking off your beanie now you've settled. "Eddie, it's fine, don't worry about it." You only live around the corner. Still, it's 11pm and Eddie feels like he might throw up.

"Y/N," he says and tries not to sound stern, "baby, why didn't you call?"

"Because," you sigh, nibbling your bottom lip unthinkingly like always, "because, I got really excited to come see you and didn't even think about it."

Eddie scoots across the bed and nudges your thigh with his knee where he's got his foot tucked under him. "Excited, huh?" He wiggles his eyebrows and feels pleased when you duck your head down to look at your hands in your lap.

"Eddie," you say downwardly, swinging your feet over the edge of his bed. "Stop, no, not like that."

Eddie doesn't sound disappointed because he isn't. He doesn't care why you're here, he's just happy you are. He thinks if you'd come over just to see the stray cats and not him, he'd still just be as pleased. Just to see you is enough.

"Oh?" he asks, leaning his weight into you. You lean with him and Eddie has to hook an arm around your shoulder to stop you from falling into his pillows. You giggle with shy happiness that makes Eddie feel fuzzy. "What're you here for? I saw you five hours ago."

You lean your face into his shoulder, cheek all smooshed up against the sleeve of his sleep shirt. Some Tom Petty merchandise from the dollar bins at the thrift store behind the arcade. It's starting to smell like you. You hide yourself in his side and he can't see your face properly.

"I've got something for you," you say quietly, waiting for his response.

He shifts to rock you. "Oh really?" He finds it hard to hide his excitement.

"You gotta," you steel yourself and Eddie squeezes your knee, "you gotta promise you won't tell me if you hate it. I don't think I can take it," you say seriously.

Eddie tenses and then laughs gently. "Sweetheart, I would never. I'll love it, swears."

You sigh and reach into the inside pocket of your jacket. Pulling out a rolled-up bit of tissue paper, you hand it to him. You won't look him in the face.

Eddie carefully unravels the paper in his hand and drops the contents into his other palm. A long, silver chain with a plastic plate at the end of it. He flips it over to inspect it. It's a guitar pick.

"It's, uh," you say when he looks it over, "it's one of my picks."

You're only new to guitar, mainly acoustic, bass when Eddie can convince you to sit between his legs and teach you.

"Oh," he lets out a deep breath, deflating, "sweetheart, that is so cool. Like totally, amazing."

"Yeah?" You're so shy about Eddie feels like he could die.

"The best thing ever," he groans before he falls on top of you and down into the bed. You yelp, still just as demure now that he's hovering above you. He cages you in with his arms beside your head.

"Eddie..."

"Seriously," he leans down to kiss you on the cheek, "so cool," the other cheek, "thank you," your nose.

You fluster underneath his doting, pushing your face into where he's got his arms around you. "Do you really like it, Teddie?"

Teddie Eddie thinks fondly. Of course, he likes it. He loves you even more. "Really. Actually. Truly."

It takes you a second. You smile something ruining and roll onto your back. "Cool, 'cause I have a matching one." You pull a necklace from out underneath your sleep shirt. There, on the end of the chain is a guitar pick Eddie had given way back when you were still just friends.

Eddie drops himself into you and groans, long and suffering. "Jesus fucking Christ, baby."

[le-fruit-de-la-passion]

Press One for Love, Two for Regret

Chapter 2

Summary: Proper confessions should never happen over the phone. Viktor knows that. So how did he get here?

Pairing: Viktor x Reader

Word Count: 3.6K

Warning: Mature (mentions of explicit content, explicit in later chapters)

Notes: This was originally supposed to be a real quick one-shot. And yet, here I stand, offering you a three-chapter fic that is probably going to be a little under 10K total. Like a stray cat proudly bringing you a dead squirrel. I'm bozo the fool and I can't stop writing about Viktor.

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 3)

In theory, you’re pretty sure being a hitman should be fun.

There should be something thrilling about following someone around, tracking their every move in the shadows, finding the perfect opening to shoot them right between the eyes. The hunter and the prey. Riveting stuff.

Except you're not a hitman. And you're not tracking down someone to shoot them.

You're a dumb, stupid idiot. And you're just trying to talk to your dumb, stupid best friend who is doing everything in his power to not talk to you.

And he's quite good at it too; it's like he's vanished from the space-time continuum itself. No one has seen him, no one has talked to him, no one has even heard of where he might be hiding. It's almost annoying how good Viktor is at everything he does.

You hadn't managed to sleep the rest of the night of what you now refer to as ‘The Call’. You watched the minutes pass one by one on your alarm clock, eyes wide open, mind bustling with too many questions to go to bed.

At six am sharp, you deemed you had waited long enough to stomp your way to Jayce's and Viktor's apartment. You weren't even sure of what you were going to say; you just had to talk to him. You couldn't let that conversation end the way it did.

You knocked firmly five times before Jayce cracked the door open with an audible groan, hair tussled, eyes barely open. It seemed he, too, hadn't spent a very restful night.

It took a few seconds for him to even register who was standing at the door; when he did, he visibly straightened his back in an attempt to look awake and composed.

Unfortunately for him, it did not work very well.

“H-hey,” he stammered, leaning against the doorway in false non-chalence. His voice was still heavy with sleep, and he audibly cleared his throat. “It's a little early, isn't it? The ol’ operating system usually only boots up when the sun is out,” he added jokingly, pointing a finger toward his forehead.

A valiant attempt at breaking the obvious tension, but you refused to budge. You glared at him, decidedly looking into his eyes.

“I need to talk to Viktor.”

Jayce made a strangled sound, which he tried to hide with a theatrical coughing fit.

“You… just missed him?” he managed to choke out with uncertainty. He was visibly trying to convince himself just as much as you. “He left to go prepare the lab. You know him, always doing extra research.”

He flashed you a smile, a practiced grin with perfect teeth that might have seemed genuine in other circumstances. But his bottom lip was quivering, and you could see Viktor's daily use cane leaning against the coat rack right behind him. Jayce was not exactly a master manipulator.

“Jayce, the university doesn't even open until seven thirty.”

He deflated at that, his large shoulders comically lowering. You could see he was thinking desperately for anything to say, but coming up empty-handed. Chances were he hadn't had his coffee yet, which knowing him, considerably lowered his ability to formulate coherent thoughts.

You were starting to feel bad; the poor guy was stuck being the literal last defence to his roommate, and he was genuinely giving it his best. Jayce might not have a career in acting, but he was a good friend.

That was more than you could say about yourself.

“Ok. I get it,” you sighed. “He needs space. I can respect that. Just… tell him to call me later, alright? Even just a text would be fine.”

Jayce seemed profoundly relieved you had agreed to back down, something you almost always refused to do under any circumstance. Yes, technically, you could stay put in front of that door and progressively chip away at Jayce's still barely conscious mind until Viktor decided to show himself.

But you felt guilty. Guilty for not realizing how he felt, guilty for treating him like your personal diary over the phone, guilty for not saying how you felt sooner. The conversation should be on Viktor's terms rather than your own.

“Yeah, I'll tell him,” Jayce gave you a small smile, comforting and honest. The next words came out less encouraging than he likely intended: “I'll try.”

But now, it's been a week since ‘The Call’, and Viktor has still shown no sign of wanting to talk. Your phone is frustratingly devoid of unread texts or missed calls no matter how often you check it. Your world feels like it's been spiralling out of control a little more every day, the uncertainty of everything left unsaid weighing you down like a ton of bricks. It's torture, and you can't help but feel like you kind of deserve it.

You should have known better than to call Viktor when you were drunk, and yet, you still did. Because there's nothing more natural to you than talking to him. It's become second nature, as natural as breathing or blinking.

Viktor is always so smart, and so composed, and so understanding, and so helpful- and he's probably the only person who likes hearing you go on rants for hours on end. How could you ever want to talk to anybody else after a breakup?

But when you're drunk, you lose the already feeble control you have over your verbal on-and-off switch. Everything spews out of you without a filter, as if you're vomiting all the thoughts that go through your mind one after the other. It's cathartic, for sure, but then you end up saying things that should never be said to the best friend you've secretly been in love with for years now.

Things like how your ex never took time to finger you properly, or how he had this stupid obsession with men not going down on women because he was an ungrateful asshole.

And then, those two little words.

“I would.”

There was no hesitation in his tone, no uncertainty. It was like he had the sentence on the tip of his tongue for the last two hours you had been whining to him. Like he had been waiting to say it for too long to contain it anymore.

The irony was that you had spent the last four years trying everything in your power to not let those stupid little words out too.

—

You met Viktor at your first university's faculty Christmas party.

You hated work parties.

You had only gotten the position of academic advisor a few months prior, and in that time you hadn't managed to form a single bond with any other employee in your entire department. It was always the same; you talked too much. You were too intense. You were tiresome.

You were you. And that was something a lot of people didn't like.

Needless to say, you didn't want to go to that stupid party. Everyone would split up into groups of friends and previous acquaintances, and any attempt at joining the conversation would result in discreet sighs and rolling eyes. Yet you still went, partly out of obligation, but also in the hopes something that night might be different for you.

But it hadn't been, and you were alone.

So you did what any well-adjusted adult did when they were faced with the indisputable fact they were the party outcast; you drank.

After one glass of cheap white wine, you felt more relaxed, less stiff. Just a nice amount of mellowed out.

After two glasses, you started to forget the self-preserving instinct of not approaching others. ‘Maybe you could try talking to someone, after all. It could be worth a shot.’

After three glasses, you forgot why you were so apprehensive in the first place. You were great! You rocked. You had so many things to say there was absolutely no way someone wouldn't love to hear all about it.

…but maybe you could get a fourth glass, first.

You headed back towards the drinks table, a little less steady and a whole more lot confident. So confident, you didn't realize you bumped right into someone's chest until a hand grabbed your arm to keep you upright.

“Ah, are you alright?” came a heavily accented voice above you. ‘Eastern European,’ you thought absentmindedly. ‘Ukranian, maybe Czech. I wonder if he knows they created the sugar cube…’

You took an unsteady step back, peaking up at the man blocking your way to the wine bottles.

‘Wow, he's handsome’, was your first, immediate thought.

“Wow, you're handsome,” were your first, immediate words.

The man spluttered in surprise. In all fairness, he probably hadn't been expecting for a stranger at a faculty party to be so direct. If you were still at glass number two, you might have realized it wasn't a very appropriate thing to say in this specific context.

But you were at glass number three and unabashedly staring at the man's face, the sharpness of his cheekbones, the curve of his nose.

That was the moment you realized he wasn't a stranger.

You knew him. Not his name, or who he was, but you felt absolutely certain you had seen him before. You scanned your jumbled brain for the memory of his face. So beautifully sculpted, like he was made of stone. You knew him, you had it on the tip of your tongue-

“Miss?” the man asked, seemingly unsure whether to be perplexed or worried at your silent glaring. “Would you like me to help you sit-”

“Tuna sandwich!” you yelled with a huge grin. A few other partygoers turned towards you in confusion, but you were much too overjoyed at the epiphany you were experiencing to realize.

The man blinked slowly. Then once again, like he was trying to process whether or not he had understood correctly. His head cocked slightly to the side in bewilderment.

“… I'm sorry, what did you say ?”

You poked his chest with an insistent finger, beaming: “You're tuna sandwich! The tuna sandwich guy!”

The man looked to the side warily, mouth opening and closing, visibly searching for some kind of help. When he found none, his golden eyes fell back to you, catching the glow of the ceiling lights. The spark of an aurora through the night sky.

“I'm… afraid I truly have no idea what you're talking about,” he explained gently, the warmth of his hand leaving your arm. You deflated a little at that, the notion of embarrassment creeping back in you.

But he hadn't left. He was still here.

He was listening to you.

“My office is next to the cafeteria,” you started, straightening your dress and trying to appear more professional. “I see you, every day, at eleven forty-five, before morning classes end. I always thought that was smart, because you get to skip the lunch rush and there's still a lot of choices for meals.”

The man seemed bemused by the comment, but didn't show signs of wanting to take off. That made you regain some of your drunken confidence.

“But you always take a tuna sandwich,” you continued. ”That's it. Every day. You never buy anything else. It's always the tuna sandwich at eleven forty-five.”

He let out a confused chuckle, the ghost of a teasing smile on his lips.

“I didn't realize I had an audience.”

His presence had been so hypnotic you barely even realized what you had been saying.

‘Oh God, that sounded creepy, didn't it?’

“Don't flatter yourself,” you quickly added, embarrassed, looking away to stare at a particularly interesting stain on the floor. “I look at what everyone's doing. It's my job to.”

He hummed mirthfully, his golden gaze fully amused now:

“And what job would that be? Voyeur?”

You almost choked on your own spit.

“Guidance councillor, smart guy,” you countered, feeling your cheeks heat up. How was a stranger rattling you this much? You were usually the one whose words left others confused. “I look at people, and I figure out what they want in life. I help them find careers. I’ll have you know that's an extremely important task, mister-”

You squinted at the sticky nametag on his chest, trying to decipher the very slanted handwriting. You vaguely remembered the blue stickers were reserved for teachers.

“…Professor…?” you struggled weakly, hoping he would fill in the illegible part.

He thankfully seemed to find your attempt more endearing than insulting.

“Just call me Viktor,” he answered with a sincere smile. His lips were slightly crooked, the left dimple just barely more present on his left side than his right. There was a tiny little beauty spot next to his cupid bow; the thought that it would be nice to lick it just to confirm it wasn't a speck of the chocolate cake flashed in your mind.

‘Focus, focus!’

“Tell me, Viktor,” you cleared your throat. You had to get it together. This was the longest conversation you had been able to maintain with a fellow faculty member without them looking like they wanted to run away. “Why tuna? There's so many other sandwiches to choose from. You could take the egg salad, or the turkey sub, or the spicy chicken…”

You were definitely being too insistent on the tuna thing. If he didn't think you were weird before, he would now.

And yet Viktor still didn't leave. He considered your question seriously, taking a few thoughtful seconds to answer:

“It's the only one with multigrain bread. Very low fat for a good source of omega-3 and protein. And I don't dislike it, so it makes the most sense as a daily meal,” he mused, almost like it was the first time he had ever thought about it, too.

Huh.

“That's a sad way of looking at things,” you commented before thinking.

Before you could mentally swear at your debilitating lack of restraint, Viktor countered the statement with seemingly genuine curiosity:

“How so?”

You had a chance to say something cute and short, and leave the topic at that. It would be a major win for you; your first enjoyable talk with a coworker. Maybe you would even exchange email addresses by the end of the night.

Or…

You could be yourself. Let the floodgate of constant thoughts and observations pour out for a minute. Show this random handsome man who you were, really.

Had you not been drunk and sound of mind, you would have gone for the former. But as it happened, you were quite drunk, and you chose the latter. You took a deep breath before speaking:

“Means you only value food as something that's needed, like taste and flavour isn’t important. You deny yourself basic pleasures out of fear you'll get used to them and grow complacent. You're probably the type of guy who slaves away in his office for hours, not even realizing he's hungry, because it's lost all relevance to him.”

The silence that followed felt eerie. The expression on Viktor's face was blank, mouth barely agape, brows slightly furrowed. You had fucked it up, again.

“Sorry,” you muttered, feeling incredibly foolish. “That was overstepping.”

“No, actually,“ Viktor responded almost eagerly, the sparkle in his eyes bright, “Keep going. What else can you tell?”

There was palpable interest in his tone, in the way his body leaned slightly closer to yours. He wanted to know. He wanted to listen to you.

“The tuna sandwich is twenty-five cents cheaper than all the other ones,” you continued slowly, afraid of breaking the spell that was keeping him attentive to your words. “Usually a sign of a lower class upbringing, shows that you're used to thinking with a controlled budget, even if you don't need to anymore. You likely value hard work and commitment.”

You paused once more to gauge his reaction, but he didn't say anything, clearly waiting for you to continue. So, you did.

“It's always eleven forty-five sharp. You're precise, mechanical. Probably in the department of medicine, or some form of applied science. Am I right?”

“Biomechanical engineering,” he specified with a baffled smile. “Incredible. All that from a sandwich?”

You shrugged, feeling giddy under the weight of the compliment. It was so utterly rare that anyone would actually enjoy your rambling.

“I notice things about people, and I tell them. Couldn’t quite cut it as a detective or a psychologist, so it makes me an ok guidance counsellor,” you smiled, adding an audible wince. “But the person you really gotta avoid at parties.”

He laughed at that, a pretty, earnest sound, slightly low and nasal. The kind of laugh that would make the heart of a weaker person skip a beat.

You blamed the fact that yours did in fact skip a beat entirely on the alcohol.

“I-I'm sure what you do is a lot more impressive, though,” you quickly stammered out. Why were you stuttering?

He shrugged, bony shoulders visible through his button-up shirt. A few beauty marks decorated his neck where the collar didn't reach; you wondered how many more the fabric was hiding.

“Eh, I wouldn't bet on that. Gait analysis, prosthetic limb design. Much less creative than one might think,” he commented with a certain indifferent boredom; yet there was a certain light in his eyes that spoke otherwise. Maybe he was also the type of person people didn’t listen to much. “But it does feel rewarding to do something for others who might not have my luck.”

He pointed down with his chin, and for the first time since you began talking to him, you realized he was holding a cane.

You, whose only redeeming quality was having good observational skills, hadn't noticed the man you had been talking to for the last ten minutes was holding a cane. A refined-looking one at that, with a deep burgundy tainted wood for the shaft, and a sleek handle the colour of tarnished gold. ‘Maybe if you stopped looking at his face for a goddamn second you would have noticed’ you scolded yourself.

“Ah,” you blurted out pathetically. “That's… that's really cool.” You were looking at his fingers. You were looking at his long, slim fingers holding his cane, calloused yet delicate, and you were imagining them in places they should definitely not be in.

You had absolutely no idea what you had just said to him.

Yet Viktor only seemed more amused, his smirk growing ever so slightly.

“Yes, I also like to think of it as ‘cool’, from time to time.”

A drink. What you needed was another drink. Then perhaps you would reach a level of enlightenment where you would remember how to not look like a complete fool in front of attractive professors, who probably did quantum physics as a hobby.

As if he had read your mind, Viktor shifted in the direction of the drinks table, giving you a knowing smile. Were you so easy to read, or was he simply so good at reading you?

“I’d offer to bring you a glass of wine, but I believe that may have been your original intention before reading my palm,” he joked.

‘It's nothing like fortune telling, it's just logical analysis !’ part of you wanted to retort.

‘Give me your palm and I'll show you what my real fucking intentions are,’ purred the other one.

If you didn't get out of here now, you would say something that would definitely end your career before it had even taken off.

“I think I'll probably head home for the night. I've already had a little too much to drink,” you smiled hesitantly. Understatement of the century.

You could have sworn you saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes. Then again, you had probably imagined it. If anything, he was likely relieved he had finally managed to escape the babbling lunatic. Someone like him, so brilliant and accomplished, had no reason to willingly listen to the ramblings of a glorified high school school councillor.

But…

“But… maybe you could give me your number?” you asked hesitantly, taking one final, vulnerable leap of faith. “Just for work, of course!”, you added hastily.

Viktor did not seem angry or disgusted at the proposal; in fact, his smile widened, revealing a slightly uneven row of teeth. Cute. Everything about him was attractive.

“I would like that,” Viktor said softly, amber eyes warm. “I did enjoy hearing you talk.”

Your heart made a heavy, dull thud. With a small wave, he was gone, disappearing somewhere into the crowd like he had been nothing more than a hallucination conjured up by the cheap wine.

Your first work friend.

A potential real friend. Someone who genuinely didn't seem to hate the sound of your voice.

It was much too precious to lose over some passing, drunken attraction. You absolutely had to crush these emotions now to prevent them from becoming anything serious. After all, it wasn't like you had a shadow of chance with someone like him.

Perhaps for the first time in your life, you decided to stay silent about something, no matter what would happen in the future.

He couldn't know.

You would never let him know.

[staylovesmiley]

Give Me Your TMI~ Chapter 3

˚⊹ᰔ Pairing; Yang Jeongin x Fem!reader, Stray kids x Fem!reader

₊˚⊹ᰔ ₊˚⊹ᰔ Summary; In a world where Humans and Hybrids should be living as equals, Hybrids are still viewed as being closer to their animalistic side than their humanistic. Deep in the woods lives a band of misfit hybrids who reject these societal views and keep to themselves, choosing to live away from humans. What happens when the youngest of this rogue group meets a lost Human girl, befriending her after an incident where he must rely on her for help?

₊˚⊹ᰔ ₊˚⊹ᰔ ₊˚⊹ᰔ Warnings; hybrid!au, female!reader, angst, mild violence, mentions of sexual harassment/assault and discrimination, she/her pronouns used for reader, this is very loosely based off the overall themes/tones of the manga and anime fruits basket~

Over the next couple of days you worked on getting your strength back, eating whatever it was Minho brought you as you slowly began moving from broth to stew and stew then paired with bread. You started walking around the room with one of the hybrids’ assistance, usually Jeongin as the fox had yet to leave your side unless he was ordered to by Minho.

Occasionally you could hear the others outside the small bedroom, Felix and Jisung having informed you that there were eight hybrids in total living in the cabin.

You had yet to meet them but you would always listen closely when you heard them outside, wondering if any of them would ever come to meet you. One night you had asked Minho about it after he brought you your dinner, frowning softly at the question of why they hadn’t come to see you as you ate your meal. Minho had answered with a sigh.

“Some of us aren’t very trusting of humans I’m afraid…honestly I’m shocked our Innie warmed up to you as easily as he did.” You raised an eyebrow at the mention of the fox who had been no less than ordered to go help one of the other hybrids, Hyunjin, with the laundry.

“How come? I mean he doesn’t seem to be afraid of me…” He gave you a smile that was all too cat-like as a soft purr rumbled in his chest. “I’ll let him tell you on his own, but our Ayen didn’t have the best upbringing and the humans he has met up to you were less than unkind. You just seem to be the exception, I guess.”

The conversation was left there, and it wasn’t until the third day since you had woken up that you got to meet another member of their family.

“Alright, not to say you smell or anything but I think it’s time you got a bath young lady.” Minho laughed, hands on his hips as he had just finished helping you walk around the room. You were fine now, able to fully walk on your own but they still insisted on holding onto you regardless. You appreciated their help but it was starting to feel like they were babying you a bit too much. “Uh, okay- that’s fine with me.” As you stood, the cat shook his head and called for Jeongin. “Innie, would you be a dear and help our pretty here with her bath?”

The youngest gawked a bit, looking between Minho and yourself before nodding eagerly and walking to where you were sat. “Guys, seriously isn’t this a bit excessive? I can bathe myself just fi-“ The fox hybrid scooped you up in his arms, carrying you bridal style and causing a blush to fan across your face from just how strong he was.

Minho smirked, eyeing the two of you for a minute before shrugging. “It’s just a precaution. You did almost die, ya know…best to air on the side of caution.”

With a sigh you allowed Jeongin to carry you out of the room and down the hall towards the bathroom. This was the first time since you had woken up that you left Jeongin’s room and you curiously looked around the space to take everything in just as you had when you first woke up in the small bedroom.

The house seemed oddly vacant, though assumed the other hybrids were away tending to their chores as Jeongin had explained to you one afternoon.

Minho and Felix took care of the cabin, any cleaning or cooking fell to them.

Hyunjin and Changbin kept up with the laundry and tended to their garden, harvesting and planting depending on the season.

Han was tasked with taking care of the chicken coop they had tucked at the back of the cabin as well as climbing high up in the trees to look out for any suspicious activity in the skies like planes or helicopters that could be getting too close and possibly spotting them living out on the mountain.

Chan, Seungmin, and himself were tasked with patrolling the surrounding forest in look out for anyone lurking around their territory. Anyone like yourself, he told you with a fond smile on his face.

Since you had come to stay with them Jeongin had been tasked with looking after you, with Minho’s instruction, and for the meantime Chan and Seungmin had divided their territory into halves instead of thirds to make up for the loss. You felt guilty taking him from such an important task even though Minho had teased that it was supposed to be a punishment to the fox for disobeying their leader’s orders.

Still, if you had taken better care of yourself then they wouldn’t have had to take you under their care in the first place.

You had no clue why Chan had let you stay, Jeongin having told you one night while you ran your fingers through his hair as the both of you drifted off to sleep, that their family head had the worst history of them all with humans. If he was so distrustful of your kind then why did he allow you to stay for this long, even if you were ill, you wondered.

From what you could see on your short trip from the youngest’s room to the bathroom you saw a glimpse of the kitchen, a small living area with well worn couches and arm chairs, and a few doors scattered about that could be other bedrooms as well as closets and such.

Before you could continue your exploration of everything within your line of vision Jeongin’s walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind you both with his foot before gently setting you down atop the closed toilet seat. “Just give me a few minutes to get the bath drawn, yeah?” He spoke softly, blushing a bit at the thought of seeing you bare once more.

On the night he had brought you to the cabin they had dressed you in some of his clothes after your temperature had finally warmed up, the youngest having insisted it be his own clothes even though something of Felix or Jisung’s probably would have been a better fit. The smell of you covered in his scent caused pride to swell in his chest and seeing the way they hung off your frame now made him feel a little dizzy and like his heart could beat out of his chest.

“Innie I could have done all this myself, you know- I don’t want to be a burden…” your voice got smaller towards the end, hesitant as if speaking those words would make it true. The fox loved how you had taken to calling him by the same nicknames as his Hyungs. It was one thing whenever they would call him something so endearing but to come from you was a whole new story. Blush crept up the back of his neck and painted his cheeks as he shook his head, keeping his gaze to where the warm water slowly filled the claw footed tub. “It’s fine, really. I um…I like taking care of you, if that’s okay? Since I don’t really have any other job now due to punishment it makes me feel helpful.” His words warmed your heart and caused you to see things in a different light, comforted knowing that even if the others didn’t agree at least your dear friend Mr.fox didn’t feel like you were becoming too much to handle.

Once the bath was drawn and Jeongin had poured in some of the epsom salts they kept under the sink he turned away as you stripped yourself down before lowering yourself into the water. You hissed lightly at the temperature as you had become so accustomed to bathing in the icy waters of the river by your camp. “Too hot?” The fox hybrid questioned, still keeping his back to you. “No, not at all. Feels really nice.” You hummed, submerged up to your collar bones in the water before pulling your knees up to your chest to give yourself some sort of privacy. “Y-You can turn around if you’d like?”

Jeongin slowly turned back to face you, struggling to keep his breathing even as he came to sat on the floor beside the tub and rest his chin on the edge. “You know I’ve never seen a girl before….human or hybrid. Not before that day at the river-“ you gasped, seem just then remembering how the fox had stared at you from the trees as you took your time drying off, not realizing that it wasn’t just a wild animal watching you. “Oh you pervy little fox!” You teased with a giggle, lightly flicking water at his face and causing him to laugh as he pulled away. “I-I didn’t mean to stare I was just- it was new okay? I was curious-“ the hybrid tried to defend himself though he could tell you weren’t actually upset with him over the encounter.

As you sat in the bath you allowed the hybrid to carefully wet your hair before gently massaging shampoo onto your scalp. You let out a soft groan at the feeling, eyes closed and head tilted back slightly as he worked the suds in thoroughly. You both feel into a peaceful silence as he rinsed your hair before repeating his actions once more.

You were relaxed, feeling safe in the young fox’s care when suddenly the door swung open causing both of you to jump and whip around to see who the intruder could be.

Your eyes met and you could feel the energy shift as your gaze locked with the beagle hybrid. His hair was a soft chocolate brown with floppy ears to match, his eyes soft though full of fear as he looked at you with his hands still clutching the door handle so tight that his knuckles turned white and his white tipped tail stilled behind him. His face and clothes were covered in dirt you assumed was from patrolling in the woods and it caused a soft smile to slip onto your lips. He looked so cute like that, boyish even, and it immediately endeared you to the hybrid.

Jeongin watched him carefully, hesitantly raising his hands up in a surrendering manner. “Seung-“ before he could say any more the beagle was gone, bolting from the doorway so fast he had left the door wide open.

You watched the space where he once was, face falling in disappointment as the fox quickly got up to shut the door and give the two of you privacy once more. When he returned to your side Jeongin saw as you stared down at the water with your knees clutched tight to your chest. “Don’t mind him, pretty. He’s a little, um…shy-“ He sat back down and rinsed your hair once more of the conditioner he had added before combing his fingers through it slowly to remove any tangles he had caused during his little scalp massage.

“Is he afraid of me?” Your voice was small, causing Jeongin’s heart to ache as he paused. “No no- it’s not that.” He tried to reassure you, though truth be told Seungmin most likely was on edge by your presence. “Some of us don’t really feel safe around humans just yet cause of what we’ve been through…Seungmin is one of them.”

You sat deep in thought for a moment, hesitating to ask the question burning in your mind but your curiosity got the better of you. “What- um…what happened, if it’s alright that I ask?” This wasn’t the first time you had heard one of them speak of the troubled past of their family and it only left you with more questions after the reaction Seungmin had to simply seeing you in their bath. Jeongin took a deep, shaky breath before rinsing his hands and sitting with his back to the bath, wet hands drying themselves on his shirt nervously. “I was raised in a hybrid center…more like a factory, really.” He paused once more, his knees coming up to his chest as you moved to press your front to the inside edge of the bath while resting your chin on your hands where they held onto the rim.

“We were taken from the breeders and raised completely separate from other classes and genders…some hybrids were treated better than others- more specifically prey hybrids or domestic breeds were handled more kindly than-“ “foxes?” You guessed as he let his sentence hang in the air for too long. “Right.”

You watched carefully as his ears flattened to his head, a tell you had learned meant he was upset. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too hard to talk about, Innie…” Jeongin shook his head, jaw clenching. “No, I want you to know. I’ll be okay.” He took another deep breath before continuing. “They would call us names, beat us, tell us that we were too wild or aggressive when we were just playing around with each other.” There was a little whimper in his voice that caused your heart to sting and you instantly brought your hand to play with his hair. Calming at your touch, he pushed onwards. “We were beat and sometimes starved as punishment, or locked away in a small yard in the back with no shelter even if the sun was beating down, rain poured, even in the winter snow…”

A small silence one again fell between you as you gently pushed his hair back from his forehead and scratched lightly behind his ears causing the hybrid to whimper and whine softly, almost losing his place in the story with how nice it felt. “One day I was locked out there in the rain- it was so cold and I thought I was going to freeze to death. I had shifted into my fix form even though it was forbidden at the center- but my fur was the only thing I had to keep me warm. That’s when I notice the gap in the chain link fence…” swallowing deeply, Jeongin finished his story with a voice just above a whisper. “I slipped out knowing no one would be watching the cameras at feeding time, and I never looked back. It took me weeks before I found Chan and the others….I had been in my fox form for so long it took me four days before I finally could shift back.”

Your heart ached for him, planting a soft kiss at the top of his head. “Oh Innie- that’s awful…you didn’t deserve to be treated like that. How could anyone treat another living being so cruelly?” You huffed a bit in frustration, sitting back upright in the bath as the hybrid turned to face you. “That’s just my story….Seungmin had it even worse…Chan too.” You frowned, splashing him lightly with the now lukewarm water. “Hey, quit that. Don’t belittle your own traumas just because others may have had it worse.” He chuckled lightly, splashing you back. “I only meant that since they had it worse they are even less trusting of humans than me, silly.” You pouted a bit, realizing you had jumped to conclusions made embarrassment paint your cheeks pink. “Now hurry up and wash your body before the water gets too cold and we have to warm you up again.” The young fox teased as he handed you a bar of soap and a wash cloth.

After you finished with your bath Jeongin wrapped you in a clean towel and handed you a folded stack of clothes. “I’ll leave so you can get dressed, just come out to the kitchen when you’re done cause I think Minho-hyung said something about wanting to talk to you.” Your body froze hearing that the older wanted to talk with you, a little anxiety creeping inside you at the fear of what it could be about. “Oh um- okay..” Jeongin gave you a soft smile before leaving you alone to dress yourself.

You carefully unfolded the clothes to find yet another baggy long sleeve tshirt and a pair of dark pajama pants. You blushed lightly realizing you would have to go without undergarments but pulled the clothes on regardless.

Once dressed you padded your way out and into the main part of the cabin, back tracking to where you saw the kitchen when you were on your way to the bathroom with Jeongin earlier. Minho was in the kitchen as the fox had predicted, setting stuff from the fridge out on the counter when he looked up to meet your eyes with a smile. “Ah there’s our pretty all nice and clean. Come here would you?” His voice was cheery but you still kept your steps towards him hesitant. “I’m not gonna bite you, I’m not Chan.” He teased but the mention of the wolf hybrid caused you to tense more. After making your way fully into the kitchen and to the cat hybrid’s side you looked up at him nervously. Minho gave a soft smile and ran his hands up and down your arms in a comforting manor. “Calm down, pretty…I just wanted to tell you what your chores will be around here since you will be staying with us.”

Your brain seemed to malfunction at that, you must not have heard him right. “Staying? Wait- I…I get to stay?” Your eyes became glassy as you looked up at him hopefully. Ever since you had started to get better you worried when the day would come that they would send you back to the forest and your tiny little camp, wondering if they would even allow Jeongin to come and visit again since it seemed to be something worth punishing the boy over. “Yes, of course you get to stay. We aren’t gonna send you back out into the cold.” Oh, you thought. Right…winter was just around the corner. Even though some of them distrust humans they didn’t seem so cruel as to put you out in such terrible weather after saving you once already knowing you were not prepared for such. “So…I’ll have chores?” Your voice was quiet, eyes still looking into his own as you composed yourself and waited for his instructions.

Minho gave you a warm smile before moving back towards the ingredients laid out on the counter. “Mhm, everyone here has chores. You, my dear, will be helping me with the cooking from now on.” You beamed, nodding your head as you moved to face the counter. This was something you could do easily, so the fact that it had been chosen as your task for you seemed like fate. “I can do that! So, what do you need me to do?” The cat grinned at your enthusiasm, glad to see your spirits lifted as he pushed a cutting board and various vegetables towards you. “I need you to rinse these, peel the carrots and potatoes, and cut them up for me. We are having stew for dinner so make sure they are small enough to cook all the way through.”

With that you set to your task, carefully washing and peeling the vegetables before beginning to cut them. As you worked you began to hum to yourself under your breath, completely absorbed in your job as Minho glanced over at you from where he was preparing the meat. “You’re really good at that, you know. Have you done a lot of cooking before?” The praise took you off guard, but you smiled nonetheless. “Thank you. I actually learned from my mother.” Your hands stilled in their movements, knife poised with the tip down on the cutting board with the thicker part of the blade resting against the potato you were in the middle of cutting into smaller cubes. “She um…she said that no good wife should ever let her husband come home without a home cooked meal waiting for him.” Minho frowned, scoffing a little as he reached over you to snag a piece of carrot you had chopped before popping it into his mouth and biting down with an audible crunch. “Oh yeah? So does that make me a good wife?” He teased, giving you a smug smile as you laughed so hard you snorted a bit. “Perhaps you are, but who would be the husband?”

Before he could answer a voice called out from behind you as the front door swung open. “What’s this about a husband?” You turned around to see the two hybrids who had been working in the yard now standing with wide eyes as they realized it was more than just their beloved cook in the kitchen. “Ah! Hyunjin, Changbin- I don’t believe you’ve met our newest addition. This is our pretty~” Minho introduced you with a teasing glint in his eye as he turned back to the meat he was preparing to add to the brother simmering on the stove.

The two hybrids watched you cautiously, still frozen in place so you decided to speak up. “U-Um…hello! I’m y/n but uh- the others have just been calling me pretty?” A light blush painted your cheeks as you looked down at the counter shyly. “That makes sense…you are very pretty.” Hyunjin said softly, slowly walking up to you with Changbin following closely behind albeit a bit more timidly. “Are you feeling better?” His voice was so sweet it caused your heart to flutter as you gave him a smile. “Mhm much better now thanks to Dr. Minho.” You didn’t miss the opportunity to tease the cat, hearing him snicker behind you as he listened in while working.

Taking in the appearance of the two you noted the small white ears atop Hyunjin’s head and his long white and brown tail. Changbin had a pair of floppy black ears that looked incredibly soft though from where he was standing you couldn’t see the matching bunny tail behind him. “I’m glad. I know we didn’t come to see you but we were still worried- you looked really bad when Innie brought you here.” Changbin spoke, his voice low and you turned to give him a warm smile as you had Hyunjin. “Thank you for worrying about me. I’m sorry to intrude on your lives like this…but it’s very nice to have been able to meet such kind people.”

The hybrid pair gave each other a look before turning back to you with bright smiles. Instantly arms circled around your waist as the ferret hybrid laid his entire body against your back, his chest pressed firmly against you as his chin rested on the top of your head. “Whatever your cooking smells soooo good- will dinner be soon?” You were a bit shocked at first, stumbling a little to support his weight but the heat from his body felt nice. Minho scoffed, picking up an end from one of the carrots you had cut and chucking it at his head causing the ferret to whine dramatically. “Ya! If you keep asking then we’ll be serving ferret stew instead!” You heard laughter ringing out from the bunny hybrid to your left, Changbin’s hands resting over his stomach before he pointed at the other two hybrids. “Careful Jinnie- you know he’ll do it too! Remember the tissues?” Your eyes widened, completely lost at the inside joke as you looked between the cat and bunny. “M-Minho would…cook you?” There was a sad pout on your lips that caused Minho to coo at you and shake his head. “I’m only teasing, pretty. I’d never hurt my family. Just gotta show the young ones their place sometimes.” You relaxed, nodding shortly before returning to the task he had given you. It was only slightly more difficult with Hyunjin clinging to your back as he started to doze lightly.

After you finished cutting all the vegetables Minho swooped in to take them from you, nodding to the hybrid half asleep on you. “Can you take him over to the couch for me, pretty? I need you to clean up and help Felix set the table.” You nodded to him, tapping the hands that rested around your waist to get the ferrets attention. “Hm? I’m up- I’m awake.” Hyunjin stirred, bleary eyes blinking to look around the room. “Come on, Hyunjin. Let’s go get you comfy okay?” He nodded, following as you lead him into the living room and helped him lay down on the couch. You pulled the blanket from where it had been folded neatly over the back of the sofa and covered the hybrid in it, making sure he was snug before heading over to the large wooden dinner table where the younger cat hybrid was currently setting out the plates. “Hi Pretty! Could you maybe get the cutlery from the drawer over there? While you’re setting those out I’ll get the cups.” His smile was like pure sunshine causing your breath to hitch when it was directed towards you. “U-Uh okay, sure.” You made your way to where he had pointed, grabbing nine sets of silverware before heading over to place them at each seat.

As you were placing the last set down you heard the door swing open and shut but unlike the last time the person entering the home didn’t say a word. You turned to see who it could have been, expecting to see Jisung returning from his chores only to be met with a sight that sent a shiver down your spine. Walking casually from the front door was a rather large black wolf, easily twice maybe even three times as large as you. Your eyes were probably as wide as saucers as you couldn’t help but stare. You had never seen a creature so big up close like this and a tremor set into your hands as you followed his movements carefully. So this was the head of their family…Chan. His eyes were sharp, almost calculating and you felt in awe of just how…majestic he seemed, he was mesmerizing. When he noticed you staring, Chan began stalking towards you causing you to back up until your lower back hit the table. You were effectively trapped with the wolf merely a foot away. He sniffed at you for a moment before letting out a low rumbling sound that caused you to flinch. When he caught the movement his eyes softened, quickly darting away to the room at the farthest end of the house much like Seungmin had ran from you earlier. Your body still trembled with fear as Jeongin rushed to your side. “Hey, pretty what’s wrong?” He had come out of his room just in time to see Chan’s retreat to his room and when he had looked in the direction he was coming from he saw you shaking with your hands clutching onto the table cloth as if it was your lifeline. “I-I don’t know….I think I made him angry? I’m so-sorry-“ you stumbled over your words, still shaken up by the fear he sent washing over you with just a single interaction.

Back in his room the oldest shifted back into his human form before curling up on his bed, tears silently falling from his eyes as he couldn’t get the look of fear on your face and the way you flinched away from him out of his mind. Maybe he really was some monster to all humans, even the most gentle as he had come to learn you were. You embraced them all so warmly, the wolf having watched from the shadows as you cuddled up at night with their youngest, whispering stories to him as you both drifted off to sleep. Or how you marveled at Minhos care for you, always thanking him profusely for even the smallest things and relaxing enough around him to return his teasing on occasion. How you allowed Jisung to play with your hair as Felix sat in front of you as you braided his, not seeming to mind when the chipmunk only seemed to add tangled messes instead of intricate braids as you did for the cat in your lap. Even just before he had entered the home he saw the way you allowed Hyunjin, who you had only just met, rest himself on you so familiarly before tucking him in gently.

Why couldn’t you embrace him that way….why not him? He let himself cry for a moment longer before there was a knock on his door. “Hyung? It’s….Minho says dinner is done. Will you uh- go with me? I’m afraid to go alone.” He quickly wiped away his tears, rising to throw on some of the cleaner clothes from his hamper since he still needed to shower after dinner and didn’t want to bother with anything clean at the moment. “Sure thing, Minnie. You don’t have to be afraid, yeah? She’s- I wouldn’t have allowed her to stay if I thought she would hurt us.” He tried to assure Seungmin once he opened the door to greet him. The other canine seemed to have been crying himself, eyes puffy and tired as he held his gaze downward. “I know, I trust you I just-“ Chan shook his head, ruffling the younger hybrid’s hair before taking his hand and leading him out towards the dining table. “I understand, but things will be okay. I’ll protect you.” This seemed to calm Seungmin enough to follow him willingly, although still hesitant. Chan braced himself to see you again, pushing away his negative thoughts of self hatred and doubt to try and make it through dinner until he could turn in for the night and continue to avoid you while also watching from afar, longing for the gentleness that seemed to flow from you so freely.

author’s note; ooohh little lore drops and big lore drops! How we feeling after learning Innie’s backstory?? Anyone else need tissues? Or maybe to beat up the people who would do that to him?? I’m so curious what you guys might be thinking the others backstories are that makes them so afraid/distrusting of humans~ I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to reading all your comments and such hehe till next time! Also I am SO sorry if I forgot to tag someone who I already told could be on the taglist- I accidentally deleted a couple people when trying to copy and paste the list from my notes and I tried to go back and find all the accounts but I feel like I still missed some ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১

taglist; (pink users I wasn’t able to tag) @coastinglove @estella-novella @chancloud8 @skzswife @motheraiya55 @zofia515 @skybluelixie @breadedloafs @inaribu00 @silly250 @royal-shinigami @thatgirlangelb @bby-boo4u @emmxxsworld @vampkittenb82 @h0rnyp0t @alisonyus @im-sinking-in-mud @ihrtlix @mrs-hwangh @danixiulin @wolfo2027 @kiaralynn3838 @ateez-atiny380 @daceyena @bookswillfindyouaway

[disneyprincemuke]

the pet obsession * fem!driver

instances where max verstappen influenced her to get a pet

pairings: max verstappen x fem!driver, sebastian vettel x fem!driver, oscar piastri x fem!driver

warnings: -

notes: this took me forever to write BECAUSE? and, there will be more! i imagine she's sort of a pokemon collector like alex with all his pets LMFAO

(series masterlist) | (📂 the rookie season)

-> australia, 2023

she never actually wanted a pet. never in her life did she find the responsibilities and inconvenience of owning a pet was for her. especially when she had her own — more important — things going on.

until max started gushing about his cats in the club, blabbering about how adorable jimmy and sassy were when he last saw them a couple of days ago.

the thought of coming home to barks and meows were never in your peripheral vision when becoming an adult. suddenly it is, seeing all your friends and colleagues having pets of their own. how cuddly and warm it looks to have an animal cuddle up to your side at the end of the day.

“you know, you’re convincing me to get a pet!” she screams over the music, body still moving along to the beat of the song. “you sold me on the cuddles!”

“seriously?” the drunk dutch asks, stumbling to keep his phone in his pocket. “a pet or a cat?”

“pets, in general!” she laughs, taking a step towards him. she beckons him towards her, the older driver bending down to put his ear by her mouth. “i used to be allergic when i was a kid.”

max raises his eyebrows, pulling away. “not anymore, though?”

“not anymore!”

that’s when max stands up straight, losing his balance slightly. he holds his arms up to regain it as a wide smile creeps on his face. “follow me.”

“what fo– okay,” she says, but not before max already has a firm grip on her wrist and is threading the crowd on the dancefloor with her.

she doesn’t ask questions, why would she when the two-time world champion is being so nice and friendly to her? considering this is one of the rare times he’s starting to really open up to her too.

“where are we going?” she asks softly, tiptoeing for max to be able to hear her. she tries glancing at his phone when they stop by the doors of the club, but he only shakes his head and moves the phone away from her sight. “okay.”

“trust me. you’ll love me after tonight.” max turns towards the door, grip on her wrist again.

but before she can follow suit, sebastian is now standing over the doorframe with a hand held up to stop them. “where are you going?” he glances down at their hands. “you’re not trying to eliminate competition, are you, max?”

max tilts his head, eyebrows furrowing as he follows the older man’s gaze. he gasps loudly and drops her hand, jumping a step away from her. “no, absolutely not!”

“then where are you going?”

“to find her a pet,” max points at the younger girl with an innocent grin. “she said she wants one.”

“what?” she exclaims, a soft smack landing on his arms. “i said i was convinced, not that i want one right now!”

“where were you going to find her a pet?” sebastian’s eyebrows furrow as well, the complexity of the situation not fully processing in his intoxicated brain. “it’s 2am, you guys. it’s closed everywhere.”

max presses his lips together. “i saw a stray cat outside before we came in.”

“oh, that cat is adorable!” she gushes, a hand coming up to cup her own cheeks. she remembers how the cat butted its head on her calves as they awaited for someone to let them in.

“right? if i didn’t have two territorial cats of my own, i’d totally take it home with me right now.”

“you’re right! let’s get the cat!”

sebastian holds his arm out, swiftly catching the girl stomping her way towards the door.

“hey!” she shrieks, a look of disbelief replacing her once ecstatic expression.

“you’re not taking a random stray cat back. your mother will kill me if you catch a disease,” sebastian sighs. he turns back to max with a stern finger point. “you should know better, max! come on!”

max drops his head, lips pouted. “you’re right. we’ll get you a proper, vaccinated cat, (y/n).”

“okay, let’s get back to the dance floor,” sebastian groans, pushing them gently further into the club. he shakes his head. “seriously, i turned my head for one second!”

“oscar,” she slurs, dropping her weight into her friend’s arms.

“get a grip, come on,” oscar mutters, hands wrapping around her torso to keep her from falling. “you didn’t even drink that much — why are you being like this?”

“seb wouldn’t let me get a cat,” she sighs, her hair falling to cover the sides of her face. she pushes herself off the australian and stumbles a couple of steps to the side, propping herself up on a lamp post. “so rude.”

“i can hear you,” sebastian scoffs, his hand around max’s arm to keep him upright while stepping out of the bar. “it’s just dangerous if it’s a stray cat. you’ve got to bring them to the vet for the initial check up and everything.”

“yeah, but i m- oh my gosh!” she shrieks, hands cupping her cheeks again. they all look at what’s caught her attention, the same cat that max was talking about earlier now at her feet once more. “oh, you’re still here! hello there!”

“(y/n),” oscar says, pulling her back gently. “seb literally just explained why you shouldn’t get a stray cat.”

“but he loves me, look at him!” she squeals, the cat rubbing its side on her feet. the cat makes figure 8’s around her ankles, its tail brushing past her calves while rubbing his head on her. “i have to take her home, oscar!”

“oh, he chose you!” max exclaims, eyes wide and pointing at the black cat. “that cat absolutely ignored the living shit out of me earlier!”

“max,” sebastian sighs, grabbing his shoulders. max cranes his neck, meeting sebastian’s eyes with a tired smile. “shut up.”

when he looks back at her, the girl is now bent down to the ground, reaching forward to take the cat into her arms.

“oh, baby!” she coos, juggling the willing cat in her arms as it meows at her. “seb, i have to bring him home! he loves me!”

oscar’s lips carve into a scowl, exchanging a worried glance with sebastian.

sebastian shakes his head and lets go of max, walking towards the girl. max stumbles, arms coming up to stabilise himself from the sudden loss of the man holding him up. “(y/n), the process will be long and crazy.”

oscar jogs on over to him, replacing sebastian to hold him up. “if she gets this cat, mate…”

“then that’s good. will give her more responsibilities,” max mutters somewhat soberly, pointing at the girl stepping away cautiously from sebastian. “it’s a good benchmark.”

“seb, no!” she shrieks, taking more steps back as sebastian continually approaches her with her arms held out to take the cat. “he already has a name — you can’t possibly take him from me!”

“your mother will shave my head if we go back home with some random street cat in your arms,” sebastian sighs, rubbing his forehead. “for all you know, it could be someone’s cat.”

she frowns, now carrying the cat over her shoulder like a baby. she looks around, the bouncer of the club looking straight ahead as if they hadn’t caused this much commotion.

“hey,” she calls out towards him. “excuse me, bouncer, sir!” he turns to look at her, a welcoming grin on his face. “is this anybody’s cat?”

he presses his lips together, glancing at sebastian’s impatient stare. alas, he can’t lie to the teary eyed girl hugging the cat for dear life. “no, ma’am. he’s a stray cat.”

“thank you!” she smiles, then turning to sebastian with a knowing grin. “i told you. this cat is mine now!”

“what’s his name?” max asks excitedly, stumbling forward to pet the cat on its head.

the girl stands proud and tall, adjusting the cat to face the rest of the group. “his name is kidnapper.”

“that’s gotta be some form of animal abuse,” oscar shakes his head disapprovingly. “why would you name your cat that?”

“because it’s funny,” she says, giving him a stare. “his nickname will be ‘kid’! like seb calls me!”

she grins at sebastian, the older man only folding his arms and breaking their eye contact. “i guess that’s kinda cute.”

“it is cute.”

-> monaco, 2023

“mate,” max looks up from his phone, turning to look at the younger driver sitting on his couch. “you know where we should go?”

she lifts her eyebrow, still patting the jimmy that sits on her lap comfortably. “what?”

“there’s a pet shop nearby. kelly and i walked past it the other day — there’s a really adorable puppy that i think you might like,” max grins, raising an eyebrow at her. “it’s a corgi.”

she pushes herself off the back of the couch, sitting up straight. “a corgi?”

“yeah, a corgi.”

jimmy steps off her lap, allowing her to stand up. “what are you waiting for? let’s go.”

max grabs her back, shaking his head before they make it to the door. “won’t sebastian get mad at us though? another pet from another foreign country. really?”

she lets her stare at him linger. on one hand, she already has a cat she managed to bring home from one race. what’s another?

she shrugs. “i’ll just name it after him or something.”

max raises his eyebrow. “you sure?”

“yeah, maybe i just won’t tell him until it’s too late.”

"seriously? another pet?" sebastian shouts, staring at the corgi sleeping at the edge of her bed. "you gotta stop adopting pets from other countries, you know. it's not cheap!"

"but how can say no to this face?" she coos, moving over to the dog, pouting while leaning her head on it. "you're a dog person, seb. i know you'd never say no to this face."

sebastian shakes his head. "you can barely keep up with kidnapper in your apartment. what are you going to do with a whole ass dog?"

she presses her lips together, before forming a grin on her face. "blythe will look after them while i'm gone. no big deal."

"not the point."

"totally the point. max helped me get this one!" she cheers, patting the corgi's head. "his name is stubby; we got him from the pet store near his apartment."

sebastian just sighs, shaking his head. he turns around and heads towards the door of her hotel room. "as long as you can get him back without any problems. this is no longer any of my business."

taglist: @wcnorris @treehouse-mouse @laura-naruto-fan1998 @mindless-rock @inejismywife @vellicora @leilanixx @meadhbhcavanagh @2bormaybenot @ironmaiden1313 @angsthology @cherry-piee @christianpulisic10 @elliegrey2803 @love4lando

[bluemooniegif]

Soukoku's first meeting could not have been written more perfectly. Allow me to explain

A quick note on the manga panels: these are fan translations from BSD Bibliophile. At one stage they refer to Dazai as 'the youngest boss in Mafia history,' and the executive meeting as 'a meeting of five bosses.' This is just a stylistic choice! All of the panels shown here are from chapters 8 (volume 2), 10 & 11 (volume 3)

I love this scene more than life itself, because it is literally the PERFECT introduction to Chuuya, his character, and his relationship with Dazai. Let's talk about it!

First: some context. Dazai seems to be in a bit of a predicament- he's walked right into a trap set by the Port Mafia, an organisation that we don't know much about at this stage in the story. What we do know, and what we can observe, is this:

Dazai is a former executive, and appears to have walked into the trap on purpose

He is now being held in a room that Akutagawa describes very negatively- the fact of being here is dangerous

Dazai reveals that Akutagawa was once his subordinate, and that he thought very lowly of him at the time. He claims to still think of him this way. Akutagawa has a violent reaction to this.

This is a PERFECT example of 'showing, not telling' within a story. Rather than making a bunch of asides, describing what Dazai and Akutagawa are feeling and why, Asagiri & Harukawa have plopped us into the middle of a rather awkward reunion. I feel like I've walked into my friend's Christmas dinner and am now witnessing family politics unfold real time. It's like watching a car crash.

Now, we move between settings a bit, jumping around to watch Yosano DESTROY Kajii, Atsushi rescue Kyouka, and subsequently be injured and kidnapped by Akutagawa. We watch the Agency fall into disarray when Fukuzawa demands that everyone go looking for Atsushi- interesting, considering that Dazai is IN THE BASEMENT OF THE PORT MAFIA RIGHT NOW.

I've had lots of discussions and arguments about the meaning and significance of this. I won't delve too deep into it for now, but the way I see it is this: something the ADA is really REALLY good at is splitting up Mystery-Inc. style and working to solve cases etc., together, but apart. Dazai is also something of a stray dog (... cat), regularly wandering off and reappearing of his own accord. He's been with the ADA for several years at this point, and they would understand the way he operates well. Even if there's no indication whether he explicitly told anyone what he's doing or where he's going (which honestly, does that matter, when Ranpo would know immediately anyway?), we can safely assume that this is more or less a regular thing for them.

Anyway, back to the point. the Agency is not fazed by Dazai's disappearance... and neither, for some reason, is Dazai. He stands chained to the wall in the PM's basement- the same one, we discover later, where he's brutally tortured countless victims and traitors, and he's humming a little tune to himself, smiling, totally relaxed. We as the audience know he's pretty unflappable, and Akutagawa's expression when he sees him confirms this, too.

But. BUT. This doesn't last.

With the ADA descending into chaos, we switch perspectives back to Dazai again. He's bored at this stage, and thinking to himself that they must be searching for Atsushi soon (an indication that he was riling Akutagawa up earlier, btw) when he hears it: A voice that makes his resolve crack. A look of panic on his face that, at this stage, we haven't seen yet.

He turns, and we see Chuuya for the first time! He's got this strange smug look on his face, something deeply vindictive. Here's a current mafia executive, and he's so happy to see Dazai chained to the wall of their Torture Basement that you can't help but wonder... is there something that Dazai did to him, personally, that makes him feel this way? Or is this guy just so deeply involved with the PM that the fact Dazai left is like a personal slight against him?

Now, we don't really have long enough to truly panic over this predicament, because almost immediately these two fall into their old habits. Dazai isn't PLEASED, but he isn't afraid. He goes right into bantering with Chuuya, who surprisingly meets him right in the middle. Their regular dynamic shines right through: it's quick-witted quips, inside jokes, and knowing looks. It's this odd relaxation in their posture. In all of this, we have an acknowledgement of what they were, and evidence to suggest that they still are... whatever that thing is. Whatever you wanna call it: partners, boyfriends, best friends, buddies. That much is up to interpretation; the only undeniable fact is that they once knew each other better than themselves, and still do.

Then, the fight. This, to me, comes across as more of a way to display how powerful they both are individually: Chuuya punches concrete so hard it shatters in several places, Dazai snaps his fingers and breaks out of handcuffs.

We have front-row seats to what is in my opinion one of the best action sequences in early BSD, not just for what physically transpires, but what it tells us: they deeply understand each other on multiple levels. They're constantly predicting each other's moves, and they know where each other's weak spots are.

But there's also been a lot of growth. Dazai surprises Chuuya a few times, and vice-versa. Despite their apparent closeness, it's still clear that they haven't been together like this for a long, long time.

Then, they reach checkmate. It appears as though Chuuya has won, and we're fed some more Dazai lore- he was the youngest executive the PM ever saw.

This is how Chuuya remembers Dazai. Again, I want to remind you that this is the first time so far we're seeing PM-zai, and he is worlds away from the Dazai we've grown to know so far.

Though Chuuya seems to have driven Dazai into a corner, the roles are quickly reversed when Dazai claims to know something about a meeting between all five of the Mafia's executives. Chuuya quickly realises this is one of his 'predictions,' further proving the depth of their mutual understanding.

With hindsight, we know just how big a deal a meeting of this scale is, and knowing a certain stormbro (who I won't reveal just in case of spoilers) will be there makes me lose my mind, personally. It clearly affects Chuuya, as well, which was undoubtedly Dazai's goal.

With the power balance disrupted again, they quickly fall back into that same bantering dynamic. The volatile nature of their relationship is so perfectly portrayed within this short scene that it actually makes me sick, I genuinely don't think it could have been more perfect

Anyway. Chuuya has realised, at this stage, that Dazai had multiple goals when he allowed himself to be kidnapped, and one of those was to piss Chuuya off (which is something I think he could've managed even if Chuuya wasn't physically there). This, in turn, pisses Chuuya off, especially when he realises the predicament Dazai has left him in- let him escape, or the Mafia suffers. A test of loyalty, Chuuya's greatest weakness. Do you understand why I am tearing my hair out and howling at the moon??? This is fucking insanity.

And then, the final moment! The part we all know and love! Not only does Chuuya choose to err on the side of caution, allowing Dazai to escape- he also leaves with the repetition of another inside joke. And Dazai laughs- he looks genuinely happy, too.

That is all. I'm gonna go cry now ಥ_ಥ

read this original thread on twitter

[hitomisuzuya]

Hi Suzu! Lunar new year is coming soon. So how about petting cats with Scara, Wanderer, Kuni in their home at that night? Your fluff is so adorable and it makes my day. Hoping your will have a nice day.

Nonsense fluff❤️ No real warnings.

I know a lot of you are probably getting fed up with me. I'm sorry this is so late.

There are a total of three once stray cats in the house, all three of which Scaramouche brought home, saying "Pea-brained creatures can't survive by themselves," Complete with his trademark scoff and eye roll to cover up the fact that he really wanted cats.

Scaramouche was laughing as he dangled a strand yarn in front of one of the cats. You sighed as the cat hissed, trying to swipe at his face. It was clear that he was antagonizing the cat.

"Scaramouche, be nice to Scarameow," You chided, picking up Scarameow and putting him in your lap. Scarameow glared at Scaramouche, purring quietly as you pet him.

"When are you going to give them proper names?" Scaramouche asked, dismayed. To which you 'hmphed' in response.

You had your reasons calling them Kunimeow, Scarameow, and Wanderermeow. All three cats had exact mirrors of their counterpart's personalities. Kunimeow was sweet and attentive. Wanderermeow was quiet and standoffish, but enjoyed affection. And Scarameow was hissy and grumpy.

Just like Scaramouche.

You thought the names were pretty fitting. Kunimeow was meowing loudly, trying to climb in your lap for attention. You snuck a quick glance at Scaramouche, seeing him looking at the cats in your lap like he was jealous of them for soaking up your attention.

Wanderermeow seemed to want to poke at him as well, sitting next to you and rubbing his cheek against your arm.

"Scara, do you remember what happened the last time you antagonized Scarameow like that?" You asked. You thought you heard Kunikuzushi cover up a soft laugh behind his hand.

"I do, Scarameow bitch slapped him," Wanderer said, looking up from helping Kunikuzushi finish the cat toy he was making. You laughed hearing Wanderer's explanation, much to Scaramouche's dismay.

"I remember all the cute animal Bandaids Kuni got for your nose," You said, the comment making Scaramouche's cheeks flush. You rubbed Kunimeow's cheek, smiling softly down at the cat as he turned his cheek into your hand.

"They are sleeping on the floor tonight," Scaramouche grumbled, going back to working on his own little project.

A hand sewn cat toy for none other than Scarameow. Not once would ever admit he was making it for the cat outloud. However, you, Kunikuzushi and Wanderer all knew very well who it was for.

"They are not!" Kunikuzushi cut in, looking at you for help. You had a way with Scaramouche that no one else did. If you said the cats were going to sleep on the bed anyways, no matter what he said, Scaramouche would never tell you no in the end.

Scaramouche scoffed as you shook your head. You swore Wanderermeow was sticking his tongue out at Scaramouche as majority rules started to obviously show.

After a few minutes, you heard Scarameow's grumbling hisses. You looked up to see Scaramouche dangling the toy just out of Scarameow's reach.

"Scara, I wouldn't.." You cautioned, however it came too late. With a defiant meow, Scarameow batted his paw against Scaramouche's cheek. He dropped the toy feeling claws catch against his cheek.

Scarameow, successful with his retrieval of the toy hoped up onto the bed. And right onto Scaramouche's pillow.

[verdantcrimson]

Kanna Natsu Idol Story - 1

Written by: Akira

Season: Spring

TL: verdantcrimson

Proofread: @revuestarlight

[Two years since ES was established. In a corridor of an ES building leading to the Starpro office]

Kanna: Thank you very much for helping me, Miss Anzu.

Kanna: As you can see, I am a child, so escaping from a situation where I am surrounded by a crowd of adults is difficult.

Kanna: Though, if I had used my head, I think I might have been able to escape, call for help, and have my pursuers apprehended.

Kanna: But using my brain on those people is a total hassle.

Kanna: A complete, and total, hassle.

Kanna: … Yes? No, I’m not lost. 

Kanna: So you’re the type of person that judges people based on their appearance, right.

Kanna: No, I’m not criticizing you. Just categorizing.

Kanna: I find talking to other people to be a hassle.

Kanna: Ideally, I would like to be able to have a conversation by categorizing people as much as I can, and then only using a fixed set of phrases that correspond to that category.

Kanna: I want to have conversations using only a set of standardized phrases, like: “For sure”, “Maybe”, “That’s nice”, and the like.

Kanna: A computer could do that. It could handle things with just some numbers and a program.

Kanna: Why can’t the same method of operation work for humans?

Kanna: Ah, It’s okay. I wasn’t actually looking for an answer from you. It was just a question I asked myself, and presented.

Kanna: Please don’t worry. I will think for myself and find the answers to all of my questions.

Kanna: Yes. I have no expectations of you, or anyone else.

Kanna: Now, if you would excuse me. And really, thank you very much for helping me out just now.

Kanna: … Hm. Yes, what is it?

Kanna: Quite the annoyance you—

Kanna: Aren’t. Yes, yes, how can I help you?

Kanna: Yes. No, I’m affiliated with ES.

Kanna: I’m Kanna Natsu, and I’ve recently begun working as an idol here.

Kanna: Yes. People say that I’m like a stray cat that can’t quite get used to humans. It means I am ‘Natsu Kanna-ected’ with and don’t miss other people. Quite interesting, right?

Kanna: Would it be better if I had laughed? But that would be a hassle.

Kanna: I think my life would be much easier if I at least learned to smile politely, but that really is such a hassle.

Kanna: Yes. Ah, you know about me? I thought so too.

Kanna: I have long since concluded that I am like an exotic creature that has a tendency to make the headlines of newspapers and magazines.

Kanna: The people pursuing me earlier were magazine reporters that have been following me around recently.

Kanna: The entertainment industry is a world where you could throw a stone into the crowd and hit a genius, quite literally, so I didn’t see the need to bring it up.

Kanna: When humans see something behaving oddly, it’s surprising and interesting to them, it seems.

Kanna: That sort of sensibility, I envy it.

Kanna: Ah, I wasn’t being sarcastic. I honestly envy it. It’s quite tedious to have to add a note clarifying my intent at the end of each and every sentence.

Kanna: Hm. Eh? You’re asking me if I’m a celebrity…?

Kanna: So you only knew who I was because of me being a new idol, Miss Anzu? You remember seeing my name and face on the roster?

Kanna: I get it. Yes, I see you are that kind of person. I understand now.

Kanna: So. It seems I have overestimated my importance.

Kanna: That’s right. There are people who don’t know who I am. Heh.

Kanna: Ah, that was my first laugh in fifteen days. Tomorrow, my facial muscles are going to be sore.

Kanna: Thank you very much. I was able to have a rare experience.

Kanna: …Hm? Yes, anything else?

Kanna: I am an ES-affiliated idol, so you should know that it isn’t out of the ordinary for me to be walking around here.

Kanna: Do you not understand this? It would be a hassle if you didn’t.

Kanna: Hm. So you thought that there might still be reporters remaining around the area? You thought to call for security, just in case?

Kanna: ……

Kanna: “A kind and gentle person”, “A respectable member of society”, “A very noble, goddess-like person”.

Kanna: Of these three, which do you prefer?

Kanna: I would like to present you with an evaluation. Because I appreciate your concern, and your words are commendable.

Kanna: However. I am inexperienced at communicating with people, so I don’t know which words would be most touching.

Kanna: That is why, I would like you to pick what words I should give you.

Kanna: That is all. ...Is that wrong of me to do?

[irazai]

 . . . (🍷) ֶָ֢ 𔓘 LURE ME IN, PULL ME OUT. SAVE ME ; a osamu dazai fic. ❞

❛ ━━ ･ ❪ did i not die yet?

my heart beats and pumps,

pumps the blood which flows throughout,

though tonight i throw up this blood.

blood coats my hand red,

if i had died, why would i bled?

fleeting through my fingers,

fingers of mine tries to grasp my life,

life which i tried to grasp all this while!

blood coats the floor red,

and red it became the more i bleed.

fleeting is this life though my heart beats,

i am not dead yet, though i bleed.

soon my fate will meet death.

and i will die, won't i? ❫ ･ ━━ ❜

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍷 ꒱ . . . i don't really expect this one to be liked as this is an experimental fic anyway but I still want to know your opinion on it if you read it.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍷 ꒱ . . . tw ; pm!dazai, fem!reader, non established relationship, suggestive themes, kissing, fluff (?), angst, somewhat gore.

the weather hasn't really been the most pleasant since the last three or four hours but you assume it to be normal due to the season it came with.

with a hazy gaze, you stare at the dark grey sky outside as you wait for the first reaction to happen, for the first drop of rain to descend from its grace and onto the hard earth ground.

was this what icarus felt too?

but then again icarus wasn't a teenager in love with a boy who looked at love as not feelings and emotions but rather as chemical reactions and hormones stimulated by the brain.

icarus burned. you do too. perhaps not in the same way but you burn too.

"are you waiting for cats too dear?" a voice so gentle yet tired spoke up and you looked up to see an elderly woman smiling kindly at you. your eyes fell down to see a group of stray cats and you pondered.

her voice felt so warm admist the coldness of the weather that clinged to your skin.

you looked back up at the old woman and nodded, smiling a bit. "yeah. a grumpy one."

the old lady laughed at your words and she approached you, sitting down on the steps of your house next to you and the stray cats followed her. there were five in total, you counted as they surrounded the old lady's feet.

one of the five cats pawed at your leg. you looked down at it and extended your hand to pet it's head before you looked up at the sky again in deep thought.

"so when does your grumpy cat come?" the old lady's voice reached your ears, her words were pure but why did it still feel like she was laughing at you?

mocking you for being so hopeless.

"whenever he wants to." you whisper out. if the old lady wasn't sitting next to you, she wouldn't have heard you. your words were too sad to her though ignorance is bliss. the old lady thought nothing much of your words as she laughed.

"dearie, that's cats for you -- especially stray ones. they come and go. not having a proper house. no owner who showers them with love and so when we give them love, they get confused. they feel weird and dislike it. they leave. and when they are away -- they realize. they want it back. and so these cute furballs come back to get confused again." her words held years of experience. they soothed you and gave you a reason behind the behavior that hurts, effortlessly brightening your mood. it almost felt unnatural how easily her words convinced you and settled within you as if she's luring you in her.

you smiled at the old lady albeit weakly but your lips were tugged upwards by genuine gratitude and hope as you smiled at her, filled with fascination towards her.

"though love is like kummatty or the pied piper of hamelin. it lures you in even when you know it's dangerous. so dearie --" the old lady's voice suddenly dropped down a few octaves as a grave expression took over her old and wrinkled features. you would've have found it a bit unsettling had it not been for the cat at your feet that had your undivided attention. " -- be careful while loving, it'll lure you in one day and . . . even if it isn't love, something else will lure you in."

you felt the old lady shifting next to you before she stood up, causing you to twist your neck to look up at her. the old woman smiled at you kindly and slowly -- as safely as her feeble legs would allow her to -- climbed down the stairs and left. she went on along the sidewalk, though you raised your eyebrows in awe as you saw the five cats following behind her, stumbling and falling over each other. the cats looked like young apprentices following their mentor in olden days where as soon as a kid was old enough to realise how poverty took a liking to his home, he was send off to fend for himself and to bring in some earnings.

you looked at the front again, placing your chin on your knees which were brought near to your chest as you looked up at the sky again, the grey clouds began to clear up a bit though it still looked like it'll rain soon.

the cold breeze made you shiver a bit. though not for long.

you look away from the sky, no longer finding it intresting enough to admire as the images of the cats -- especially the one rubbing itself against your leg -- kept repeating in your mind, making you smile.

how does one get lured?

how does one forget everything and decide to follow a particular path?

"what are you doing outside dumbass?" you hear the cold and void of emotion like voice, causing you to look up to see dazai standing there as he looked down at you with his eyebrows raised, trying to decipher the reason to sit outside during such weather as it's definitely an odd choice.

"waiting for yo --" you stop rather abruptly as you look at him from head to toe to see him covered in blood at many places -- his cheek was stained and so was his white shirt though the black coat hid it well. you looked down and alas so were his boots, stained in blood.

with a panicked urgency, you quickly stood up and grabbed his hand though this time he didn't try to subtly pull it back as he let you step closer to him and leaned in when you placed your palm on his bloodied cheek.

"how did you --"

" -- it's not mine. don't overreact." the mafioso said in a bored tone as he stared at you. he looked at you for a while before he slowly grinned and you wanted to take a step back and shrink into nothingness. that would be better then staring at his cold and empty eyes.

dazai extended his hand to grasp your other wrist, not seeming to mind your sudden stiffness. he had seen this reaction one too many times when curious minds tried to pick apart the mask of the demon but failed, finding the mask glued to the face by some super force.

he tugged at your hand to pull you closer and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into a hug.

dazai osamu is still a child. he does not act like it. but he is the same as you. a teenager. not even seventeen yet.

he is a child at core like you are and even if it may not seem like it, you'll pretend it does.

"you stink." you mumble as you ignore the nervous pleading of your heart, nuzzling your face against his bandaged neck.

"no i don't." dazai replied back as he left a small and quick peck to your hair before he moved back.

you roll your eyes at his denial of this topic, knowing that even he knows how he smells of a mix of cigarettes and blood, the smell lingers and hugs him like a sick stalker.

"why do you even have blood on you?" you asked as you quickly opened the door to your house and stepped aside to let him enter first. with a smug wink aimed at you, dazai entered and took of his shoes.

for being such a peculiar boy, he did have some manners as evident by the way he placed his shoes at one corner. you placed your slippers next to his and locked the door before you followed after him.

"curious kitty. aren't you?" his voice is full of mirth, he looked over his shoulder to let you see his expression which is full of amusement as if he finds it entertaining to watch you try to get some kind of information out of him.

you grumbled as you pushed his shoulder though he only chuckled, not minding the pushes at all.

dazai tried to walk towards the living room but you grabbed the back of his suit coat to pull him towards your room instead and he exclaimed in surprise, though he didn't resist or fight back, simply letting you drag him as if he didn't have enough energy or interest in pushing your hands off.

you led him to the bathroom attached in your room, dazai nearly raised his eyebrows in amusement but stopped himself since he wasn't really amused enough. this house in which only you live isn't surprising to dazai as through his connections, he had dug into your background and found out that this house and some wealth were the will of your grandfather who left it all to you. your parents were out of the picture.

"but really, why are you covered in this much blood?" you ask as you signal him to sit on the sink counter while you kneel down to open the cabinet below, getting out a few clean towel rolls and bandages.

though the bandage roll fell from your hands and rolled on the tiled floor when dazai grabbed your jaw in a quick movement, pulling you towards him as he glared at you. eyes void of emotions but that only makes him more terrifying.

"you are a good girl -- always were and always will be. don't test your luck by being a curious kitten. stay my good girl. don't ask unnecessary questions." his voice is low and calm, his words coming out in a murmur.

your eyes were open wide, you nodded quickly. the sharpness in dazai's eyes disappeared and was replaced by a sudden softness. he stopped grabbing your jaw and instead raised his hand to cup your cheek. he pulled you in closer using the gentle hold on your cheek and pecked the bridge of your nose.

once he lets go of you, you stepped back, bending down to pick the the bandage roll which you began to buy and keep ever since meeting him.

you stand again as you face him, not looking him in the eye after the sudden cold outburst while the confident and casual air around you had disappeared. and this caused dazai to heave out a sigh.

"what i did -- i did for you." he revealed only this much as if to just let you see the tip of the iceberg, to let you know of the peace lingering above the calmness.

you placed your hand on his thigh as you leaned up to gently pull on the bandage which covered one of his eyes, whispering, "why?"

dazai stopped as you tugged at the bandage and it fell down in your opened palm. he too wonders why is he even doing this?

you are of no use to the mafia.

you don't give him the same reactions as chuuya does.

yet you are still intresting.

is it the feeling of your soft palms as you cup his cheek with one hand while you softly rub the wet towel on his face with the other to clean it? could be.

dazai wrapped his legs around your waist to pull you closer, you felt your heart beating as he cupped both of your cheeks and pulled you to peck your forehead. "i just do."

you wanted to ask many things but refrain from doing so, choosing to enjoy the feeling of his hands as one of them remained cupping your jaw while the other rested near your ass, on your lower back, to keep you in place as you wrap a new bandage around his eye.

to be honest, dazai knew. he knew why he did what he did and does what he does, it's just that he doesn't see the need to tell you the answer which is being yelled by his heart and seeing how you relaxed again and lost some of your initial fear, dazai feels -- no, he knows, that you either know or have a good grasp of what most of his answer could've been anyway.

"you are weird." you decide to sigh out these words with a smile, moving your face back from his grasp as you pull down at his coat and he lets you, letting you take it off.

is the rush of happiness what icarus felt too? perhaps if icarus didn't dream too high, he would be lured into the deep forests as well.

dazai watched with curious eyes. you stepped out of the bathroom for a while, a matching set of grey sweatshirt and sweatpants. the sight makes dazai to raise his eyebrows, a silent order for you to explain.

"you need some colors in your life and wardrobe. you look so edgy wearing that." you point at his suit and dazai almost rolled his eyes, had the thought of you going out of your way to buy something for someone like him had not entered his mind and settled there.

from there on, the thought grew vines which traveled and gripped at his heart.

"did you buy this for me? you want to be my sugar mommy or something?" dazai smirked yet squealed as you stepped near him, grabbing a handful of his skin and pinching him on his thigh. you don't speak much, the words of the old lady repeating in your mind while you unbutton his shirt and scrub at his hands to get the blood off of him.

the way you look so quiet as you seemed to stare at nothing while cleaning the blood made dazai hesitate to break this silence. he looked at you and he felt his heart beat racing when he saw the hazy look in your eyes. behind you, the sky once again grew hazy and dazai glared at the window behind you. yet you didn't notice anything it seemed, too busy in unbuttoning dazai's shirt button by button.

the cat who sat outside at the windowsill snarled in return.

"you are my kitten." dazai began quietly and you looked up at him with puzzlement dancing all over your features. a confused smile takes over your lips and dazai leans near you, you feel your heartbeat racing as he leans his head till his lips hovered above your's. "you are mine and i'll protect you against everything."

dazai closed the distance between you and him, his hand came to hold your waist and pull you towards him. you closed your eyes as you let your feelings overtake you, wrapping your arms around the neck of the boy who still sat on the sink counter.

his eyes remained open, a blue light eliminated from his palm -- of the hand that was wrapped around your waist -- felt like the first drop of rain of despair for the cat whose fur raised and it glared at dazai.

"you don't need to know what i do and why i do it. just stay as you are now." dazai whispered as soon as he pulled back from the kiss, he hopped down from the counter and removed his unbuttoned shirt. he tossed it on your face, not paying heed to the way you groaned.

"stay as i am now? what's that supposed to mean cryptic bastard?" you ask as you slowly walked behind him, stopping as he sits in the bathtub and his feet nearly dangled off the small bathtub. dazai shooted a finger gun at you which made you scoff while you reached for the water faucet, he isn't going to answer, is he?

the cat blinked, like a stalker it's eyes remained even when dazai leaned up and grabbed your forearm to pull you on top of him. your squeals and his laughs were like poison to the cat. the same cat who affectionately rubbed itself against your leg in the morning is the same cat who now watched with great disgust.

icarus flew. if he didn't, he would've drowned.

the pied piper would've lured him in with masks of interests in his dreams. or perhaps kummatty would've made him think to never stop believing in his dreams, he would've have turned him into a bird and icarus would've flew away and never returned.

"stay as you are -- meaning stay as my little kitty cat. can you meow or purr for me?" dazai raised his eyebrows, it always brought him entertaining joy to see your reactions and even if they aren't as loud or amusing as chuuya's, the way you purse your lips and look away after replying with something snarky always stayed at the back of dazai's mind. it repeated whenever he smoked in the loneliness of the shipping container he calls his shelter.

you know better then to take this moment for granted. you look back at dazai and smile tiredly, resting your head against his shoulder as you wrap your arms around his waist and do not mind the flowing water soak your clothes and make you wet for you feel yourself nearly giggling at the way your legs are on either sides of dazai's waist and his hands wrapped around you. when you leaned your body on him, his arms around you tightened their hold.

he raised one of his hands to pat and comb through your hair while he smirked, tilting his head at the cat. said cat snarled at him again before it hopped down your windowsill and left.

the cat walked for a while before it jumped into a drain and immediately found itself sitting on the lap of the old woman who hummed. the old woman moved back and forth on her rocking chair, humming a tune which enchanted many and it was evident by the way children sat by her feet and mimicked her motions of rocking back and forth. their lips sealed tight by threads being sewed yet they tried to hum along with the old woman, causing blood to flow down their chins yet they didn't mind as theu stared at the old lady with unnaturally wide eyes.

the old lady stopped humming and immediately the children stabbed their fingers into their eyes, blood oozing out as they curled their fingers into their eyeballs.

"you are so so cute. my belladon--" you make dazai to stop speaking, making him go speechless when you splashed a bit of water onto him after having enough of his cheesy flirting though it did get your heart to beat faster but the young age you are is one where intimate feelings such as this makes you cower and feel like hiding behind the exterior of pretend coolness. it's a defense mechanism of sorts but dazai has always broken through every defense so what is yours infront of him?

your smug grin disappeared as you saw him cough without intending to stop soon. you leaned closer to his face as you tried to grasp at the curves of his jaws so you would be able to have a better view of his face and check for any damage you may have caused yet the moment your fingers grasp his jaw, dazai grabbed both of your wrists as he leaned forwards to kiss you again. and you let him. his arms came to wrap around you again.

and once again you missed the blue glow they emitted as all you could focus on was the gentle way dazai's hands inched closer to you till one of them rested at your nape and the other at your hip while he left little pecks and kisses on your lips, not pulling or letting you pull back once.

the pied piper or kummatty may just be figures associated with children and to scare them by exaggerating (though is it a exaggeration?) abduction but the old lady you met -- the one who is currently smiling cruelly as she watches children pull out their eyeballs and see the optic nerve -- is one who will try to lure you in and dazai won't let it.

it isn't related to the mafia, the child abducting old lady isn't a concern of port mafia and neither is she a danger to dazai's life. his nullifying ability will act if she ever tries to activate her ability on him which works by the contact of her or her cats with the victim.

though you do not need to know of this or even worry as dazai will make sure you don't end up in the old lady's grasp and don't suffer the same fate as many of her previous victims. he always was a bit more protective and possessive when it came to you anyway.

after all, he is a good boy --- an angel.

[scarletcomalies]

bundle of luck

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

A/N: Oh how I wish I could take with me every single cat I see :(

Word count: 2,626

Warnings: None, just fluff for a change!

After another lovely date with Natasha, you find a stray cat resting peacefully on the porch of your house.

The scent of Natasha's perfume wafted into your nostrils as soon as she placed her signature black jacket over your shoulders, giving you a light squeeze as a small display of affection.

You always swore there was no way the burning sun would eventually fade away and be replaced by gray clouds in a matter of a few hours, but by now you should have learned that such a thing was possible, for this was another occasion where you didn't bring your own jacket, and consequently, Natasha was lending you hers.

While such an action caused you to melt right there and then, completely touched by her charm and attentiveness, it was also true that it made you feel a pang of guilt. The last thing you wanted was to be a bother when these past five months she had been anything but a total dream of a woman for you.

The first time, you completely refused and she, between giggles stated that a 11°C weather was like hot summerfor a tough Russian woman such as herself. So the next three times you just thanked her and rewarded her in one way or another, like giving her a cold beer after dropping you off at your place, a drink you started buying just to have an excuse to invite her inside.

This day was no exception, of course. After she lent you her jacket and gave you a pleasant ride on her motorcycle to drop you off safe and sound, you said to her, "Would you like a beer? As a gesture of thanks for the jacket and the ride... and another wonderful date, of course," although at this point, both of you knew perfectly well that this was more than a thank you gesture.

"You know I'd never turn down a beer, moya lyubov," she replied, but what the redhead meant was 'you know I'd never turn down spending at least a few more minutes with you’. She never said it directly, however, something inside you always knew how to read between the lines. Maybe that's why your relationship with her lasted so many years later, but that’s another story to tell, now we're talking about the beginning.

"Come inside, then," you smiled at her.

"Oh, my goodness!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up even more and her smile expanding from ear to ear. She had her attention set to a fixed point behind you, and when you turned to see what was the cause of it, it didn't take you a second to mirror the action of the older woman.

A cat that looked perhaps a year old, whose color was an elegant beautiful black, was sleeping peacefully on the top tier of the porch of your house. The way it was curled up in a ball did not allow you to observe if there was a collar around its neck or not.

"I think it's best if we leave, let's not disturb them," Natasha whispered, and you couldn't help but let out a laugh at her suggestion.

She remained serious.

"Oh, you're telling me not to enter my own house so I don't disturb this unknown cat?" You teased, a playful grin forming on your lips as you glanced at Natasha.

“Uhm, yes,” she snorted, as if what you asked was the most obvious thing in the world.

You couldn't complain, you always felt a sort of twist in your stomach every time your outings with Natasha came to an end and it was time to say goodbye, so you happily agreed to put your helmet back on and go wherever she wanted.

You were both getting on the motorcycle, when in the corner of your eye you noticed a small shadow moving. The cat was stretching after waking up from that peaceful nap.

"Change of plans," the redhead laughed, and removed her helmet, then got off her motorcycle.

With the most cautious steps possible, she walked in the direction of the little cat, which had its green eyes already open as it preened its right paw.

After sensing the presence of a stranger, any other cat would have gotten up and run away in a matter of seconds. However, this cat simply looked up and walked towards Natasha, sniffing her outstretched hand and then rubbing against her as if she were its lifelong owner.

"Awww, hey there, little one," she murmured in a gentle tone, as she kneeled. The cat, displaying a never-seen-before trust, allowed Natasha to scratch it behind its ears.

You couldn’t stop smiling as you watched this ‘tough Russian woman’ interact so tenderly with the cat.

As Natasha continued to pet the black cat, she commented, "You're quite the charmer, aren't you?"

You approached her and kneeled down beside her, extending your hand towards the cat. It smelled you briefly and subsequently rubbed its head against your hand, just like it did with the redhead.

It purred softly, as if to express its gratitude for the warmth and kindness you and Natasha were showing towards it.

“Oh my, what a precious little thing!” You exclaimed, as you pouted, feeling your heart melt with tenderness.

You had cats most of your life, but that changed when you moved to this new city nine months ago. The last cat you had in your previous home stayed temporarily with your best friend Kate, and her golden retriever Lucky had become your cat's best friend in no time.

As soon as you stabilized, you brought him back to your side, and you noticed that he stopped eating, and constantly meowed in desperation whenever he heard Kate's voice or Lucky’s barks on the phone. So you decided to do the most generous act of love for your dearest companion, and respected his wishes to stay with Kate and Lucky the dog.

You were a firm believer that cats chose their owners, and the fact that this unknown black cat came into your home, and above all, was so affectionate towards you and Natasha, was a sign that there was a reason why it had come into your life.

"Do you think they have an owner?" you asked, feeling your heart melt as you caressed each one of its cheeks with your thumbs. It had its eyes closed, and you could swear it was almost smiling, a sign that your affection was deeply appreciated.

Natasha carefully examined the cat's neck, and her fingers confirmed what you suspected, there was no collar. "Doesn't look like it," she replied, her gaze still fixed on the cat. “We should adopt them,” she added, as if she has this power of reading your thoughts.

You often wondered if she was really able to read your thoughts, for she had an amazing pulse to tell you what you were thinking. She, likewise, also believed that you possessed that ability, and you loved that smile she would display every time she let you know that you said just what she was thinking.

Many factors made it indisputable that you had found your person, and you felt it when you observed how lovingly she was treating this little cat. She loved animals, what more could you ask for?

"Nat, there is nothing I want more than to do this with you," you declared. As your relationship with her progressed, you lost count of how many times you answered her with that same sentence.

"So what are we going to do, share custody like we're a divorced couple?" Natasha laughed, and it automatically rubbed off on you, making you laugh along with her.

"Yes, we can have a custody agreement," you teased, pretending to mull it over. "You get weekends and Christmas, and I'll have weekdays and New Year."

Natasha raised an eyebrow, feigning seriousness. "Hmm, I don't know if I can handle only seeing our little furball on weekends! We’ll discuss that in court!"

You chuckled, shaking your head, “No, but seriously, you get one week and every Friday we drop the child off at each other’s house. How about that?” You proposed.

Natasha grinned, leaning in to give you a quick kiss on the lips, "Sounds like a plan,” she paused. “Oh, I’m not supposed to kiss you! We’re divorcing!” She joked.

"Right, right,” you nodded in agreement. Even though you were trying so hard to play serious, you couldn’t stop smiling. “Divorce proceedings concluded. Now, how about we go to the vet for a quick check-up?

Natasha grinned and nodded. "Absolutely, it's time for some serious co-parenting."

Very gently, the redhead took the cat in her arms, to which the two of you gave multiple caresses during your 'custody discussion'. You, on the other hand, entered your house to quickly grab your car keys and opened your garage, making way for your girlfriend to enter with your new companion.

As you approached your car, you unlocked the doors, opening the passenger one for Natasha to get into the vehicle with the cat securely in her arms.

The car ride was better than expected, the cat appeared anxious but Natasha made sure to reach in to comfort and stroke it, so there wasn’t any sort of inconvenience beyond its occasional meowing.

Once there, you and Natasha were told to wait around fifteen minutes for the vet to be available. When your turn came, a kind and gentle soul, greeted you all with a warm smile, taking the little one carefully and then instructing you to wait outside.

After half an hour or so, the veterinarian returned with the cat, who appeared to have shinier hair and had a red bandana around its neck, indicating that it had received a bath.

"Wow, poor thing, didn't cause a lot of trouble?" Natasha asked, as she took the cat back into her arms and briefly sniffed its fur, making you giggle.

"She's very well-behaved," the veterinarian replied.

"She?" The redhead and you said in unison.

"That's right, she's a female," she confirmed.

"Detka, do you have any idea how rare female black cats are? There's always a higher chance it's male!" Natasha turned to you, her green eyes taking on an immediate gleam as she looked back down at the cat in her arms.

“It seems like we have a very special lady with us now,” you commented, caressing the cat’s chin. “Our lucky charm.”

Natasha nodded in agreement, and turned her attention back to the vet, “And how is her health?”

"She appears to be in good health overall," she began. "I gave her a bath treatment to get rid of fleas, and applied an anti-flea pipette, which should be applied every month," she continued, to which both of you were paying cautious attention. “She had also had internal parasites, and she's quite malnourished. But the good news is that these issues can be treated. We'll start with a deworming medication to address the parasites. Additionally, I'll provide you with dietary recommendations to help her regain her strength. She's also due for some vaccinations to keep her protected."

After expressing your gratitude to the veterinarian and making an appointment for the next checkup in two weeks, you and Natasha split the bill evenly, each covering your share of the expenses.

The next step was to head to the nearest pet store, in order to provide everything your new cat would need in both of her new homes. You picked out two litter boxes, one for each home, making sure they were spacious and easy to clean. For food and water, you selected two sets of bowls, and made sure to stock up on the special recovery food the vet had prescribed… of course you couldn’t resist grabbing several treats and toys to keep her entertained and spoiled.

As you pushed the shopping cart filled with items, you smiled widely when you spotted the heartwarming scene through the car window. There, in the passenger seat, Natasha sat patiently with the cat nestled comfortably on her lap, peacefully asleep.

The bond between Natasha and the cat was something that you knew would grow stronger with every passing day, and it was evident that this adorable addition to your lives had found a special place in Natasha's heart.

Once you returned home, you wasted no time in setting up the new living space. The litter box was strategically placed, and the bowls were filled with cat tuna and fresh water respectively. The scent of the food immediately drew the attention of your new little friend, for she eagerly approached the bowl, and devoured her meal in a matter of seconds.

Fortunately, the prescribed deworming pill, carefully hidden in the food, went unnoticed as she happily ate. Natasha and you exchanged smiles, relieved to see her enjoying her first proper meal in her new home.

“While I was in the car waiting for you, I was thinking about some names,” Natasha said, sitting cross legged on the floor as she simply observed in awe how the black cat enjoyed the food she was provided.

You turned to her, "What names did you come up with?" You asked, as you imitated her action of sitting cross legged on the floor.

"I remembered a creature in Slavic mythology named Liho, and I think it suits her, what do you think?” Natasha proposed.

You repeated the name softly, trying it out. It had a unique and gentle ring to it, just like the cat herself. "Liho," you said with a smile. "I like it. It's perfect. Does it have a meaning?"

“Liho is the embodiment of evil fate and misfortune,” she explained.

Your laughter rang through the room at Natasha's explanation.

"Liho, the embodiment of evil fate and misfortune? Come on, Nat, look at her!" You pointed at the cat, who was now drinking some water. "How can she be evil? She's an absolute sweetheart!”

Natasha chuckled at your response, understanding that her choice was unconventional, "I wanted to name her something not too obvious, something contrary to her. Liho just felt right, like she's going to defy all the superstitions."

You smiled, noticing the thought and care Natasha had put into the name. She indeed had a unique reasoning behind it, "I get it. Liho it is, our little bundle of luck."

Every Friday, as promised, you remained true to your playful ‘custody agreement’. You and Natasha would take turns dropping off the cat at each other's houses.

On those days, you would pack a bag for Liho, making sure it contained her food and a selection of toys to keep her entertained. The cat, ever adaptable, quickly grew accustomed to the weekly transitions, and her sweet demeanor made the process a piece of cake.

It had become a cherished habit to feel Liho's weight on your feet during cozy movie nights, or to find her perched on the windowsill, her inquisitive eyes watching the world outside as you and Natasha cooked dinner together whenever she visited you, or viceversa.

Over time, Liho's transformation was notorious and drastic. With consistent care, her health steadily improved. Gone were the days of malnourishment, for she had gained weight, and her black hair shimmered with vitality. All thanks to the love and dedication you both poured into her recovery, an unavoidable response to the way she had effortlessly wrapped you both around her little paw from the moment she had first appeared on your house's porch.

And it was a matter of time for Liho to have just one home, for you and Natasha decided to take the next step after a year, and decided to move together.

And it was also a matter of time for a new member to join your family as well…

[joongbin]

Okay so this request is going to be based around the same m!reader from the abs request, how do you think skz would overall act around this m!reader? Like on and off camera/concert/stage, skz talker, fan meetings, fancalls, interviews, live streams, filming m/v's, airports, etc... like just headcanons around him generally and how they act around him/with him/when he is mentioned. With or without the members or even around other idols which i think would be very interesting to see.

always with me. - SKZ!OT8

summary › basically how they act around you.

genre › fluff?? i think

pairings › ot8 x 9th mbr!m!reader (seperate)

warnings › none.

a/n: sorry for the long wait on this request!! tried to write it as best as i could!

BANG CHAN

Chan would act a little more affectionate towards you as a crush. But on camera, he tries to not do this behaviour too much or people will start catching on. He only does this off camera.

He's always clinging on to your arm or hand or waist to just feel your bicep or abs, while he tries not to make it too obvious. I mean, he doesn't want other members to catch on..

Whenever you're mentioned, he immediately perks up, wanting to hear whatever comes right after that. He'll correct any misinformation about you because he doesn't want STAYs to misunderstand! Totally not because he just likes you or anything and doesn't want anything to happen to you .. no..

Around other idols, he's the same as he is off-camera with you, all clingy and stuff. Other idols don't mind the behaviour, they find it pretty endearing actually! I mean, he tried to kiss you so many times already, but let's keep quiet about that.

I think this behaviour would sometimes come out at airports. He can't help himself! You're just so cute and buff as hell, he just wants you to know how much he cares for you.

He can be spotted looking at you from afar in SKZ-TALKERS while you're talking to the mic, you always point him out with a chuckle, but you know it's just a little joke that he likes to play on you.

Other idols state that he just loves you alot. And you're probably his favourite stray kid of them all!

LEE KNOW

Lee Know would be the same on and off camera. He's not afraid to show the world that he likes you! He loves touching your abs

He would always be spotted trying to kiss you. Facing you with duck lips. And always points to his cheek, indicating that he wants you to kiss his cheek. Pretends to be whiny of you refuse to kiss the man's cheek.

In airports, he just makes sure you're not uncomfortable or anything. He knows your strong, so safety really wasn't a problem for you.

Around other idols, with him is always like handling an actual child. He holds your hand like the entire night you're there. It's like he super glued his hands to yours.

During concerts is where it's a bit .. wilder, since in SKZ-TALKERS, MAKING FILMS, interviews, etc. can be edited, concerts can't. Always slapping your butt, touching your abs when you're not looking, saying that you look like Doongie when you have ginger/blond hair, saying that you look like Soonie when you have brown hair. And many more.

People just say he's fucking whipped and he is.

SEO CHANGBIN

Changbin is also like Lee Know, but more .. affectionate and aegyo-y. He has said many things about you that you wish to forget. On one of the MV FILMINGs, he said that he would sell his soul to the devil just to have your abs. You .. didn't really know why.

Watches every TikTok you make. And literally begs the manager to dance with you whenever a comeback happens. The manager would usually let you guys collab, but on some occasions, they wouldn't do it because of allegations.

At airports, he likes matching outfits with you. You wear a dog shirt, he has one too! A cat shirt? He has one! Bear shirt? You guessed it, he has one too. STAYs like it, so he continues doing it and holds your hand since he knows that you didn't exactly like the lights flash on your face.

He also likes sitting on your lap. On every SKZ-TALKER, you will always see him on your lap no matter what or his arms wrapped around your waist, or he's checking out your arms. Or he's just around you doing stuff. He's clung on to you, what do you expect?

At concerts, he is 100% going to try and kiss you. Any couple questions? He is asking you to answer them with him. Headlock questions? He's asking you to do it for him. Also probably has your bubble. And saved every picture you sent.

Around other idols, he's gonna cling on to you and tells you to dance to multiple GG dances by bumping in to you. You enjoy it, and it doesn't disturb your interactions with other idols.

The other members tease him about it when you're not there or busy, but it's not like you'd know he liked you .. or?

HWANG HYUNJIN

Hyunjin is NOT brave enough to do any stuff that would expose him. He just admires you from afar. Though, that doesn't mean he isn't affectionate toward you.

Also likes laying on your lap, usually sleeps on it, though. He needs rest, and you're the only pillow he wants to sleep on.

Everytime you say something about him, instead of the usual laugh or weird look, he'd respond by agreeing with you and try give you what you want. You want his lips? He's gonna try to kiss you. You want his hair?

He really likes hugging you. Everytime you just stand at an interview or just standing doing something, he's always gonna be behind you with his arms around your waist while he moves you side to side.

Arm is always over your shoulder. Like he's clingy but he doesn't show it alot. It's more subtle.

Around other idols, he's not gonna try anything. Like anything. He wouldn't even try to do that. He's scared of what will happen if people catch on that he likes you. His reputation would be ruined.

At concerts, he's a bit more braver, singing your parts with you, or rapping your parts. Making a few adlibs about you, his arm usually around your shoulder as you bop your head to the music.

People don't really know that he likes you, and he wants it to stay that way.

HAN JISUNG

Also another one that tries to kiss you 24/7. Every single time he gets the chance, you will see him face you with duck lips. There's times where you tease him by trying to kiss him back, and there's times where you push his face away to face the camera.

Oh you thought he was babygirl enough? Nope. He's even more babygirl around you. He literally loves being around you. He likes sleeping on you, he likes eating with you, he likes doing everything with you basically.

Also soothes him whenever he's having an anxiety attack. Whenever he does, he clings on to you while you comfort him until he's fine.

Calls you Lee Know's 4th cat because you act like one. Probably mistook you for Soonie one time when you had brown hair.

Around other idols, he's like half of what he is. He does not want his idol friends to know how he is like you off camera. He still likes to be around you though.

On concerts, he wants you to sing or rap his parts alot. Of course, he does that on his own, but hearing his parts in your voice makes him absolutely whipped.

During the reaction of Your Eyes or There, he's not gonna react like how he reacts with other members. He's gonna scream x10 louder when he sees you rizzing up the camera, and stream your part on 400 different devices.

Whenever you're mentioned, he has a giant smile on his face, like stupidly big. That's how much he likes you.

LEE FELIX

Felix just outright stares at you. Or well, your arms whenever you flex them in SKZ-TALKERS. I mean, can you blame the man? He loves them.

Bites his lips everytime he squishes them. Like, it's so incredibly obvious that he likes you but he thinks he's so slick. It's fucking hilarious.

Also saves your pictures on every single social media. And also favourites edits of you. His whole FYP is probably just you. It's not creepy, he just likes you.

At concerts, he really likes to touch your abs. Like, you can't stop this man. I mean, everyone thinks it's funny. And kinda cute?

Likes being affectionate around you. Cheers you on, also matches clothes with you. He buys matching clothes for you whenever he's out shopping. And also buys you keychains to match, and always sees one of the keychains on your bag, the others are usually on your wall just hanging.

Around other idols, he just sits from afar while talking to some other idol, but he does look at you, just wanna make sure you're safe .. even though you could probably bodyslam anyone who even tries to hurt you.

KIM SEUNGMIN

Teases you just a little more than he does with other members. He just likes how you laugh at his jokes about you or other members. Your laugh is like music to his ears.

Not bold enough to try anything. But does lay on your lap or sit on it. That much he will do. Also sometimes squishes your biceps when he feels like he wants to.

In SKZ-TALKERS, the most you'll see him doing is sleep on your lap. He doesn't wanna try anything that will raise suspicion about his crush on you.

At concerts, he tries to be subtle about touching you or teasing you but really, every STAY that's there can see him know that he likes you.

Listens to your covers in the SKZ-PLAYER or your songs. In interviews, when asked what's his favourite song, it's always a song written by you. Like always. And he listens to that dong on repeat.

Around other idols, he's like Felix. Just sitting and looking at you interact with other idols. Just looking at you ... And how the cloth just wraps around your biceps .... And sometimes when you wear a bodysuit .. your abs show .. and .. okay, getting distracted.

YANG JEONGIN

He's still so shy around you. Everytime you speak to him, he stutters alot. Your voice is just so nice, he can't help it. And he can't really pay attention whenever you talk because he's paying attention to your abs.

Also likes teasing you a bit for being like a cat, calling you Soonie/Doongie/Dori.

Likes singing and listening to your songs! Whether it was a cover or not, he sings it regardless. Maybe in some SKZ-TALKERS, you can hear him sing in the background!

Buys you skincare. Like, he wants you to take care of your skin! Loves whenever you mention his gifts to you in your vlogs! It makes him kick his feet and giggle.

Actually kisses you on the cheek whenever you ask for it. Like genuinely does it. I mean, it's a chance to kiss you so he might as well take it, right?

With other idols, he's just like Seungmin and Felix. He's too shy, so he's just sitting there while talking to his members and his idol friends.

At concerts, he sings with you. He can't really rap, but he tries and STAYs think it's so cute!

[discoscoob]

Um...How about Neo?

This is also for @scarlettspectra who requested Loser!Neo (alongside her beau Jack which will be coming later) This is my speciality!

He is an orphan, he was given up as a baby. (I know his parents are on his file in the interrogation scene but let’s say it wasn’t hard for the Agents to find out who they were or Neo maybe already tracked them down himself but he avoided getting in contact.) This gave him abandonment issues and avoidant personality disorder — partly the reasons he has never been in a relationship. When he finally gets into one he is terrified you will leave him. He will worship you like a goddess but also questions what you see in him. He feels insecure and often needs reassurance but he will avoid telling you that because he doesn’t want to seem needy, so he is the suffer in silence type. You learn how he is feeling through his behaviour, if he becomes quieter than usual you can generally tell something is wrong but you practically have to beg him to tell you. Of course, once he does, you’ll do everything in your power to silence the insecurities, but it’s not an easy battle, one you can’t fight alone and he might have to consider therapy.

He’s inexperienced, which adds to his insecurities. When it didn’t happen in high school, he told himself it would happen in college. When it didn’t happen in college, he told himself he’d meet someone at work. Eventually he stopped expecting it to happen. He finds it hard to approach women, he doesn’t really know how to flirt or engage them in conversation, the few times he has tried still haunt him late at night because of how disastrous it was. Now he would rather save himself the embarrassment.

Sarcasm is his defence mechanism. He struggled a lot with authority growing up with teachers and different foster parents — think “how about I give you the finger and you give me my phone call.” He might be quiet but he’s not a total coward, granted before he learnt how to fight outside the Matrix, he wasn’t exactly the best fighter but he has quick reflexes and at least learnt how to dodge punches (before dodging bullets) and run away really fast. Despite being bullied growing up, he would still manage to get a few verbal jabs of his own in even though that probably only made things worse, he couldn’t help it. He’s smart and could figure out their insecurities, if not he would hack the school’s system and mess with their grades.

He looks after a stray black cat that lives near his apartment. He brought it inside once, despite his landlord having a no pets policy, when it chewed through one of his computer wires he took it back outside, but he still leaves out tins of cat food and sauces of water for it.

Wears black nail polish. Not much since he got a corporate job, he doesn’t really want to show up to the office with chipped black paint on his nails but he wore it a lot more in college.

[itstheoneshot]

Kinktober Day 31

Aftercare - Hanbin

!dom Hanbin

Hanbin had been extremely rough tonight. You liked that, you definitely did, but it wasn’t something that you were used to. He had thrown you around, forced you down, spanked and choked you. He had degraded, objectified, and used you for his own pleasure. Your hair was almost torn from your scalp when he gripped to it, forcing his cock down your throat as he fucked into your mouth. You were battered, bruised, all consensually of course, totally destroyed in a way that you never had been before. Your mind was blank, your body broken, when Hanbin finally released for you, streams of cum shooting from his cock to cover your already dirty body.

“Come here,” He urges you, helping you sit up, “You did so well, my love.” You lean on him for support, resting your head on his chest, right next to the tattoos there, unable to hold yourself up. He caresses your arm before moving upwards to gently touch your neck. You hiss as he touches the raw skin, so sensitive and sore from him choking you out, you swear there was a point there where you lost consciousness completely, and Hanbin pulls back, his brows furrowed with worry.

“I went really hard on you, didn’t I?” He asks rhetorically, tilting his head to inspect the fingermarks on your skin, “You’re so brave.”

As harsh as he was during, he makes up for that afterwards. He is so soft and sweet to you now, wanting to assure and reassure you that he cares and loves and respects and cherishes you, and would never want you to think differently. He gently massages your neck, despite your whimpers and cries, you know that this will help clear your airways and soothe the muscle pain that you undoubtedly will get anyway, at least this will lessen it. 

“I’m okay,” You mumble, although you’re not quite sure if you are, still shaking every time he touches you, “I’ll be okay.” Hanbin gently turns your face towards him so that he can press a soft kiss to your lips, cupping your cheek to keep you still, a subtle attempt to calm your racing heart as he wipes away the stray tears that fall, “I love you,” He confesses for the millionth time, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” You reply easily, using the little strength that you have left to hold him too, arms over his shoulders and hands clasped behind his neck, “I’ll always love you.”

Before you can protest, Hanbin pulls you onto his lap and shuffles the both of you over to the edge of the bed. There he stands, easily carrying you in his arms, he is so strong, no wonder it is so easy for him to throw you around the way that he did while he fucked you, he takes you out of the bedroom and walks in the direction of the bathroom.

“I should treat you,” Hanbin explains his purpose, “Would you let me run you a bath?”

If your cheeks weren’t already red from him slapping you across the face, they would be red right now, blood flowing to them and causing you to blush. It is overwhelming, the contrast between the hard dominant man that Hanbin was when he fucked you, to the soft, giving, angelic man that he is outside of that space. You wouldn’t change it for the world, the contrast is something that you love so much, appreciating and obsessed with both sides of Hanbin, thankful that you get to see and experience them both.

“I’d love that,” You nod at him, “Thank you, Bin-ah.”

Hanbin smiles at you, showing off his pretty cat-whisker dimples as he places you down onto the bath mat so that he can start preparing the tub for you. He pours in a healthy amount of bubble mixture as the water runs, steam forming in the air as the bath fills up. Soon he helps you up onto your feet, holding your hands to keep you steady as you step in. The water is hot, but not scalding, exactly what you need to relax your mind and your muscles, slowly sinking down into the warmth, humming contentedly as you get comfortable.

You feel yourself beginning to drift off, the sweet lavender aroma of the bath oil relaxing you as Hanbin helps to wash your hair, continuing to be gentle and slow so that you are alert to his movements and can prepare yourself for them too. He continues also to praise you, to pay attention to your body and how your breathing goes from staggered to slow. Hanbin makes sure that you feel supported, helping you hold the glass of water that he got for you so that you could replace some of your lost hydration. He feeds you strawberries, your favourite, to give you the sugar rush you need to bring back enough of your energy to get yourself out of the bath when the water starts to cool.

“Let me dry you,” Hanbin insists, much to your protests, exaggerated, you really did want him to do this, “That’s better, love, thank you.”

Once you are dry, Hanbin lathers your clean skin in lotion, massaging it in slowly to make sure that it all absorbs. He leaves you in the bathroom while your skin dries, leaning back against the counter as you start to tire again. He returns to you less than ten minutes later with an earnest smile on his face, “Come with me,” He offers, “You need to rest now.”

You return to the bedroom to see that Hanbin has changed the bedsheets, wow, he did that so fast, and has laid out a fresh set of pyjamas for you to wear. He helps you into them, it is so hard to walk, to stand, god, tomorrow will be agony, and then lifts up the quilt for you to crawl into bed. He tucks you in before walking around to the other side where he joins you, making room for you as he rolls onto his side, patting the mattress to urge you closer.

“Rest now, baby,” He murmurs, pressing another kiss to your temple, “I’m not going anywhere.”

———

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