#you would think the answer is Secret Cat but one of my neighbors is a Snitch and busted someone else for a Secret Cat. tragic.

[belle--ofthebrawl]

The cat distribution system is trying to get me a kitty so badly but I am loyal to my bitch and can not accept any kitties at the moment.

[intern-seraph]

twst biology lore and you

aka is malleus a mammal (and other seraph classics)

i have been Thinking as of late. about twst biology. again. i've already theorized about the surname practices of the briar valley fae and, of course, posed questions to my followers about what frog people would be and the implications of draconic fae being oviparous.

so, of course, i have come bearing the same questions and statements and analyses, but collated into a neat little post and with more up-to-date information. spoilers ahead, if that isn't clear.

sorry.

ON CLASSIFICATION: WHAT MAKES A BEASTFOLK A BEASTFOLK? A FAE A FAE? A MERFOLK A MERFOLK?

it is, on its face, easy to determine the line between merfolk and other humanoids in twisted wonderland: merfolk need to live in the water. everyone else does not. this covers all extant fish species, cephalopods like octopi, and any marine mammals.

cool. okay.

what about. amphibians.

are there frog people? salamander people? would they be classed as merfolk because their life cycles require a semiaquatic environment? would their young be born with tails instead of legs??? or would they be beastfolk, since adult amphibians are mostly terrestrial? (but in that case.. what about axolotls? they're fully aquatic due to maintaining their juvenile, gilled form even as adults)

the line between beastfolk and fae, on the other hand, is much more blurry. the primary characteristics that seem to be possessed by all fae are slit pupils, pointed ears, and large magical reserves that play an important role in maintaining their lives. they also have very long lifespans and accordingly age very slowly, but these appear to vary between different "types" of fae (bat fae, for example, tend to have a lifespan of around a thousand years, while draconic fae can live for many thousands of years). we know that (of the large fae, we're not going to go into the small fae folk of the faelands) there exist draconic fae (the draconia family and possibly another royal fae family from the land of red dragons?), bat fae (lilia), and crocodilian fae (the zigvolt family), but obviously there are more than that.

excluding bat fae, it might then be assumed that beastfolk are distinguished by inheriting traits from various mammalian species (see: lion beastfolk (the sunset savannah royal family), hyena beastfolk (ruggie's family and neighbors), wolf beastfolk (jack and his family), fox beastfolk (fellow honest/ernesto foulworth (why did they name him a real person name.......)), and cat beastfolk (gidel/gino)). HOWEVER. there exists. BIRD BEASTFOLK, as we learn in tamashina-mina/cloudcalling on the savannah when we meet kifaji/neji! this means! that the label of "beastfolk"!! does not just!!!! apply to!!!!! mammals!!!!!!!

after all.

as we all know.

birds are reptiles :)

anyways.

WHAT, THEN, DRAWS THE LINE? is it magical capacity? that would make sense when considering the existence of bat fae, as bats are mammals, which one might assume places bat people in the category of beastfolk. would that then mean that there are crocodile beastfolk in addition to crocodile fae? and then would that mean that some animal species just. cannot exist in both fae in beastfolk, like dragons? are they just... too innately magical to be beastfolk? what happens when there exist beastfolk with high magical capacity??? HELLO? IS THIS THING ON????

YANA. HOW DO YOU CATEGORIZE THESE THINGS. WHERE IS THE LINE, YANA. YANA TOBOSO ANSWER ME GOD DAMN IT.

NIPPLES, BELLY BUTTONS, AND OTHER DRACONIA THINGS

mammals quite famously have mammary glands. we're literally named after them, they're really hard to miss (usually. we'll get there.). all female mammals have them, many males also have them.

for most mammalian species, mammary glands secrete milk through a nipple. this goes for everyone except the monotremes, who are freaks that lactate via secreting it from their skin. monotremes do not have nipples, regardless of sex.

so, what are monotremes? in short, they are the only order of mammals that are oviparous, meaning they reproduce by laying eggs. as stated before, they lack nipples and instead secrete milk through their skin. there are 5 extant species of monotreme (4 echidnas and the platypus).

why am i talking about this, though. why do you need to know any of this.

because i need yall to understand how bizarre it is for a mammal to lay eggs!!! AND THE DRACONIC FAE ARE OVIPAROUS!!! this brings me to the haunting question... is malleus draconia a mammal. if he is, then is he a monotreme?

all oviparous animals (monotreme or not) lack a belly button by the way. the belly button, or navel, is essentially a scar left behind after the umbilical cord dries up and falls off/is cut. oviparous critters don't have an umbilical cord! anyways, does malleus have a belly button? DOES MALLEUS HAVE NIPPLES??? has yana toboso been covering up every inch of malleus' skin in all his outfits so far to avoid showing us his navel-less tummy?? was he excluded from the stitch event so he wouldn't have a nip-less groovy when all the other boys have nips???? i need answers. now.

SPECIATION, OR THE LACK THEREOF

the biological definition of a species is "a group of organisms that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring"*

with this in consideration, if beastfolk, fae, merfolk, and humans are all different species, they should not be able to produce fertile offspring across species lines.

this is, on its face, simple. they are so very different, after all!

... you may have noticed that i have avoided using the term "species" to refer to these different groups, aside from the animals the former three are based on. yeah. about that.

sebek exists. so do his siblings.

he is half-fae half-human. so are they.

if he and his siblings are able to have biological children of their own, this means that fae and humans are NOT different species.

okay, wow, what fucking gives, then? are beastfolk, fae, merfolk, and humans just... the same species?

i propose that they are.

consider the dog: we commonly think of dogs as being a separate species from wolves, yet wolves and dogs are able to produce fertile offspring: the wolfdog! this has led to wolves and dogs being classified more recently not as separate species, but as subspecies of Canis lupus (a common, extinct ancestor species).

I PROPOSE. THAT BEASTFOLK, FAE, MERFOLK, AND HUMANS. ARE THE DOGS TO EACH OTHERS' WOLVES.

THEY ARE THE SAME FUCKING SPECIES. THEY ARE ALL HOMO SAPIENS.

THANK YOU. AND GOOD NIGHT.

(* yes i know that the definition of species can vary and that people may disagree with a rigid interpretation or whatever. this is an analysis post about disney's villain anime boy mobile game Twisted-Wonderland i genuinely don't know why someone would expect me to engage that thoroughly in discussions of scientific semantics)

[gunilslaugh]

hi!! i just wanna say that i absolutely love all your writing and i get so excited whenever i see that you've posted <33 this is my first time requesting, and i had this idea that i couldn't get out of my head lmao so could you do a one shot where gaon is spiderman and the reader is his best friend, but they don't know that he's spiderman and he's trying to keep it a secret from them. but then at some point they find out and it's this cute thing of like not seeing him any different and joking around about it n stuff, also maybe before they find out they could be like simping over spiderman obvi not knowing that it's gaon and he's just there like "🕴"

thank you!!

Aww thank you that's sweet <3 I hope you enjoy reading Spiderman Jiseok lol.

Kwak Jiseok

Summary: Jiseok is keeping a secret from you, he’s Spiderman

WC:~1.6k

Warning:grammar

photo not mine credit to owner.

A sigh escapes from your lips after you check the time. Jiseok was late again, although this seems to be the new normal lately. Every time you make plans with him there is always some reason why he’s late. His reasons for being late are vague too. “I got caught up, sorry,”, “I had to help my mom,”, “ I took an unexpected nap." Ok, you’ll give the last one to him, but the other reasons just don’t sit right with you. You have a feeling that he’s lying. Why would he lie to you though? 

The sound of a knock penetrated through your front door. If that isn’t you Jiseok  you think, getting up to answer the door. Opening the door you’re met with a slightly messy haired Jiseok.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Jiseok greeted you with an apologetic smile. 

“No worries you’re always late,” you jabbed, stepping aside to let him in. He enters your house. “So did you get caught up again?” You asked.

“Yeah, something like that,” he replied, scratching the back of his head. He ran into a thief who had just robbed a convenience store on his way over. Of course it was his Spiderman duty to catch the robber, but he couldn’t tell you that. He had to keep his identity as Spiderman a secret. Jiseok didn’t like lying to you, he hated it. Being Spiderman was awesome, keeping it from his loved ones wasn’t. “ I brought snacks!” he ranged happily, holding up a bag, trying to make it up to you for being late again. 

“I guess I can forgive you for being late again then. Let’s go to my room,” you told him. The two of you headed to your room and Jiseok pulled out the snacks. You plopped down on your bed, grabbing the t.v. remote and turning on the t.v.

“This just in, Spiderman has caught this thief after they robbed this local convenience store,” a news telecaster said upon turning on the t.v. They showed security footage of Spiderman catching the thief. 

“That’s the convenience store by my house. Isn’t that where you got these snacks? Did you get to see Spiderman!” You questioned Jiseok excitedly. 

“Oh-uh no I- I must’ve just missed him,” Jiseok stuttered out. Your shoulders dropped in disappointment 

“How lame,” you stated. “I want to meet Spiderman. He’s so cool! I bet he’s cute under that mask too. I can sense it. Did you think if I got stuck in a tree he would come save me?” You rambled. Jiseok sat there stiff as you talked so smittenly about Spiderman. 

“I think you’d be an idiot for getting stuck in a tree,” he scoffed. “You’re not a cat,” he added. 

“My neighbor has a cat,” you implied, not so subtly.

“Y/n, you better leave that cat alone,” Jiseok scolds, causing you to laugh. 

“Don’t act like you don’t want to meet Spiderman,” you mized.

“I-” it’s not like he can meet himself. “Didn’t you say you wanted to watch a movie?” Jiseok opts for changing the subject. 

“Oh yeah. Spiderman being blocks away from where I live distracted me,” you chuckled, beginning to pull up the movie. Jiseok lets out a breath of relief. It’s too awkward to talk about Spiderman when he is Spiderman.

It’s been a few weeks. Jiseok is still what you now call routinely late. You’ve noticed something else that is weird too. Jiseok had cut himself while cutting fruit, but the next day the cut was completely gone. Jiseok tried to excuse it by saying it was just a small cut, so it healed quickly, but you saw the cut yourself. You’re the one who put the bandaid on it. It wasn’t small enough to heal in a day, you’re certain about that. This incident also reminded you about the cat scratches he had a while back that seemed to just disappear the next day too. It was strange, but Jiseok didn’t seem to think so. He even made you think that you were the one being strange about it.

Presently, you’re standing on top of your slightly rickety dresser to hang some pictures on your wall. Jiseok was standing on the floor behind you because he was paranoid about you falling. He tried to talk you into letting him hang them up, but you insisted on doing it yourself.

“Jiseok can you go grab me the box of nails over on my bed?” You asked. Jiseok looked at the box of nails, sitting on your bed on the other side of your room. Then he looks back at you. 

“You better not fall,” he warns you, going to quickly grab the nails. 

“I’m not gonna fall,” you laughed. You did fall. Right after you said that you wouldn’t. You took one too many steps to the left, where there was no more dresser to stand on. Letting out a yelp you waited for the impact of landing on the floor. However the floor never came, instead Jiseok’s arms caught you. 

“I told you not to fall!” He scolds you. Jiseok was on the other side of your room. Even if he saw you fall there was no way he could have gotten to you in time to catch you. He clearly did though or else you wouldn’t be in his arms right now. Things seriously did not add up and you couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Jiseok I shouldn’t be in your arms right now!” You yelled frustrated. 

“Oh sorry here,” he mumbled, putting you down. Thinking he made you uncomfortable.

“No, Jiseok I mean I should be lying on the floor in pain. There is no way you could have caught me when you were standing over there,” you pointed towards your bed. 

“Uh-” Jiseok doesn’t know what to say because you’re right. He couldn’t just watch you fall and possibly get hurt though. 

“You’re always unexplainably late too. How is it possible for you to be so caught up all the time? Plus I know for a fact that that cut on your finger wasn’t that small. It shouldn’t have been healed the next day. Did you forget about how I put the bandaid on it? How you whined like a baby when I disinfected it? This doesn’t make sense Jiseok,” you went off. Jiseok sighed. 

“I know y/n, I know and I’m sorry. It’s just…” he trails off. 

“Just what and don’t lie to me. I can tell that you’ve been keeping something from me,” you tell him. Jiseok is silent. 

“I’m Spiderman,” he finally says. You scoffed.

“Fine don’t tell me,” you went to brush past him, but he caught you by the arm. 

“Y/n, I’m serious,” he states. “Look if you don’t believe me,” he goes over to his bag and reaches into it. He pulls out his mask showing it to you. You approached Jiseok, taking the mask in between your fingers. This can’t be real can it? Jiseok, your best friend, is Spiderman?

“Jiseok if this is some kind of joke,” you started to threaten.

“How else could I have caught you? Healed that quickly. Why I’m late all the time,” he defended. It did all make sense. When you think about it, him being Spiderman explains everything that’s been going on with him.

“I guess I was right then,” you said. 

“What?” Jiseok asked, confused. 

“When I said I bet Spiderman is cute under the mask,” you elucidated. Jiseok’s cheeks flame a shade of pink. “Oh gosh I said I wanted you to save me from a tree,” your other words hit you. Your cheeks now flame pink with embarrassment as you flopped down onto your bed. Jiseok laughs. 

“See you feel like an idiot for just saying it now,” he teased you, taking a seat on your bed.

“Stop!” You groaned, sitting up.

“Shouldn’t you be happy? You met Spiderman. You’re best friends with Spiderman,” he continued to play. 

“Spiderman is a lot lamer than I thought he’d be,” you remarked. Jiseok puts his hand over his heart in offense.  

“How dare you?” He lightly smacks your knee. 

Now you know that Jiseok is Spiderman, nothing is actually that different. Except you know why he’s late. Jiseok is thankful to have someone that he can talk to about his secret identity with. He was kinda scared that it would affect your friendship, but it didn’t. If anything it somehow found a way to make your friendship even stronger. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Jiseok apologized, entering your house. It was almost a catchphrase for him at this point.

“Get caught up again?” You played lightheartedly. 

“Yeah a cat  was stuck in a tree,” he told you with accusing eyes.

“I didn’t do it,” you raised your hands. The both of you burst out into laughter. 

“Would you save me though? If I was an idiot who got stuck in a tree?” You questioned as the two of you made your way to your bedroom.

“I’d always save you,” Jiseok answers. Something in the air shifts. You both feel it. 

“So if we went on a date would you be late to that too?” you quipped, falling onto your bed.

“I think Spiderman could take the day off. Just let him know when,” Jiseok takes his spot beside you. The both of you look at eachother locking eyes before a giggle leaves each of you. The unspoken feelings you have for each other linger in the air, but you don’t have to talk about them. You just know.

[theweirdgoodbyes]

never asked me once about the wrong i did: chapter 1

“Po’, po’ thing,” his granmere would lament from her rocking chair, gazing at him with those same eyes he sees in the mirror, “He already dead.”

His mama would hush her, whispering in a hurried Creole that Merriell can’t quite understand. He thinks Mama doesn’t teach him more so she can say what she wants around him, secret things he’s not old enough to understand at seven years old.

It’s Sunday after church, and everyone has made the walk to Granmere’s house which has long become too small to fit them all. They strip off their nice church shirts and hang them on the hook at the front door, a habit Mama drilled into them by the time they could walk and one of the few times all seven of her boys listened. They then make their way across the house to where Granmere sits in her rocking chair, smile across her ancient face. She sits and rocks, accepts each boy with a kiss on the cheek, a squeeze to their arm or bare belly, a tsk followed by, “Oh, po’ baby. Anna Mae, you ain’t feedin’ my boy.” By the time Merriell reaches her, he can see her expression change. The smiles fades, those pinching fingers stop their search for flesh.

“Oh, baby,” she says, reaching for the cross around her neck. It’s an old thing, as old as her and the dirt below their feet, made of crude wood. She rubs it and shakes her head, “Po’, po’ thing.”

Merriell doesn’t try to hug her anymore, and doesn’t tell anyone how much it bothers him.

Their jobs begin after greetings, shuffled into a boiling hot kitchen with the rest of the cousins, sitting Indian style wherever they can find a spot. Picking beans, chopping the sausage, whatever task Granmere has delegated to her brood takes up the next hour. Mama and the aunties bustle around the kitchen while Daddy and his uncles sit outside and smoke their cigarettes. Merriell liked Sundays for the most part, aside from Granmere’s unrelenting gaze and worried quips. Daddy didn’t drink on Sundays, so he knew the only beating he could get was a sharp rap on the knuckles for sneaking bites from the pot before dinner.

“They talkin’ ‘bout you,” Llewelyn says, a finger slick with the grease from the sausage pointing at him before motioning to Granmere and Mama, “‘bout what you did.” Llewelyn knows more Creole than the rest of them combined, on account of being the oldest, a fact he made sure they all remembered.

Merriell lowers his eyes, focusing on picking out each pea from the pod he’s cracked. He counts as he goes, a habit he’s picked up to keep him calm during these very accusations.

“Mama says it not on me,” he mumbles, the same answer he always gives. Mama says it was God that took Vernon, born minutes after him with Merriell’s umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. Mama says God took him straight to Heaven, that he was too good to be on Earth with the rest of them. Merriell always wonders if he was left behind because he wasn’t all that good. He tries to be a good boy, he really does. He listens to Mama better than any of his brothers, and always does his chores without fussing. But he’s not always a good boy. He steals candy from the store by their house, and chases their old fat cat under the porch only to poke at him with a stick while he hisses and yowls. Merriell wonders if God can see him waiting each night for their neighbor Mr. Leconte to come home, sitting on the stoop until he passes by. He always gives Merriell a wink and a wave, something that gets his heart thumping hard. Even at seven, he knows that alone makes him wicked.

Next to him, little Eugene, the only cousin younger than him, pipes up in his soft voice.

“My mama say don’t say that.”

“Your mama ain’t my fuckin’ mama,” Llewelyn spits back, sticking his knife into the next link of sausage. Eugene shrinks back, leaning closer to Merriell. Twelve years younger than Llewelyn’s fifteen, he’d always been scared of the older boy. “We all know it’s true. Ain’t you listen at church? Killin’ a sin. Don’t matter none what Merriell do for the rest of his life; he goin’ to Hell.”

Llewelyn stands with his plate of chopped sausage, handing it off to Auntie Lorraine before exiting the kitchen. He’s about to go stand with Daddy and the uncles, satelliting the outskirts, hoping for an offer of a cigarette and to be included in the menfolk talk.

Merriell keeps staring at his peas, picking away. His mind is far, far away from Granmere’s kitchen. He’s nearly counted to 50 when he feels Eugene’s small hand on his knee. He doesn’t look up.

“I don’t think it, Mer,” Eugene says, barely above a whisper. The threat of Llewelyn coming back, angry at being sent back to the kitchen with the little ones, looms over them. “You’ll be in Heaven with us.”

Merriell doesn’t say anything. He keeps picking his peas, counting, wondering if when he gets to those pearly gates in the sky, they’ll be shut tight.

Omg, hello everyone. This is the first stab at fanfic I’ve take in quite a while. Overall what I post here will be my first drafts, I will likely be posting it at ao3 upon its completion, but please enjoy this humble chapter in the meantime!

[snobgoblin]

which studio ghibli movie do you think would be Danny's favorite?? you can throw some m6 + other characters hc in this one too

I HAVE LONG PONDERED THE ORB (my ghilbli collection) and I have an answer for you... be warned I mostly have only seen the basic bitch ones...

Danny- despite the Howl comparisons ive made with his room... Kiki's Delivery Service! watching a witch go out into the world and make a name for herself is nice. and it's got bread and that's his favorite. and also some burnout symbolism which would resonate with him I think

Portia- I wanna say Ponyo partially because it involves the ocean and has a large cast of elderly women, reminding her of home, but I think the secret princess plotline of Castle in the Sky would appeal to her. she might also like Kiki and The Cat Returns for the kitties

Nadia- I actually got bored with Nausicaa and have not finished it but it seems like something that would appeal to Nadia based on what I saw (and knowing she likes fantasia 2000. they have similar vibes to me)

Asra- I think Howl's Moving Castle is the obvious answer here but also the Boy and the Heron

Muriel- my neighbor totoro. it's comfy it's cozy what can I say

Julian- I havent seen it but I think Grave of the Fireflies would speak to him based on what I've heard of it. I'm avoiding one with magic in it since he's uncomfortable around it generally and the horrors of war is something he's experienced first hand- not to mention the sibling(?) thing

Lucio- I didn't like Mononoke when I was 15 and I haven't watched it since- I think the message might have gone over my head and all I remember is someone getting their head chopped off. and to be fair I think the message would also go over his head and he'd just see someone get their head cut off and remember it, making it his favorite

I could probably give better answers if it hadn't been like 5 years since I've watched some of these 😭 I tend to rewatch Ponyo and a few others on loop

[okayto]

Mini-Review: Bee and PuppyCat: Lazy in Space

Bee, an unemployed woman in her early twenties, encounters a mysterious creature she terms PuppyCat. She adopts this apparent cat-dog hybrid, and together they go on a series of temporary jobs to pay off her monthly rent. These bizarre jobs take the duo across strange worlds out in space.

This is the kind of show I often enjoy, episodic while expanding the world and our view as the stories pass; humorous without making me cringe.

It's a very fun show that looks like its aimed at kids, and would probably be fine for that audience--it's not adult humor in the vein of things like The Simpsons or Rick and Morty, but it feels like adults are the audience because of the atmosphere.

Bee is a mess, in a recognizable way: she's been fired from her job for possibly valid reasons but also partially for taking the blame for someone else. She's aimless: if it wasn't for the rent being due, she wouldn't really be looking for another job.

The aimlessness of being an adult, yet not automatically having things all together, is a running theme. Bee definitely doesn't. Her best friend and neighbor, Deckard, is struggling to decide between following his passion, and staying where he is in a predictable environment with friends and family.

His sister Cas gave up a passion project in favor of the predictable work and stability of software engineering, something she has complicated feelings about. Their landlord, Cardamom, seems to have everything all together, except he's a 7-year-old with no adult supervision, and as the episodes go on you realize that his straightforward approach to life is actually a child being forced to handle things that are an adult's domain.

The setting is also fun: it's hard to tell whether things like toilets be a place to store food instead of, well, bodily functions are normal, or why a 7-year-old seriously acting as a landlord doesn't seem to raise many comments. Is this a fantasy land where things are just kind skewed anyway? Or are Bee and her neighbors extra-odd? In that way, it reminds me a bit of Steven Universe, with its mix of cartoon reality and non-main characters eventually making clear that they think this is weird, too.

The actual fantastical bits are interesting, too. We get information about Puppycat towards the end, but he definitely has secrets, and Bee isn't as straightforward as she appears at the beginning, either. Their visits to other planets/dimensions (?) to earn money would be an interesting show even without showing any of their home lives.

You can definitely see the influences of classic magical girl anime, but this show is also the answer to the premise: what if magical girl, but tired adult? What if magical girl, but it's just kinda a job?

Verdict

Voices: Very good! They sound very...realistic, not super polished. I don't mean that they sound like inexperienced voice actors, I mean that they sound real and variable, which isn't common in voice acting. I really enjoyed them.

Also, special shoutout to my favorite character, Toast, whose first line had me wracking my brain to figure out why did her voice sound SO familiar and why was her voice affecting something in my emotions until I looked it up, and her voice actress is the English voice of Sailor Moon/Serena that I grew up with!

Visuals: Vibrant and pastel colors, a very round cartoon style, it feels modern and cozy.

Worth watching? Yes! On one hand, it's just a fun series, the balance between "just living life as an aimless young adult" and "brightly-colored fantastical adventures" is done well. The supporting cast of characters is great and entertaining. And on the other hand, it's also nice to watch a cartoon that feels very much like the target audience are adults, but not because the show is raunchy. I really hope we get another season someday.

Where to watch (USA, as of September 2023): Netflix. Note that a 10-episode original web animation (titled Bee and Puppycat without any subtitle) can be found on Youtube; the Netflix series I watched is both a reboot (covers the original series' material in a few episodes) and then continuation. After asking advice on here, general consensus was that newbies starting with the Netflix series is a good idea, but there's nothing wrong with the older, original web animation.

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[violetlunette]

Father of the Bride_Part2

A Princess Bride AU

Part 1

Ao3 Version

The announcement of his engagement on his seventeenth birthday came as a surprise to Silver and his friends. Apparently, the Fluerian Prince from a neighboring kingdom saw Silver and was instantly taken by his “elegant beauty.” As peace was hard to come between the two kingdoms, the Senate approved the request to wed the young human, despite the disapproval of their own prince. “They’re just trying to get rid of you!” Sebek scoffed as the two talked about it later. “Hm.” Silver didn’t disagree. It was no secret that the Senate looked down on him for being a human. If they could get rid of him while creating an opportunity to expand their political stance, why wouldn’t they take it? However, it wasn’t as if Silver was in a place to argue. Ever since his father vanished, he had been burdening Malleus and had no way to repay the man for his troubles. If he could help by strengthening the bond between humans and fae, Silver was more than willing. Besides, he would be eighteen next year, so the teen would have to leave anyway. He might as well go, doing a favor for those who cared for him all this time. ‘Even so, marrying a stranger...’ Silver hugged himself, his fingers digging into the red silk of the tunic he wore. It was frightening to think that soon Silver would be spending his life away from his loved ones. Would he ever see them again? “I need to be alone for a bit,” Silver told his friend, already starting to walk away, despite Sebek’s objections. “I’ll go back myself later.” ~*~ For hours, he wandered in circles, lost in his thoughts. As he walked, Silver found his mind going to his father, as it often did. ‘I wonder how he would feel about this?’ Silver often asked himself that question. How would Lilia react to giving up the sword to please Malleus? How would he feel about Lilia studying herbs to try and become the palace physician? What would he say about Silver entering a political marriage? Silver sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. ‘Ten years, and I’m still wondering what my father would do.’ But he couldn’t help it. Lilia was Silver’s everything. Without him-- “A word, sire?” A voice pulled Silver from his daze. Standing to his side were two beastmen: a fox and a cat. Both were brightly dressed with patchwork designs and wore large grins. “I beg your pardon,” the fox said, twirling his cane between his fingers. “We are but poor, lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby?” Silver shook his head, which suddenly felt light. “I’m sorry, but no,” he answered. “There is nothing nearby, not for miles.” He was surprised when the other smirked. “Then there will be no one to hear you scream.” Silver’s heart started at the words. But before he could react, there was a swift THWACK to the back of his head. The cat had appeared behind him with his wooden hammer and attacked. “Ah--” The start of a scream was all he managed as he began to fall.

--

Part 3

[redux-iterum]

Burning Hearts: Chapter Eleven

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Greystripe and Ravenwing were in camp when Fireheart returned home, reclining by the apprentice den with prey they had not taken a bite out of.

“There you are,” Greystripe remarked when Fireheart beelined for them. “I thought you’d be back from RiverClan’s border earlier.”’

“Your pawsteps are awfully bouncy,” Ravenwing added, head tilted. He lowered his voice. “Did something happen?”

Fireheart looked around to ensure no one was close enough to hear him before he leaned in and whispered, “I got to see an old friend tonight.”

His friends’ faces were unsure whether to be wary or intrigued.

“Back before I came here, I had a friend called Smudge,” Fireheart elaborated. “He lived next door to me. That black-and-white cat?”

Greystripe tilted his head apologetically. “The only black-and-white outsider I know is Barley.”

Fireheart sighed in disappointment. “Alright. I just thought you might remember.”

“Ah—” Ravenwing half-lifted a paw. “It’s– it’s been a very long time since you came to us, and, well, you never really talked about him before. Just a mention of him once or twice.”

Greystripe nodded quickly.

Fireheart’s eyes half-shut as he thought, trying to recall any discussions of Smudge and finding none. “…That’s on me, then. I should have said something—he was my only friend for a long time. I guess I just… forgot.”

His face must have fallen, because Greystripe fidgeted anxiously and looked at Ravenwing. The black tom came to the rescue with, “Well, you’ve remembered him now, right? Tell us how that went.”

Fireheart perked up. “Oh, it was really nice! So…”

He regaled them with the entire visit, including his sister and up to Witch-Hazel’s disgust at his catches, which Greystripe chuffed at and even Ravenwing looked amused. When he remembered to add that Rosy was expecting, Ravenwing blinked and said, “Congratulations on becoming an uncle, kittypet or not.”

Fireheart paused. “Is ‘uncle’ the word for that?”

“Eparme, that’s right.” Ravenwing nodded. “Your neighbors didn’t know that word either?”

“No. Or, I didn’t, at least.”

“Shame.” Greystripe gave Fireheart a friendly tap with his massive paw. Fireheart was sure that was going to leave a bruise. “Well, hey, you’ve got a whole lot of family now! Maybe we can sneak you over there to see them once they’re old enough.”

Fireheart didn’t answer right away. His mind was clicking away as he considered his options. Greystripe and Ravenwing’s enthusiasm faltered, then froze completely when he asked, “Do you think I could get permission to visit?”

“L—” Greystripe squinted at him, baffled. “You think Lionface would agree to that? Or Bluestar? It’s gotta be a secret.”

“It’s worth asking, at least,” Fireheart said, undeterred. “I thought Lionface would get mad about us hunting there, but he didn’t, did he? He agreed to it. And this isn’t hanging out with RiverClan—it’s family. And it’d only be, like, a couple visits, or even just one, if that’s all I get. Just for the chance to see my… my, uh…”

He looked at Ravenwing.

“Your nieces and nephews*,” Ravenwing said.

“Thank you.” Fireheart dipped his head and continued, “I’m willing to ask. They might say no, but I’ll try anyway.”

“You’re braver than me,” Greystripe said, almost in awe. “I don’t even want to talk to Lionface about hunting in a weird spot.”

Fireheart twitched his whiskers. “Well, he’s seen my sister himself. I’ll speak to him when the time is right.” He glanced around. “Where is he, anyway? Didn’t he go on a patrol this evening?”

Greystripe rolled a shoulder. “I think he decided to hunt. Or something? He went back out, that’s all I know.”

Fireheart hummed. “Alright. He ought to come home soon, though. It’s almost dawn.”

“He will,” Greystripe said, and seemed to notice his prey again. “By the way, it’s been a good night for catches. Hungry?”

---

When Lionface didn’t return by the time everyone was going to sleep, Fireheart didn’t think anything of it. He hardly even paid mind to the others walking into the warriors’ den around him as he fell into a dreamless sleep. The camp was comfortably silent.

When Lionface wasn’t around to order border and hunting patrols, there was a mild air of puzzlement and curiosity. Speckletail and Tigerclaw made up for it by organizing patrols themselves and leading them out, with Dustpelt taking an extra couple of cats to hunt by the Sunningrocks. Greystripe, Fireheart, and Ravenwing were split up between the parties, so they were busy the entire rainy night and had no chance to chat before they all came home at separate times.

It was near morning when concern spread throughout camp that there was still no sign of the deputy. Bluestar spoke quietly with Goldenflower, who was growing more and more antsy while trying to keep Frostfur calm. The queen’s voice could be heard coming out of the nursery, repeatedly asking where her mate was, and no one could answer her. Greystripe, too, was getting worried, tail jittery as he watched the entrance of camp.

“He wouldn’t be gone this long without telling someone,” he said to Fireheart as they had their breakfast the next evening. “Something’s wrong.”

Fireheart didn’t get a chance to answer before Bluestar was up on the meeting stump. Cats looked up from their meals as she called, “Does anyone know anything about where Lionface could be?”

General mutters to the contrary and uneasy looks between Clanmates. A snort and a shuffle of ferns announced Yellowfang and Cinderpaw as they came properly into camp, looking around at everyone.

“Seers, we’re going to need your help,” Bluestar said, turning to them. “Have you received any signs about Lionface?”

Yellowfang gave a ragged sigh and muttered, seemingly to herself, “No good, no good at all.”

“What does that mean?!” Goldenflower jumped to her feet, eyes wide and mouth loose. “Is he alright?!”

Every eye went to the seer pair. Fireheart’s stomach tightened as Yellowfang hobbled her way to the front of the stump and her oversized eyes roamed over camp.

“Well?!” Goldenflower burst out when the silence had gone on long enough.

Yellowfang spoke, but not to her, instead turning her eyes to Fireheart. “Boy, do you know a patched cat?”

Everyone now whipped their heads around to him. The sudden attention made him jolt, but he answered fairly steadily, “I had a friend in the Houses who’s patched.”

“Black and white?”

“Y-yes?”

“The fat toadstool sits by our border,” Yellowfang croaked. “Find him. Anyone elsewise would frighten him off.”

Fireheart got to his feet, prey forgotten. “Is he at the Houses?”

Yellowfang gave one nod. “He knows more than I. StarClan is dim behind the clouds. This requires eyes of the earth.”

Bluestar gave Yellowfang a suspicious look, which the seer returned with a squint of one bulging eye. She turned her attention to Fireheart and said curtly, “Go quickly. Take Greystripe with you.”

“Er—” Ravenwing stood up and flinched when cats looked at him. “May– may I go too?”

Bluestar swept her tail, gesturing the toms out as they collectively went through the entrance tunnel at a run. Fireheart glanced back just before the brambles blocked his view; Goldenflower was watching him with dreading, frightened eyes and pinned-back ears. Fireheart didn’t have time to shoot back a reassuring look, and really, he shouldn’t anyway. Instead, he just turned forward again and exited the tunnel.

The toms stopped just for a moment, Greystripe and Ravenwing looking to Fireheart. He took the lead and sprinted into the undergrowth eastward. His friends were close behind him, Ravenwing’s mouth open as he half-panted stressfully. There was no conversation, no sound but the rustling of their pelts brushing past ferns and grass and shrubs. Even the rain was careful to avoid making too much noise, as if it too was afraid of disturbing the air.  

Smudge was not hard to spot. He was standing at the border of the forest under a thick-boughed oak tree, calling, “Anyone? Hello?” in a very anxious voice.

“Smudge!” Fireheart shouted back. “I’m here! I have my friends with me, don’t be frightened!”

The kittypet jumped back anyway as soon as the hulking Greystripe and dark Ravenwing appeared behind Fireheart. He looked between them with great trepidation.

“We’re friends of Fireheart, I promise,” Greystripe said. “We’re not here to cause problems.”

After a long moment, Smudge collected himself, nodded politely, and turned to Fireheart. His voice was unusually wobbly. “I was hoping to meet under better circumstances, but…” He cleared his throat. It did not help steady his voice. “Do you have a large golden friend in this forest?”

The warriors looked at each other, all of their faces strained with fear.

“We do,” Fireheart said. “Our deputy. I told you about him.”

“The Lionheart fellow, right.” Smudge took in a shaky breath. “Well, word’s come to me around the corner. Something’s very wrong down the street. I haven’t seen anything myself, but—”

Greystripe took a step and thrust his head forward, making Smudge skitter back a bit. “What did you hear, then?”

Smudge was looking at Greystripe, but he spoke to Fireheart. “I think we should head that way, first. I don’t know how much is true or false.”

Fireheart tapped Greystripe's side with his tail, and Greystripe obediently backed away. “Take the lead.”

Thankfully, Smudge did not waste any time giving the other warriors more nervous looks. He instead turned and set off at a plodding trot—about as fast as Fireheart had ever seen him go—and the Clan cats followed him. Greystripe walked with tense strides, likely restraining himself from running forward, and Ravenwing chittered his teeth anxiously.

No cats were out in the open on their way. Whispers were just audible over the fences, and all of them sounded frightened or conspiratorial. The rain picked up soon, drowning out the whispers, only allowing the sounds of cat doors flapping or meows for a human to open their glass door.

“Really didn’t want to be out here in this,” Smudge said to Fireheart over his shoulder, “but word got to me and I had a feeling you needed to hear it.”

“What word?” Greystripe asked, an edge to his voice. “What did you hear?”

“Seems like you all aren’t the only ones lurking around the neighborhood.” Smudge went around a puddle that the warriors trotted right through. “I guess some troublemakers have made their way here from town—fights, so I was told, very bad ones. I was out in my yard when Rambler—you remember that old tabby, Rusty?—he told me there was a horrible row down this way. He said it was the worst he’d ever seen.”

“He doesn’t go outside his yard,” Fireheart protested. “How would he know?”

“That’s the thing! He was making up details, I know it, but he mentioned the strays someone else described to me on her own. These big old cats, nearly your size, grey tom. Black and white, like me, but much meaner. They got into it with some other giant, and– well, I suspect it went poorly, given how frightened Poppy was when she told me.”

“How poorly?” Ravenwing asked, tense. “Did someone die?”

Smudge shivered. “That’s what I was told, yes.”

All of the ThunderClan cats jolted in unison. Greystripe almost jumped forward, half-shouting, “Then take us there faster!”

“I– I don’t know this street as well, I’m sorry!” Smudge squeaked, but he picked up his pace into a clumsy canter.

Fireheart shot Greystripe a look, but he didn’t appear to notice. He just kept moving, nearly pushing Smudge from the back. It was the fear in his eyes that kept Fireheart from scolding him or telling him to back off.

“Which street are we turning on?” he asked Smudge, catching up to him.

“The right of that dark blue house,” Smudge panted. “You saw a dog there one time. When you lived here.”

“I know where that is.” Fireheart broke into a run. “You can hang back if you want. We’ve got it.”

Smudge, puffing, took the offer and slowed down. Ravenwing and Greystripe went around him, following Fireheart’s pace.

They soon came up to the house and skidded around the corner. The street was empty, save a few piles of leaves spread about here and there. Fireheart stopped and tasted the air, finding the scent of mulch and strange cats.

“Spread out,” he said to his friends.

Agreeably, the pair broke off, Greystripe rushing to the right and Ravenwing going further ahead. Fireheart took the left and put his nose to the ground, trying to catch anything of Lionface. All he was finding was a dark, slightly sour scent that kept him going in a straight line. He wrinkled his nose at it, but he followed along.

A strangled cry from Ravenwing made his head shoot up. The black tom’s back was arched as he stared down at the ground in horror.

Greystripe and Fireheart immediately ran to him, Greystripe shouting, “What?! What is it?!”

Ravenwing backed up to let them smell, tail shaking, saying nothing. Greystripe sniffed deeply, blinked, and then lifted his own head much more slowly, eyes wide but almost hollow. Fireheart joined him, sniffing.

Under the grime of the street and the density of wet leaves, Lionface.

And blood.

Dreading every heartbeat, Fireheart lifted a paw and pushed aside a maple leaf. The leaf bent and flipped over as he looked at it.

Sticking to its back were several very long golden hairs.

Fireheart looked to his friends. No one said a word.

The rain fell silent.

  *Niece is “Meichra”, nephew is “Areichme”; literally “daughter-ish” and “son-ish”.

[pyxy-styx]

1-100 you did this to yourslef

You're right, I did to this to myslef.

1. What's your middle name? Gonna change it to Parker eventually. Right now, it's the maiden name of a dead grandparent I never met and have no attachment to.

2. How old are you? 59 (18)

3. What is your birthday? October

4. What is your zodiac sign? Libra

5. What's your favorite color? Purple

6. What's your lucky number? Don't have one, if had to pick, probably 10

7. Do you have any pets. Three cats, a dog, and a bearded dragon.

8. Where are you from? Jupiter, I came to earth to rob people and ended up stuck here

9. How tall are you? At least 5' 5"

10. What shoe size are you? Good question

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Four I think?

12. What was your last dream about? Another good question. I have no idea, I only remember the really bizarre ones

13. What talents do you have? I'm fairly decent at piano when I'm actually able to play

14. Are you psychic in any way? We're gonna go with no

15. Favorite song? Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

16. Favorite movie? Legally Blonde today

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Oh what a shame, someone played the Uno skip card and I can't answer this question

18. Do you want children? Yes and no

19. Do you want a church wedding? Only if I get to kiss a girl in front of my grandma and my dad officiates

20. Are you religious? Kind of??

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Unfortunately for my parents, yes. I am currently the not-so-proud owner of the Most Hospital Trips in Two Months award in my house

22. Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law? Got the cops called on us a few times because our downstairs neighbors, who knowingly moved into a place with kids btw, were pissed that we acted like kids and ran around a bunch

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Loads, we used to go to conventions a lot. There's pictures and autographs somewhere

24. Baths or showers? Showers

25. What color socks are you wearing? None right now but usually black

26. Have you ever been famous? Nope

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? In theory yes, but unfortunately people suck, so no

28. What type of music do you like? We rotate between multiple genres, pop and goth are the top two

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? I'm not gonna go count

31. What position do you usually sleep in? On my stomach but I can't do that without dying right now and it sucks

32. How big is your house? Please don't make me do math

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Cereal or whatever leftovers sound good

34. Have you ever fired a gun? Yes, I suck at it

35. Have you ever tried archery? Yes, I suck at it

36. Favorite clean word? Dystopia, it sounds pretty

37. Favorite swear word? Damn

38. What's the longest you've ever gone without asleep? Two days

39. Do you have any scars? Yes and literally none of them have a cool story. They're all from me being clumsy

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Nope

41. Are you a good liar? Depends on who I'm talking to

42. Are you a good judge of character? Ehhhh

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I can do a few, they're not the best though

44. Do you have a strong accent? You can tell I'm from America

45. What is your favorite accent? Probably Scottish

46. What is your personality type? Idk

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Probably the Technoblade merch

48. Can you curl your tongue? Yep

49. Are you an innie or an outie? What on earth does this mean

50. Left or right handed? Right

51. Are you scared of spiders? Only when they're touching me, they're okay otherwise

52. Favorite food? Pasta

53. Favorite foreign food? Thai coconut soup

54. Are you a clean or messy person? Both

55. Most used phrase? Probably "what the fuck"

56. Most used word? Funky

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Like five minutes, thirty if I'm doing makeup or hair

58. Do you have much of an ego? Oh yeah

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Both

60. Do you talk to yourself? Yep

61. Do you sing to yourself? Yepyep

62. Are you a good singer? I like to think so but probably not

63. Biggest fear? Drowning

64. Are you a gossip? Nope

65. Best dramatic movie you've seen? Does My Girl Count??

66. Do you like long or short hair? Short hair

67. Can you name all 50 states in America? Nope

68. Favorite school subject? English

69. Extrovert or introvert? Yes

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope

71. What makes you nervous? Everything

72. Are you scared of the dark? Yes

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? I try to sometimes

74. Are you ticklish? Unfortunately

75. Have you ever started a rumor? If I have I wasn't aware of it

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Kinda

77. Have you ever drank underage? Cooking wine and shitty beer are disgusting

78. Have you ever done drugs? Yeppers

79. Who was your first real crush? I have no clue

80. How many piercings do you have? None

81. Can you roll your Rs? In my accent? No. In other accents? Yes

82. How fast can you type? Fast enough it's illegible if I'm not careful

83. How fast can you run? I have no idea

84. What color is your hair? Brown

85. What color are your eyes? Gray

86. What are you allergic to? The medicine they give you for strep throat. I'm not figuring out how to spell that shit

87. Do you keep a journal? Nope, I had to stop because my older sister kept reading my old one

88. What do your parents do? Mother dearest works at Walmart and Dad stays at home

89. Do you like your age? It's alright ig

90. What makes you angry? That is unfortunately a very long list

91. Do you like your own name? It's quite nice

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so, what are they? I have not, we'll cross that bridge if we get to it

93. Do you want a boy or girl child? I quite honestly don't care. A kid is a kid and I'm gonna love them regardless

94. What are your strengths? I'm pretty smart, I guess?? I've been told that I'm pretty good at rationalizing things

95. What are your weaknesses? I am unfortunately a very anxious person. No matter how much logic I use, I can't get over some shit

96. How did you get your name? I was named after a comic book character, my parents just gender bended the name

97. Were your ancestors royalty? I fucking hope not

98. Do you have any scars? I'd just like to point out that this is on here twice and your answer is back at 39

99. Color of your bedspread? Dark blue right now

100. Color of your room? White walls, pink carpet

[writingforatwistedworld]

Okay, how would any dormleader (of your choosing, I guess not kalim since he didn't overblot) react to a MC who dyes their hair a new or different color after or under stressful times. They especially changed haircolor after the dormleaders overblot and the huge fight.

(BTW love your stuff kept it up! 💖💕💘💓💗💘)

Since the EN version has only three overblotting dorm leaders at this point I will only do Riddle, Leona and Azul. (You made the cut anon! Otherwise is would have asked you to choose three if a fourth one had overblotted as well.) I also assume that the reader is in their world. I mean, the story is interesting but I can't imagine someone being extremely stressed if a fight happens in a mobile game. A bit maybe but not so much. Totally different though if you are in the game as well.

Self-aware au

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, obsessive behavior, possessive behavior, stalking, unhealthy relationship, stress, imprisonment, manipulation, isolation

Riddle Rosehearts/Leona Kingscholar/Azul Ashengrotto-Player dyes their hair after their overblot

Where should I start... from the beginning? Ok

So, Riddle was still a bit shaky on his legs from his overblot, busy with recovering...

and then you enter his sight

Why did you dye your hair??!

He liked its natural color so much!

This leads of course to him asking you what made you do that

It's not that he dislikes it but he likes your natural hair so much more

How could he not? You are after all a perfect monarch in his eyes

So you do that every time you get into very stressful situations?

Has he even seen your natural hair color at least once??!

A secret which only you know the answer to...

He feels awful

You dying your hair is your choice and he has nothing against that but this also shows him that you were recently such a situation

And as far as he knows, he is the cause of the last one

Tries to compensate... somehow

But how do you correct things with someone who is above every single being if legends were true

They are very true in his mind. Don't ask me how he connects you, a mouse and jam.

He is weirdly protective/posessive... posective??!

If you want what's happening in a nutshell: he is stalking you without hiding that he is stalking you

I don't even think that he is aware that he is doing this

Children are supposed to pick up what their parents do and repeat it later in life... are you currently the younger him and he is his mom??!

Minus the negative aspect

And the family bonds

*Sigh* it's more like an overprotective helicopter husband looking out for his better half

The sec your eyes wander to the hair dye section in a shop he is immediately in “servant”-mode

Aka nothing stressful happening to you mode

And also no social contact

Just him, himself and him alone

Like this nothing can happen!

And also obsessive about your food, a good way of eating can influence you in a positive way after all

Just tell me when the wedding happens

Oh it's happening against your will? You are joking right? How could that be true whilst he looks so happy and innocent?

Believe it or not, you are the only one he pays close attention to

Leona thinks at first that it's just a choice of yours to change your style

Nothing serious? Back to napping (whilst keeping an attentive half-opened eye at everything you do)

But then a huge test in history is announced and... you spontaneously change your hair color?

Why? Wait... you changed it suspiciously close to his overblot as well...

Leona isn't stupid

Oh no, quite the opposite

So within seconds he counts two and two together and would you look at that?

Your last few seconds of privacy and silence end as well

From that day onward you have a lazy lion as a very observant desk neighbor

And he is also for some reason always in the same place you are after lessons

So much in fact that this can not be simple coincidence anymore

But if I may speak my mind, you have gained a very big house cat

Want to pet his ears? Go ahead.

Touch his tail? It's all yours!

All in private from prying eyes of course

As if you are ever truly alone. Don't forget Rook who is sitting on a tree outside whilst looking through a window

He has been told that his fur can be pretty soft and petting soft things is supposed to be relaxing, right?

Not to mention that like this he can have you all to himself

Leona is more than aware that people are afraid of him which makes them also afraid of you (as long as he is in your presence)

More time for you-and-him time!

But to be honest, behind that admiration is currently a very greedy lion who is happy that you belong to him and him alone

So when you think about changing the color again he immediately knows that something stressful happened

But this is also the last way he finds out that such a situation is occuring

And this tells him that you were somewhere without him outside if your dorm

Leona will not harm you in any way

At least physically

Mentally? He knows the tricks

Oh you are stressed? Is he such a bad person or why are you like that?

Not the best person to be around honestly

He mainly uses this to make sure that he knows when to become manipulative again

What do you mean you haven't left the dorm besides classes for months? Huh, Leona? He is way too lazy to do such a thing so what are you talking about?

Go with this one

The best outcome from those three

Azul knows stressful situations

Which means that he has found ways how to deal with them effectively and what to do if you feel like you

But let's start from the moment when he saw your changed hair color for the first time

Azul is known to be observant

I mean, he has to

Otherwise his not-so-friendly side business (which I bet he hides from his mom) wouldn't be able to survive

(And I might want to add that having a different hair color is pretty easy to see)

He loves it

At least until he finds out why you dyed it

This is the second you realize that Toboso unknowingly gave him the perfect face to throw you those puppet eyes

That is the moment when life becomes really easy for you

Homework? Here are the answers!

Tests? Here is a perfect guide which you only need to remember to get the best grade possible!

But at the same time...

Those strategies he developed to deal with stressful situations are throw out of the window

It's like you two are standing on a scale, whilst Azul takes all your stress you are living the high life

Worst thing is you won't even notice

No one will

But the raw piece of takoyaki (I am so sorry I regretted this joke the moment I typed it) isn't someone who would work for free

No and when will he ever get the chance to gain a favour from you again?

But don't you worry, he won't make you do weird stuff

Just let him manage your daily life

No friends, no contact, only lessons and only him

What he likes most is to wrap around you with his arms

He secretly dreams of doing this with his tentacles but you know... Azuls self-doubts and other problems....

When you ask him if everything is alright he will just smile and say that things are doing well

The truth is he is deeply scared of making you stressed again

He dared to do such a thing to the idol of many (himself included) so the only thing he can do to atone is to make your life as comfortable as possible

He doesn't even notice how much he isolates you

The second he notices that even a strand of your hair is colored differently than the last time he saw it he is inwardly crying and begging for forgiveness

That he dared to do such a thing again...

All I can say is, don't do it. Even if its something like your stress outlet don't

He has a loving family somewhere down that fishbowl, remember that please

But whilst we are at the subject of letting your stress out

Azul is sometimes clearly tired but motivated and relaxed to high heavens

Reason is... Ok it's weird but... he watches you whilst you sleep

Not in a weird way... ok in a weird way but only to relax himself

You always look so calm and as if no worry in the world is pushing you down whilst you sleep

It's kind of his thing to forget all the stressful things he takes on so that you can be happy

Bud oh my, why so desperate to leave his side? Isn't he always nice and takes care of you? Don't let him down. You don't want to be selfish after all. Just hand over your entire existence to him.

[babblydrabbly]

Can't We Be Friends? (TASM!Peter Parker x Reader)

Pairing: The Amazing Spider-Man Peter Parker x Criminal f!Reader Warnings: Language. Canon-typical mentions of injuries/blood. Post-TASM 2. Wordcount: 2k+ Rating: General, Fluff! [ A/N: The quality of my day plummeted and I just needed some pure fluff ; ; Look at that face. First Andrew!Peter fic :) ]

taglist: @reysorigins

You’ve been neighbors across the hallway from Peter Parker for years now, but you’ve concealed your secret identity as a thief for longer. You reintroduce yourselves one night after you find Peter injured, and the revelation is a shock for him. Not so much a shock for you, though.

Peter Parker wakes up underwater.

More specifically, he wakes up to you. Above him. Using both hands to shove him down and keep him under water. Through the distorted ripples, all Peter can register is the mask atop your head, pushed up and out of your eyes. He recognizes it immediately.

Peter releases what little air he has left in a gasp and grabs your wrists. You wrangle him a bit longer until he gets his bearings and shoots up. He overpowers you easily, and you fall back onto your ass, throwing your hands up.

“Hey, hey! You’re alright, you’re okay.” You soothe anxiously. “Just calm down.”

“Calm down!?” He repeats. He pats himself down, looking for the injury that he’d passed out with.

Peter had crawled in through his apartment window less than an hour ago. You had known, because you were waiting for the sound all evening from across the hall. Peter Parker was your neighbor, but more notably, you knew he was Spider-Man. It was how you got away with a lot of your own crimes as of late. As soon as Peter was done with patrol, you seized the moment to go out and have your turn. It made stealing much easier than before- when you had to use distractions and other criminals’ activities to sneak out from under Spider-Man’s radar.

You were never really a priority. There were worse things in this city than a cat burglar. You liked to think you and Spider-Man had built up a rapport over the years.

And you had thrown that all away when Peter didn’t answer your knock. You had heard a bad tumble, then dead silence from the other side of his front door. And when no sound- not even a little came- you quickly picked the lock and broke in. Even in the dark apartment you could see Spider-Man had been injured. You cursed under your breath, hurrying over despite already being dressed in your costume, ready to go.

You had a bad feeling. When you pushed Parker over, you saw the deep wound in his stomach would need more than a few stitches. You didn’t know what color the rug beneath him originally was, but it was red and ruined now. Acting quickly, you grabbed both his arms and dragged him out of the room, looking both ways before you crossed the hall.

You kept a lot of the things you stole. Namely the useful stuff. Your apartment was filled with innocuous little knick knacks with plenty of uses. Grabbing a stone out of the potpourri bowl you kept on the back of the toilet just for emergencies like these, you tossed it into the tub and turned on the water. Once the stopper was in place, you grunted as you lifted Peter unceremoniously into the tub and dropped him into the healing water. It emitted a brillant blue glow at the contact. And as you struggled to get his upper half in, you had to shove up your mask. Maybe you needed to start lifting weights a little more this year.

You were careful to cup the back of his head as you pressed him down into the tub. Then you remembered his mask.

“Fuck it.” You mumbled. Making the executive decision, you yanked it off and tossed it aside. No need to waterboard him while he was down.

He didn’t know you knew about his face, of course. You’d played friendly girl next door when he moved in across the hall for a few years now. It was your own cover, similar to the way Peter used his.

Now the two of you stood face to face, metaphorically speaking, the realization dawning on him.

“You’re– You’re Aswang,” Peter accuses, pointing at the mask on your head. It’s of a rather ugly monster face, with polycarbonate fangs and a tongue sticking out of its mouth. “H-How long have you been Aswang, [Y/n]?”

You sigh, yanking the mask off and tossing it, now that it had no purpose. You shift on the bathroom floor and rest your knees on your elbows to catch your breath. Peter takes a moment to finally look around the room and realizes where you both are. It looks just like his bathroom, but filled with your things. He immediately puts it together— this was your apartment. You really were the criminal thief Aswang, and you had brought him into your apartment to– to–

Peter looks down quizzically at the small pool of water he’s still sitting in. He ran his hands over the lip of the porcelain tub as he observed the faint blue glow coming from underneath him, now fading away. He reaches down into the water and yanks up a small, porous stone, about the size of his palm. As soon as he removes it from the water, the glow stops.

“The… whole time?” You finally say dumbly, unsure how to go about all this. Peter was really the only masked super you really knew. Kind of knew.

He looks back at you. “And you knew about me.”

You shrug, wincing as you stand up at the cold feeling of your  costume clinging to your body. Gross. Peter watches you reach up and grab a guest towel from the rack above the cabinet and take a seat at the edge of the tub.

“How long have you known?” He asks you, his eyes boring into yours. He reaches up and stills your hand as you move to him with the towel– like he doesn’t trust you. Which is fair enough.

You drop your hand in your lap.

“After I slipped away from you at the MOMA a few months ago.” You don’t know why you admit it, but you might as well now. “I made it all the way back home, thinking I’d lost your tail. I was changing, out back by the dumpsters when I heard you land on the fire escape.”

You chuckle to yourself. For some reason, it coaxes a small smile out of Peter too. Your heart flutters a little at the sight. He was always polite- maybe even a little awkward around you whenever you passed him in the hall. But here, half exhausted and half intrigued by your story, you avert your gaze from this more daring Peter’s attention for a moment. When you look back up you raise the towel again, and Peter stays still as he lets you wipe off his damp face carefully.

“I thought you’d found me.” You smile. “But then you crawled into Peter Parker’s window and I thought ‘no way’. There’s no way Peter across the hall is Spider-Man.”

He breaks out into a grin, his brown eyes crinkling with amusement.

“And, um, admittedly. I went over while you were gone one day and I may have snuck a peek into your apartment?” You cringed.

Peter laughs, “That’s what I get for living next to a cat burglar all this time.”

“I didn’t take anything, I swear.” You say, putting your other hand over your heart. “I just opened the closet and every drawer and looked under every single piece of furniture and maybe lifted a few loose floorboards until I found your costume. Just to confirm.”

You burst into laughter as his eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, well if that’s all.” He snorts.

His head dips forward a little as you bring the towel up to his hair, running it over his brown locks a few times. Peter’s eyes flutter shut at the gesture. And if he flushes a little when he lets out a hum from underneath the soft pink towel, you don’t say anything about it.

But you do pause, pulling it away to get a look at the cut on his chin that’s all healed up nicely. There’s a scar– the artifact still left scars– but already, that paired with what you assumed were his natural healing abilities had left it almost invisible now. You hope it was the same for the wound on his abdomen.

“When I saw you on the floor…” You start again. “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Well, you’re the bigger man. Woman. I, uh– It’s not enough you haven’t told anyone about me. You had to go and save my life now too.”

You scrunch your face up, “Why would I tell anyone about you?”

He shrugged, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth thoughtfully. “We’re– kind of– adversaries, aren’t we? Are we?” Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t sound so sure. “You break into buildings, I almost catch you, etcetera.”

“Well, shit, Parker, you expect me to blackmail you or something?” You say, shoving at him. “...You’re a good guy, Peter. You do a lot for so many people, and you’re living here, in this shitty three-story walk up with the likes of me. I’m not a snitch, you know. I know the risk when I mask up out there.”

The thought is refreshing to him as he realizes– never once did you hurt anyone on your nightly outings. You were in and out of buildings without much fanfare. The few times he’s ever caught you in the act, you escaped through cunning, not threats or civilians, every time.

“Plus, you’re a pretty good neighbor, and I’ve had some annoying ones.” You continue. “At least you bother helping me bring all my laundry down.”

The man grinned. “I wouldn’t need to help you with so many clothes if you did your laundry more than every other month.”

Peter yelps as you press down on his shoulders, his voice cut off into a garble as you dunk his head under the water. He comes back up with another gasp, wiping the water from his freshly wetted face. “Hey!”

“There you go. I think that’ll heal you all up now.” You say smugly. It’s your turn to yelp when you feel him flick some of the water back at you. “Hey! Hey, water stays in the crucible!”

He’s laughing so hard he has to hold his stomach. “Crucible??”

“The– tub. The vessel. The stone needs a crucible.” You explain.

“It’s a bathtub.”

“It’s my crucible and it saved your life. You’re welcome.”

“Huh. What is this? Pretty nifty.” He says, tossing the stone in the air and catching it lightly. When he does it again, you shoot your hand out and snatch before he can with a grin.

“It’s a healing stone. Volcanic rock, from the Philippines. It’s from the same province as my family, actually.” You don’t know why you babble. It might have something to do with the fact that you never get to tell anyone about all the cool shit you steal. “There’s a couple still floating around the United States. I’ve sent most of them back to the Philippines after… you know, relieving our local museums of them. But I keep this one for myself. ‘Case I get hurt out there, sometimes, y’know?”

“Tell me about it.” Peter huffs. And it’s your turn to laugh. You blush when you let out a snort, and clamp a hand over your mouth, but Peter seems to delight in the sound.

“I’m… kinda glad you’re a thief?” He says- asks? Like he’s not sure a superhero should be saying it. You watch as he reaches behind him to pop the plug on the drain, giving you a view of his abdomen and lower half. Through the pinkish water and torn costume, you see with relief that his skin has healed over, the wound underneath no longer causing him any pain.

You quickly look away when you catch yourself lingering on the muscular ridges of his abdomen and the faintest trail of hair leading down his body, disappearing back into his blue tights. Clearing your throat, you stand up. You don’t notice the way Peter watches you in return, biting his bottom lip momentarily again at the dazed look on your face.

“Well, I am glad you’re not dead.” You state stiffly. You fold up the towel and toss it into the hamper behind you. “And if you’re ever hurt badly again, feel free to utilize my handy crucible.”

“Bathtub.” “Listen, Parker.”

“Okay, alright,” He laughs, “I will. I- thank you, [Y/n].”

You offer him your hand and help him to his feet. He looks apologetic as he steps out onto your bathroom rug, his costume dripping wet onto the floor. You wave it off.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” You repeat quietly. At his full height, you have to look up at him as Peter levels you with a soft smile.

“Thanks to you.” He murmurs. You feel a pleasant shiver run up your spine at his sincerity. Then, after a moment, “And your magic bathtub.”

“Out. Banned. Goodbye.”

“I’m gonna figure out how that stone works.” He declares as you shove him toward your front door. He drags his feet until you reach the door, where he clings to the frame with what you know is spider-like ease. “And I’m gonna google ‘crucibles’.”

“Forget what I said, about the coming over anytime.”

He spins around, clearly all healed up now. You cross your arms to aim an annoyed look up at him, but the megawatt smile you’re met with leaves you forgetting why you should be mad.

“You sure?” He prods.

You swallow, flushing again. You recover and quickly roll your eyes.

“Fine. But I’d rather you didn’t get hurt like that again.”

That sweet, soft expression returns. And if this boy next door really does want to be friends, masks and illegal activities aside… Something inside your chest thumps harder than before as Peter pushes off the door frame and steps back into the hall. He checks down the stairs to make sure the coast is clear before slipping into his own apartment. He pauses, and the two of you stand there, taking the other in.

“I was… thinking about ordering a pizza.” He suddenly says, shrugging. “What d’you think?”

You snort again and cross the short distance to his door, and Peter doesn’t hesitate to push it open for you.

“Fine. But no olives. I hate olives.”

[sambvcks]

crawl home to her, b.b. x reader

chapter one // body’s working on empty

summary: bucky isn’t as receptive to this new life of his as everyone had hoped. he’s cold, sharp-tongued, and closed off. except to the tenant across the hallway from him, who always wears pajamas and bakes a dozen too many of his favorite cookies

warnings: food, nothing too bad this chapter!

word count: 1.5k-ish

author’s note: i thought my marvel phase ended five years ago...here we are again. i haven’t written in awhile so please be kind! title and chapter titles taken from hozier’s ‘work song’.

[ read on ao3 | series masterlist | inbox | join my taglist! ]

[ NEXT ]

Five minutes into their first session, Bucky decided he was going to make Dr. Raynor’s job as difficult as he possibly could.

It wouldn’t be an impossible task, seeing how this whole ordeal depended on him opening up and talking, two things that he had abandoned decades ago. Her unwavering stare was nothing more than a challenge, these fifty-minute sessions once a week were nothing more than a slight inconvenience to his lackluster day to day routine. He would play along, do whatever exercises she asked, and feign stability until he never had to see her again.

“Since this is our first session together, we’ll take it easy.” She promised with a forced upturn of her lips before whipping out her notebook.

Suddenly, it felt like he was encased in bulletproof glass in Berlin again. He remembered that the last time he had been forced into receiving psychiatric help, it hadn’t exactly gone to plan. His chin fell to his chest, hands wringing together as he thought of any excuse to request a different doctor. 

“Let’s begin.”

It was already getting too hot to wear leather gloves and his heavy jacket. New York’s heatwave was supposed to be the highest on record this year and while kids popped open fire hydrants in the street, Bucky would be settled on the hardwood floor in the back corner of his apartment, waiting.

Waiting for what, he wasn’t quite sure.

It was a fairly nice apartment, newly renovated and practically barren. Government issued and funded, of course, and he had spent the first night pulling the furniture from the walls to the center of the room in search of bugs and cameras. He found thirty-four, destroyed them under a rolling pin, and they hadn’t come to replace them. Message received.

The one thing he really liked about the apartment building were his neighbors. The price tag for a one bedroom was substantial to say the least and only older couples could really afford it. No children, no dogs, no outsiders. The only break from his undisturbed routine would be occasionally helping Mrs. Johnson down the hall carry her groceries as she struggled to get the door unlocked with her brittle hands.

They affectionately called him James and the older women were quick to get a hold of his arms, saying things like “They don’t make them like you anymore, James!”. He swallowed the bile prickling at the back of his throat as he nodded, and they moved on to telling him about their single granddaughters.

It was almost nice, his routine. Almost.

Outside of those small encounters, he spent most of his waking hours jogging in the park and cooking the same three meals. He had his appointment every Wednesday with Dr. Raynor, but that was it. He’d take two trains back to his apartment and wouldn’t emerge again until he needed groceries two days later.

It was when he was returning from one of his biweekly grocery trips, a paper bag settled on his hips, that he spotted you outside his door.

He stilled in the hallway, taking a quick step back to peek around the corner without being spotted. His breath stalled, his ears picking up your soft humming and the crinkle of plastic as you set a bundle of cookies at his doorstep, the only one without a mat. His eyes flicked to the other doors, where identical bags of cookies sat propped up, tied with blood red ribbons.

His shoulders relaxed. No threat.

The bottom of his grocery bag suddenly gave way, fruit rolling in every direction. Bucky fell to his knees, glove clad hands snatching up everything he could reach as quickly as he could manage. You were faster, though, and scooped up a plum that had rolled your way, offering it over as he tried to balance the rest of his groceries in his arms.

“Thanks.” He was quick to sweep past you, hand digging in his pockets for his key.

“James, right? Ms. Robinson downstairs is like, in love with you.”

“Yeah, but, uh-“ Dr. Raynor’s instructions from their last session rang in his head, as much as he tried to tune her out: make connections. “You can call me Bucky.” He cleared his throat. “And Mrs. Robinson is far too good for me.”

“Bucky it is then.” You trailed him down the hallway, “Y/N.”

Bucky tried to sneak a glance at you from the corner of his eyes, which was harder to inconspicuously do now that he had gotten a haircut and couldn’t hide his wandering eyes behind long tresses. Young was Bucky’s first thought. much younger than the other renters in the building. Bright was next, followed by much too smiley for a Tuesday morning.

Pretty, he admitted as he turned his back to unlock his door. Maybe in another life he would have lingered in the hall, his so-called effortless charm seeping through as you swooned at the very thought of a date with James Buchanan Barnes. But that life was long gone, and instead he rushed to retreat.

“Oh, don’t forget these.” You swooped down to collect the bundle of cookies you had left at his door, handing them to the hand that wasn’t delicately balancing the pile of groceries he still held against his impossibly broad shoulders. “Oatmeal raisin, super-secret family recipe.”

He was back in the doorway of his ma’s kitchen, watching his little sister balance on a wobbling stool as she struggled to crack and egg with her little fingers. He can so distinctly see the pale green of the cabinets, remember the fight his parents had when she begged for that shade of green while his dad had wanted white. Of course, she won.

“These are your brother’s favorite.” His ma whispered to his sister; her flour covered hands reaching for the age faded index card with their grandmother’s script detailing the ingredients. “Our family’s recipe. One day, you will make these for your children. And your children’s children.”

Rebecca, still so young and with a hatred for smelly boys deep in her bones, giggled at the mere thought as her fingers fished out the bits of eggshell that snuck their way into the bowl. She wiped it away on the spare apron tied twice around her waist, much too big for her. 

Bucky would never see her grow into it. He would be drafted only a few months later.

In the meantime, he would bundle half a dozen of them in a tea towel and split them with Steve on the walk to the movie theater. Steve would begrudgingly admit that Buck’s ma made the best cookies, but his made the best brisket. They’d sneak in through the back door and do it all again the next weekend, until they ran out of weekends together.

“Oatmeal raisin are my favorite.” He admitted, accepting your offering like a stray cat does to the first scrap of food from a stranger.

“I think you’re the only person under the age on one hundred to ever say that.” You teased, backing away to the door adjacent to his, “Anyway, don’t tell me things like that. I’m a stress baker and with finals coming up…” You winced at the image of the dozens of batches you would surely be whipping up in the coming weeks.

“Finals?”

“Law school, one semester left.” You fished your own keys from your back pocket. Bucky barely held in the scoff at the shiny Spider-Man keychain that dangled from your fingers. “You?”

“Oh, no. I haven’t been in school in what feels like…a century.”

“Well, I’m all alone here and as much as I would love to, I can’t eat everything that I bake. So, expect a few dozen muffins and cookies every few days.”

“No arguing from me, doll.”

You both lingered in the small hallway, only a few steps apart, each leaning against your respective doors. Keys in each hand, with no intention of using them any time soon.

“Law school, you said? How do you afford a place like this?” Bucky was sure he was the only recently pardoned fugitive under this room.

“Well, this used to be my grandma’s apartment and it was handed down to me in a maybe no so legal way. If the landlord asks, I’m an eighty-year-old woman who doesn’t know how to work her answering machine.”

He huffed a laugh, mostly because that wasn’t particularly far from how he felt with today’s tech. The flip phone that Dr. Raynor had described as archaic sat heavy in his back pocket with only three names programed into his contacts. Don’t get him started on his television.

“Nice to meet you, Bucky.”

With that, you each stepping into your respective apartments. Bucky stalled at his door for a moment, listening as you locked and dead bolted your door behind you. He sighed, dumping his half-ruined groceries on his barren kitchen island.

The next day, he’d have another appointment with Dr. Raynor. This time when he’d say I’m trying, as he did each week, it wouldn’t be a complete lie. His phone buzzed in his back pocket.

2 New Messages

From: Sam

You coming up this weekend?

Don’t ignore me this time. He’s getting worse, Buck.

[nanamisflowerfield]

Hi! Um, you are taking requests currently, right? If so, may I request a scenario with Nachi (ARR) and this prompt: "I really like you… Huh? Why are you so shocked?!" Thank you!

Thanks for the request!~ I hope that you like it and have a great day!💕

"I really like you… Huh? Why are you so shocked?!"

It was never a secret that a certain someone was in love with you, but you, the most oblivious person on earth haven’t realized it yet and Nachi, your dear friend that you knew for a long time had enough of it. He had to change your view of sight and make you realize that he sees you more than just a friend.

But how exactly could one demon do this…?

Some might think that the answer was easy, but for the cat-like demon it surely wasn’t. Whenever he tried to confess his feelings to you, he couldn’t utter out any word and would stand in front of you, making you think that he was spacing out, but the poor guy was actually panicking internally and screaming at himself for not confessing already.

Not knowing how he should do it; he asked nearby neighbors for help and often got the same ideas day after day. Perhaps it might help him with his current situation.

Plan number one: Gifting you your favorite flowers.

“Oh my, they are beautiful.” You mumbled, picking up the bright and colorful bouquet into your hands to gaze at them. “But who would put them in front of the door?” You asked yourself, trying to figure out, but luck wasn’t on your side, as you couldn’t find any card or advice. Shrugging your shoulders, you walked with the bouquet into your living room, smiling at the flowers.

While Nachi slapped his palm on his forehead. “I forgot the card….”

Plan number two: A date in a restaurant.

That couldn’t go wrong, right? Well, luck seemed to hate Nachi. “(Y/N), do you maybe want to go to that nice restaurant down the street?” He smiled at you, his tail flicking to the left and right, hoping for you to accept his invitation. “Oh, I would love to.” The corner of your lips turned up, making his stomach feel so weird, as if thousands of butterflies stormed inside of him. “We could also ask our friends to join us! They would love to go with us, I think!”

Sighing, Nachi followed you, cursing every friend of yours that you invited to the restaurant.

Plan number three: A love letter.

It might be not so creative, but Nachi still tried to write everything he felt for you into his letter. You should read all his emotions in there, making you realize how much in love he truly was!

But like every other plan of his, this one wasn’t a success either, as you read the letter, smiling at Nachi with one sweetish smile gracing your lips. “Aw, I like you too, Nachi. You are a great friend!”

Were you truly that oblivious?

“How should I confess…?” He whispered to himself, staring at your peaceful face, while you rest on his lap tiredly. “You are so oblivious…” He continues, softly tracing his fingertips on your cheek. “You are so cute, even now, while you sleep…” A soft chuckle left his mouth, before he talked more. “I really like you… Huh?”

Nachi’s yellow eyes widen as he saw your shocked face, staring at each other. A blush colored your face, making him feel gushy. “Why are you so shocked?!” He asked out loud, surprising you even more. Wait, have you maybe not sleeping? Were you listening?

Now the demon gazed away, hoping that you finally stopped being so damn oblivious or maybe not even realize what he had told you a second ago, afraid that you might reject him.

“Oh, Nachi… I like you too.” Your hand cupped his cheek as you smiled at each other. “Really?” He asked unsure. “Really.”

[iwishicanbeagoodpianist]

the Wifilcon and the Winter Router

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC/Reader Summary: When Bucky learns that his neighbor has been stealing his wifi for months. Warnings: None A/N: I'm not a fanfic writer at all, this, like all my stories, are adaptations to fanfics. My original stories are not written in english, so this is also a translation. please do not repost my work

For an instant, Bucky thought that the knocking he was hearing was coming directly from his head, I mean, it wouldn't be the first time his mind played tricks on him, but he realized that the sound was actually coming, unluckily for him, from his apartment door. Oh no no no no no no no, I just got back from putting up with Sam for almost 6 full weeks, I don't need interaction with more people for now.

Bucky thought for a minute to ignore the sound, to wait for the person to give up and leave, anyway he didn't spend many days on this apartment, almost no one had seen him leave or enter the building and he had no contact with the neighbors, only with the lady on the 7th floor who once lost one of her cats, which ended up in Bucky's apartment, accidentally. Not that I found the cat in the alley and actually brought him to my apartment, it doesn't mean that I stole the cat, he was in the street by himself, I rescued him.

When the banging on the door stopped and Bucky thought he could breathe calmly again, a voice between altered and annoyed was heard all the way to the living room where he was sitting trying to overcome his third panic attack and fourth existential crisis of the day .

-"I know you're in there! I saw you coming in a few hours ago! I've been waiting for days for you to come back!"-

More out of instinct than anything else, Bucky pulled out the knife hidden in his right boot as he slowly backed away from the door. Do I really have a spy as a neighbor? Should I call Sam? Is he in danger too? Never mind now, you need an escape route Bucky, concentrate, third floor, window to the alley, 2 minutes max, the bike is parked far away, I'll have to run, but to where, rendezvous point, safe place, think....

- "for God's sake, open the door, I need you to pay for your fucking internet plan, I'm in the last season of my series and I need to know if Carolina died or not!"-

- "The internet?"- Between the andrenaline from escaping and the shock of not understanding what was happening Bucky spoke louder than an assassin, with over 60 years of experience, should have spoken. Oh, shoot.

-"Yes! Your wifi, I need it to finish watching my series"-

Whispering "wifi" to himself, Bucky tries to remember where he has heard that word before, this is what I get for never listening to Sam when he talks to me. But before he can continue his mental analysis of all the conversations with Sam about such stupid things as his favorite American Football team, the New Orleans Saints, that I remember, to how Antonio could possibly leave María on the last episode of the 6 o'clock telenovela of which Sam is a fan, his apparent "neighbor" spoke up again:

-"Jesus Christ, can you open the door? So we can resolve this like adults"-

Bucky resigned to the fact that he has given his position to the "enemy", walks to the door and opens it waiting for his death. Well at least if I die I won't have to listen to Sam again talking about Antonio and María. But on the other side of the door, there was a woman, who in her pajamas, very unthreatening but cute, was watching him as if he were a ghost but still with defiance in her eyes, in one breath she introduced herself and continued her speech about her complaint to Bucky:

-"As I was saying, I need you to pay for your internet"-

-"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean"- mumbled Bucky.

- "Good Lord"- To Bucky's surprise his neighbor, pushes him and enters his home, well not so much a home home, more like the headquarters of his secret club, of which he is the president, vice president and only member, the point is that it is his place, where he can (and wants to be alone), as she lives here. This must be a dream, maybe I hit my head too hard in the last mission and I am unconscious in the hospital.

Crossing the room, Bucky's unwanted visitor looks around searching for something while whispering the words "I see you are quite minimalist, but maybe this is too much, someone urgently needs to look for some inspiration on Pinterest". She stops abruptly in front of the shelf where, in theory, a TV should go, while shouting: "EUREKA", she bends down and picks up a white device which has two antennas and like a million little blinking lights, damn, that looks like something out of a spaceship, I'm being watched by aliens? I'm being spied on by Kree?

-"This is your router, this is where the internet signal comes from, which I need you to pay for so I can finish watching my series"-.

Bucky, still in shock for the third time in less than 15 minutes, as he processes the idea that perhaps Thanos' unknowing twin is spying on him for a second invasion of earth and revenge for his brother's death. He can only nod to his now more relaxed and happy neighbor.

-"Perfect, thanks! I need to check the food I left in the oven, I'll talk to you later"- and as quickly as she came she left through the same door, leaving Bucky with more doubts than answers, peeking down the hallway, he realizes that she is the neighbor who lives next door, to his right. When Bucky comes out of his initial stupor, still not fully understanding what is going on, he decides to take his cell phone out of his pocket and call his own personal Google to solve his doubts about this century: Sam Wilson.

-"Hey Buck! What's up?"-how does he always manage to sound so happy? focus Buck.

-"What the hell is a router and why do I have one in my house?"- somehow Bucky manages to formulate, although maybe his voice cracked a little on the last words.

-"That thing's been there for at least two months and you didn't even notice it? Have you even paid the bill?"-

-"You put this in here? Without telling me????"- maybe Sam is also a Kree? Who can I trust now? It's all a trap?

Listening to Bucky's accelerated breathing, Sam tries to explain to him slowly, that in this century life without internet is not life, but obviously as Bucky does not even know how to set the alarm on his own cell phone, he was in charge of buying the router and creating the contract with the company so that, the 106 year old man could have his personal network at home. He had given it the name but he had not given it a password so that Bucky himself could set it up later. "I am an excellent friend, I mean co-worker, if I may say so"

-"Sorry man, after all that happened, we got called for a mission and I forgot to tell you, do you have your laptop over there? I'll help you set up a password, so your neighbors won't steal your internet anymore"- and with that comment everything started to make sense in Bucky's slightly screwed up but functional mind about the events with his seemingly non-spy and harmless neighbor.

Meanwhile Bucky was trying to remember his own password to unlock the laptop in front of him, also courtesy of Sam. "Bucky, when you learn about online banking and that you can pay your rent, electricity, phone and everything with a click of your computer, you will thank me". It should be noted that Bucky hasn't used that laptop once, like a good 100 year old grandpa he goes to the bank to make his deposits and pay his debts, which obviously consisted only of electricity, water, gas and phone because the man had no idea that there was a device in his house that spit out internet, apparently only his next door neighbor knew this. Buck tells Sam how he thought his router was an alien device and how he thought his neighbor was a KGB agent coming to kill him. "Relax Buck we all have undesirable neighbors that steal our internet signal sometimes", well undesirable is not the word I would use to describe her but ok.

When Sam finally explains to him how to connect his computer to the internet, Bucky can finally see the name that his wonderful co-worker, not friend, because he could never be friends with someone so stupid as to think that the name "THE WIFILCON AND THE WINTER ROUTER" was a good name.

- "my god Sam, you're such an asshole!"-

-"HEY! That's a great name!"- Sam responds with as much indignation as possible, he's the best at naming everything from dogs to wifis.

- "I can't believe you're Captain America, I can't believe we're even friends"- Bucky really can't understand his luck to have friends, well, co-workers whatever.

- "Well excuse me but we're co-workers..."-

- "Well, take this call as my formal resignation, bye"-

-"Wait a minute Buck..."- Bucky ended the call, to finish -his self-imposed- punishment of listening to Sam Wilson talk for over an hour. At least I asked him how to use the bank's website to pay for the internet. Suddenly, without warning and without explanation, the memory of his neighbor is lodged in his head, her hair in a ponytail, her reading glasses, pink shorts, her sweater from some university of which he can't even remember the name because he was watching out for other things... that she wouldn't kill me obviously, he was watching out that she wouldn't pull a knife out of her back and kill me right there. The message on his laptop indicating that he can now set a new name and password to his wifi distracts him enough to stop thinking about his sweet and cute non-spy neighbor and how she would look with her hair down and her glasses off.

Still with the sweet feeling in his chest and the desire to see her again he writes as the new name of the wifi, while laughing:

"If you want free internet, you owe me at least one free dinner"

After paying the internet debt and closing the laptop, Bucky gets up hoping to find something edible in the kitchen, while leaning over to look inside his fridge and analyzing how bad it would be to eat a fried egg with pasta and sriracha, he hears again a knock on the door, but this time it does not cause Bucky the anguish and anxiety that caused him the first time, but quite the opposite.

-"Open the door Winter Router! I prepared chicken pot pie for dinner"-.

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

Make A Scene

AMHL – Masterlist

Dick immediately noticed when Y/N started getting quieter and quieter as they got closer and closer to the venue.

Bruce had hired a driver to pick them up from their apartment in Gotham. And the car had gone quiet now. 

Dick reached over to gently hold her hand.

“Nervous?” He asked.

Y/N shrugged, not really seeing the point in trying to lie to her boyfriend.

“This isn’t your first rodeo, ya know.”

She gave him a look. “You know that wasn’t the same.” Her eyes flickered to the driver. “I wasn’t exactly…myself. And I wasn’t your girlfriend.”

Also, tonight they didn’t have the security and comfort of being at Wayne Manor.

No, instead this particular event was being held at the ballroom of Gotham’s most extravagant five-star hotel. It was a party for Wayne Enterprises, not a personal charity or party of the Wayne family.

Bruce had kindly asked Dick and Y/N to attend when board members and business partners started asking if the whole family would be attending. Jason hadn’t answered anyone’s calls or texts about it. None of them expected him to show up. Tim had to attend since he worked for Wayne Enterprises. And Damian…Well, Damian was his father’s son and not yet an adult. He basically had to do whatever Bruce asked of him while he lived under his roof.

“I’m not gonna leave your side,” Dick promised.

He squeezed her hand to further emphasize it.

Their car pulled up to the carpet at the bottom of the stairs.

There had to be a hundred journalists and photographers, along with random civilians who had nothing better to do than to see Gotham’s elite get out of cars and walk into a hotel.

Dick took in a deep breath.

Thankfully the car’s windows were tinted and protected them from any onlookers.

“Ready?” He asked her.

She nodded.

Dick opened the door and ignored the screams and flashes as he carefully helped Y/N out of the car with his offered hand. He also shielded her from the photographers to give her a moment to get out and adjust herself before they could capture any photos of her.

“Mr. Grayson! Mr. Grayson! Who is your mystery girlfriend?” Someone yelled.

Sometimes Y/N forgot that Dick was somewhat of a celebrity in Gotham City through association.

It wasn’t like people were asking for selfies everywhere he went. Or that the paparazzi were following his every move.

But in Gotham, people took note of where Dick Grayson went and who he was with.

And everyone noticed he’d had the same woman on his arm for quite some time now.

Even though Y/N and Dick had been dating for over a year, the media still couldn’t figure out Y/N’s identity. 

What they didn’t realize was that she controlled every single piece of information about herself that lived on the internet.

They didn’t stand a chance. 

Dick smiled and waved at people who called his name. But his hand other hand never left Y/N’s as he helped her up the stairs.

“Who are you wearing?” A female journalist yelled at Y/N.

She ignored them and focused on getting up the stairs without tripping and face planting. Not that Dick would ever let that happen.

However, she knew her outfit was going to draw gazes.

Y/N had made a promise to herself that if she was going to be forced to attend events like this with Dick, then she was going make a statement. People were already going to be staring at her, so she figured she might as well give them something good to stare at.

Instead of wearing a typical cocktail and formal dress, Y/N wore a full men’s suit that was tailored to perfection, but with the bowtie undone. It was what the fashion magazines would describe as “androgynous” in the press tomorrow morning.

Y/N wanted to control her own narrative. And she’d rather be judged for her bold decisions than just her trying to blend in.

Bruce insisted on paying for all the boys’ date’s dresses – in this case, suit – if they happened to bring one. He always thought it was more of an incentive for them to attend these terrible events if he encouraged them to bring significant others. And the press always had a field day with it, which only helped throw people of their trail when it came to their secret lives as vigilantes.

Everyone kept screaming Dick’s name as they walked in, and Y/N wondered how he got so good at smiling through the chaos and ignoring them.

Once they were inside, Dick felt the tension leave Y/N’s body a bit.

“Alcohol?” He offered with a smirk.

“Yes, please.”

He nodded, knowing it was exactly what she needed.

Quickly, he grabbed two champagne flutes off a passing waiter.

They clinked glasses.

Then he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Thank you for being my date.”

Y/N smiled at his sincerity.

Dick sighed before he threw back the champagne, “The quicker we find Bruce and prove we were here, the sooner we can leave.”

“Try not to sound so excited,” she laughed darkly.

Suddenly felt a small human wrap around her thighs.

Y/N gasped in excitement, “Dami!”

Dick smiled as he looked down at his 10-year-old brother hugging his girlfriend.

“Dick gave me the drawing you made for us. It’s so beautiful. I’m trying to find the perfect frame for it,” she told the boy.

Damian beamed with pride at that.

Suddenly the boy started asking a million questions about Stoker, one of his kittens that he’d given to them to take care of when Bruce gave a limit to how many cats Damian was allowed to have in the manor.

Then, to Dick’s shock, he saw Jason slowly walk over to them with his hands in his pant pockets.

He was not at all dressed nice enough for the event. No suit jacket. No tie. His white button-up shirt wrinkled, messily tucked into his pants, and with two many buttons undone. The sloppiness of it all clearly wasn’t an issue with the women, seeing as all of them were ogling Jason.

“Todd,” Damian greeted coldly, pausing his conversation with Y/N, who whipped around at the name.

“Hey, you,” Y/N smiled as she went to greet him.

Jason gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

“I really didn’t think you were coming,” Dick told his brother.

“Well, I wasn’t. But I got a business engagement.”

Y/N and Dick shared a confused look.

“What do you mean?” Dick asked.

“I found my neighbor crying on her fire escape a few nights ago. Apparently… one of the finance bros of Wayne fucking Enterprises was everything but a gentleman to her.”

Y/N’s eyes widened in realization. “J, I already took care of that.”

“I know,” Jason nodded as his eyes scanned the room. He was clearly on a personal mission tonight. “You deleted the evidence. I am teaching him a lesson.”

Dick slowly put together what they were implying.

“Oh, please don’t make a scene, Jason.” Dick begged him.

Because he knew Bruce wouldn’t be dealing with the aftermath; it would be him.

“Don’t worry!” Jason laughed. "I’m gonna take him outside before I beat the shit out of him. No one here will even notice. It’ll be fine,” Jason assured him as he gave Dick a far too heavy slap on the back.

“Just tell Bruce and he’ll get him fired,” Dick tried to convince him to take the less violent route.

“Oh, we already did,” Y/N muttered.

Dick’s gaze shot to his girlfriend.

“He’s getting fired on Monday,” she clarified sheepishly.

“Since when do the two of you work together behind my back?” Dick accused them.

But he wasn’t actually mad about anything – maybe just a little bit bitter.

Jason opened his mouth.

“I swear to God, Jason, if you say ‘club business,’ I will lose it…” Dick warned.

Y/N tried to hide her smile.

“Got him,” Jason growled as he glared at someone on the other side of the room.

As soon as he left them, Dick gave Y/N his full attention.

“Seriously?” He accused.

“I’m sorry! He asked me for a favor and I was happy to do it once I realized what it was,” Y/N defended.

Dick pouted a little. Mostly because he hated being left out.

“Don’t worry, ya big baby. I’m still your ‘guy in the chair’ and no one else’s,” she teased before giving him a kiss, immediately wiping the lipstick off his lips.

“How come Jason gets to beat up people at events like this, but I’m expected to behave like a well-trained dog?” Damian mumbled.

Dick sighed and shook his head.

“Jason likes to think he’s a lone wolf who doesn’t have to play by the rules,” Y/N tried to comfort the boy.

To distract Damian from getting further into how unfair it was, Y/N asked him to show her more of his drawings.

This seemed to please Damian and he pulled his phone out, flipping through photos and showing Y/N his recent sketches.

With Y/N being entertained by his youngest brother, Dick decided to go to the bar and get the two of them a stronger drink and maybe get a kiddie cocktail for Damian. He’d pretend to be patronized and annoyed by it, but Dick knew better.

He patiently waited for the bartender’s attention. 

“So Gotham’s Golden Boy really has returned…” a husky voice uttered beside him at the bar.

Dick glanced over to see a beautiful woman close to his age eyeing him.

It was clear what she wanted. Dick used tactics like this on countless missions.

“So I have,” he answered.

He was polite, but distant.

Women hitting on him at events like this was nothing new. To Gotham, Dick Grayson was a Bruce Wayne 2.0 – younger, just as charming and handsome as his mentor and stand-in father figure. 

Dick knew how to play the game. But he never had any interest in casual relationships like Bruce did.

“Back for good?” The woman persisted.

“My girlfriend and I are just in town for a few weeks,” he answered before ordering his drinks with the bartender finally.

“Oh, brought up the girlfriend rather quickly,” she laughed.

Dick quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s just…my friends and I had a bet going.”

Then she pointed to a group of three young women, who were giggling and smiling, not even trying to pretend like they weren’t watching them closely.

“Oh, yeah?” Dick asked, already tired of this conversation.

--

Jason had already rejoined Y/N and Damian.

Y/N looked down to see his knuckles red with irritation and bruised.

“Please tell me there’s not a corpse in the alley behind this hotel now…” Y/N sighed.

“No,” Jason answered coldly. “Though there fucking should be.”

“What did he do?” Damian asked curiously, clearly he hadn’t been listening to their earlier conversation that closely.

Y/N shifted her weight in discomfort, not sure how to handle the subject with the boy. Yes, Damian was far more mature than many grown men, but he was still just a kid. There were some things Y/N felt like they should at least try to protect him from still. 

“He got my neighbor too drunk to consent, filmed them having sex without her knowing it, and then showed it to a bunch of people at their work,” Jason answered bluntly.

Damian’s brow furrowed, clearly thinking long and hard about what his brother just told him.

After a moment, the boy perked up, “I know where we could hide the body so even father won’t find out.”

“Damian!” Y/N scolded.

But Jason was beaming.

Y/N looked around for Dick, hoping to find another sane person to stop the two boys from actually murdering anyone tonight.

But when she finally spotted him, she saw a woman standing far too close to Dick and pointing to a group of girls who flirtatiously waved and winked at both of them.

“Real cute,” Y/N muttered to herself.

“Vultures,” Damian growled as he followed her gaze.

“Jason, if I leave you alone with Damian, are you going to kill someone?” She asked without taking her eyes off her boyfriend.

“I don’t need to be watched,” Damian groaned.

“No, I need you to watch Jason to make sure he doesn’t change his mind about keeping that asshole alive.”

“Fine,” Damian whined.

Without any further confirmation, Y/N left them. 

She walked across the party on a mission, never taking her stare off of her boyfriend.

Dick did a double take when he noticed her heading towards him.

“Hey,” he greeted innocently.

Because he was innocent. All he’d done was be polite to a bunch of women who were after him for his name…and maybe his good looks.

“I was wondering where my drink was,” Y/N said with a surprising calmness and smile.

Then she turned to the woman. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N. You must be a friend of Dick’s.” 

She held her hand out.

No cattiness. No rudeness.

Y/N said it with the same kindness that drunk women having with other drunk women in bar bathrooms.

“Oh…I’m Irina,” the woman stuttered as she took Y/N’s offered hand, clearly confused by Y/N’s niceness.

Dick held out her drink.

Y/N took it, quickly clinked her glass with both Dick and Irina.

“Cheers,” she sang before tossing it back and chugging the drink that was meant to be slowly sipped.

Dick didn’t know what game his girlfriend was playing, but he was intrigued.

Once Y/N lightly placed her empty glass back on the bar, she turned to Dick and tilted her head to the side. “Could you show me to the bathrooms? I have no idea where they are.”

“Of course,” Dick answered without knowing where this was going.

“It was nice meeting you, Irina,” Y/N told the woman as she linked her fingers with Dick’s and guided him away.

—

Meanwhile, Jason watched the interaction as if he were watching an award-winning movie. Him and Damian were way too far to hear, but everyone in the bat family could read lips more than fluently.

Then Jason smirked as he watched Y/N drag Dick away.

“Boys,” Bruce greeted as he snuck up on the two of them. “What are we staring at?”

“Oh, you know,” Jason hummed with hilarity, “just watching Y/N assert her dominance.”

“Good for her,” Bruce grinned as he realized what was happening.

He moved his attention to his youngest boy. “Alfred is waiting outside with the car. You’re officially released from your duties.”

“Finally,” Damian groaned.

“Don’t you wanna say bye to Y/N?” Jason asked.

“They’re coming to the manor tomorrow afternoon,” Bruce answered for his son. Then he raised a brow at Jason. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Jason’s only response was a shrug.

Bruce tried to hide his disappointment and nodded before he guided Damian away and walked him outside, where Alfred was waiting.

10 minutes later, Jason saw Dick trailing behind Y/N as she walked back to the main area of the event.

Jason burst out laughing at the spectacle. 

Dick’s hair was an absolute mess. Half of his shirt was untucked. His jacket was draped over his forearm. His lips were swollen and pink. Y/N had left lipstick all over his neck and even a bit on the collar of his shirt.

Yet somehow not a single hair was out of place on Y/N and her makeup was still immaculate. Her outfit was just as sleek and clean as when she’d arrived. The only thing different was the proud smirk on her lips.

Clearly Y/N had just had her way with Dick.

But she wanted to make sure the whole party knew about it.

—

Y/N hadn’t said a word to Dick since she dragged him from that woman.

Her body did all the talking.

One second they were at the bathroom doors, the next Y/N had thrown him against the tiled wall after locking the bathroom door.

She gave no verbal explanation, just started kissing him and undoing his pants.

“Not that I’m complaining. Like, at all,” Dick laughed as they rejoined the party. “But wanna to tell me what that was all about?”

Y/N finally stopped walking and turned to face him with narrowed eyes. “I think you know, Richard.”

Y/N only ever used his full first name to provoke and tease him. And he hated that it worked every single time.

Dick glanced around to see that everyone in their vicinity was eyeing them. Well, they were mostly eyeing him and how it was clear he’d just been fucked in the bathroom.

He stepped close to her and lowered his voice, “Ohhh, I see how it is.” His eyes flickered down to her lips for a split second. “If a guy does that, he’s jealous and possessive. But if a woman does it, it’s sexy…”

Y/N proudly smiled like the cheshire cat. “Exactly.”

Something over his shoulder caught her attention. “Oh, I see Tim. I’m going to go say hi.”

Without hesitation, she brushed past him.

Dick let his head fall, put his hands on his hips, and laughed.

He’d pay her back later tonight. And by ‘pay her back,’ he would just tell her how incredibly hot her behavior had been and basically invite her to do it whenever she damn well pleased.

Dick felt a presence beside him, and he didn’t have to raise his head to know it was Bruce.

“Hey,” Dick greeted him nonchalantly.

“You have lipstick all over your neck,” Bruce told him as he took a sip of his drink and looked around the party. “And your zippers down.”

“Sure is,” Dick sighed.

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

OK. This was way too fun to write. 

Let me know what you think!!!

ALL BONUS CONTENT CAN BE FOUND: HERE

[sir-subpar]

Fangs And Fur (Bf x Pico oneshot)

Werewolf Au. Because I want to. This was somewhat inspired by an animated short called "Dirty Paws"

*Warning: Swearing and Blood/Gore/Violence. (It's not that bad, but just in case)

Bf and Pico shared jokes and friendly banter as Pico walked Boyfriend home. It was dusk, just barely any sunlight illuminating the neighborhood. The two of them had just finished a dinner date, still laughing and flirting as they walked along the sidewalk on Bf's home street. Some of Boyfriend's neighbors were greeting the boys from their yards as the two passed by. 

Carol, whose house was directly to the left of Boyfriend's, was finishing up watering her yard when she saw her neighbor and his date. "Hey Boyfriend!" Carol greeted them happily. "Hi Carol! How are you?" Boyfriend replied, he and Pico stopping in front of her new painted fence to talk. "I'm good, just relaxing after putting in this darn fence. It took forever, but it's worth it though to keep my little Cocoa Puff safe." Carol gestured to her mini poodle, the little fuzzball had brown curly fur, hence the name Cocoa Puff. "You should probably get a fence too, Bf. There's been a lot more animal attacks happening lately." Carol warned, Bf and Pico shifted with unease. "Yeesh, has it been getting that bad?" The bluette asked nervously. "It's been really bad, Sunday's cat got attacked the other night. Poor little guy was really chewed up by some big animal.." "Oh no! Not Bubsy!" Bf had a soft spot for animals in general, even though he didn't have any pets of his own, he always loved animals. Pico, too, felt bad for the little cat. "Did the cat survive? How bad was it?" Pico asked, never having met Sunday or her cat Bubsy, Bf told him about them before. Sometimes Sunday would ask Bf to babysit her cat when she was on tour, he was really good with Bubsy. Carol gave a look of sympathy, knowing the cat's condition. "He's alive, but it's a long road to recovery." She said dejectedly. "I've been hearing that people are setting traps around here, so keep an eye out for those too. Okay?" "Will do, thanks Carol." Bf replied, Pico only nodded in response. "Anyway, moving on to lighter news.. Are you going to introduce me to your friend here?" Carol lightly teased, tilting her head in Pico's direction. "Oh yeah! Right. Carol, this is Pico!" Bf wrapped his arm around the redheaded man's shoulders, making Pico's face turn pink. A look of recognition flashed onto Carol's features. "Ooooh, so THIS is the boyfriend you're always talking about. It's nice to finally meet you Pico." Carol teased, holding out her hand. Pico felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment before shaking Carol's hand. It was flattering to know that Boyfriend talked about him. "Y-yeah. You too." 

Carol giggled a bit. "Alright, well I'll let you guys enjoy your evening. Have a good one!" Bf waved at her while he and Pico walked up to his porch. Bf held the door open for Pico, but he declined going inside. Bf of course took notice of this, as well as Pico's nervous demeanor.

 "Are you okay, Pico?" 

"Yeah.. I just- I should head home. I had a nice night. Let's go out again soon." Pico gave him a smile that was somewhat forced. "Oh… okay. Well, I'll call you tomorrow then." 

"Yeah, sounds good." Pico gave Bf a kiss on the cheek, then he left. Bf closed his door, he was a little disappointed, if he was honest. He had hoped Pico would stay the night, but it was Pico's choice. It wouldn't have been right to stop him. Bf just decided to chill instead. Sweets and videogames were the perfect cure for disappointment. 

…

Pico rushed home, the sun had already gone down, he didn't have much time. He felt bad. Not just for leaving an obviously dejected Boyfriend, but for being so secretive with him. But he didn't have time for that! He needed to get home and lock up. It was only a matter of time before the moon would show it's Damn face. He dashed down the street , finally getting to the cul de sac he lived on. He ran onto his porch, swinging open his door and slamming it behind him. Just in the nick of time. He collapsed on the floor. His transformation was already taking place. His breathing was heavy, he couldn't help but shout in agony as his body reconfigured itself into its new form. Before he was lost to the lycan curse, however, he had one last horrifying realization. 

He forgot to close the window.

…

It had been a couple of hours, Bf had changed into some comfy clothes and was watching tv on his couch. He couldn't help but think of Pico. It was weird how nervous he suddenly was. Pico had been fine all day, but suddenly he ran off after talking to Carol. Was he really that flustered? It didn't seem like it was a big deal. Surely it was something else, but what? Bf sighed, it wasn't really his business, but he wanted to know what was up. He decided to text Pico. 

Bf: Hey. I had a lot of fun at dinner :) I just wanna see if you're alright, you seemed off earlier. Everything ok?

Thirty minutes went by, and he got no response. 'Maybe he's already asleep?' Boyfriend thought, sure it wasn't super late, but it wasn't unusual for people to sleep at this hour. Boyfriend shut off the tv. Maybe he should just get some air. It was nice out. A nice warm summer night. A walk would do him some good. Sure he was basically in pajamas, with a mismatched t-shirt and sweatpants but who cares? He put his phone and keys in his pockets, and left the house for a walk. His neighborhood was fairly close to a nice wooded area. It wasn't really a forest, but there were wild animals around. Like coyotes and rabbits. He decided to hang out around the trees. He sat down on a stump that had once been a huge cottonwood tree, and he just listened to the noises around him. Crickets and other bugs were chirping and buzzing around. It was oddly serene.At least, it was. Until some rustling in the bushes caught his attention. 

He was startled, frightened even, but then he felt relieved once he realized it was a rabbit. Just a little rabbit. But his levity was short lived when noticed the rabbit was limping. He used his phone's flashlight to get a better look. The poor rabbit was barely able to move, its flesh had been ripped apart, blood soaking its fur, and one of its legs was missing. It trembled and struggled. Boyfriend's heart sank when the realization set in that the poor thing wasn't going to make it. It was suffering, and he hated to see animals suffer. He decided to try and comfort it. The rabbit collapsed, he gently brushed his fingers on its soft little head. The rabbit's breathing was still panicked, but it was too weak to do anything. He considered killing it to end its misery, but before he could, he heard snarling coming from the bush. He quickly shined the light on it, just in time to see the snout of a larger animal swiftly bite the rabbit. 

Bf jumped back in fear. The animal stalked out of the bushes that had hidden it, revealing a large orangish red wolf.  The rabbit, the wolf's prey, was still in its jaws. The small rodent fell limb as the wolf's fangs sunk into its body. Bf could hear the bones crack. It didn't take long for the wolf to completely devour the rodent. Bf froze. Should he run? Would the wolf want him? He couldn't help but tremble at the large beast before him. Then it looked at him. Its eye bore into his soul. Focused. It watched him intently. Bf stayed still. Maybe if he didn't make any sudden movements, it would move on. It approached him slowly, circling him. It then got closer, inspecting him with its nose. It seemed particularly drawn to his pocket. Bf slowly reached into his pocket, the wolf allowed it, watching him. Bf pulled out a small bag of chocolate chip cookies. He had forgotten that he put those there. The wolf's ears perked up a bit, and it tilted it's head. 

"Is this what you want?" The Wolf kept its eyes locked on the bag. "I'm not sure if you should have this, it has chocolate in it. Pretty sure dogs can't have that." The wolf growled, seeming to not take "no" as an answer. "Okay okay! Fine! They're yours!" Bf reached into the bag, then tossed a cookie at the wolf. The treat hit its nose before falling on the ground. The wolf appeared displeased with the assault on its nose, giving a huff before eating the cookie. "Well sorry, it's not my fault you're clumsy and didn't catch it." Bf said sarcastically. The wolf looked at him again, it wanted more treats. Bf tossed another cookie, this time aiming in front of the wolf so he didn't hit its nose again. The beast seemed content with that. So Bf kept doing it until he ran out. 

The canine's demeanor had thankfully shifted, it seemed more docile after being fed. Boyfriend had calmed down significantly, no longer fearing for his life. "Well, it was nice to meet you… wolf. I'm gonna go home. I've had enough excitement today." Bf turned away from the orange/red animal, trusting that it wouldn't pounce on him while his back was turned. As he walked away, he could hear two pairs of footsteps behind him. He looked back to confirm that the wolf was following him. When he stopped, the wolf halted, when he moved, the wolf followed. "I uh, think you should stay here. Where you live. I'm going home." Bf tried again to leave, the wolf followed him anyway. "No. You stay. I go." Bf tries using hand gestures to get the animal to listen, but to no avail. Bf picked up a stick and threw it. It didn't seem to interest the wolf, but the stick accidentally hit some small animal Bf hadn't noticed before. That got the wolf's attention. As the large mammal attacked the unfortunate stick receiver, Bf took the opportunity to run home. He managed to make it to his house and close the door. Bf leaned against the wood, sliding down till he hit the carpet. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. After he had calmed down, astonishment took over. He just fed a wolf. And he didn't die! He was like Snow White! Holy crap!

Bf eventually stood up and moved to the couch. Deciding that maybe he should relax for a bit. He started channel surfing on his TV, settling on a random cartoon that was on. He could feel his tense muscles relaxing a bit. He let out a sigh of relief. 

…

He had gotten through a few episodes when he heard something. Something outside.

*SCRATCH SCRATCH*

He muted the tv. No way. There's no way this was happening.

*SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH*

It followed him home. 

He could hear the clawing getting faster. Impatient. Instead of following common sense, he decided to open the door. His motion triggered porch light shone on the wolf's red/orange fur. It's white eyes bore into his soul again. Bf stepped aside, allowing the beast into his house. The wolf strutted in, immediately smelling anything and everything it could. It didn't seem aggressive, just curious. Bf filled a bowl with water and set it on the floor. Might as well hydrate his new houseguest. Eventually his fears dissipated. He went back to the couch, watching the wolf as it wandered around his living room. He watched the tv again, laying down across the sofa comfortably. 

And, before he could prepare for it, he was suddenly smothered by orange fur. The wolf had kept onto the sofa, laying on top of the blue haired man. He tried to push the wild dog off of him, but he couldn't budge it. This was his life now. He was a man-sized dog's couch cushion now. He didn't know wolves could get this big now that he thought about it. But it didn't matter. He was stuck. This was the predicament he was in. He gave up. The dog had won. Despite the animal's weight, he managed to fall asleep. It was warm and fluffy, so it wasn't so bad.

…

The rising sun peeked through the blinds, illuminating Bf's face, waking him up. He shifted a little, still feeling the warm mass on top of him. He yawned, his eyes still closed. He petted the wolf on top of him, his fingers gently brushing its soft skin- wait a second. His eyes shot open. 

"Pico!?" 

The man jolted awake after hearing his name. Pico looked at Bf with wide eyes. His face turned almost as red as Bf's signature hat. The two stared in silence for what felt like forever before Boyfriend broke it.

"You owe me an explanation."

"Can I borrow some clothes first?"

"Please do."