Can I remind everyone of something?

When you get your pet microchipped, it's not enough to simply get the microchip injected.

You also have to go on the microchip company's website and upload all of your information as well as the information about your pet to the microchip's database.

And not only that, you have to make sure you check on that information and keep it all up to date.

A microchip does neither you, your family, or your pet any good if the shelter or vet clinic that finds your lost pet then can't get in touch with you because you never input or updated your information.

#PetDeath #Remembrance

In October 2015, one of my beloved cats died. His name was Vincent and he was one of those black cats who had the tiniest bit of white under his chin. He had two cats who had bonded with him, one who was already dead, and one who I had literally adopted off the street and taken home when he was four weeks old named Theodore.

When Vincent died, Theodore was miserable. He started wandering the apartment. He would wake me in the middle of the night screaming and biting my face. I had taken away his bonded partner and he didn't know why. He had never been alone before.

Jan 1, 2017, I went to the place where my local animal shelter had adoption events. I asked them for an older cat who no one else wanted. They pointed me toward the cat room and said there was one cat in there who would never come out, who hated people, who had been given up in October. (!!)

I went into the cat room and sat down on the floor with my back against the wall and started to read. It was not even ten minutes before a beautiful biscuit kitty came up and sniffed around me, then settled into my lap.

We stayed like that for about a half-hour, and then I adopted him and brought him home. The above is the first picture I ever took of him.

(Side note, they told me he was three, and when I looked at his teeth I definitely scoffed - he was seven if he was a day. I wanted him anyway.)

He was a wonderful kitty, with a great temperament. He let Theodore be the boss cat without complaining or hiding, but also didn't take any shit and would swat the hell out of Theodore if he really got out of line. That meant Theodore ate first, but Seth sat on the topmost bit of the cat tree.

Every time I left the apartment, I would come home to see them in the window, watching off the cat tree, and by the time I was opening the door, they were waiting for me, twining around each other.

Theodore died a few months ago - he'd been declining steadily for about a year, and it was just his time.

Ever since then, Seth was... different. Even though my mom adopted a kitten in November (2021), who Seth loved to play with, he kind of lost interest in her after Theodore died. He stopped cuddling as much, and became even more of a picky eater than he had been previously.

(Yes, I absolutely indulged the culinary tastes of my cats. They can eat whatever they want, I don't fucking care. I will eat ramen every day to buy them the food they prefer.)

Anyway... yesterday Seth looked bad. He was hiding behind the toilet for most of the day, so I decided I would take him to the vet today.

But when I woke up, he had peed all over my bedroom floor and himself, and was lying on the bathroom rug, not moving. Not even when I came in and knelt down with him.

I wrapped him up in one of my used towels that I hadn't gotten around to washing, so he could smell me, and took him to the 24 hour emergency vet. I knew it didn't matter anymore, but I ran two red lights anyway. Seven am in south Brooklyn, no one's around, there's no traffic, and I just... needed to get him to a safe place where we could at least alleviate any pain.

But it really was too late. I brought him into the emergency vet, they sat us down in a beautiful room with couches, and then they took him away to weigh him and measure out the medicine and... you know.

He died while they were measuring the sedative.

I wish I had insisted on going with him, I wish I hadn't let them take him away from me for the last moments of his life.

I'm so sad. I keep reminding myself that he picked me as much as I picked him, and he lived a wonderful life with me (and Theodore), and time is time. It doesn't help make me less sad.

(My mom and dad both asked how it happened and I told them I was holding him for the last moments. No need to make them sadder than they have to be.)

I am a jewish atheist, and I don't believe in any kind of heaven like what christians talk about, but I believe in PET heaven. I have to. I don't want my cat to be star stuff - I want him to have a wonderful afterlife with all my other pets who have passed, where they can be lazy in the sun and chase each other around and take care of each other.

Anyway, I miss him and I'm sad, and I miss Theodore and Vincent (and their matriarch Shiksa) (yes, her name was Shiksa and she was the least Jewish cat I'd ever met). I miss the first cat who I ever held while he died, my buddy Clay, who used to eat broccoli and cheez fries with me. I miss Kitty, the black and white kitten we adopted who had multiple litters of kittens on my bed.

i'm glad it was fast, but... It's just hard. It's hard when they go.

This picture is the first time Seth ever jumped in a box. He'd been living with me for almost two years, and he was just so confused. Why did Theodore love boxes so much, he seemed to want to know. Why?? What is the point of this?? Since then I had only seen him get in a box one other time. What a good kitty.

And here is a picture of the first time he sat on my lap and Theodore yelled at him for it but he refused to jump down. Mostly I thought this was a hilarious picture of Theodore, but I was so proud of Seth for standing up for himself.

And here he is napping in the sun on my 42nd birthday. He was so soft, and so sweet, and had such good beans.

The Grill Next Door

A collaboration by @mdelpin​​​​ and @oryu404​​​​

Gratsu Week 2021 Prompt(s): Impress, Smile, Smokey Pairing: Gray x Natsu

AO3

Summary: Natsu had to repress a loud snort when he caught his first glimpse of his neighbor. The guy was dressed in only a pair of black boxers, his fair skin slick and shiny from the thick layer of sunblock he had applied. His back had white streaks and missed spots all over it from where he hadn’t been able to distribute it evenly, and some of the lotion was sticking to the dark hairs on his neck.

But the absolute worst thing of all was that he obviously had no idea how to use a barbeque properly.

0-0 Summer was arguably the worst time to be moving. Who in their right mind would want to spend all day inside unpacking boxes when it was 90 degrees outside? Definitely not Natsu, and yet here he was, dragging another box full of stuff up the stairs in his new home. He was grateful for his friends, who had been there when he’d gotten the key and helped him clean the house, paint some walls, and install the larger pieces of furniture. But now that there was only the smaller clutter left, he was on his own, and he was missing out on all the summer fun. His friends were all enjoying themselves without him; spending their free time at the beach or the pool, barbecuing in their yards, raiding the ice cream parlor… “Soon…” Natsu sighed to himself. Soon, he could join them again. He just had a few more boxes filled with necessary items to go.

He’d already unpacked the ones filled with kitchen utensils and Happy’s stuff. All that was left were his toiletries and a few clothes. He’d sort through the rest of his crap bit by bit, one or two boxes every night until he was done. That way, he could still get the most out of the vacation days he'd pulled out for moving. He opened the box he’d brought upstairs with him and groaned; of course, he’d grabbed the wrong one. Instead of towels and shower products, he was looking at some of the housewarming gifts he’d gotten. A key hanger from Lucy, because he was always losing his keys. A baking set from Erza, which Natsu had to admit was the most optimistic gift he’d ever gotten, and a cute houseplant from Wendy, carefully wrapped up in brown paper, with wet paper towels to keep the soil moist.

There were a few more small gifts, but Natsu’s attention was drawn to the flat package at the bottom. More specifically, to the image that was on it, giving away what was inside: a bright pink flamingo kiddie pool. “So you can have a pool in your backyard!” Sting had grinned when Natsu unwrapped the gift. It was obviously a gag gift, and at the time, Natsu had seen the humor in it. He’d even joked that he’d call Sting for a pool party once he was all settled in, but right now, it only fueled his longing to do something fun. Actually… Screw unpacking, he’d do that later. One look through the window, at the bright blue sky and the burning sun, was all it took to finalize his decision. He picked up the box and took it downstairs again, quickly watering the plant before it could die in the summer heat, and putting it on a windowsill. Leaving the rest of the box’s contents for now, he took out the inflatable pool and started digging through one of the other boxes in search of his swim trunks.

He’d done enough for today. He was going to sit in his backyard and enjoy his stupid pool, damn it. Once he’d changed into his swimwear, he applied a thin layer of sunblock he’d found during his search for a towel. He went outside with the pool under his arm, sticking his foot out when he slipped through the sliding door to keep Happy from sneaking outside.

“Sorry buddy, you can’t go out yet,” he apologized, knowing that it was for the best.

They'd only moved in a few days ago, and Happy needed to get used to his new home. If he were to run away, he'd get lost trying to find his way back to their old apartment, and the last thing Natsu wanted was to end up like Rogue, who had spent all night frantically searching for Frosch when he had just moved in with Sting and failed to shut the front door behind him fast enough. Still, Natsu couldn’t help but feel guilty at the sight of Happy pawing at him from behind the glass. Maybe he could get him a cat leash tomorrow, so he could at least explore the backyard safely. One thing was for sure, he’d definitely give him some of his favorite fish treats to make up for a few hours of sitting alone inside. With that in mind, he smiled and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh summer air and the delicious smell that came along with it. It was one of his favorites, and he instantly recognized it. One of his neighbors was grilling in his backyard. Too curious for his own good, Natsu followed the scent. His nose told him it was coming from the house to his left, from the backyard that was only separated from his by a tall wooden fence. Tall, but not tall enough to keep Natsu away. He was just able to peek over the top if he stood on his tippy toes.

He wanted to get an idea of who was living next to him, that’s all. Okay, and maybe he wanted to live through them a little as they indulged in one of his all-time favorite summer activities. \

Natsu had to repress a loud snort when he caught his first glimpse of his neighbor. The guy was dressed in only a pair of black boxers, his fair skin slick and shiny from the thick layer of sunblock he had applied. His back had white streaks and missed spots all over it from where he hadn’t been able to distribute it evenly, and some of the lotion was sticking to the dark hairs on his neck. But the absolute worst thing of all was that he obviously had no idea how to use a barbeque properly. “You know, your food is going to cook more evenly and taste a lot better if you close the lid,” Natsu suggested, bursting out in laughter when the guy jumped and almost dropped his tongs. “Idiot!” He whirled around and glared at Natsu, waving the tongs in the air as he stomped closer. Damn! This guy was actually pretty cute when he was mad.

"I almost burned myself. What were you thinking?!"

"That you weren't doing those ribs the justice they deserve," Natsu retorted, frustration rising within him once he managed to tear his eyes away from his half-naked neighbor and focus back on the grill. All that delicious aroma-filled smoke that would've added so much flavor to that gorgeous meat was getting away!

It was a fucking crime.

"Pay attention to what you were doing, you jackass! You gotta flip them over!"

The guy quickly returned to his grill to tend to his ribs, cursing as he fumbled with the tongs while trying to keep a safe distance between the searing heat of the barbecue and his own bare ribs.

"Man, you really suck at this," Natsu couldn't resist pointing out.

"Oh, and I suppose _you _could do better?"

In all honesty, Natsu was a terrible cook. He lacked the ability to multitask in the kitchen, always made an enormous mess, and often combined ingredients that his friends insisted should never be combined.

However, cooking and grilling were two completely different things to him. His dad had taught him how to cook meat on an open fire or a makeshift grill during camping trips since he was little, and he had it down to a fine art by now.

"You're damn right I can," he scoffed, taking the question as a challenge and being kind enough to climb over the fence and invite himself to his neighbor's backyard so he could show him how it was done.

"What are you doing?!"

"Saving your meat, of course! Move over."

Too stunned by what was happening, the guy didn't protest when Natsu snatched away the tongs. He just watched with his mouth open as Natsu flipped the ribs and set the grate to a higher level, making sure they'd cook slower. And much to Natsu’s amusement, it wasn't just the grill he was staring at.

Satisfied with his intervention, Natsu closed the lid and stepped back. "There, that should do it!" he grinned, putting the tongs down on a plate on the nearby table so he could hold out his hand in greeting. "I'm Natsu, by the way. I just moved here last Wednesday."

"... Gray," his neighbor replied, frowning warily but still accepting Natsu's hand and shaking it briefly. "Do you always stick your nose into other people's business like that?"

“Just wait, you’ll be thanking me soon enough.” Natsu said, amused by his neighbor's grumpy tone. “Anyway, you should be fine as long as you leave the lid closed for about an hour.”

“An hour?” Gray complained, “I thought grilling was supposed to be faster.”

“I mean, do you want fast, or do you want good?” Natsu drawled suggestively. He wasn’t sure if it was the beautiful weather or just the high he felt from having had a hot guy so obviously checking him out because normally he wasn’t much of a flirt, but he felt the urge to test the waters. “Cause I could show you both.”

Gray surprised him by laughing heartily at his innuendo. “There is seriously nothing subtle about you, is there?”

“Nope.” Natsu agreed and laughed along. “Well, it was nice to meet you. I’ll leave you to your grilling, gotta go set up my pool.”

He climbed the fence to get back into his yard, hearing Gray yell behind him. “You’re going to get yourself killed. Just use the gate next time.”

“But then, how could I show you my best asset?” Natsu retorted once he was safely over, chuckling as Gray muttered something he couldn’t quite make out. He wasn’t too worried, though. After all Gray had said next time.

0-0

Gray looked back at the grill, already tempted to open the lid and check on the ribs. What was he supposed to do for an hour? He’d mowed the grass earlier, and he didn’t feel comfortable staying inside while the grill was going.

The sun felt overly hot on his skin and he found shelter under a tree in his backyard. Playing on his phone had netted him ten minutes of entertainment and two group conversations he wasn’t all that interested in.

Maybe Natsu did know what he was talking about because the smell of the ribs cooking was making his mouth water in ravenous anticipation. Thinking about his new neighbor brought a smile to his face, especially since he heard odd noises coming from the other side of the fence. Didn’t he say something about a pool?

With all this time to kill, maybe he should go return the favor and see what he was up to.

With that in mind, Gray walked over to the fence and peered over it, unable to hold back a snort when he saw Natsu sitting on the ground and puffing air into a pink flamingo-shaped pool.

"Wow, I guess you really are full of hot air."

Natsu looked up at him, flashing that grin Gray was quickly developing a weak spot for. "So you think I'm hot?"

Yes, he sure as hell did, but he wasn’t about to give Natsu the satisfaction of saying so. At least... not yet.

“I think you’re having an awfully hard time blowing, which is… disappointing.”

"Huh. Never had any complaints before." Natsu shrugged, returning his attention to blowing air into the flamingo.

“Why don’t you let me show you how it’s done?” Gray said, feeling confident.

God knows he’d blown up a ton of these things for his brother’s kid. He’d quickly learned there was a little trick to it. You had to squeeze the valve as you blew into it or the air wouldn’t get in properly. Clearly, his hot dumbass of a neighbor didn't get that.

“You want to show me how well you blow?” Natsu tilted his head, looking amused by Gray’s suggestion. “How can I say no to that?”

Gray let himself into Natsu’s backyard, using the gate that connected their properties, like a normal person, and grabbed the pool away from Natsu. Using his trick, he quickly filled both rings of the pool.

“Color me impressed.” Natsu whistled in appreciation once Gray set the pool down on the grass. He filled it with water from the hose, which he oh so charmingly put between his legs, giggling to himself as he swung it around.

How the guy could go from flirting to acting like a five-year-old within the blink of an eye was beyond Gray, but he had to admit that it was oddly endearing.

Natsu jumped in with both feet as soon as the pool was filled, watching with glee as water sloshed out onto the grass from his efforts. He sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him, and immediately propped his arms around the pool’s rim.

“That feels so much better!” Natsu moaned happily.

Now that Natsu was inside it, Gray couldn't help but notice that the pool could fit two people, albeit a little snugly considering their size. And though normally he wouldn't be caught dead in one of these things- especially a pink flamingo one- it was a very hot day, and Natsu’s yard was a lot shadier than his.

"You want in?" Natsu asked, his lips stretching into a mischievous smile.

Gray’s eyes were drawn to the slightly pointy canines, finding them incredibly sexy, and he immediately wondered what kissing that mouth would feel like as Natsu patted the empty spot next to him invitingly.

What had gotten into him? He’d just met the guy, knew next to nothing about him, yet here he was acting like a hormone driven teenager. It wasn’t like him at all, but he couldn’t deny the chemistry that sizzled between them, so palpable he could almost touch it.

Besides, what was wrong with having a little fun? It was summer, and he had been in a bit of a dry spell for months.

That thought decided him.

“I suppose I could join you for a bit.”

He had just stepped one foot inside the pool when, to his surprise, Natsu stopped him. “Hang on a minute. I didn’t say you could come in. I only asked if you wanted to.”

“If you want in-” Natsu winked at him. “It’s gonna cost ya.”

“Cost me?” Gray sputtered in protest. “You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious. I will be more than happy to share my pool with you on this incredibly hot day, but only if you share some of those ribs with me.”

Gray had already been planning on doing that, but it was infinitely more fun to make Natsu work for it.

“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, which only netted him greasy fingers from the sunblock he’d slathered on earlier. “It seems to me like you’re getting the better end of the deal here. This is just a kiddie pool after all.”

“Alright, you drive a hard bargain, but I can respect that. How about this then? I’ll throw in some of my world famous special sauce.”

“World famous?” Gray scoffed, “It’s probably just something you picked up at the grocery store, but… okay, I’ll bite.”

“You promise?” Natsu gave him a cheeky smirk, one that ignited a need in Gray to get in that damn pool right the hell now and show him what he intended to do.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Gray said. “Just don’t complain if it ends up being more than you bargained for.”

Gray was so determined to get in there that he completely forgot he was already partly in the pool, and tripped over the edge when he tried to step in. He caught himself with his hands but still ended up splashing Natsu, not to mention had the wind yanked out of his sails.

He looked up to see the damage. The water had darkened Natsu’s pink hair and flattened it against his face, softening his features and somehow making the bastard look even more attractive. Gray watched in rapt fascination as a drop of water traveled from Natsu’s cheek, joining others on its way down his neck and over his chest until rejoining the rest of the water at waist level.

“You’re right,” Natsu laughed loudly, slicking his hair back and away from his face. “That was definitely more than I bargained for. Nice entrance, by the way.”

Gray was utterly mortified, and he scrambled to sit down, desperately trying to come up with a witty comeback, but before he could say a word, Natsu had already splashed him. 

“There you go. No need to make that face. It’s a pool. We were going to get wet, eventually.” Natsu shrugged, his expression gradually changing to distaste as he looked at the water.

“Dude, what did you use for sunblock, SPF lard?”

“I burn easily!” Gray protested, smoothing out the bits of sunblock he could see on his skin.

“Yeah? Then maybe you should actually get it on all of your skin. Turn around.”

“It’s hard to reach back there! Besides, you just want an excuse to get your hands on me,” he argued, but did as he was told anyway, turning his back to Natsu.

“Yeah, that’s the idea. Are you complaining?”

Gray pouted but remained silent.

“That’s what I thought.”

It was hard to miss the smug tone in his voice.

Natsu’s hands spread the globs of lotion evenly across his back, occasionally stopping to knead on one of his muscles and then concentrating on his shoulders. Gray closed his eyes, biting his lip so as not to let on how much he was enjoying it. If this was what he got in exchange for some barbecued ribs, he'd love to know what other types of food Natsu liked.

“There you go.” Natsu said, giving his shoulders one last squeeze. “You can turn around now. It should be safe for you to walk in daylight again.”

Gray turned just in time to see Natsu lean back into his previous position.

“Are you implying I'm some sort of vampire? Cause I’m not the one with the pointy teeth.”

“No, but you are the one who offered to bite me.”

“True.” Gray laughed, and not wanting to lose the mood, he made his move, adjusting from a sitting position to a half straddle. He leaned in, close enough that he could feel the slight puff of Natsu’s breaths on his face as he murmured, “I can still make that happen.”

“You talk too much.” Natsu said just as quietly, peering into his eyes for a split second before closing his eyes and bridging the distance between them.

Gray hadn’t expected Natsu’s body to feel so warm against his, especially considering they were both wet from the pool water, and he instinctively pulled him closer. As arousing as the kiss was, and Natsu sucking on his tongue was definitely doing things to him, he realized he had no urge to push for more.

That should have been his first warning.

But he wasn’t really thinking about anything. His world had narrowed down to sensations. The torrid heat of Natsu’s mouth, the sharp sting of teeth nibbling on his lips, and the tingling pleasure of his hair being tugged, coupled with the sounds they were both making. Needy moans that would have embarrassed him if Natsu hadn’t sounded the same.

Gray liked it all a little too much. Already, the thought of separating filled him with a sense of dread. And perhaps that should have been his second warning.

He was busy running his hands up and down Natsu’s back when he felt him let go of his hair. His hands trailed down to his chest, but no lower, and he pulled away, leaving Gray to chase after him. Confused and more than a little disappointed, Gray opened his eyes. Natsu sat perfectly still, his eyes slightly widening as he sniffed the air. “THE RIBS!!!” Oh crap! He’d forgotten all about the ribs!

“Go open the lid,” Natsu urged, scrambling to get up and out of the pool. “I’ll be there in a few minutes with the sauce.”

Gray watched Natsu enter his house and then hurried over to his yard. The food smelled even better than before and when he opened the lid and poked the ribs with the tongs; he saw they were indeed done, the meat tender and ready to fall off the bone. Rather than stand around waiting awkwardly, he grabbed two beers from his fridge along with plates, napkins and utensils to bring outside.

He opened the sliding door that led to his backyard and found Natsu brushing sauce onto the ribs from an unmarked blue bottle. There was a content smile on his face as he worked away, and Gray felt a flutter in his stomach at the sight.

Shit!

He’d never been one for one-night stands, so why had he thought he’d just be able to go along this time? Because Natsu was hot and seemed willing?

Gray wanted to know more about him, but he wasn’t sure if Natsu felt the same way or if this was just a game he liked to play. What would happen if he played along to its inevitable conclusion? Would that be the end of it? The two of them- probably awkwardly- moving on as just neighbors who happened to have hooked up?

Was it wrong of him to want more?

Natsu looked up then, waving at him and gesturing him over. His smile widened when he noticed the beer bottles Gray was holding.

“Ooh, beer wasn’t part of the deal! I must have kissed you real good!” Natsu teased, accepting the bottle and easing some of the uncertainty Gray had felt about whether things would turn awkward after their make-out session in the pool.

“You’ll notice this is only domestic beer, so I wouldn’t get too full of myself if I were you.” Gray retorted, still playing along.

“Meh, beer is beer, and it goes great with ribs.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.”

The back and forth was nice, but Gray was itching to ask what was really on his mind.

Can I keep you? Or will you run off after the next pretty face that strikes your fancy?

The lid of the barbecue closed again, and Natsu walked over. “They should be ready in about five more minutes.”

He clinked bottles with him and took a swig. Gray followed suit and decided to just go for it. He’d rather know what to expect than hope for something that wasn’t meant to be.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” he blurted out, sounding a bit more eager than he would have liked.

“Sure, shoot.”

Natsu gave no sign he knew what was coming, or at least that’s what his relaxed posture seemed to broadcast.

“Do you do this kind of thing often?”

“Moving? God, no, I hate it with a passion. Might as well bury me here cause I’m never doing it again.”

“No,” Gray frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.” Natsu mock sighed, “I’m just trying to think of an answer that won’t go to your head.”

“What?” Gray didn’t know what to make of that answer. Was he trying to find a way to let him down gently?

“No, I don’t do this type of thing often.” Natsu admitted, meeting Gray’s eyes and holding his gaze. “Look, you’re hot and turned out to be fun to mess with, so I figured there was no harm in seeing where that led. But I’m not expecting anything if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Gray wanted to ask if that meant that he’d like to date, but to his chagrin, all that came out of his mouth was, “You think I’m hot?”

“See?” Natsu said, sounding amused. “What’d I tell you? Right to your head!”

He put his beer bottle down on the table and traded it in for the tongs and the plates before hurrying back to the grill to check on their food. Satisfied, he turned it off and heaped a large serving of ribs onto each plate.

Gray followed him to the table, only then noticing the sliced watermelon Natsu must have brought with him from his house. He bit into one to buy himself some time to organize his thoughts.

Next to him, Natsu had already begun to dig in, messily devouring the ribs, stopping only long enough to take a sip from his beer. Gray shrugged and did the same. It wasn’t like his table manners were anything to write home about, either. The moment the meat from the ribs touched his tongue, his taste buds were assaulted with flavor. Sweet, salty, spicy… all blending together in perfect harmony. It was by far the best ribs Gray had ever tasted. He could hardly believe they’d come off his grill. He glanced at Natsu admiringly. Not that he noticed, focused as he was on his plate.

“So, what other things can you make?”

Natsu looked up at his question. There was a glob of sauce at the corner of his mouth, driving Gray all sorts of crazy with the urge to kiss it off him, but he held strong.

For now.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but this is it. I can’t cook worth a damn.”

“That’s too bad.” Gray tried but failed to suppress a smile. “Guess I’ll just have to show you all the best places to eat around here, then. You busy tomorrow night?”

Natsu shook his head, breaking into a smile so blinding it wiped every single thought out of Gray’s head. Save one.

"Nope, I'm all yours," Natsu answered after what looked like a brief moment of contemplation.

Gray sure as hell liked the sound of that.

“There’s just one thing…”

Natsu tilted his head and scrunched up his nose in silent question, which was just perfect.

“You’ve got a little something there,” Gray said, leaning in and licking the sauce off before claiming Natsu’s lips hungrily.

The kiss tasted like sauce and beer, but most of all, it tasted like more. And more was definitely bound to follow soon, tomorrow night, and many more days after.

Gray could feel it.

The Familiarity of New Memories

Pairing: Hitoshi Shinso x Reader (can pass as gender neutral if ya squint)

Summary: Old traditions make way for new ones as reader makes new friends with the help of a certain ball of fur. 

OR Shinso volunteers at a shelter with a grumpy old cat who just so happens to play matchmaker between himself and the newcomer to town.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy my contribution to the Konoha Simps’ latest server collab!! You can check out all the other wonderful pieces in this event right here. This is the first piece of fan fiction that I have written since high school, and the first piece I have ever put out into the world for others to see. I cannot thank the members of the Konoha Simps Server enough for giving me the motivation and courage I needed to FINALLY do this-- I love you guys so much!! 

Warning(s): fluff, mentions of anxiety/depression

quirkless college AU

Word Count: ~3K

There was no doubt about it, summer was officially on the way out. You could tell by the way green leaves were giving way to crisp splotches of red, yellow, and orange. In the way the cool breeze kissed your cheeks as it danced by. Most importantly, you could tell by the way your workload for classes picked up.

You tried to take in your surroundings-- take a moment to process a quick hello to autumn, and with it a farewell to simpler times. Gone would be the times where your biggest worries were what kind of trouble you would have to convince the rest of your friends to stay out of in between shifts at the local cafe. Normally, this goodbye was easier to say as it leaned to the happier side of bittersweet. After all, back home fall was your favorite season. That was all in the past though.

In your hometown, your walks around the neighborhood at the start of fall were comforting. You could stroll the streets with a snack in one hand, and a warm drink in the other as you headed to meet up with your friends under the canopy of changing leaves at the park. With textbooks sprawled across picnic tables and blankets the support of your friends kept you all warm against the slowly dropping temperatures. However, it was no longer the streets of your hometown that you were strolling along with a backpack over your shoulders, and it was no longer your friends at your side, but strangers.

You shivered, pulling your thick cardigan closer around yourself with a heavy sigh. You had been so certain that moving hundreds of miles away from home to finish your college work was a good idea. You had told your anxious family and friends that you would be fine, being alone in a new place for a while was just a sacrifice you had to be willing to make in order to pursue your dreams. Yet you began to doubt the truth in your own claims as the usual cold autumn wind whipped your hair about. It felt foreign rather than welcome as it would back home. The chill sunk into your bones where it mixed with your new found loneliness causing you to wrap your arms around your middle.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” you thought to yourself pulling out your phone to see no new messages in response to all the ones you had sent out. You had known your friends for years and were lost without them. You sighed once more, shaking your head as you pocketed your phone. It had been the fifth time in an hour that you checked your phone knowing there were not any notifications you had already seen. You scolded yourself for being foolish and worrying that your friends had moved on without you. 

You had been distracted by the chatter of your own inner demons the entire rest of your walk, and it was not long before you were turning off the sidewalk onto the back walkway leading around to the front of the library.

You were headed inside to study on your own at the tables inside. It had become your new tradition after having found it too hard to study outside at any of the parks, where all the passerby would remind you of just how lonely you were here in this new town. As you rounded the corner and came up alongside the library you paused, noticing a lot more noise and chatter than usual. Balloons and signs amongst the visitors caught your eye. “Adoption day?”

You wandered closer to the tents that were set up in a corner of the parking lot. Upon closer inspection you realized that the people were gathering around various cages, crates, and pens filled with pets from the local shelter. There were as many different people there looking for new four legged family members to bring home as there were animals. Some children were leaning over a crate full of guinea pigs, others were picking out rabbits from one of the other pens, and still others were begging their parents for either a puppy or kitten. There were couples young and old alike speaking with the volunteers about which cat or dog was the best fit for them. You wished you could hang around a little longer, but there were so many people in such a small space that you could not help, but feel anxious. Turning away to finally walk inside you pulled out your phone once more to smile down at your lock screen; a photo of your cat from back home. 

Pocketing your phone you caught a glimpse of something familiar out of the corner of your eye. Following your line of sight as you walked away, you were surprised to recognize a boy from campus. If his wild purple hair and dark under eye bags were not enough to make him stand out from the crowd then his lanky limbs decked out in his unique dark, edgy style definitely was. You paused at the top of the staircase to the library and watched as he spun around to crouch in front of a cage. As he stood there squatting in front of the cage you realized that he was a volunteer from the shelter along with the others.

With one last final look over your shoulder you walked through the door, leaving the boy and all the homeless pets outside. As he disappeared from view at your departure, you caught a last glimpse of him pulling a rather forsaken cat out of the cage he had previously been standing in front of. Heading to your usual secluded table behind some less frequented bookshelves you tried to not think of the cat or the boy who held it in his arms. From what you had observed from your short visit to the Adoption Day Event, no one else had shown the poor old cat any sort of attention. The lump of fur was not only fluffy, but a bit on the large side, and while his coat was far from scraggly you could tell that he had only recently fallen on some sort of good fortune. He was missing a leg and both eyes, rendering him blind. It made you sad to think that the others were more than likely passing over the cat in favor of the other healthier, younger cats who would not have as many problems. As far as the boy, you could not even begin to guess why he seemed to be clouding up your thoughts. It was not like you had ever spoken to him before. 

Your thoughts were a jumbled mess and before you had known it you were throwing your pen down in frustration. “Ughhhh! This is useless! It has been two hours and I have barely put a dent into this chapter,” you dropped your head into your notebook as you slammed your textbook closed. 

“Maybe I would have been better off just studying at home afterall,” you thought to yourself as you packed up the rest of your belongings. 

You stopped at the circulation desk on your way to the exit to check out a book you had reserved on your previous trip in. “At least today wasn’t a total loss,” you thought to yourself as you gripped the book to your chest and headed for the door.

As you threw open the door and made your exit you were once again met with the chill of the outside air. It did not feel as cold as it had that morning though. You looked down at the book clutched to your chest and then back out across the parking lot. With a smile on your face and a new sense of determination that you had not felt since you had moved you found yourself walking across back to the makeshift shelter. The crowds from earlier had long since thinned only serving to further justify your impulsive decision. 

With a deep breath you had brought yourself up to one of the tables where the last few volunteers were congregated around the forlorn cat. Everything else was just about picked up and it was clear he had not been able to find a “furever” home at the event. The volunteers, mostly middle aged women with bright smiles, greeted you and asked if you wanted any information on the shelter they were from or if you were perhaps interested in volunteering yourself.

You explained that you had recently moved to the area to finish your schooling, but that you had been especially missing your cat from back home. You showed them a few pictures as you expressed interest in the cat lounging on the table and using his one good front paw to swat away anyone who tried to pet him.

A deep voice from behind you startled you out of your conversation, “You really want that mangey thing instead of a cute kitten?” 

You turned around and were met with the lanky boy from campus. You had been about to argue with him, stand up for your new feline friend when you noticed the boy was giving you a devilish smirk and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Shinso Hitoshi,” he extended his other hand to you, “I’ve uh--seen you around school a few times.”

You shook the offered hand and introduced yourself as well, “We have two classes together. I’d hope you’ve seen me around at least once or twice.” You tried to play it off cool as a blush crept up the back of your own neck. Your eyes searched each other up and down briefly and it took a lot of self control to not make an attempt to hide your face as you felt the blush grow across your cheeks as you watched Shinso’s own face begin to turn red. 

“Ahh, well, I’m fostering old Charlie here until he recovers more from his surgery,” Shinso made a show of gesturing to his own eyes and then to Charlie’s like it was some secret or he did not want to hurt the cat’s feelings. You could not help, but stifle a laugh. From the impressions you had of Shinso you had not expected him to be so forward, or funny for that matter. “Lucky for you, Charlie is quite picky and has scared away any potential suitors.”

Shinso reached around you and was able to give Charlie a few successful scratches under his chin. You reached forward too and copied Shinso’s movements. While Charlie was a little hesitant at first, he quickly warmed up to you and much to Shinso’s surprise, even let you pick him up and give him forehead kisses.

“Alright, well I guess you passed the test,” he congratulated you as he took Charlie from your arms and gently placed him into a carrier. “He has another week or so, until he’s ready to go to a new home. If you want you can fill out one of the adoption contact cards and then one of us at the shelter can give you a call when it’s time for him to get ready to go home to you?” Shinso turned away as he once again began rubbing the back of his neck as he started turning red again, “Orrrrr, I don’t know. Maybe you could give me your number and I could text you updates or something?”

The other volunteers had slowly begun to disperse during your interaction with Shinso, and the last older woman who was left chuckled a bit to herself as she passed you a clipboard with the adoption paperwork. “Just fill this out for me dear and then Charlie will be all yours pending his final follow up with the vet. Shinso can go ahead and answer any questions you may have.” She gave you a final pat on the shoulder as she wandered off to help the others finish cleaning up.

You quickly filled out the paperwork and handed it back to Shinso, your phone sitting on top of the clipboard unlocked and already opened to the messaging app so he could add his number, “Please don’t tell me you volunteer at the shelter just to use the poor animals as your wingmen.”

Shinso made quick work of adding his number to your contacts and made sure he had yours as well before adding the clipboard to a pile on the table. “Only when they help me get the courage to finally talk to a girl I’ve had my eye on since she first transferred a couple weeks ago.” His face was red and his eyes were downcast. You wondered if maybe your first impressions of him were true and that Charlie had inspired him to do something out of his comfort zone just like the cat had done for you.

You could not put your finger on it, but you once again found your thoughts swimming with the boy from campus. This time though you had a name and even a voice to put to the face. You were not ready to say goodbye and decided to stay to help Shinso and the other volunteers finish cleaning up. The sun was quickly setting at that point and as the darkness rolled in so did another bout of cool autumn wind. However, this time you hardly noticed it. It carried a clean, crisp scent of fall that felt the most familiar than it had since your move. 

You passed the time with idle chit chat, quickly becoming closer and closer to Shinso. You learned a lot about each other and came to realize you had a lot more in common than you would have ever thought. 

Pausing you closed your eyes and tilted your head back taking a few deep breaths. It had been ages since you felt this content. You were not alone, you were not worried about the many different reasons your friends could possibly have for not texting you back, and you were not worried about the fear of never finding somewhere to fit in within this new place. You walked over to where Shinso had Charlie’s carrier resting on the sidewalk leading towards the back of the library. Kneeling down you poked your fingers as far through the bars as you could manage, “Thanks Charlie. Without you, I really wouldn’t have any friends here and I don’t think I would be able to love the fall anymore. With you by my side maybe I’ll be able to remember being stuck in this new place will be worth it all in the end.” 

You had not realized that Shinso had come up behind you, and you bumped into him as you tried standing up. He gripped your elbow tightly as you regained your balance, “So you really are new around here huh? I thought so, but. Well. I don’t know.” Shinso shrugged his shoulders sheepishly as he let go of you and quickly gave you back your space. As he avoided your gaze and looked up at the setting sun you noticed just how dark the circles under his eyes really were. 

“Yeah. Uhm,” you shifted your weight back and forth nervously as you tugged at your own sleeves. “Thanks for helping me with the adoption stuff. I hope Charlie doesn’t give you too much of a hard time before he can come home.”

There was a tension in the air as you were both starting to get cold as the dark approached, but neither of you particularly wanted to be the first to leave. You tucked a strand of loose hair between your ear, using the action to hide your face a bit as you gnawed on your lip. Shinso mirrored your uneasy behavior, staying halfway turned away and pulling his fingers through the mop of purple hair on his head. Luckily, Charlie had woken up and given a pitiful meow that sounded more like a chirp. It was just the encouragement you both needed as you and Shinso were once again able to make eye contact.

“It’s getting pretty dark and looks like it may rain,” Shinso broke away and looked up at the sky momentarily. You could not help, but be mesmerized by the way the sunset played on his pale features, accentuating his jawline. You felt the blush making its presence known on your face once more and simply nodded. Charlie chirpped again as if he were trying to encourage Shinso to continue on before he blew his shot. “My place isn’t too far from here. We could head there and hangout with Charlie for a bit to wait out the rain, and then I could walk you home if you’d like?...”

You could tell Shinso was nervous to hear your answer as he began rubbing at the back of his neck. Grabbing his wrist to gently guide it back down you flashed him a genuine smile as it felt like a weight was being lifted from your shoulders. The moment was interrupted by Charlie who decided that was the perfect opportunity to make it known that it was past his dinner time. “Come on Shinso, we wouldn’t want to make old Charlie think we’re planning on starving him.”

Shinso laughed and bent down to grab the carrier. “Wait until he realizes he’s going on a d-i-e-t after he’s fully healed up,” he spelt out. Charlie made a noise from the back of his carrier like he understood what Shinso was saying and was not pleased about it, which only made you laugh that much harder.

You once again found yourself taking the rear pathway behind the library into town. This time was different though. You were no longer alone. You had two new friends you could confide in. The leaves dancing in the autumn breeze were once again a welcomed sight. The dropping temperatures no longer reached the innermost corners of your bones amplifying your loneliness. The ghosts of the memories of your friends were no longer haunting you everywhere you looked as you walked down the street. There was now someone special you could create new memories and cherish the autumn with.

Take Me Home Part 1 (Hybrid!Yoongi x Reader)

Summary: You found a white tiger - a really rare breed hybrid - in the backyard of your workplace hiding in a cardboard box from the outside world. Knowing that it would rain soon and the nights were getting colder you decided to take him home with you.

Contains:  some angst, fluff

Warnings: none

Wordcount: 3,0 K

A/N: I’m currently absolutely in love with hybrid au stories so I thought why not make a Yoongi hybrid au one shot.

Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

Today has been a busy day at the supermarket. Our supplier had just send us a big load of food this morning that had to be sorted into the different shelves around the shop. A lot of customers went shopping for groceries today since tomorrow was Sunday and the shops would all be closed. It was now after closing hours and I was organizing our stock. I said goodbye to the co-worker staying in with me as he took off to go home while I stayed to take out the trash and check everything again before going home myself. As I walked out the back I already heard something weird coming from the containers. I threw away the garbage and then looked to where I had heard the noises. Between the two containers stood a cardboard box that was slightly opened. It was rather big and as I was about to go back in I noticed it move. Just after that a tip of a tail was seen hanging out the box carelessly. Was there a cat inside? But the tail looked rather big compared to a cat ones. I stepped closer and cautiously grabbed the lid of the carton and slowly opened it to look inside. Just as I could looked inside I got hissed at. Wait? So there really was a cat inside. But that cat was really big. I took another look inside to realize that this was not a cat but a hybrid. He looked scared and kept hissing at me as I got closer again.

“Hey. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know how you got here”, I spoke quietly so I wouldn’t scare him ever more.

He turned his head towards me and scooted closer to the back corner of the cardboard box. Now that I saw him better I understood why he was so afraid. The color of his fur and the shape of his ears revealed that he was a rare breed. His fur was black and white striped and it looked a bit dirty just like the rest of him. This poor white tiger must have stayed on the street for quite some time. I stepped back from the box. I needed to somehow gain his trust so I could lure him out of this box and get him somewhere warm and safe. You never knew what kind of people were lingering outside and would love to find such a rare breed and try to make money of him. I didn’t even want to think about what such people would do to him. I decided to search for something I could bring him like food or some new clothes. I walked back into the supermarket and searched through our stock. I still had some leftover bread from today that I would usually take home with me since we would have to toss it into the trash. I took some fruits and then looked through our clothes sections. The boy outside looked pretty slim build so I chose some smaller clothes. I took whatever I could find and left the corresponding money for the things in the cash box which I then locked in our safe. After I had found everything, I packed it into a plastic bag and walked back outside. The tiger was still sitting in the box as I arrived there. I dropped the bag in front of the box and stepped back a bit.

“I brought you something to eat and some clean clothes to wear. You should find some shelter for the night. It looks like it’s going to rain soon”, I whispered and watched the box move a bit.

I waited for some time to see if he would grab the bag and eat something. It took some time until he peaked over the box to see if I was still there. He looked around before he grabbed the bag and instantly disappeared into the box again. The arm he had extended to take the bag had some bruises and cuts on it. Seemed like this hybrid already had a hard time on the street. I stepped closer again to see that he was happily munching on the bread and fruits I had chosen for him. Now that I could take a better look at him I saw that not only his arms were hurt but he had some cuts along his neck and cheeks too.

“You are hurt. Someone should look at your wounds. They might be infected”, I said quietly and saw him suddenly look at me.

“No. Please don’t”, he pleaded, his soft voice instantly touching my heart.

“Then at least let me get you somewhere safe. You shouldn’t stay here”

“No. I will stay here”

He looked at me with fear in his eyes. Something must have happened to him that he insisted on staying here. I crouched down and scooted closer to the box. He seemed curious too since he scooted closer towards me so that just the cardboard box was separating us. He sniffed the air and looked at me with his curious eyes. He still didn’t seem to trust me in any way but at least I was making some progress with him. A shelter didn’t seem like a good idea since he might have had bad experiences with that. Letting him stay here was even worse since the nights where getting colder and I didn’t really want a hybrid to freeze to death in the backyard of my workplace. The only other option was taking him home with me but I was sure that he would refuse. Well, I should at least try my luck.

“I know somewhere warm and safe where you could stay for some time if you’d like. My home is not really big but I have a guest room that you could have for yourself”, I suggested and saw his eyes open wide.

I wasn’t sure if he was thinking about if I was suspicious or if he was just thoroughly thinking about accepting or rejecting my offer. He then stood up and grabbed the plastic bag. Now that he was standing in front of me I just realized how tall he was. He was a bit taller than me but didn’t really look intimidating because of his small and thin body.

“Just because I’m coming with you doesn’t mean I trust you. I’ll watch you, human”, he said with a serious look and stepped out of the box.

“Understood. Now come with me. I’ll still have to close the store but then we can get you home.”

“Whatever”

That boy had an attitude. We walked into the backdoor, I locked it and then walked to the lockers to grab my stuff. The tiger followed me like a lost puppy. He offered to help we with my stuff as we walked to the front of the supermarket. We walked outside and locked the front door. I then walked to the parking lot, the tiger following me quickly. I took out my car keys and opened the trunk of the car. We stored my stuff there before closing it again. I walked to the driver seat and watched the tiger take his seat in the back of the car. As I sat down I turned around to look at him.

“You can sit in the front if you’d like”, I said and saw his head tilt to the side surprised.

He looked at me with confusion written all over his face before he left the car again and took his seat beside me. I smiled at his behavior and waited for him to put on his seatbelt before I turned on the engine and drove us home. Arriving at the garage I parked the car and then stepped out. I fetched the stuff from the trunk and waited for the hybrid to leave the car. After he walked over to me, I locked the car and walked towards the elevator. He followed me and stood next to me in the little cabin. I pressed the button to the third floor and watched the doors close. As we arrived on our floor we walked to the apartment and I opened the door.

“Go on. It’s a little messy but it’s warm.”, I said as he still stood at the door even thought it was open.

He walked in looking at his surrounding carefully. We took off our shoes and I went to stand at the side of the corridor watching him while he wandered around. He walked around the apartment and took in everything with big eyes. As he arrived at the guest room I joined him.

“I hope this room is ok for you. It’s usually empty since I don’t have many guests over. If you need anything you can just tell me. I’ll try to make it as comfortable for you as possible.”, I explained as he walked around the room.

“It’s fine”, he said and then came back to stand next to me.

“Do you want to take a shower? I can show you where the bathroom is”

The hybrid nodded and then followed me to the just mentioned room. I gave him a towel and some other showering utensils and then left him alone. In the meantime, I changed into something comfortable and took a seat on the couch in the living room to watch TV. It took some time before I heard the door to the bathroom open and saw him walk into the living room in the clothes I bought him from the supermarket and still wet hair.

“You should dry your hair. I don’t want you to get sick”, I said as he sat down next to me.

“Too lazy”, he answered and leaned back.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the bathroom to get a towel so I could at least dry his hair a bit if he let me. As I came back he looked annoyed as he saw the towel in my hands.

“I’ll leave you alone if you let me dry your hair. Is that a deal?”, I asked and sat down on the couch.

“Fine”, he mumbled and sat down on the floor in front of me.

I cautiously began to dry his hair. I had to make sure that I wouldn’t accidently hurt his sensitive ears so I tried to avoid them most of the time. After I was done I put the towel down and tapped his shoulder.

“I’m done. You can go and do whatever you like. If you need anything you can find me in my room”

I stood up from my position and left the living room. On my way back to my bedroom I stopped in the bath to hang the towel so it could dry. I then walked to my room and sat down on my bed. After scrolling through any social media app I could find on my phone, I grabbed my headphones and laid down. I put on some of my favorite music and turned off the lights. I loved to listen to music before I go to sleep. It always makes me calm and sleepy after some time. As I was about to put my phone and headphones away I noticed the door open slightly. I sat back up and turned on the light. A sleepy white tiger looked at me with his pillow in his arms.

“What’s wrong?”, I asked concerned.

“I can’t sleep”, he mumbled looking down at his feet.

As he looked up, a smile formed on my lips and he began to speak again.

“Don’t say a word. Just because I came to sleep here doesn’t mean that I accept you”, he said and closed the door behind him before he walked towards the bed.

His words somehow hurt me a bit. I decided to take him in and he was still this ungrateful.

“Understood. The same goes for me. Just because I let you stay in my apartment doesn’t mean that I care about you.”

I could have sworn that I saw him sulk for a second as these words left my lips. He climbed onto the bed and laid down next to me, but far enough so there would still be space between us. I somehow noticed that he seemed a bit sad after what I said. I didn’t mean to hurt him. I just wanted him to get a taste of his own medicine.

“I’m just kidding. I took you in since you looked hurt, exhausted and scared. I couldn’t let a hybrid, that looks like he suffered a lot, stay out there in the cold. I would feel terrible.”

After he didn’t react, I continued my monologue.

“You know…I could have just left you there, but I didn’t. I’m not asking you to thank me a thousand times or that you accept me right away and I understand if you don’t feel like talking a lot but knowing at least your name would probably make this a lot less awkward for the both of us.”

“Yoongi”, he whispered.

“What?”

“My name is Yoongi”, he said this time a bit louder and turned around so he could look at me.

“I’m Y/N. I hope we can get along in the future”, I introduced myself and smiled at him.

He tried to smile back but it looked a bit forced. Yoongi then yawned and I turned off the light and laid down.

“You should sleep now. Tomorrow is another day. We can get to know each other better then”, I said and turned so I was laying with my face towards him.

I noticed him moving around after some time. I opened my eyes and watched as he slowly scooted closer until he was laying directly in front of me. He noticed that I was still awake.

“Just because I-“

“I know. Just because you want to cuddle doesn’t mean that you accept me”, I finished his sentence and was surprised as he shook his head.

“No. I actually wanted to say just because I don’t know if I can fully trust you yet doesn’t mean that I don’t want to cuddle”, he said and I noticed a slight shimmer of pink on his cheeks as the moonlight shone onto his face.

“Oh”

I was surprised by his honest answer. I didn’t know that he would answer this directly. He kept looking at me as if he was waiting for something. I slowly understood what he wanted.

“Come here”, I whispered and opened my arms for him.

Yoongis eyes lit up. He scooted as close as possible and shyly wrapped his arms around my waist. I pulled him into my arms and wrapped them cautiously around his body.

“Is this comfortable for you?”, I asked and looked at the blushing tiger in my arms.

“Yes”, he whispered and hid his face in the crook of my neck.

I smiled at his behavior. I felt his tail flicking around excitedly under the blanket and giggled quietly. It was cute how he tried to play the tough one on the outside when he seemed to be a softy on the inside.

“Good night, Yoongi”, I whispered unsure if he was already sleeping.

As I received no answer I knew he fell asleep already.

“Sleep tight my little tiger”

I closed my eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep. It wasn’t even 2 hours later when I woke up again. Yoongi was whimpering quietly and held me tight. I turned my head to look at him just to see that he was still sleeping. I reached out to pet his head trying to calm him down a bit without waking him up. His whimpering continued and I decided to wake him from his nightmare. I softly shook him by his shoulder.

“Wake up”, I said loud enough so it should wake him.

He woke from his dream, panting and trying to get out of my grip. Yoongi seemed to be a bit disorientated right now so I kept him in place.

“Calm down, it’s just me. You’re safe here”, I whispered and softly pet his head.

He looked at me and I noticed his breath steadying again. Yoongi calmed down and quietly began to purr. Seeing him relax again made my worry fade away quickly and was replaced by pure adoration for this boy. He pressed his head against my hand and encouraged me to pet him more.

“Are you ok?”, I asked after some time.

“I’m ok. Thank you”, he whispered smiling at me.

His slightly sleepy smile was beautiful. He looked like a cute little muffin. My gaze wandered to his cute nose and I couldn’t help myself from poking it. Yoongi looked at me with puppy eyes and a bit confused.

“Don’t look at me like that”, I said and his face turned sad.

“I’m sorry”, he mumbled.

“No no no. I didn’t mean it like that. You look really cute with that look on your face”

His cheeks blushed and he hid his face again.

“Stop saying that”, he whined and pulled on my shirt like a stubborn child.

“Ok. Whatever you say, cutie”, I teased and received a hit against my shoulder.

I just laughed and pulled him closer. He tightened his grip around my waist and used me as his bodypillow for the rest of the night.

Next Part

Happy Anniversary Must Love Dogs!

Today is the one-year anniversary of my first fic ever! Must Love Dogs was the story of how my husband I met with Emma and Killian as yours truly and my husband. And not only is today the anniversary of that fic, but it’s the 15th anniversary of our first date (hence why I posted it today originally). So here it is again in all it’s glory. I hope you enjoy it again or for the first time.

Thank you @profdanglaisstuff​ for your beta skills and the artwork for this piece. You have been amazing!

Summary: Emma is done with online dating, so she decides to get a dog instead. Could a new pet dating site lead to true love?

Chapters  2 3 4 5

Also on A03

“I’m done with online dating!” Emma huffed into the phone as she flopped backward onto her bed.

“I swear Mary Margaret, I’m done.  There are no good guys to find from dating online.  It would be easier to find a guy in a bar like the good old days.” Emma threw her arm over her eyes to block out the light in her room.

“Oh come on, Emma,” Mary Margaret, Emma’s best friend, began, “They haven’t been all bad.”

“Have you lost your memory, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked incredulously. “Do you not remember my descriptions of all the extremely bad dates I’ve been on over the past two years since I started online dating?” Emma set her phone on her bed, pressed the speaker button, and started combing her fingers through her long, blonde hair to put up into a messy bun.

“First there was the guy who only gave one word responses to every question I asked.” She huffed while unzipping her boots and throwing them into her closet from her bed.

“Then there was August who invited me to see his band, then got totally wasted before he was even off stage and hit on every other girl in the bar while he was talking to me.” Off came her socks thrown viciously into the hamper.

“Then that Walsh guy who was totally pretentious about having seen ‘The Vagina Monologues’ but really just wanted to say the word vagina over and over again.’ She wrestled her legs out of the jeans she had been wearing on her date tonight and grabbed her sweats that were haphazardly hanging off the side of her bed. She breathed a sigh of relief to be in much more comfortable clothes.

“This last date couldn’t have been worse than those, Emma.” Mary Margaret said incredulously.

“This guy, Neal, started off well,” Emma said, her voice getting a little muffled as she struggled to get her tight, ribbed shirt off and put on a Boston University sweatshirt instead, “He’s a dental assistant, so that seemed promising.  At least it was until he let me know how helpful that was when he got into a fight at a concert last month and had to have his teeth that were knocked out fixed.” Emma angrily stalked into the kitchen and started rummaging through her bottom cabinet for her saucepan.

“Oh, gees!” Mary Margaret complained. “I mean, that doesn’t seem that bad.  At least he got his teeth fixed.” she continued trying to make the best out of the situation.

“Oh, it gets worse!” Emma said, grabbing the chocolate discs from inside the freezer and emptying them onto a cutting board sitting on her kitchen counter. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk and poured about a cupful into the saucepan and turned the burner on low heat.  “He proceeded to get into details about this fight and how it ended with him getting kicked in the balls and how painful that is.” She now grabbed a knife from the knife block and started vigorously chopping up the chocolate.

“Well…” Mary Margaret started but Emma was too worked up now to let her interrupt.

“So, I made the quip about how childbirth was supposed to be more painful, and he replied with ‘That’s just something women say to get attention!’” she huffed and almost sliced her finger with force she was now cutting the chocolate.

“Oh, Emma,” Mary Margaret started again.  

“I literally just gaped at him, pulled out a $20 for my meal and drink, and left.  And he had the audacity to yell after ‘Can I call you?’” And at that Emma practically threw the knife into the sink.

Emma took several deep breaths awaiting Mary Margaret’s response.  It took a few seconds and Emma began to think that they had maybe disconnected. She glanced at the milk on the stove and noticed the small bubbles starting to break the surface and quickly picked up the cutting board and swept the chopped chocolate into the hot milk.  Just as she grabbed the wooden spoon from the drawer below to start stirring the chocolate into the milk, Mary Margaret started speaking again.

“Emma, I know you hate it when I wax poetic on love, but you really shouldn’t give up on finding it.  I still feel like online dating could work if you find the right guy.  I know you have walls from your childhood, but - they may keep out pain; but they also keep out love.” Mary Margaret knew Emma had doubts, but she really didn’t want her friend to give up because of a few bad dates.

Emma was now pouring the hot chocolate into her swan mug and gave a heavy sigh. “Don’t you think all these horrible dates are a sign that I’m just not meant to be with someone? I know you and David found each other on TrueLove.com, but not everyone is you.” Emma placed the saucepan into the sink and quickly ran some water into it. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the whipped cream and sprayed it onto her hot chocolate.  She replaced it back in the fridge then grabbed the cinnamon on the counter and sprinkled some over the whipped cream.

“You do realize David and I didn’t actually meet online.  He was on a date with another girl and I was drunk at the bar and I accidentally swiped his credit card thinking it was mine.” Mary Margaret reminded her.

Emma chuckled, her first true expression of happiness this whole disaster of a night, “Yes, but he met her through TrueLove.com, so it’s still because of that dating site that you two met.  Just think, if you hadn’t have swiped his card he might have ended up married to that Kathryn chick.”

“God forbid!” Mary Margaret gasped.  “Besides, she ended up with Freddie the gym teacher at my school.” Mary Margaret taught fifth grade at the local elementary school.  “Turns out after David ditched her to figure out where his credit card had gone, she ran into him at the bar. Apparently, she and Freddie had been high school sweethearts and her father didn’t like him so he sent her to a college out of state to separate them.  It was fate that I happened to take David’s card, or she may have never found Freddie again.” Emma sighed and rolled her eyes at the way Mary Margaret sounded so hopeful telling this story.  She was always giving hope speeches about finding love.

“Look,” Emma started while blowing on her hot chocolate to cool it down, “I think I just need a break from online dating. It’s exhausting trying to find a good guy on there. I just needed to vent about the awful date.  It’s so much easier on Tinder when I know the guy is a creep I get to arrest.”

“Emma,” Mary Margaret said sternly, “your Tinder dates aren’t dates.  That’s you pretending it’s a date to arrest them for skipping bail.  It’s not even funny to joke about that.”

Emma had now plopped herself down on her couch and turned the television on to Animal Planet.  Pitbulls and Parolees, one of her favorite shows, was on.

“Maybe I should get a dog.” Emma said suddenly. “At least that way I’ll have someone to come home to everyday and someone who loves me unconditionally.”

“I can see I’ve lost you on the dating conversation.” Mary Margaret huffed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, sweetie.’

“Ok, Mary Margaret, talk to you tomorrow.” Emma said distracted by the pitbulls on the television screen.  She definitely thought a trip to the local dog shelter might be exactly what she needed.

EKEKEK

Emma didn’t get to the shelter the next day; a skip she’d been tracking for a few weeks suddenly came back into town and she collared him exiting a grocery store of all places, but the day after she definitely made time to go the shelter where Mary Margaret’s husband, David, worked.

“Emma,” David began, “are you sure you understand all that’s involved in caring for a dog?” He looked at her with concern.  Emma was notorious for barely taking care of herself, let alone another living creature.

“I think this is what I need, David.” Emma began. “I would rather be caring for someone that needs me than go out looking for someone who just wants to get into my pants. I think this would be good for me.” She finished. David nodded and brought her into the back where the animals were kept.

Emma had been imagining that it would be an almost dungeon-like place with sad looking animals in cages.  She was pleasantly surprised to find only a few cages, but mainly large rooms with several happy looking dogs and cats running around playfully.  There was even an outdoor area where the dogs could play with volunteers from the shelter.

“Most people just like to look around, see what kind of dog jumps out at them, literally and figuratively.  You can take any dogs that you like out to the play area to really get a feel for their energy level.” David said

Emma strolled through the room.  Each room window had a paper taped to it that said “Hi! My name is…” with the name of the dog, plus their age, what type of dog they were and any pertinent information a pet owner might need.  Emma knew she needed a smaller to medium-sized dog as she lived in an apartment, and she did not want a puppy that she would have to housetrain.

She walked up and down one set of rooms and saw a medium-sized black and white dog looking slightly forlorn. Two other dogs were wrenching a rope chew toy back and forth between them.  The dog was laying on a large dog pillow, completely oblivious to what it’s roommates were doing. Emma stopped in front of the window and the dog briefly looked up. Something about it just spoke to her.

“I’d like to take that one outside.” Emma said to David who was a little further back.  

“Really?” he asked, “That one has been known to be a little prickly.  Doesn’t seem to like people very much.” He said as he got out his keys from his pocket. Emma laughed at the comment, as people tended to say the same thing about her.

“Sounds like the perfect match.”

“She’s some sort of Boston terrier/pit mix from what we can tell.” David said as he grabbed a harness off the wall to put on the dog. “You can have genetic testing done on a dog to find out exactly what the breed background is, just like with people, but unless they have some disease that is breed specific, it’s not really worth it.” He finished fitting the harness on the dog and handed the leash to Emma. “You can take her out to the back playground for about 15 minutes to get a feel for her.”

The dog was ecstatic to be outside.  She ran around the fence perimeter about three times before she came over to Emma and gave her a good sniff.  Her tail immediately started wagging.

“Smell something you like, huh?” Emma said to the dog.  The dog gave her hand a tentative lick. Emma reached over and slowly started scratching behind the dog’s ears. Immediately, one of the back legs came up and started thumping out of the dog’s control.

“Oh, you like that a lot, don’t you pretty girl?” The dog chuffed at her but did not move away.

They continued to bond for the rest of the allotted time, the dog running around, but always coming back to Emma for a scratch or to be petted. David watched from the window.  He was surprised at how well this dog liked Emma.  She usually acted aloof to any person who tried to play with her. David had never seen her so… overjoyed. And Emma seemed to really be bonding with her too.  David had never seen Emma so affectionate with someone before. They really seemed to be the perfect match.

Emma arranged to pick her up the next day.  It was only after the dog was put back in the room that Emma noticed the name on the dog’s paper, Aphrodite.

EKEKEK

“So, Emma,” Mary Margaret said through speakerphone as Emma was putting away dishes.  

“Uh, oh,” Emma said.  She could already tell that Mary Margaret had something up her sleeve from the tone in her voice.  It had been two months since she had adopted Aphrodite, or Ditie, as she was prone to calling her (with an occasional Diters when she was being a really good girl), and Mary Margaret had seemed to accept that a dog was all she needed in her life and she did not need a man. “This sounds like what you usually say to me when you’re trying to set me up.  You’re not trying to set me up are you?”

Mary Margaret gave a little cluck. “No.” She said almost a little too quickly.  “It’s just….” she paused to get the right wording out. “Well, I was reading this article today about online dating,” Emma huffed through the phone, “and I read that there are all these new niche dating sites that are up and coming.”

“What does that mean, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked exasperated that this is where the conversation had gone.

“Well, have you ever considered a pet dating site?” Mary Margaret asked almost meekly.

Emma glanced over her countertop to see Ditie snoozing away in her dog bed, a new one she had bought for her when she had taken her home the day after their initial meeting.  Emma smiled contently.

“What is that?  Like an online dating site for my dog?  She’s been fixed, Mary Margaret, she doesn’t need any other life partners other than me.” Emma walked back over to the dishwasher and grabbed the silverware basket to put away.

“No!” Mary Margaret said over the clinking of the forks, knives, and spoons, “It’s a site for people with pets to meet other people with pets.  Niche sites are for people with specific interests.  I thought it wouldn’t be bad to possibly meet someone else who also had a dog.  Then maybe you could find a boyfriend and Ditie could also have a playmate.” Emma huffed again.  Ditie also huffed in her sleep.

“I don’t need to find a man just to socialize my dog, Mary Margaret.”

“I know that, I just thought it might be something to look into.  I’m texting you a site I found. Just take a look. Gotta go, bye!” Mary Margaret said brightly, then hung up before Emma could argue any further.

She continued to put away her dishes while Ditie snoozed when a ping came from her phone.  It was the text from Mary Margaret as promised.

“Really?” Emma whined when she saw the name of the site, Mustlovedogs.com. She put her phone back down to finish her dishes.  She still had some research to do for a skip she knew was still in town and she was hoping to nab the next day. She sat down at her desk, opened her laptop and started researching the leads she had about her skip.  

“Ok, the skip has been sighted in these areas recently.  He also has an ex who lives not too far from here that might be helpful. It looks like she has a dog, I wonder if she had it when they met. Dammit!  Stop thinking about dogs, Emma.  Ok, I could scope out the ex’s apartment and see what she’s up to.  Maybe she’ll be out walking her dog and I could have Ditie with me and then it would seem natural.  Two people with dogs meeting is natural.  Dammit! Stop thinking about meeting people with dogs, Emma!” She pushed the laptop away in frustration. She checked the time and saw she’d only been working for about 15 minutes before her mind wandered to that damn website.

“Dammit!” she huffed while pulling her laptop back closer to her and reopening it and entering the website Mary Margaret had sent her.

The website was full of bright pictures of couples with their dogs in various states of happiness: walking in the park, playing fetch, all sleeping in the same bed. Emma rolled her eyes at the obvious happily ever after vibe that was happening on the site. She decided to put in some basic information in the “what she was looking for” section on the website just to see what it would come up with.  According to the site, she didn’t need to have a membership to look, just to contact any potential matches she might get. Once she put the information in, she realized just how new the website actually was.  On the last site she’d been on she had usually matched to about 30-40 different guys with similar interests.  Here she was only matched with eight.

She started scanning through the profiles that had been selected for her.  The main format was the same as any other dating site, just a blurb about yourself, your interests and hobbies, but it also had a profile section for your dog.  

“That’s cute.” She said out loud, while scanning the first profile.  Nothing in particular stood out to her that made her want to contact the guy though.

All the guys seemed standard website dating fare, except that they had dogs, which made them slightly better than most guys Emma supposed. Dogs were excellent judges of  character, so she assumed that all these guys were better than the average single guy just for the fact that they had dogs. But no one was really standing out.

It was 11:00 when she got to the eighth and final profile.  So far Mary Margaret’s website had been a bust, and she was getting tired.  She’d read this last profile, one Killian Jones, and head to … holy mother, he was good looking! Dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, a bit of scruff on his chin. He was leaning, almost nonchalantly, against a boat mast with just the hint of a smile on the corners of his lips. It could look arrogant, but on him it looked almost boyish, even though he was definitely all man. There was no way his profile could match his gorgeousness.

Killian Jones - 34, graphic designer

Originally from London, I moved to the US to go to college (Go Terriers!).  I was primarily interested in pursuing an English degree, but even with my superfluous vocabulary, found it utterly pedantic, and not wanting to complete the British stereotype of a stodgy, British, English professor, decided to go into the exciting world of graphic design instead. I currently am the head graphic designer for Boston Tea Party Boat Tours. The sea is my mistress, which essentially means I love to go sailing. I spent many years as a child learning to sail and find it very soothing. A great stress reliever. And, while an affection for sailing the open waters would be nice, is not a deal breaker when it comes to a woman I am wooing. I also enjoy many land activities, including geocaching and drinking rum (I’ve been told I have all the makings of a pirate). Hopefully, being a possible pirate does not put you off of reading the rest of my profile. At least give my dog a chance if my profile scared you a little.

Jolly - 2, Boston Terrier/Pit Mix

Hi! I’m Jolly, short for Jolly Roger, even though I’m a girl.  My dad has a thing for Peter Pan and since he didn’t like Wendy or Tiger Lily for a dog, Jolly it is.  And I am a jolly dog, so aptly named.  I love going out sailing with my dad because I have a cool blue life vest that I get to wear.  I also love walking on the beach and rolling in the sand and getting myself so sandy that my dad has to vacuum out his car more than is necessary. I also love going for drives (I call shotgun!) and just going to any place that allows dogs. I’d love for my dad to find me another dog to play with and for him to have another human to play with.

Emma gave out a slight laugh, because of course it was written perfectly. The profile was definitely different from the usual profiles she was used to reading.  She also liked that he’d written Jolly’s profile as it were from her perspective, something none of the other men had done on their profiles (and the fact that Jolly was the same mixed breed as Ditie). He just sounded so personable, and someone Emma would actually hang out with … or even date.

She looked at the time on her laptop and say that it was just after 11 PM.  She had a really good feeling about this guy.  One she’d never had with any of her other online dates.  She did a quick online search of him and found him on the website for Tea Party Boat Tours as his place of employment.  She didn’t find much else, which, in her profession, she always found was a good thing.

“Ok, Emma, you can do this.” she said trying to pep herself up to writing a profile with half as much personality as his.  

Emma Swan, 28, Bail Bonds Person

I moved around a lot when I was a kid so I’m from nowhere in particular.  I finally decided to put down some roots in Boston around five years ago. As it states above, I am a Bail Bonds Person, which I’ve been doing for the past eight years.  I am currently pursuing a criminal justice degree at BU and studying for the Police Academy exam. I am a master of the law so please don’t respond to this profile if you are a felon, have even been a felon, or plan on being a felon. I like taking runs near the water and so does my dog, but I also love just chilling out at home, ordering out, and streaming old 80’s and 90’s movies (Goonies and Hook being two of my favorites).

Aphrodite, 1, Boston Terrier/Pit Mix

My mommy has only been my mommy for about two months, but she has been the best mommy ever!  She gives me lots of treats and takes me on lots of walks! I especially love going to dog parks, especially ones that have water.  Baths and swimming are my favorite! I don’t get to go swimming much though, as mommy doesn’t know anyone with a pool. But my favorite dog park has a little swimming area for dogs like me. I know my mommy thinks I’m all she needs, but I think human companionship with someone else who also has a dog companion for me would be good.

Emma looked it over.  She didn’t want to come off sounding desperate, but she also wanted to match the same playful tone Killian had written his (and Jolly’s) profile with. She just needed pictures of herself and Ditie to add to her profile.

Opening her pictures folder, Emma quickly scrolled through until she found the picture she wanted to use.  It was the day she brought Ditie home.  David had taken it before she left the shelter.  Emma had a big wide smile, her long, blonde hair tied into a loose braid hanging over her shoulder. Ditie was licking her cheek and David managed to snap the picture before she scrunched her face because of Ditie’s tongue practically in her mouth.

Emma uploaded the photo of her and Ditie, and uploaded the whole profile onto the website. Now, to get Mr. Killian Jones to notice it.  She had noticed that there was the option of a virtual kiss, kind of like a nudge or poke on some of the other sites she had been on.  So she clicked on the virtual kiss option on his website.  She let out a big breath of air that she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.

Checking the time again, it was now close to midnight, Emma decided there was nothing else she could do tonight.  She closed the laptop and went to get ready for bed.

Tag List: (Let me know if you want to be added or removed)

@profdanglaisstuff @thisonesatellite @mariakov81 @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @jennjenn615 @kmomof4​ @superchocovian​ @lfh1226-linda​ @ilovemesomekillianjones

A Very Merry Christmas

A/N: Hellloooo, so I know it’s not the weekend, but in my defense, I lost a day. I thought today was Sunday but I have been informed I was wrong. Anywho, this will be a two-parter as I wrote soooo much it felt like I needed to snip it a bit. So without further ado, here is the next part (not in story timeline) of “Domestic(ish) Life”!!!!!

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3100

The second Thanksgiving ended, you were all in on Christmas. This was not new information to Steve and Bucky. Though Bucky only had a year under his belt where Steve had five. But they knew how much you loved the holiday so even when they weren’t really in the mood, they put on the Santa hats and smiled because it made you happy. And there was nothing they loved more than seeing you happy. ---------

“Come on, come on, come ooonnn,” You whined as you tried to drag the two super soldiers into the tent.

“We’re coming,” Steve laughed.

“Not fast enough.” you groaned and ditched them to head into the tent in front of them.

“I don’t understand why we don’t do this-”

“If you say the old fashion way I swear Bucky, I will murder you.” You glared as he came up behind you.

He put his hands up and laughed, “All right, message received.”

“Good, now put these muscles to use and pull that tree out for me.” You asked as you patted his chest and pointed to a tree towards the back.

You knew that you could actually go to a tree farm in New York, but your family had always gotten them from the tents at Home Depot, Lowes, or just a stand off the main road. It was one of the traditions you couldn’t let go of. That and needing to get a real tree, even when you were alone and had to drag it up to your apartment by yourself. 

Steve came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder. The two of you shared a quiet laugh as you watched Bucky fight to get the tree you wanted from the pile. 

“Thank you for doing this with me. I know it’s kind of silly, but-”

“Hey, it’s not silly. It’s something you love and something that means a lot to you. You know we’re there if it means making you happy.” He said. Bucky then let out a string of curses under his breath as he finally got the tree out. “And I can’t say I don’t enjoy myself.”

You giggled and moved forward to evaluate the tree.

Two hours and three Tree Tents later, you had found your perfect tree. The boys helped bring it up and set it in its base. You smiled, clapped, and did a little dance once it was in place. 

“I’m glad you’re happy, but I am never doing that again,” Bucky grumbled.

“Aw come on, don’t be like that.” Steve teased.

“There is sap all in the groves of my hand. That shit is never coming out.” 

“Le gasp! We do not use that kind of language sir!” You exclaimed in fake shock.

“God I hate you guys.” 

“But seriously,” You giggled as you pecked Steve on the cheek in apology, “I told you to wear gloves. It is not my fault you didn’t listen.” 

“I didn’t think they were necessary!”

“Well, you should know that I’m always right and you should really listen to me more.” You smiled.

“Whatever, let’s just decorate it.”

“Sorry hunny, but we can’t decorate quite yet. We need to give it a day or two to make sure it’s all puffed out.”

“I have no idea what you just said or why that’s a thing,” Bucky stated as he plopped next to you on the couch. 

“It meeaanns, the trees from tents are usually all wrapped up, so it takes them some time to flatten out. So if we put lights and ornaments on it now, they are liable to just fall off once the branches have adjusted.” You explained.

“I see. I still think it’s stupid and next year we’re taking you to a tree farm.”

“Oh, so you’re already planning for next year huh?” You teased.

“You can’t get rid of me princess.” He said as he grabbed you and pulled you into his lap as he hugged you tight and layed kisses all over you while you giggled.

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

The boys were extremely unhappy when a mission popped up two weeks before Christmas. They were so excited to do all the fun Christmas things with you for your first official Christmas as a couple. You assured them it was fine, as it was just a day after all. You firmly held the belief that the day you celebrated didn’t matter, as long as you were celebrating with the ones you love. So off they went.

You were almost kind of glad they were gone. It gave you plenty of time to get their gifts done. You firstly picked up some of the gifts you and Bucky had discussed for Steve and the same with Bucky’s. You had all made the decision to include each other in the gift-giving process to make sure no one got the same things. It was working out pretty good. You did decide to do something extra for both the boys. You wanted to spoil them and it was something you’d been planning for a while anyway. So you got to work. Though you loved buying gifts, you also loved making them. It made you feel like it was just a touch more personal. Luckily you had some time off and were able to put it to use. You actually made it a girls’ night. Nat and Wanda weren’t needed for the mission, so you invited them and Pepper over. You all had a ball, mixing wine and crafts. Though they were all crafty in their own right, they always said your assistance and expertise made it way easier and the product much prettier. Some of the creations were just for fun, or in Pepper’s case, a fun gift to give the man who had pretty much everything.

“So what’s the deal with that?” Nat asked as she was laser-focused on her wine glass, not the one that was full, the one she was painting.

“Well, I’ve been working on this for months, bullying Tony and even enlisting Maria’s help to gather some relics from their past and- I don’t know. I thought it would be cute.” You said with a shrug.

“Oh it’s adorable, I just wasn’t sure what it was from or where you got the idea.” She assured you.

“Oh, it’s from one of my favorite movies.” You explained.

“I see,”

“Hey (Y/N/N), how do you use this thing again?” Wanda asked, staring at the Cricut with hatred in her eyes. You laughed as you put down what you were working on and went over to show her.

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

When the boys returned only five days later, they were thrilled. There was a minor concern that their mission would mess up the holidays, but luck was on your side for this one. But they were faced with a new problem. Christmas was coming fast, and they were stumped at what to get their girl. They knew very well she wasn’t super materialistic and cared more for small gestures then grand ones. But they were just so unsure of what to do. This was the first official Christmas as a triad, and they were panicking. 

“I feel like you gotta go jewelry, my man, it’s a classic,” Sam suggested when the boys brought their fears and worries to him.

“But that’s just it, it’s classic. She deserves more than that.” Bucky said with a groan.

“I don’t know, jewelry is pretty romantic. And it can be kind of personalized for her.”

“Still not what we’re looking for though,” Bucky argued.

“Hey, you asked for my help!”

“No Steve asked you. For some reason,”

“Stop it, both you.” Steve sighed, pinching his nose between his fingers and shaking his head.

“I’m just saying, I mean, how many successful relationships has he had?” Bucky asked,

“I’ve had relationships!”

“Name two that have lasted longer than 2 months.”

“Listen here-”

“Enough.”

The three men sat in silence for a while after that.

“What about a companion?” Asked a female voice. Steve and Sam jumped a bit at the sudden appearance of Natasha. 

“What?”

“Like a pet or something. I mean she’s always sad when she’s left alone when you guys go on missions.”

“No no, that part I got.” Bucky said, “But how the hell did you know what we were talking about?”

“You guys have been struggling for a week. It’s getting really close to Christmas, I gave an educated guess.”

“You scare me,” Sam said, completely straight-faced.

“Oh, I know that.” She said, smiling innocently at him.

“I don’t know Nat, an animal is so much work.” Steve said, “And they usually end up destroying a lot.” 

“Yeah, but (Y/N) is great with animals.” She argued.

“I don’t know,”

“I kinda like the idea.” Bucky chimed in.

“Of course you would. You want a pet just as much as she does.”

“All the more reason. It’s a two-for-one gift.” Bucky said a bright smile on his face.

“I hate you.”

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

An hour later the two men were at a local animal shelter asking the kind workers for help. The receptionist freaked out for a minute but was able to get over her shock and help them. They took a picture with her but made her promise not to post it anywhere until after Christmas as to not ruin the surprise. She willingly agreed.

“So, are you looking for a dog or a cat? Or something else?” She asked as she led them to a back office to talk so they wouldn’t be seen by others out in the main area. 

“Uh, we’re not really sure actually,” Steve admitted.

The woman laughed and had them sit down to chat.

“Okay, so this is for your mystery girlfriend I assume?”

“Yeah, we want to get her a companion for when we’re gone, but we’re not sure what would be best,” Bucky explained.

“Alright, does she have a preference for one type of animal?”

The two boys snorted. 

“Anything that has fur and four legs.” Bucky laughed, 

“Well, that’s not true, she also loves birds and bats.”

“Oh true, can’t forget the bats.” 

The woman looked at the two icons in front of her, fond smiles on their faces as they spoke of their lover. She hoped she could one day find someone who would look like that when they talked about her. “I feel that I'm the same way.” She laughed, “Unfortunately, we don’t rescue bats here but we have lots of furry friends.”

“Do have any animals that have been here for a while? Or any animals that you guys don’t think anyone is going to take?”

“Well, we have quite a few that have been here for a year or more, a few senior animals which are less popular, and then animals who have some form of illness or disability.”

“Not one with an illness or disability. Though I’m sure she would love it unconditionally, I think a healthy animal would be better.” Steve said.

“So judgmental Steve,” 

“Shut it punk,” Steve said as he glared. He turned back to the woman who was smiling as she watched the two men.

“Come on, I’ll show you a few different critters and you can see what you think will complete your family.”

She led them out the door and down a hallway. Immediately they could hear the barking. 

“So, these are some of the dogs who need special attention or are small enough we can fit them in the kennel. We have bigger dogs and healthy ones outside in big pens so they have room to roam.” The woman explained. 

She led them to a cage with a small shaggy terrier. It started yapping as soon as the boys walked up.

“So this is Nancy, she’s 3 years old and she’s been here for 8 months. She had some heartworms but she is finally done with treatment and is ready to find her forever home.”

The two boys shared a look.

“She’s cute but I don’t think we want a tiny dog,” Steve said.

“Specifically no yappers,” Bucky added.

The woman laughed and nodded, “I don’t blame you. But that will help our search a little bit.”

She then led them outside where they could see a number of fenced-in areas with dogs of all kinds running, sleeping, or playing with their toys.

“So, first we have Pluto, he’s a 6-year-old Lab/Pit mix. He’s a sweetheart but people get scared with him being part pitbull. He’s active but not so much that he’s too much to handle. He does enjoy going for walks and playing with his ball. He also loves tug-of-war, but I usually warn people about hurting their shoulders due to his strength, but I get the feeling you two won’t need to worry about that.” She smiled as she crouched down to call over the dog.

“Yeah, I think we’ve got that covered.” Steve laughed.

Bucky got down right next to the worker and started petting him through the fence.

“Oh, aren’t you a cutie. Oooh, you’re so sweet.” Bucky cooed.

“I’m gonna live to regret having you here aren’t I?”

“Listen, these cuties need someone to love them. Let me live my life.” Bucky snapped playfully defensive.

Steve laughed and they all moved on to the next dog, then onto cats, and finally the birds and small critters like hamsters and ferrets.

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

Their next stop was the pet store. They talked to the woman at the shelter about what supplies they would need and she gave them a detailed list with some things that weren’t necessary, but might be good to have.

They never realized how many toys you could get for animals. Needless to say, they were extra glad for the instructions as they would have been lost without them. They had put their new family member on hold to be picked up on Christmas Eve and somehow figure out how they were going to smuggle it into the apartment. But they would worry about that later. Right now they were arguing over colors.

“We should get the pink or purple, they’re girl colors,” Steve argued.

“Did you really just say that? Do you know what (Y/N) would say if she heard that?” Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Steve nodded, realizing his mistake.

“Obviously,”

“Don’t get smart with me punk.”

“Whatever, we still need to pick a color.”

“What about (F/C)?”

“No, that’s a weird shade. She would hate that.” 

“What about this one?” Steve asked, holding up a sparkly red/orange one with little brown flecks in it.

Bucky tilted his head. “It’s very fall, but I think she’ll love it.” 

“My thoughts exactly.”

“One thing down, a hundred to go.” Bucky sighed looking at the list.

“I don’t want to hear it, this is all on you pal. You wanted to do this.” Steve said.

“Oh I know, I have no regrets.”

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

Once they had all of the stuff, they made a quick stop to get bags, boxes, and wrapping paper. They knew they would have to wait until tomorrow to wrap their gifts as by now you were bound to be home from work and they had too much stuff to hide effectively. 

They were so glad they had figured this out because they were down to the wire. It was only five days till Christmas.

With it being so close to Christmas you were practically glowing and floating on air. There was constantly a Christmas candle burning and music playing. After all the stress of the year between missions and dealing with telling people about your relationship, the boys were glad to see you let loose and be happy. You were only minorly stressed out because you had offered to host a small Christmas Eve get together with a few of the team who didn’t already have plans. Though you would all be gathering at the Tower for Christmas dinner. But on Christmas Eve it was just going to be Sam, Wanda, Vision, Natasha, and Bruce.

You had grand plans of making all sorts of delicious baked goods for both meals, but on top of it, you had to make an actual dinner for Christmas Eve. But you were thrilled. You loved hosting events and you were ready to hold a holiday in your own space. The boys helped you clean everything and make sure all the presents for the team were wrapped, as well as the presents for each other. You managed to wrangle Steve into assisting you with some of the cooking and decorating of the desserts. Bucky had long been banned from the kitchen because he infamously ate everything and you would end up having to make more. So he was stuck on cleaning duty and doing other minor jobs for you. 

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

After a whirlwind of activity leading up to the big night, it was here. You all had discussed it and decided to get a bit dressed up, especially since Tony had decided that it was going to be a pajama dinner. So while the food was finished cooking, you got all dressed up in a dark red, sparkly, knee-length dress. You did your make-up and put on some jewelry before topping the look off with heels you knew you would take off within half an hour. Each of the boys stuck with a nice pair of jeans and a button-up. Both looked absolutely delicious. Not long after you all finished getting ready, you heard the first knock at the door.

As everyone arrived, wine and mixed drinks were served and you all gathered at the table for the meal. As they all sat, you stayed standing.

"Before we all enjoy this meal, I just wanted to say, thank you. This has been a rough year between missions gone wrong and huge fallouts. I want to say thank you for being my family when my family was being dicks. I firmly believe that family isn’t defined by blood but by love. I feel so incredibly lucky to have wonderful people like you surrounding me and trying to keep my dumbasses safe." Everyone laughed a bit, but your eyes had started tearing. "I love you guys. Thank you for accepting me into your family and for understanding that love comes in many forms. Merry Christmas." You finished, raising your glass, tears trickling down your cheeks. 

Everyone chorused a 'Merry Christmas' and you sat between your boys, who both squeezed your hands and kissed your cheeks. 

A Very Red Dead Christmas

Merry Christmas @spursthatgojinglejangle from your @rdrsecretsanta! I hope your holidays are as fun as a night on the town with the Van Der Linde gang! Just don’t get arrested ;)

I got a bit carried away with your request, but who can resist Arthur being a big softie around cute animals? Hope you like it!

 Friends in cold places

Summary: After Arthur is sent on a mission to find a Christmas tree for the gang, he gets caught out in a blizzard in Tall Trees. He finds shelter in an abandoned cabin, where he befriends another lost soul.

Word count 7k+

-

“You want me to do what?”

Arthur had been enjoying a quiet afternoon on watch duty before Dutch appeared. The leader of the Van Der Linde gang glowed with excitement at his latest brilliant idea.

“I want you to get us a Christmas tree!” Dutch repeated.

“Two days ago you told me to beat up a man for money,” Arthur said after a drag on his cigarette, “and today you want me to get you a fancy tree?”

“It’s for your family, son,” Dutch said, stars in his eyes. “What better way to boost morale than to get a real Christmas tree and decorate it?”

Arthur chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Dutch asked.

“I know I don’t have no choice in the matter.”

“Oh come on, Arthur! Think of what it would mean to young Jack.”

Arthur rolled the cigarette between his fingers, not meeting Dutch’s gaze. Sure, Jack was a good kid, but was his happiness worth the wolves and frostbite?

“Dutch, we just spent a year in the goddamn Grizzlies. Plenty of Christmas trees there. You sure there’s nothin’ else you need me to do? Nothin’ more… important?”

Dutch removed a cigar from one of the pockets on his vest. Arthur struck a match for him. “You can take one of them O’Driscoll horses we acquired last week,” Dutch said through a cloud of smoke. “That chestnut one is bigger than Alfred MacAlister’s ego. He could be a decent pack horse.”

“Hmf. As long as he doesn’t annoy Boadicea.”

Arthur sighed in resignation. Dutch would not be dissuaded.

“Fine. I’ll go tomorrow. If I don’t come back, remember you was the one who sent me to the mountains in the middle of winter for a tree.”

Dutch smiled victoriously. “That’s the spirit, son! The Christmas spirit!”

His task accomplished, Dutch turned and walked back to camp, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts and a cigarette stub.

The Van Der Linde gang had just settled in West Elizabeth, next to the Upper Montana River. They were less than an hour’s ride from Blackwater, their camp well-hidden in a grove of trees. The climate was milder in the south, but Arthur missed the solitude of the mountains. With no lawmen willing to follow their trail, the gang had enjoyed a freedom they had not tasted for years. But Dutch had big plans for Blackwater.

Charles appeared at dusk to swap shifts. The newcomer had already proven himself as a deadly gunman and brawler, but he never raised his voice or drank to excess. He possessed a quiet strength that Arthur admired.

“Dutch said you’re heading out tomorrow,” said Charles. His eyes were fixed ahead, on the plains of West Elizabeth rolling before them. “He mentioned something about Tall Trees.”

“Yeah. Not my first choice this time of year,” Arthur replied. “I take it the whole gang knows I’m on a very important mission to get a Christmas tree?”

“Dutch couldn’t contain himself. Everyone knows except for Jack and Abigail; he wants it to be a surprise for them.”

Arthur smiled and shook his head.

“Sounds about right. See ya later.”

Arthur shouldered his rifle and followed Charles’s footprints back to camp. Even now he still looked for Copper, but no-one ran up to greet him. He missed having a dog around.

The camp was nearly empty: most of the Van Der Linde gang were out scouting for opportunities or having fun in Blackwater and Strawberry. The soft glow of a kerosene lantern inside Dutch’s tent indicated that he was sharing a private evening with Molly. Abigail and Jack were in their tent too, already asleep. Pearson and Susan were standing together a short distance from camp, smoking and gossiping in the rapidly fading light. Which left the usual suspects sitting around the fire: John, Bill, Uncle, and Micah.

“Mister Morgan!” Micah drawled, his voice slurred with whiskey. “Seen any fairies today? Or Sasquatches?”

“Just the ones I’m seein’ now.”

This earned a drunken guffaw from John, but the others weren’t impressed.

“Think you’re so clever, eh Morgan?” Bill said thickly. “Well you ain’t smart.”

“Never said I was,” Arthur replied, walking past the campfire to Pearson’s stew pot. “But I do more work than any of you cowpokes.”

This led to an outcry from Bill, Micah, and Uncle. It was almost too easy to rile them up. John laughed: he was too far gone to care about anything.

Arthur ignored them, scooping Pearson’s stew into a bowl. There was meat in it today, but he couldn’t tell what species had made it into the pot.

“Dutch said you was goin’ to get us a Christmas tree,” Micah jeered. “You’re goin’ to freeze your ass off up there, Morgan.”

“Least I got an ass to freeze, Micah.”

The others howled in drunken laughter, and Arthur could hear Pearson and Susan joining in nearby. Micah shot him a dirty look. Normally, Arthur would have enjoyed a night of drinking and singing by the campfire, but not with this lot. He walked around them, back to the ammunition wagon, and sat on his cot.

The other gang members quickly forgot about him, allowing Arthur to enjoy his dinner in peace. That was, until Miss Kitty found him.

“Hey, Kitty.”

The tabby cat meowed in reply, and jumped up onto his cot. She eyed his bowl expectantly, without shame. Arthur picked out a piece of lamb, or whatever it was, and gave it to her. Miss Kitty wolfed it down, and meowed for more.

The gang had found her in Montana, or more precisely she had found them. Miss Kitty enjoyed her employment as Camp Mouser and Foot Warmer. She was surprisingly confident around humans, including little Jack Marston, but nonetheless discerning with her affection. Copper had been a lovable dumbass who adored anyone who even so much as looked at him, but Miss Kitty chose her friends carefully. She avoided anyone who was drinking, or shouting, or acting out. Otherwise she enjoyed games and cuddles with most of the gang. And Miss Kitty knew Arthur was a soft touch when it came to food. There was usually plenty in the pot, so he didn’t mind sharing.

“Leave some for me, Miss Kitty,” he chided, offering her another piece of meat.

Once the bowl was empty, Arthur wrote in his journal. He even sketched the tabby cat, curled up in a contented ball on his cot. He washed his face and hair, and trimmed his beard. In the absence of better company, Miss Kitty stayed nearby, exploring in and around the ammunition wagon.

When he finally lay down for the night, a book in hand, Miss Kitty jumped back up onto Arthur’s cot. She stepped onto his chest.

“I don’t have any food.”

But Miss Kitty ignored him, settling down and purring up a storm.

“Well, ain’t you a nice kitty,” Arthur said, rubbing her cheeks and ears. Miss Kitty was so relaxed she began to knead his undershirt. In the end Arthur gave up on reading and fell asleep, soothed by Miss Kitty’s capable paws.

-

When Arthur woke in the morning a thick fog had settled over the campsite. Miss Kitty had vanished, probably to hunt for some breakfast. He roused the coals of Pearson’s cooking fire and set about brewing some coffee. The camp was silent except for snoring from a few of the gang members: it was a miracle that the law couldn’t hear them from Blackwater.

Arthur warmed up a can of baked beans, which he enjoyed with a much-needed coffee beside the fire. Around him the gang began to stir. He poured Susan a cup, which she gratefully accepted.

Once his morning chores were finished it was time to saddle up. He would be riding for the best part of a day to get to the edge of Tall Trees, but not just any old tree would do: he would have to travel deeper into the forest to find the best-looking ones.

Boadicea was hitched at the gang’s horse station, on the outskirts of the camp. The dapple grey Andalusian nickered a greeting to him, which brought a smile to his lips.

“Hi girl,” he murmured, stroking her neck. “We’re headin’ out for a few days. You can thank Dutch when we’re freezing our rumps off.” She blinked, watching him with her dark eyes. She kept both ears trained on Arthur as he brushed and saddled her. Boadicea was a special horse: beautiful and clever and courageous. A warrior queen, just like her namesake.

The big chestnut gelding was next. Someone had the foresight to hitch him next to Boadicea, so they would get used to each other’s company. The chestnut was seventeen hands of solid muscle, better suited to a cart than a saddle. He stood as tall as a mountain, so the first name that came to Arthur’s mind was Hagen.

The gelding pinned his ears at Arthur’s approach, but his apprehension switched to curiosity when the man spent some time introducing himself. A few oatcakes and a brush all over had Hagen calm and responsive. Arthur despised folks who treated their animals like unfeeling lumps of horseflesh.

“Alright, feller,” he soothed. “Let’s see if you’ll take a pack saddle.”

Hagen stood quietly while Arthur tightened the cinch and adjusted the straps. Boadicea secretly watched them the whole time, pretending to be fascinated by something in the fog. She was the jealous type, and failed miserably at hiding it.

Arthur finally mounted up, Boadicea’s reins in his left hand and Hagen’s lead rope in his right, and guided them through the trees. Charles was still on watch duty; Bill had not yet woken up after the night of heavy drinking.

“Good luck, Arthur.”

“Thanks Charles. Give Bill a kick for me, will ya?”

Charles smiled, his eyes dull with exhaustion. “I’ll give him two.”

Arthur tipped his hat and rode out onto the prairie. He nudged Boadicea into a smooth lope, and they enjoyed an easy ride across the plains. Hagen kept up at first, eager to make a good impression, but with his great size he tired faster than the mare. So they slowed to a steady jog, all the while heading west towards Tall Trees.

The fog burned up by mid-morning, revealing a crisp, clear winter’s day. Arthur followed the muddy roads that scarred the prairie, humming to himself to pass the time. The gang were still new here, and as such they weren’t wanted in West Elizabeth - yet. He greeted the farmers, hunters, and fellow travelers that he passed on the road. Most of them were friendly enough, while others just wanted to be left alone.

Arthur stopped hourly to rest, letting the horses graze for a few minutes before moving on. Around midday he found a sheltered spot on the banks of the Upper Montana River, and built a small fire. The sun was out but the wind blowing down from the mountains leeched the warmth from his bones. Arthur spent a good amount of time by the fire, defrosting his numb face and hands. The horses also enjoyed the break from the relentless wind, grazing together on patches of green grass.

After a lunch of pan-fried, freshly caught bluegill, Arthur knew it was time to push on. In less than an hour the sky had turned from clear to overcast with the threat of a storm. He wanted to reach the forest before it hit as the trees would provide some protection.

The clouds turned steely grey as they rode west. The wind didn’t let up, rising to a howl as they sighted the first stands of spruce and fir. Arthur checked the time; it was past three when thin, watery snowflakes began to fall. They dissolved on the grass and soaked into Arthur’s jacket. He almost lost his hat after a massive wind gust, and stowed it safely in a saddle bag.

Boadicea snorted uneasily. It wasn’t a predator scent that worried her, so it must have been the weather.

“Almost there, girl.”

Hagen didn’t look too happy either, and he stuck to Boadicea like glue. Arthur knew that only a big storm would upset the horses. Finding Dutch’s Christmas tree would have to wait.

They pushed against the wind, tracking deeper into Tall Trees. The snow began to settle on the ground now, and quickly buried the road. At first Arthur could figure out where the trail was, but soon everything began to look the same. There were no road signs out here. He only figured that they were lost when Boadicea stumbled over a hidden rock.

Arthur dismounted and led the horses forward, looking for any shelter from the weather. They were now lost outside in a blizzard, soaked and freezing, with night rapidly approaching. They wouldn’t last long if they didn’t find a windbreak.

He almost didn’t hear the snort from Boadicea, even though her nose was next to his ear. It was hopeful sound, and it gave Arthur hope too.

“What is it?”

He could hardly see a few feet in front of him, and it was only thanks to Boadicea’s keen senses that they found the cabin. She pulled on the reins, guiding Arthur to the left. A small building materialized in the storm, and the three hurried towards it.

Boadicea had brought them to a log cabin and a lean-to that looked like a stable. The cabin’s shutters were closed and no smoke rose from the chimney.

Arthur led the horses into the stable. It was a crude building, with three walls and a hitching post inside. No animals had been stabled there for a while as there was no fodder or tack. It had been cleaned out, either by its former owners or thieves, but at least it offered respite from the wind and snow.

He removed the saddles from both horses, using a sweat scraper and his own blanket to dry them off. Next, Arthur opened a bag of provisions on the pack saddle, tipping vegetables and oatcakes into the food trough. The food had been for him, but the horses would not be able to graze any time soon.

Once Boadicea and Hagen were secured to the hitching post and happily munching away on their dinner, Arthur drew his revolver and walked to the cabin door. It was slightly ajar, and dark inside, but he wouldn’t be taking any chances.

He pressed his shoulder against the door, aiming inside. Arthur couldn’t hear anything over the wind so he shoved it open. Once his eyes adjusted to the gloom he discovered a bed with a stained mattress, an empty fireplace, and a writing desk.

Arthur exhaled in relief and stepped into the cabin, closing the door. It muffled the wind’s howl and he could finally think properly. He struck a match and lit his oil lantern.

Like the stable, the cabin had been cleared of anything remotely valuable. There was a tattered photograph of a married couple on the wall and a few orphan pieces of cutlery, but that was it. It smelled musty with disuse. There weren’t even any logs for the fireplace, so he hacked up the desk chair with his hatchet and used the pieces for kindling. The desk would be sacrificed next.

The cabin and the stables, though rudimentary, were both in reasonable condition. Arthur wondered if something evil had befallen its owner. Perhaps it had simply been abandoned, or it served as a seasonal retreat for an author or artist.

As he built up the fire, his guard lowered, Arthur heard a high-pitched whine from somewhere behind him. He jumped up, knife already in hand.

There was no-one there, but he knew he had heard something. Arthur picked up the lantern and checked under the bed.

He found a dog hunkered down in the corner. The frightened creature avoided his gaze, cowering and trying to make itself as small as possible. It had shaggy fur, but Arthur couldn’t see the dog well enough to tell if it was purebred or a mutt.

“Hey there,” he said softly. “Come on. Out you come.”

The dog shivered, sticking to its corner. Arthur realized it could have hydrophobia, so he didn’t try to touch it. At least there was an easy way to find out if it was sick or not.

Arthur ducked out into the storm retrieve the saddles, and once the fire had reached a good size he melted a pot of fresh snow. After taking a draught himself he placed the pan under the bed, holding up the oil lamp to see. The dog was either too terrified or sick to drink. So Arthur decided to start cooking, hoping that the smell of meat would entice the dog out.

As he prepared his dinner, he heard the dog slurping up water from the saucepan. Definitely not hydrophobia! Arthur didn’t turn around, concentrating instead on heating the contents of the skillet. His dinner was a mess of tinned food: corned beef, peas, and kidney beans. He also had half a bread roll left over after fishing for the bluegill, and a tin of peaches for later. But what he was most looking forward to was the coffee: the percolator was already working its magic and he poured himself a mug.

Arthur sighed after his first sip. By the time he reached the grit at the bottom he felt human again.

He removed his gloves, hanging them by the fire to dry. The dog’s eyes were on his back, but he didn’t turn around so as not to frighten it further.

Once his dinner was piping hot and bubbling, Arthur removed it from the fire and ate straight from the skillet. If Susan Grimshaw was nearby she would have boxed his ear! After a few mouthfuls he decided to try his luck with enticing the dog out. He picked out a juicy piece of beef and flicked it under the bed, turning back to the fire.

“Come on, feller,” he soothed. “Got some more for you here.” He could tell from its rough-looking coat that the poor creature was starving.

But the frightened dog didn’t come out, and Arthur figured he would just leave the skillet for the dog overnight. With nothing much else to do he set about cleaning up and getting ready for bed. He walked outside one more time to check on the horses. Boadicea and Hagen watched him approach, hopeful for more food, but all Arthur could offer them was a conciliatory pat. The storm might last for days, so the remainder of his supplies had to be rationed.

He walked around to the cabin and pushed the door open. The dog had snuck out from its hiding spot, wolfing Arthur’s leftovers. It froze and shot him a wary look before scuttling back under the bed, tail tucked firmly between its legs. It looked like some kind of sheepdog.

“It’s okay, boy!” Arthur said, closing the door behind him. He did not move. “Come on out.”

After a minute of waiting he was about to give up and walk over to the fire, until the timid dog emerged. Clearly its hunger was greater than its sense of self-preservation.

The sheepdog devoured the rest of the corned beef, licking the skillet clean. The dog looked up at Arthur for more.

“Well, I guess I can find something else.”

Arthur rummaged through his satchel and retrieved a wedge of cheese in wax paper. He broke off a bit and tossed it to the dog. The cheese was gone in a second.

“Between you and Miss Kitty I’m gonna starve, you know that?”

He broke off more tidbits of cheese for the dog, and discovered a few crackers crushed up inside their box. He knelt down, offering the food in his hand. The sheepdog approached slowly, still wary, but starvation was a powerful motivator. Despite the scruffy coat the dog looked like it was young, maybe two or three years old. Still a pup.

The hungry dog licked up the crumbs from his palm, but darted away when Arthur moved.

“What happened to you, feller?” he asked. “I’m sure someone used to care for you.”

He stood up and the dog flinched, but it didn’t retreat under the bed this time.

“I’d say that’s progress. We’re friends now.”

The dog stayed back as Arthur tidied the cabin and built up the fire with a few more planks. Although it was scared, the dog had definitely lived with humans before. So what was it doing out here all alone?

Arthur’s pocket watch read 7 p.m. - still too early to sleep. So he grabbed a bottle of bourbon from one of Boadicea’s saddle bags and sat on the edge of the filthy bed. It smelt like the dog had been using it for a while.

He wrote in his journal first, in case he forgot or drank too much to write legibly. He mentioned his success with Hagen, getting trapped out in a snowstorm, and finding the lost dog. He filled the opposite page with sketches: Boadicea and Hagen, a sizzling fillet of bluegill on the fire, the cabin, and of course the sheepdog. He did not show his drawings to anyone, but Karen had snuck up behind him once and commented on how good they were. 

The dog lay down next to the fire with a huff, keeping an ear on Arthur. It was a miracle the poor creature had not frozen or starved to death out here, but it had come close. 

A few swigs of bourbon had Arthur relaxed and inspired to sing. The bawdy songs from the Van Der Linde campfire were out of place here, so he sang Poor Lonesome Cowboy. It was one of the few he knew all the lyrics to. He never thought of himself as a good singer, and even the dog closed its eyes. He chuckled at the end of the song and drank deeply.

As he stared into the fire, another song plucked at the edge of his mind. Arthur didn’t like to sing it around the others - even though it was an old tune, it always felt too personal. Not that the newer gang members knew about his life. He preferred it that way.

He sighed, and lay back on the mattress.

 The years creep slowly by, Eliza, The snow is on the grass again, The sun's low down the sky, Eliza, The frost gleams where the flow’rs have been. But the heart throbs on as warmly now, As when the summer days were nigh, Oh, the sun can never dip so low, A-down affection’s cloudless sky.

 He sang the whole song to himself, his voice barely rising above the crackling fire or the wind pressing against the cabin.

 It matters little now, Eliza, The past is in the eternal past, Our heads will soon lie low, Eliza, Life's tide is ebbing out so fast. There is a future, O thank God, Of life this is so small a part, 'Tis dust to dust beneath the sod; But there, up there, 'tis heart to heart.

 Arthur let the silence drag on after the final verse. He blinked back tears. What a sentimental fool he was!

He sat up on the bed, about to retrieve his blanket, and his breath caught in fright. The dog was standing right beside the bed, watching him. When their eyes met the sheepdog wagged its tail once. Arthur reached out and the dog permitted him a scratch behind the ears.

“You know that song, boy?” he sniffed.

The dog licked his hand.

“Don’t tell no-one.”

The latch was flimsy, so Arthur pushed the saddles against the door. He picked up the still-damp blanket from the floor, and balled up a clean shirt to make a pillow.

The bed squeaked in protest as he stretched out again. The mattress was thin and lumpy and it stank, but he couldn’t complain - at least he wasn’t camped out in this storm, and he had coffee and a fire. Just as he closed his eyes, the sheepdog leapt up onto the foot of the bed. It paused again, waiting for Arthur’s reassurance.

“Here, boy.”

The dog moved gingerly, as though walking on coals, before curling up next to Arthur’s middle.

“We’re a sight, aren’t we?” Arthur mumbled. “Heh. Keep your fleas to yourself.”

He slipped into a restful sleep, and dreamed of riding across the plains.

-

The wind died down sometime during the night, and Arthur woke to a silent morning. The dog remained at his side, grateful for the warmth and company.

After last night’s bourbon binge, he had to answer the call of nature, and fast. Arthur got up with a sigh and cleared the doorway to get outside. He blinked and squinted as the door opened, his eyes adjusting from the dark cabin to the white forest. The storm had dumped two feet of snow in Tall Trees, and it was still falling. The flakes drifted lazily through the canopy, alighting soundlessly on the ground. The sheepdog appeared beside him in the doorway, yawning and stretching.

The two walked out, Arthur plowing through the snow and the dog trotting behind. They relieved themselves next to the cabin. The dog cocked a leg against a bush, confirming Arthur’s suspicion that underneath all that fur it was male. Now he had to give the dog a name.

The horses were quiet, and Arthur walked around to the stable. His heart dropped.

“Shit!”

Boadicea and Hagen had vanished. There were no tracks leading out, so they had been spirited away sometime in the night. He raised his fingers to his lips and a piercing whistle rang out through the forest. Arthur listened out for any answering call, but there was only silence.

The dog appeared next to him, alert and ready for action.

“Goddamn it, I’m not lookin’ for you.”

An idea came to Arthur then. The dog was scrawny and weak, but he was a sheepdog.

“Come on, feller.”

The dog followed him into the stable. There was no sign of a struggle. Arthur squatted down in the mud, and pointed at the frozen hoof prints. The dog sniffed, and looked up at Arthur quizzically. Arthur sighed. A bloodhound would have followed it straight away.

“Ugh. Stay here.”

The dog ignored him, following him back into the cabin. So Arthur placed the saddles before the dog, letting him sniff them.

“Can you find ‘em for me?”

The sheepdog cocked his head. He was familiar with the smell of horses, but unsure of what was being asked of him. He cowered, not understanding Arthur’s anger and frustration.

“I’m sorry, boy,” he said, trying to calm down.

Arthur built up the fire again until it was blazing hot. He broke off some twigs from a pine tree outside and placed them on the fire. Fragrant smoke filled the cabin, but most of it went up into the chimney. It would help him to find his way back.

He quickly packed up, making sure that his revolvers and rifle were clean and loaded. While Arthur didn’t want to cause trouble in West Elizabeth so soon after moving in, he would do whatever was necessary to get his horses back. Before he left, he cut himself a slice of salted beef, and gave the dog some too.

“Stay,” he said firmly.

Arthur closed the cabin door, leaving the dog inside with the saucepan of water. The dog was too weak to come with him. Or so he thought.

As he pushed through the snow, he could only guess where the horses had gone. Few people lived in Tall Trees, and they either lived alone or in small camps. The only settlement here was Manzanita Post, and like everyone else in the forest they were wary of outsiders. Probably with good reason.

Arthur heard a weak bark behind him, and stopped in his tracks. The dog! It had slipped through the door, and was following his trail. He crouched down as the dog approached, and smiled despite his mood. He scratched him behind the ears.

“I can’t look after you out here,” Arthur said gently. “Let’s go back.”

They turned and followed the trail; he had not made it far. Arthur noticed the dog sniffing around and had another idea. He walked back into the cabin and brought out the blanket he had used last night, the same one he had used to dry the horses off. He crouched down and held it out to the dog.

“Can you find ‘em for me? Find.”

This time the dog seemed to get it, and he jumped off Arthur’s trail and into the fresh snow. It was higher than his shoulders, but the sheepdog courageously bounded through it. He checked the area around the cabin and stable, circling out into the trees. Arthur also figured it was better to start here than blindly walk into the forest. The bears were hibernating, but there were still plenty of other big predators around. There might even be rival gangs in Tall Trees that he didn’t know about. He checked the trees for horse hair or broken branches - there must be some clue to Boadicea and Hagen’s whereabouts.

After a few minutes of searching, a yap echoed through the trees. Arthur hurried over to the sheepdog and found him standing proudly, tail wagging. The trees were thick here, catching most of the snow on their branches. Beneath them there was a narrow, shallow depression in the snow leading away from the cabin. A horse trail!

“Good boy!” Arthur praised. “You did it!”

He rewarded the dog with a piece of cheese. The dog smiled back at him for the first time, tail wagging in a blur.

“Find! Find ‘em, boy!” Arthur pointed down the trail, and the sheepdog set off, nose down and eager to please. Arthur noticed that some of the lower twigs had snapped, and the branches were holding less snow than the ones above after the horses had brushed past.

When the trail disappeared, covered by snow, the dog’s keen nose was quick to find it again. Arthur struggled to keep up as he watched out for his horses, the dog, wild animals, and any unfriendly people.

After maybe twenty minutes, he stopped and whistled again. The dog paused, and the forest returned to silence. Then, a faint, answering cry came from ahead.

“That’s Boadicea! We did it!”

He shrugged the rifle from his shoulder. If the horses had been stolen, there could be a fight. The dog raced eagerly ahead, but Arthur called him back.

“Come here, boy. Heel.”

The sheepdog whined, obviously keen to round up the horses, but he bounded back to Arthur’s side.

“Good dog.”

They stalked through the trees, Arthur wary of a trap, while the dog listened out for danger. When there was a rustle ahead, Arthur stopped and raised his rifle. Boadicea appeared through the trees, complete with bridle and reins, and whinnied when she saw him. He lowered his gun.

“Boadicea! I missed you, girl!”

Hagen appeared after her, and both horses trotted up to Arthur. To his relief, they didn’t have so much as a scratch or bump on them. Arthur hugged Boadicea, even giving her a kiss on the nose. He didn’t know Hagen well enough yet to give him a hug, but the gelding appreciated a pat and shoulder scratch.

When Arthur’s gaze returned to Boadicea, he noticed the mare studying the sheepdog.

“Easy, girl,” he said. “He’s coming back with us.”

Boadicea was clever enough to figure out that the scrawny pup wasn’t a threat. She flicked her dark mane, ignoring the dog and basking in Arthur’s attention.

It was obvious now that the horses had escaped from the stable by themselves. Boadicea was too clever for her own good and a serial escape artist. Arthur figured that in his haste yesterday evening he hadn’t tied a decent knot. The mare had freed herself and Hagen, both leaving the lean-to during the night in search of something to eat.

“Don’t ever make me worry like that again,” he scolded, but he wasn’t really angry. Just relieved.

He gathered up Boadicea’s reins and Hagen’s lead rope, and was about to walk back to the cabin when he noticed that the dog had wandered off.

“Hey! Dog!” he called. It definitely needed a name.

He sighed when the sheepdog didn’t reappear - maybe he was jealous of the horses getting all the attention? This time Arthur led the horses on the dog’s trail. The dog had not wandered far, and was sniffing around in a tiny clearing.

Arthur couldn’t believe it. Encircled by massive pine trees stood a single, perfect fir. It reached just a little bit taller than him, with blue-green needles and a classic conical shape. Dutch’s goddamn Christmas tree.

He shook his head. “Don’t know how you did it, boy.”

The dog realized that he was not alone and looked up with a goofy smile, forgetting about whatever interesting scent trail he had found. He reminded Arthur of someone from a long time ago.

With a firm word to both the dog and horses to stay put, Arthur cut the fir tree. It was almost too heavy for him to lift, but with a bit of clever maneuvering he balanced it across Boadicea and Hagen, securing their bridles together with Hagen’s lead rope. Boadicea grumbled, but Hagen shouldered the weight dutifully.

Arthur did not need to worry about finding the cabin again, as he and the dog followed their fresh trail back. It was still snowing, but the path remained clear.

The sheepdog was definitely flagging now, his limited energy spent on tracking the horses. His long pink tongue lolled, and even with the clear trail he kept stumbling. Arthur eventually picked him up, cradling him, and the dog was too exhausted to protest.

Arthur had already lost so much time, but on checking his pocket watch he realized that he might be able to make it to the camp at night. Even if he couldn’t make it back today, there was no need to stay in the cabin when he could move the horses to decent grazing by the river.

The snowfall ceased as they returned to the cabin. It was now late morning, and Arthur wasted no time in saddling the horses. The exhausted dog lay in a dry corner of the stables, trying not to fall asleep. He was still just a pup, after all.

Arthur cleared the cabin and left it as he had found it: it could be a useful hideout in future. Finally, he heaped snow over the fire until it completely fizzed out.

Boadicea pawed the ground, impatient to leave. She was pleased to have the tree off her back. Hagen now carried it by himself, but he did not complain. He even nibbled one of the branches, but shook his massive head in disgust.

Arthur found the sheepdog snoozing in the stable, and smiled to himself.

“Guess you’ll have to ride with me.”

The pup blinked awake, and yawned. Arthur gathered him up and lifted him onto his shoulder, supporting the dog’s weight with one hand.

“Jeez, kid, you need a bath,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

Arthur mounted up awkwardly, and moved the dog onto his lap. The sheepdog looked around in bewilderment - he had probably never been on a horse before. Using his compass as a guide Arthur steered his clever, mischievous mare to Blackwater.

-

As the trees thinned and the snow melted away, Boadicea transitioned into an easy lope, eager to move out of the forest. Arthur allowed her to set the pace, concentrating on the dog instead so he didn’t slide off the saddle. He also released some of the lead rope, allowing Hagen to fall back slightly: he was done being smacked by the prickly branches of the fir tree!

Many of the dog names that sprang into his head were… uninspiring. Rufus. Patches. Bob. Sport. Jack. He certainly couldn’t call the dog Jack! Abigail would have a fit. The dog sighed, as if silently agreeing with him. Arthur decided to try out some names later, to see if the sheepdog would respond to any of them.

They stopped on the plains for a late lunch. Hagen and Boadicea devoured the withered grass as though they had not eaten for weeks. The grazing was not as good on the plains as by the river, but they still had a ways to go before they reached water again. The earth was muddy and the grass a dull brown, but at least there was no more snow.

After eating some of Arthur’s meagre lunch - salt beef and baked beans - the dog set about rolling in the mud. Arthur didn’t bother to stop him, as the mud would cover some of the stench.

“Miss Grimshaw’s goin’ to dunk you in a barrel of cold water when we get to camp.”

The dog snorted in delight.

“Heh. You remind me of my boy, Isaac. He used to love gettin’ muddy too.”

The sheepdog left smears of cold mud on Arthur’s snow jacket and trousers once they were up in the saddle. Despite the short rest and a feed of shriveled grass, Boadicea happily kept up a smart jog. She was eager to get back home, where she could eat as much hay as she wanted. Arthur gave her a pat on the neck. Hagen sensed the mare’s excitement, and matched her pace.

Though the overcast sky never cleared, mercifully there was no rain or snow on their ride back to camp. Arthur found a road sign to Blackwater just as the sun melted into the western horizon. They were making good time.

Arthur made it back late, close to midnight. He had lit his oil lantern, and was riding through the dark when a shout came from nearby. Arthur, the dog, and both horses jumped.

“WHO GOES THERE?!”

“It’s Arthur, ya dumbass.”

The warm light from the oil lamp lit up John’s face as he approached. He wasn’t drunk this time. How unusual.

“So, King Arthur has returned with his legendary tree.”

“Shut it, Marston,” Arthur replied sourly. “I got this for your boy.”

John snorted with laughter. “You got it ‘cause Dutch told you to.” He turned and walked back to his post.

Arthur grit his teeth. John was right, of course, but he was too tired to come up with a snappy comeback. He nudged Boadicea forward, and she took them to the horse station.

The dog, still unnamed, stuck by Arthur as he removed the fir tree and saddles. Javier noticed him laboring in the shadows and got up from his bedroll to help.

“Nice work, Arthur,” he said, eyeing the tree. “Dutch will be happy with this.”

“I hope so,” he growled. “Been ridin’ for two days.”

Javier noticed the dog then, sticking close to Arthur for protection, but keeping clear of the horses’ legs.

“Hey, you found a dog!?”

“Yeah, abandoned most likely. He was half-dead when I found him. He’s a good dog: kinda timid, but smart. And he ain’t sick neither, just dirty.”

“It’ll be good to have a dog here again, listening out for trouble. If you’re alright with the horses I can set up the tree?”

Arthur nodded. “Thanks, Javier.”

The horses were already tucking into a hay bale between them, and all Arthur had to do was brush them down and pick out their hooves.

“Good job, Boadicea. You too, Hagen.”

He gave them each a grateful pat on the neck, and walked back to his cot, skirting around the campsite with the dog at his heels. The camp was silent, most of the gang asleep, and they managed to avoid being noticed by anyone else. Arthur would deal with Susan’s wrath tomorrow.

-

“You’ve outdone yourself, Arthur.”

He blinked awake. He knew instantly that it was early – too early to be awake. The sun had just risen, its weak light twinkling through the trees. The still, cold air caught in his lungs.

Dutch was leaning against the wagon at the foot of Arthur’s bed. He smiled, with a warmth that reached his eyes.

“Ugh, what time is it?” Arthur mumbled.

“Early enough for young Jack. See for yourself.”

Arthur sat up on his cot, the disturbance causing the dog to wake up too. Javier had dug the fir tree into the hard ground in the heart of the Van Der Linde campsite, and Jack and Abigail were already busying themselves with decorating it. Arthur squinted in disbelief – were they actually using gold necklaces and pearls?!

“They had to improvise,” Dutch said. “We don’t have no glass ornaments. The tree could do with some candles, though.”

Arthur lay back on his cot. “Don’t ask me to get those for you, too.”

Dutch laughed. “Rest up, son. But when you’re awake I would like to hear the story of how you got that dog.”

When Arthur finally got out of bed, close to midday, Jack ran up to him. The boy had obviously been waiting. The sheepdog jumped off the cot and shook himself vigorously. Arthur rolled the stiffness from his shoulders with a few satisfying cracks.

“Hey, Uncle Arthur!” Jack said. “Did you get the tree for us?”

Arthur covered up a yawn. “I sure did! You like it?”

“Yeah!”

“Now that’s what I like to hear. You and your momma sure did decorate it nice.”

“Thanks! Can I pat your dog?”

Arthur scratched his short beard. “Um. He’s a bit shy, but he likes food. Here, you can give him some cheese.”

Abigail watched nearby as Jack held out a morsel of cheese. The sheepdog was much less frightened now, and took it gingerly from the boy’s hand.

“What’s his name?” Jack asked.

“He doesn’t have one. Not yet, anyways. Want to help me pick one?”

“Yeah! What about… Spot?”

Arthur smiled. “Not bad. But I don’t think he looks like a Spot to me. How about Jake?”

“I don’t like it.”

As they were talking, the dog sniffed at Arthur’s satchel, eager to get into its contents.

Jack hummed in thought. “Maybe Gilbert?”

“Naw, that’s an old man’s name. He’s still just a pup. Kinda like you!”

Abigail laughed. “Come on, boys. You’ve gotta agree on somethin’.”

“Well, I guess he kinda reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago,” Arthur admitted. “How about, uh, Zach?”

The dog looked up from the satchel, his brown eyes focused on Arthur.

“I think he likes it!” said Jack.

“Yeah. That’s weird…”

Zach moved between Jack and Arthur, asking for a scratch.

Moments later Susan appeared at the ammunition wagon, towering over them with her hands on her hips. Abigail quickly smothered a giggle as the blood drained from Arthur’s face.

“Miss Grimshaw-”

“Don’t you ‘Miss Grimshaw’ me! I ain’t ever seen such filth in my camp before.”

“…is the water warm?”

Susan glared at him. “No. It’s colder than my heart. Now git!”

Arthur got up with a sigh and followed her to the wash basin, dreading the water’s icy touch. Zach followed at his heels, smiling all the way.

 -

The end!

Uncia - 4

Word Count: 8,754

Genre: Angst and Fluff

Characters: Snow Leopard Hybrid Reader, Cat Hybrid Jimin, Wolf Hybrid!Jungkook, Golden Retriever Hybrid Hoseok, Tiger Hybrid Taehyung, Human Jin, Human Namjoon, and Human Yoongi.

Relationships: ???

Summary: A man and his two hybrids rescue you while you are running away from an abusive shelter. Though you broke into their house, injured and traumatized from your time at the shelter, the man and his hybrids help you out by calling in favours with a few of their friends. For once in your life can you really be this lucky?

Warnings: Mentions of violence, self-hate, abuse, gore, kidnapping, manipulation, starvation, threats, and emotional abuse. 

“Hey honey,” Namjoon’s voice woke you up along with his strong hand on your shoulder, “it’s time to go to the shelter with Hoseok. I brought you some clothes as well if you would like to change.” You smiled as you stretched, knocking Jimin's head off your shoulder. He whined, trying to anchor his chin against your shoulder to hold you down. Namjoon cupped his cheek, pulling gently to get him to let up on your shoulder. He still complained, his eyes cracking open to look at the owner of the offending hand. A soft purr started once he noticed it was Namjoon but then faded quickly as he fell asleep again. His head lolled to the other side, resting on the cushion of the couch. You stood up, removing your hand from Jungkook’s head. He growled lightly but remained unconscious. You followed Namjoon over to Yoongi’s room where he handed you a soft green shirt to wear along with some grey joggers and undergarments. You blushed as you took the clothes noting that he too was blushing. 

Quickly shutting the door, you changed into the fresh clothes that you were given, the scent of Namjoon still lingering on them. You exited the room a smile on your face at being given the soft and comfortable clothes. Hoseok beamed at you from the entrance of the house.

“Ready to work again today y/n?” Hoseok asked cheerily. You nodded walking over to join him. He started rubbing against your neck getting his scent on you again.

“Oh hey, you don’t need to do that I brought my scent mask, it should work until you get back home,” Jin interrupted Hoseok, pulling him away from you. The dog sheepishly smiled, giving you some space with Jin. Jin helped you apply the scent mask before he screwed the top of the bottle on again. He sighed as he straightened up. He gazed at you his face a little sad.

“Hey, would it be ok if we talked every once in a while? I know that you have a lot going on in that brain of yours, Tae had the same thing going on when I adopted him, even before that,” he said, “I was treating him for his psychological damage and I’d love to help you through yours as well.” Your body was tense, the thought of sharing your trauma with this man. He noticed the look on your face and backed off.

“Ultimately it is your choice but I am here to be an unbiased person for you to rely on. Both Namjoon and I discussed it and we think that it would be a good thing if you opened up about these things that haunt you so that we can attempt to overcome those thoughts.” He continued to explain letting you know that it was your decision still. You nodded at the option, knowing you would need some time to think over your decision.

“Y/n, we really need to go, are you ready?” Hoseok asked you as he came closer once again.

“Sure,” you said trying to shake off the tense feeling in your body, “let's go help some hybrids!”

-

It was just you and Hoseok at the shelter today, Hoseok had put you at the front desk with a list of things to do while you waited and a list of things to do if someone were to come in. You had sent a few people back to see the hybrids but nobody seemed completely enamoured enough to adopt.

Feeling a little discouraged, you were absentmindedly doodling on one of the papers Hoseok had given you.

The door dinged as it opened and you looked up with a smile. To your surprise, it was a hybrid who was alone, no collar and he was shaking. Your heart dropped in worry as you took him in.

“Hello sir, how may I help you?” You asked good-naturedly. His eyes shot over to you looking nervous.

“Um, I got separated from my owner? I need a place to stay so I won't get caught and taken away,” he explained. His nose was going crazy trying to get a scent in the room. His eyebrows knit together at the fact that you didn't have a scent, making you thank Jin mentally.

“Well, I don't actually have a protocol for that,” you informed him while looking through your sheets, “do you mind if I call my coworker here?” The man nodded, taking a seat on a chair in the waiting room. You dialled up Hoseok, letting him know you needed his help. Soon he came up to the front room, wearing a big smile, his tail wagging quickly.

“What’s going on?” He asked you. You quickly explained the situation gesturing to the dog who was sitting, staring wide-eyed at the overly friendly Hoseok. Hoseok gathered information quickly from the other dog, like his owner's name and where he thought he could contact her. The dog replied easily, though he cringed at Hoseok’s loud and excited tone.

“Hi sir, we are going to take you back into the shelter until we can get into contact with your owner is that ok?” Hoseok asked the dog, helping him up from the chair. The dog nodded, though his eyes trained on you still. You noticed he was nervous at the loudness of Hoseok so you tried to step in.

“I can help him get everything he needs Hoseok,” you volunteered, the dog seemed to let out his breath. Hoseok was a little confused by your request but agreed, telling you he would man the front desk while you were in the back. You led the dog back into the shelter, grabbing him a pair of clothes as well as letting him into one of the empty rooms.

When he was done changing he sat on the bed, looking at you.

“Thank you for helping me today,” he mumbled. You let out a breathy laugh, sitting down next to him and petting his ears.

“I know I would want someone to do the same for me,” you told him. The boy was melting at your touch before he suddenly dipped his head to your neck and licked you. A squeal erupted from you as you shot from the bed, having not expected the intimate action from him. He looked mortified, a red colour coating his face, hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that I just kind of instinctively did it,” he mumbled. You rubbed at the spot where he had licked, removing the salvia he had left there.

“It’s ok, I just wasn’t expecting it is all, but I know how great it can feel to let go of little instincts for a while,” you gave him a small smile trying to let him know it was ok. He still seemed embarrassed so you let him know that you were going to go back to the front desk and to get Hoseok if he needed anything. Once you returned to the front desk Hoseok’s smile dropped.

“Why do you smell like you again?” He asked sniffing you carefully. Shit, he must have licked off some of the scent mask Jin had given you.

“Oh, I was petting him and he accidentally licked me, I guess he must have licked some of the scent mask off” you informed Hoseok.

“He licked you? What the hell?” He said agitatedly. He stood up, but you stopped him from going anywhere by putting your hands on his chest.

“It’s fine, it was purely out of instincts, it happens sometimes you know that,” you calmed him down. Hoseok sighed knowing you were right. He gently hugged you, rubbing against the spot the hybrid had licked.

“We should have brought some of the scent mask with us so I don’t have to do this all the time,” he griped.

“It’s ok, things happen,” you said letting him try and mask your scent again. After a couple more seconds he seemed satisfied, letting you go and telling you he was heading back into the shelter again. You resumed your post at the front desk, your half-finished doodle demanding your attention.

About an hour later, Hoseok came out again with the new dog hybrid in tow. Hoseok looked at you and you could tell he was a little frustrated. The dog hybrid with him, on the other hand, looked excited.

“He said he wanted to come to help out since you helped him out, is that ok with you?” Hoseok grumbled. You nodded, it would be nice to have company since it was a quiet day.

“Are you sure? He can come to help me out instead,” Hoseok said, still hesitant to leave the hybrid alone with you again. You rolled your eyes.

“Hoseok, you know me, you know I can handle this,” you said firmly. Hoseok nodded and the hybrid darted behind the desk to join you, his tail wagging quick. Hoseok let out a loud sigh and headed back into the shelter once again.

“What’s your name?” The dog asked as he poked around the front desk.

“Y/n, how about you?” you asked in return, continuing your drawing.

“My name is Zach, I knew somebody with the name Y/n! But she didn’t really like me…” he rambled.

“Well, I like you Zach so you can forget about her! I’m the superior Y/n,” you joked. He laughed a little before grabbing another sheet of paper and joined you in drawing. Only a couple minutes later, the door opened, revealing a seemingly distraught woman and her dog hybrid. Her eyes landed on you first before darting over to the dog next to you.

“My Zach! My baby oh I thought I had lost you!” She exclaimed rushing up to the desk. You smiled brightly, happy to see that people could be so easily reunited. You paged Hoseok, letting him know that Zach’s owner had come in. The dog was already wrapped up in a hug with the woman while a second dog hybrid looked around the waiting room. She was tall with lean muscle, almost reminding you of hybrids you used to fight.

“Hello! I am so happy to see that you got my message!” Hoseok exclaimed brightly as he entered the room. The woman looked at him and pulled away from her tight hug.

“Yes, you must be Hoseok? Thank you so much for taking care of my dear boy, sometimes he just wanders off and forgets he needs his collar on,” the woman said sheepishly.

“Well technically I wasn’t the one taking care of him, it was Y/n right here that really helped him with his stay,” Hoseok gave you credit, rubbing the top of your head affectionately. You purred and looked at how happy Zach looked, feeling that bloom of warmth you had felt the other day. This is what life was supposed to be, helping others feel happy was the best feeling you had experienced.

“Well thank you very much Y/n, I am grateful you were able to get along with him, he doesn’t usually get along with other hybrids very well,” she said, rubbing the dogs head. His tail responded immediately wagging back and forth.

“I’m happy to help ma’am,” you said humbly. The trio set up to leave but Zach came back to you before they left looking shy as he wanted to say goodbye.

“Um, thanks for everything today,” he said hesitantly opening his arms for a hug. You complied, giving him a tight hug. He breathed deeply, rubbing his head against you a little, eliciting a small growl from Hoseok. Zach pulled away after hearing the growl and waved goodbye to both you and Hoseok before following his owner out of the door.

“I guess that kid really liked you,” Hoseok growled a little.

“Oh shut up, everyone likes me,” you teased him. Luckily, he laughed and shrugged his shoulders agreeing with you.

-

Soon your shift was over and you were once again locking up the shelter with Hoseok. He had since calmed down from his display of aggression over Zach but didn’t want to talk about the dog still.

“That was a weird day,” he commented as he grabbed your hand and you started walking back home through the snow-coated streets. You nodded in agreement with Hoseok, moving close to him to maintain warmth on the cold night.

“I’m not going to lie,” Hoseok began his voice a little softer, a little more serious, “but I am jealous that Namjoon is going to adopt you. I wish you had run to our house instead so Yoongi would adopt you. I just like having you around, it’s like I have another person in our little family. I mean Yoongi is very nice but he works on his music so much nowadays, but you are around and I guess I got attached to you already.” That would explain the protective growling he had earlier when Zach was rubbing on you.

“I like being around you as well Hoseok but it’s not like we won’t see each other I’m sure Namjoon will bring us over to visit and he said he can drop me off at the shelter!” You comforted the dog. His tail started wagging at the thought of continuing to work with you.

“Awesome! That will work out perfectly!” He exclaimed excitedly. Though Hoseok was being loud, footsteps caught your attention, your ears swiveling to pinpoint the sound. The footsteps were coming from behind you, the soft compression of the snow letting you know they were fairly close. You gripped Hoseok with both hands as fear ran through you, the man looking at you confused but happy.

“Afraid to lose me?” He joked around.

“More than you can imagine,” you replied. The footsteps were gaining on you, you sniffed the frozen air carefully, smelling mostly Hoseok but also picking up on the bitter scent of coffee. Your heart started pounding.

“Hoseok,” you whispered trying to stay calm. The man next to you hummed.

“Can you describe the person behind us?” Hoseok turned his head to look back. You noticed a couple figures walking your way from in front of you as well, by the looks of it, dog hybrids. You were getting cornered.

“A tall man with salt and pepper hair, he looks fairly strong but he is not looking at us so I think we are ok?” Hoseok described to you. You just shook your head at the description, recognizing it as Aaron.

“That’s my owner,” you whispered terrified. You felt Hoseok stiffen under your touch.

“What do we do?” He whispered back, his voice trembling. You shook your head.

“I don’t know, it looks like he has the shelter hounds up there to block our path,” you whimpered, nodding your head to gesture in front of you. Your mind started racing, trying to think about the possible ways to get both of you out or to just get Hoseok out. The hounds were spreading out blocking most exit pathways.

“Ok, Hoseok,” you began, “you need to run back to the shelter and lock yourself in ok? I will distract them and join you when I get free ok?” You ordered the dog. He started whimpering at the thought of leaving you. You squeezed his hand before untangling yourself from him, turning to face Aaron. Hoseok took his cue and took off, getting past Aaron in just a few seconds letting you take a deep breath in relief.

“Oh, my little monster did I scare you? I didn’t mean to make your friend run off,” Aaron said in a lilting tone, now facing you directly. You growled deeply, your tail whipping behind you. The hounds behind you started howling as they began running towards you, noticing your aggressive state. You crouched to take off but were stopped short by Aaron’s words.

“If you run, I will go to that shelter he works at and take him instead,” he said. Your blood froze, you can’t let that happen to Hoseok. You straightened again, looking Aaron up and down. In his hand, he held a familiar metal collar.

“How did you find me,” you growled as he sauntered up to you with a smirk. He shrugged and nodded to the hounds that were now behind you.

“We got a tip and confirmed it today,” he said simply reaching up to put the metal collar on you. You hissed and swatted the dreaded thing away out of pure instinct. Aaron tsked at you, the dog hybrids grabbing your arms securing them to your sides. Your tail continued to whip around angrily at the situation but you realized it was futile to fight. Aaron latched the collar around your neck and the hum it made signalled it had power running through it.

“Now that’s a good kitty,” he said in a fake sweet voice. Your ears flattened as you looked at his wicked smile.

“Now we need to just wait for the hounds that were on the other side of the shelter to bring your friend back,” Aaron informed you. Rage shot through your body, your eyes narrowing aggressively at the man in front of you. They can’t take Hoseok, there is no reason for them to take him!

“What! He has nothing to do with this!” You growled, kicking your legs out in rage, managing to hit Aaron’s side. He grunted in pain before clicking the remote in his hand activating the dreaded collar. A strangled yell erupted from your lungs.

“Y/n!” Hoseok called from closer than expected. Your heart dropped. You heard growling both his own and the hounds that had caught him. Tears started leaking from your eyes, knowing you had put him in this situation. The burst of electricity stopped, your muscles releasing and your body crumbling to the floor. Aaron produced another collar from his bag obviously for Hoseok. Your brain quickly tried to figure out an escape plan. You looked around at the houses around you to get your bearings. You couldn’t be too far from Yoongi’s house and the possibility that someone would hear you in the neighbourhood was pretty high.

“Help!” You screamed towards the houses, trying to get someone’s attention. You heard Hoseok yell back to you, trying to make sure you were ok. You took a breath to yell back but you were cut short by one of the hounds covering your mouth. You screamed anyway, hoping that the muffled cries would reach someone’s ears.

“Get her in the van now, I’ll meet you when I get that mutt,” Aaron commanded the hounds. Your collar set off another set of electric bursts preventing you from screaming. The hounds dragged you off, further from the shouts of Hoseok. Lights were turning on in the houses nearest you, giving you hope that someone could help.

The crack of doors opening let you know you were at the van. You couldn’t hear Hoseok anymore, it was likely that the hounds or Aaron had stopped him. The hounds holding you threw you into the back of the familiar Fangs van. The doors slammed in your face, locking you into the sterile silver of the van. You banged on the doors, yelling for help though you knew no one but the hounds could hear you. After a few minutes, you gave up, fear encapsulating your body. What were they going to do to Hoseok? This was kidnapping. Yoongi is going to throw a fit.

Your collar suddenly went off again, your fingers trying to pry it off. The doors opened and Hoseok was shoved in next to you, his hands also at the metal collar on his neck. The doors slammed again, trapping the two of you. Your collar turned off, and you immediately crawled over to Hoseok, ignoring your shaking muscles.

The usually bubbly dog was whimpering, his fingers still messing with the collar though you could tell it had turned off. You pet his hair back, your heart hurting to see him flinch at the contact. His face was scrunched up the fear and pain obvious in his features.

“Sh, Hobi,” you whispered to him, continuing to pet him, “I’m so sorry you got caught.” You felt tears falling from the corners of your eyes looking at his eyes doing the same thing. You rubbed your head against his chin trying to comfort him. His arms wrapped around you tightly like he was afraid to let you go. A sob wracked your body, your fight reflex calming down. Hoseok shushed you, now he was the one to be petting your head.

“You tried your best,” he comforted you, his fingers finding the perfect spot behind your ear, “I’m sure it will work out fine. When we don’t come home Yoongi will notice. He will probably assume it was Fangs and come looking for us.” You nodded against his chest, sniffling as you calmed down a little. You ignored the fact that he was still shaking from being scared. If Yoongi came to Fangs he could probably get Hoseok out of there. You doubt he could manage to get you out.

“Keep a hold of your collar, don’t let them take it away from you,” you begged him, taking Yoongi’s collar off of him and shoving it in his pocket. His teary brown eyes looked at yours and he nodded shortly. He pulled you against his chest once again, allowing you to rub on his chin some more. You pushed into his chest knowing you wouldn’t be able to comfort him for a while. He seemed to know as well, holding you close and revelling in your shared warmth.

-

The van had stopped moving and you knew you were back at the place you never wanted to be back at. You crouched in front of Hoseok, knowing that they would want to take you first before him. He began to protest but you shushed him. You knew that he was just trying to protect you but you knew this place. Voices drifted in from the outside of the van, coming to the back doors. You dipped your head trying to play the part of an obedient hybrid. Shortly, the doors creaked open, the darkness of the night seeping into the van.

Growls echoed through the van as Hoseok started getting defensive. You gently hit his arm making him quiet down. You remained quiet and kept your head down knowing that Aaron would punish you if you didn’t. Aaron hummed in approval at your trained obedience.

“Good kitty, you know what you have to do don’t you?” Aaron teased you his fingers rubbing in between your ears, “but good kitties don’t run away do they huh?” His hand gripped the hair between your ears. Painfully, he yanked on the hair and scalp, pulling you down into a bowing position. You tried to stop the scream that you felt inside, only allowing a small whimper out. A thud of something on the metal, alerting you that Hoseok had moved. You held your hand out to signal him to stop, knowing he was going to try and help.

“Do you know how much money I lost because of you?” He screamed at you, pulling at your hair even more, tears forming at the corners of your eyes at the pain, “I treated you so well and all I asked of you was to win a couple fights, but you couldn’t handle that could you princess?” Aaron pulled your head back up, forcing you to look at him. You blinked away the tears as you stared into a face twisted in hate. Aaron shook your head roughly after a moment of observing your expression.

“Apologize!” He yelled, flecks of saliva hitting your face. He held your head still, pulling back on your hair so that your face was turned to him. Your heart throbbed in agony thinking of apologizing to the man that had made your life a living hell. His grimace deepened and his grip in your hair tightened as you hesitated. Your eyes squeezed shut in fear.

“I’m sorry!” You apologized quickly, the words tumbling out of your mouth to avoid harm. Aaron’s grip loosened again, his fingers retreating from your hair. They dropped to your chin, stroking lightly, you had to hold back the urge to cringe away from his touch.

“Kitty you don’t know how worried you made me,” Aaron’s voice had dropped, softer like he was trying to be nice, “I looked for you every day but those evil men had kidnapped you and taken you away from me. It’s only fair that we took their dog right? It looks like the two of you get along as well, so now you will have a friend around the shelter finally.”  

Aaron’s gaze shifted to Hoseok, his hand dropping away from your chin. You felt sick, holding back the tears both from the pain you had endured and the feeling of being back in the control of the mad man named Aaron. One of the hounds grabbed you and dragged you out of the van away from Hoseok.

“Now for the puppy,” Aaron said to Hoseok, his hand reaching out for Hoseok’s hair. Hoseok jerked his head away, a snarl prominent on his face. You flinched as his collar started up, his face contorting in pain.

“What a bad dog, you’ll learn soon though,” Aaron scolded Hoseok as the collar continued to shock him. He let go of the button, Hoseok shaking slightly from the pain. His teary eyes focused on you and you quickly shook your head, trying to let him know to just go with what Aaron wanted. Aaron reached out for Hoseok again his fingers moving to pet Hoseok. Hoseok’s body tensed at the pleasant touch from a man who had just shocked him and treated you like a rag doll.

“There we go, that’s a good dog,” Aaron cooed. You felt defeated watching Hoseok fight the urge to pull away, his ears pinned back in distress. It was your fault he was in this situation in the first place. Aaron removed his hand after a couple of seconds of petting Hoseok, his gaze returning to you. You couldn’t change your expression quick enough, clearly giving him what he needed to know from the worried look you had on your face.

Aaron grabbed Hoseok’s arm and dragged him out of the van, the man following obediently. He snapped for one of his hounds to come to take hold of Hoseok. A hound quickly came up replacing your manager.

Aaron approached you, a smirk settled on his face. Your body tensed, Aaron’s casual approach making you nervous. He reached for the hem of your shirt, ending up receiving a swat from you. He retaliated in turn, a shock running through you. You grunted in pain, your ears flattening in distress. Your eyes gave you away as they darted to Hoseok.

“Come on Kitty, I just want to see how you have healed,” Aaron tsked at you, he glanced back at Hoseok pretending to be shocked, “has he not seen? Has he not seen how hard you’ve worked for me?”

“Please, sir, please don’t!” You begged him, feeling disgusted with your weakness, grappling for his hand as he reached for your shirt again. Aaron just shook his head at you, pushing your hands away before grabbing the hem of your shirt and pulled it up exposing the multiple scars and stitched up wounds. You looked to Hoseok to see he had respectfully turned his head away, not wanting to look if you didn’t want him to.

“Come on puppy, take a look. Look how hard she has worked, what she has sacrificed. What she will sacrifice for you to keep you safe,” Aaron baited the dog. Hoseok remained looking away from you in defiance, his ears turned away from Aaron. You felt Aaron reach for Hoseok’s collar remote and decided it was better for you to be hurt than Hoseok.

“It’s ok Hoseok,” you mumbled, knowing he could hear you just fine. Hoseok’s ear twitched before he slowly turned his head, his eyes landed on your exposed stomach. You looked away from him, not wanting to see his face. Loud whining erupted from him and you sighed, hating making him worried.

“It’s ok puppy, it just shows how much she works,” Aaron laughed at both of your distress, he examined the scars and healing wounds that had been caused by his ownership. He saw the worst of the newest wounds, red rimming the cut. He poked at it causing you to wince in pain. He pulled back his hand, tsking at you as he dropped your shirt.

“Looks like at least those evil people who took you took care of the wounds for me,” he said,  pulling on your arm to drag you into the shelter. You followed him docilely, feeling dread in the fact that you would likely be thrown into fights tomorrow. You heard the hounds following you, the smell of Hoseok still close letting you know they were taking him as well. You just hope that they would stick him in a cage and leave him alone.

-

Soon you were in a familiar cage, the hard bed against the left concrete wall next to another cage. A dim yellow light barely lit the room and it smelled like stagnant water, likely from the bathroom corner they had installed in here. A cracking toilet sat behind the door of a stall next to the old sink. You felt sadness bubble up in you but held it back as you could still hear the hounds messing with the cage next to yours. You sniffed the air, searching past the water scent and the other hybrids. Hoseok’s scent was nearby but you couldn’t smell him very well over the overwhelming stimulus you were receiving

The clank of a lock closing and growling hit your ears. The hound's footsteps drifted away. You waited a few moments in the silence before calling out to Hoseok. He responded, his voice close. You rushed to the left wall where you had heard him talk. You knocked on the wall and received a knock in return. Your head dropped against the wall as you breathed a sigh in relief. Hoseok laughed a little from the other side, obviously grateful that they had put you next to one another. You scooted to the bars of the cage, reaching your hand through the bars over to him. He followed suit, his large hand finding yours. He squeezed tightly, giving you a sense of stability.

A sob escaped your body, the stress of the night getting to you. Hoseok’s hand tightened around yours and he began whining.

“Hey, don’t cry,” he whispered, “I can’t even comfort you.” Another sob escaped you.

“I am so sorry you got caught up in my mess Hoseok,” you apologize through tears. He shushed you running his thumb over the back of your hand. Your ears laid limp on your head as you tried to calm down.

“I wish you hadn’t had to be here alone before, I wish we weren’t here right now,” he said, his voice getting thick with tears, “we should be at home, getting loving ear scratches from Yoongi. I hope he throws hell at Fangs tomorrow when they open.” You nodded even though he couldn’t see you.

“Yoongi will go to hell and back to get you out of here,” you assured him. His grip tightened on your hand.

“You too, you’re apart of our family now! He won’t let you stay here to rot, Y/n he cares about you already,” Hoseok comforted you as quickly as he could. You took a deep breath, knowing it would be easiest to get Hoseok out of here without you. A growl erupted from a cage nearby, causing Hoseok to squeeze tightly against you.

“The two of you need to shut up, I’ve got a fight in the morning,” a deep voice growled. You didn’t dare speak again, not wanting to piss off the hybrid who you just might be fighting in the morning. You just rubbed your thumb against, Hoseok’s hand, trying to soothe him. His whimpering quieted down quickly, your touch calming him.

“I have to sleep Hoseok and you should too,” you whispered, feeling the extent of the night wearing on your body. He sighed, his hand sliding away from yours.

“Good night Y/n,” he whispered back to you, the sounds of him walking back to his bed, echoing in the quiet hall of cages. You followed suit, pulling the moth-eaten blanket over yourself as you settled in on the hard bed. Your mind betrayed you as you tried to drift off to sleep, the thoughts of being warm in Namjoon’s honey scented bed came back to your mind. Maybe if you tried hard enough, you could pretend you were warm in his bed again.

-

A fist pounded against the door of the hallway, startling you awake. Your flight instincts had kicked in sending you to the back corner of your cage. You heard Hobi yelp at the rude awakening, followed by the sound of the door crashing open. Shoes clacked on the ground approaching your cell but stopped at Hoseok’s cell.

“Good morning puppy, you ready for your first day here?” Aaron’s voice echoed over from next door. Your ears flattened against your head as you listened to him whining, obviously scared so early in the morning.

“Oh puppy, it's ok, you’re going to see your friend, don’t you want to see her?” Aaron asked in a soft voice. Hoseok’s whining ceased, followed by quiet compliments from Aaron. You felt bile rise in your throat at Aaron’s manipulation of the dog. Their footsteps led to your room. Soon Hoseok came into sight, a smile on his face and his tail wagging at seeing you. Aaron, on the other hand, was smirking at you, his posture more relaxed than it should have been. You pulled your thin blanket higher against your body, not liking the fact that he had brought Hoseok along with him.

“Good morning my monster,” Aaron began unlocking your cage. Your body tensed at his entrance. Hoseok ran towards you to give you a hug but was stopped by Aaron pushing the button for his collar. Hoseok yelped again hands clawing at the electric collar.

“Stay,” Aaron ordered derogatorily. The hair on the back of your stood at his tone. He fixed his gaze on you again.

“Well kitty, I have a fight scheduled for you tonight. I’m trying to make up what I lost with you being gone for a couple days so you better try your hardest,” Aaron said before grabbing the back of Hoseok’s neck. He shook the startled dog around a little.

“If you lose, I’m out a lot of money. Your friend here? He will receive your punishment if you lose as well,” Aaron explained. You hissed angrily at Aaron who just continued to smirk at you. Hoseok stared at the evil man in horror, before glancing at you desperately. Your face had hardened into a glare at Aaron.

“What if I win?” you challenged him. Aaron laughed, shaking his head. His hand slid away from Hoseok, as he approached you. The same hand now gripped your jaw tightly.

“You think you deserve special treatment still princess? You ran away from me for two days, you’re lucky that the puppy gets to live,” he hissed at you. He threw your face to the side, returning to Hoseok to pet his ears once again. Hoseok’s face was so disgusted at another time in a different situation you would have laughed. Your heart dropped, suddenly terrified of the consequences of the fight.

“Who am I fighting,” you asked, trying to mentally prepare for tonight.

“You’re fighting a gorilla hybrid, apparently he has a good streak of winning and you are one of my most powerful hybrids,” Aaron explained, “that’s why the odds are against you meaning when you win, I’ll make a profit fit to make up for the days you were lost.” You had never fought a gorilla before, but the species was strong from what you had heard. Your advantage would be speed and your sharp nails. You had to do this for Hoseok, you couldn’t let him get hurt because of you.

“Ok,” you simply replied, your teeth worrying at your lip. You looked at Hoseok, though he was trying to smile his ears gave away the fact that he was scared. You sighed standing up to meet Aaron’s gaze. He reached out his hand to you which you held on to know that you had to follow him to get ready. Hoseok tried to follow you but Aaron stopped him by the door of the cage. You looked at him apologetically, letting Aaron close the door on him. He watched with sad brown eyes as you walked away with Aaron. You shivered at the cold air of the shelter, following Aaron back up the stairs towards the normal Fangs shelter. Up here the hybrids were still powerful but were not put into fights to upkeep the look of a normal shelter for big cats and other powerful hybrids. You followed Aaron towards the kitchen knowing you would get a good meal this morning to provide you with energy for the fight. Shouting caught your ears very quickly, your ears flying forward to try and catch the words being said.

“I told you, I am looking for a Golden retriever hybrid. I know he’s are here,” Yoongi’s voice was responsible for the yelling. Your tail vibrated excitedly at his voice. He could get Hoseok out of here. The calm voice of the receptionist telling him they did not have any of that type hybrid on hand. Aaron apparently heard as well as he looked at you with a quirked eyebrow.

“You say a word to him or you let him see you and the dog gets punished got it?” Aaron whispered at you his hand gripping your hand so tight it hurt. You whimpered but nodded in confirmation.

“Good girl, stay here,” he whispered, letting you go as he rounded the corner to go to the lobby.

“Hello sir, is there a problem?” Aaron asked Yoongi. You listened closely as he approached Yoongi.

“Who are you?” Yoongi snapped. Your mind was racing, trying to figure out how exactly to let Yoongi know you were there without getting caught.

“My name is Aaron, I am a manager of Fangs,” Aaron introduced himself. You looked at your tail and then at the door, wondering if you were close enough to move your tail into the frame of the door. Your tail flickered to the door frame but you could barely breach the frame. Damn, you thought, trying to scoot a little closer without looking like you had moved closer to the door.

“I’m looking for my dog, he's a golden retriever, my neighbours said they saw a Fangs van last night so I think he may have been taken here,” Yoongi explained, thinly veiled anger in his tone. Your tail flickered past the frame and you squeezed your eyes shut, praying that Yoongi could see and Aaron couldn’t.

“Well, I’d be happy to let you come in back to take a look at who we have right now,” Aaron said, “if you could take a seat, I am currently escorting a hybrid to the kitchen for her breakfast.” You yanked your tail back to yourself, messing up the fur in your anxiety. Aaron returned through the door frame, his gaze focused on you.

“Let’s go kitty, keep your tail in and keep behind me,” he whispered, his hand lying on your shoulder as he positioned his body in between yours and the door. He shuffled along with you in the direction of the kitchen, your body blocked from Yoongi’s sight. Once you were past the door frame, Aaron let go of you running his hand through his salt and pepper hair. He let out a heaving sigh as he continued to move you along to the kitchen. He handed you off to the man in the kitchen mumbling something about a pre-fight breakfast. In seconds, Aaron was out the door again to go back to Yoongi. The lunch man dragged you over to one of the lunch tables, attaching your collar to a leash on the back wall.

You huffed at the confinement, waiting for a decent meal. Your eyes kept trailing back to the door, your ears perked forward to try and listen for Yoongi.

“You said that you were looking for a golden retriever? We usually don't have those here,” you heard Aaron tell Yoongi. The man who had leashed you to the wall brought over your tray, topped with a chicken breast and some broccoli. You sniffed cautiously at it, smelling nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn't unusual for someone to slip drugs to the chefs, wanting to get a fighting hybrid drowsy for their hybrid to win.

“Well then I'm just wondering why my hybrid never returned home last night and there was a Fangs van nearby?” Yoongi pushed him. You listened carefully to the two men, eating the dry chicken and bland broccoli. Their footsteps got closer as they strolled along the walls of cages.

“Yes, we have been looking for an escaped hybrid so we have been patrolling for her,” Aaron explained, “ ah I don't see him down here let's try the other way.”

“What's through these doors?” you heard yoongi's voice just outside of the door. You sniffed carefully trying to get his scent. He was indeed close, making you purr slightly.

“That's just the laundry room,” Aaron lied, getting closer as well. His bitter scent joined Yoongi’s and you immediately stopped purring.

“Let’s go check the other side of the shelter ok?” Aaron urged Yoongi, their footsteps leading away from the door. You quickly returned to your meal trying to enjoy it. No longer than a minute later, the door opened revealing a man guiding a slightly shorter, stocky man. Fear shot down your spine as you looked towards the shorter man, his flattened nose giving away the fact that he would be the one you were fighting tonight. He caught your eyes and a smirk grew on his face at your frozen posture. The man leading him guided him to the table across from yours to keep the two of you separate.

The gorilla continued to stare you down, his dark eyes full of malice. He didn’t even flinch as the man chained him to the wall. A cold sweat broke out on your skin as you looked at the bulging muscles he possessed looking more a cloud than a normal man. His food was placed in front of him, double the amount you had been given. Hoseok’s cheery face flashed in your mind, reminding you-you needed to win this fight. You steeled up, straightening your back. The gorilla's eyebrow twitched as you straightened. Your tail was puffing up to make you appear more threatening. The man before you smirked before shovelling his food into his mouth, obviously prepping for the fight ahead. You smirked back, ears flicking around as you grew restless.

“Hey,” the man who had guided in your rival shouted, “stop puffing up you two, your fight isn't until tonight.” you shrugged returning to your food. Your tail brushed restlessly against the floor as you ate, for once in your life wanting Aaron to come to take you back to your cage. Instead, you remained sitting there, trying to avoid the hunk of muscles that you were supposed to fight tonight. You had finished your meal and were playing with your tail with some anxiety, duly noting that you had picked up the habit from Jimin. Footsteps approached the door again before the voices of Yoongi and Aaron drifted through the door again. Your ears perked up listening to Yoongi's angry tone at not seeing his hybrid

“I don’t understand where he could be if he’s not here,” Yoongi complained loudly. Aaron let out a dismissive laugh.

“I’m sorry you thought we may have him but I hope you find him soon,” he said fake sincerity in his voice. You could’ve sworn that Yoongi growled at him before his hurried footsteps faded away before the sound of the door opening found your ears. The heavy footsteps of Aaron approached the door before the grey doors were flung open by the angered man. His dark eyes focused on you the anger behind them evident. Even the gorilla flinched at the entry.

“We’re going back downstairs and we aren’t going to come back up until that dick stops coming here,” he growled at you, angrily pulling the leash off of you, his hand grasping your neck. A whimper escaped you before you could stop it.

Aaron dragged you out of the kitchen, his grip tight around your neck. You felt the eyes of the example hybrids staring at you. Aaron ripped open the door to the staircase open, dragging you down the steps, ignoring when you stumbled. He gripped the door to your cage, letting go of you for a moment before throwing you inside with Hoseok. The dog's ears were pulled back in distress, obviously smelling your own stress.

“You just had to scream last night to alert people, huh?” Aaron growled looking between the both of you. You unconsciously moved in front of Hoseok, the dog beginning to whimper. Aaron laughed at the motion, knowing you were wrapped around his finger, wanting to protect the poor dog from him.

“You better win tonight princess, make it worth my time to deal with your annoying ass as well as that asshole that came in,” Aaron growled, running a hand through his hair, Hoseok’s ears perked up at the mention of an asshole. Aaron grabbed onto Hoseok’s shirt, pulling him out of the cage to return him to the cage next to yours. He started whimpering as soon as he was removed from you. Aaron shook him, forcing him to be quiet.

“I’ll be back in a few hours with your lunch my monster,” Aaron informed you locking your cage. He pulled Hoseok to the left, rattling the metal of the cell. You heard the keys lock him in, the dog whimpering again.

“Shut it you pathetic dog,” Aaron growled, obviously still worked up from having to deal with Yoongi. His footsteps hurried away from the from your cells. You waited for silence before crawling to the front of the cell again. You sniffed carefully, smelling Hoseok’s fear. You gently purred trying to comfort him. He shifted to the front of his cage next to you, reaching his hand out for comfort. You gladly took it and stroked it. His warm skin comforted you though the shaking in it was upsetting.

“It’s ok Hoseok,” you whispered, “Yoongi knows that we are here, he came looking for you. You’re going to get out of here.” He let out a huge sigh, his whimpering going away. You continued to purr gently for him, tickling your fingertips across the skin of his palm. The soft thump of his tail met your ears, making the corners of your lips twitch up. You continued to pet his hand, calming him down until the putrid stench of fear faded away.

-

“Ok, monster, your food is here,” Aaron said sliding a tray of food under the bars at the bottom of your cage. A few hunks of beef sat on the tray, the protein sure to give you the energy needed to fight tonight. You couldn’t help but notice that Hoseok hadn’t been fed all day. The savoury smell of the meat must have been driving him crazy.

“Um, sir?” Hoseok asked meekly, his train of thought close to yours. Aaron walked over to the dog to see what he wanted. Quickly, you snatched a piece of the beef from the tray and hid it underneath your shirt.

“When will I be getting fed?” Hoseok asked. Aaron struck the cage making it rattle.

“You eat when you deserve it dog,” Aaron scolded him, “you got yourself in trouble by first taking in what's mine and two by yelling when we took you. Maybe, just maybe, if you’re a good boy and listen, you will be allowed the luxury of a meal.” A low growl started in your throat but you tried to hide it, ripping into the beef on your tray like you were really hungry. Aaron drifted back to your cage, a smile on his face as he watched you rip into the beef like a wild animal.

“That a girl,” he praised you, causing your hair to stand on end. He continued to watch you eat, making sure you ate everything. There had been a day where you didn’t eat which had made you weak during the fight. From then on he made sure you ate everything offered to you on fight days.

Soon, you were trying to clean the bits of meat from your teeth when Aaron motioned with his hand to give him the plate back. You leaned forward carefully, making sure to keep the meat under your shirt concealed. With a sharp push, you sent the tray sliding underneath the bottom bar. The force almost caused the piece of meat to fall but your tail swiped up to catch it and hold it in place. Aaron did a double-take suspicious of the quick movement.

Before he could say anything, you started playing with the fur like you had earlier. He sighed at the gesture.

“Stop doing that, it’s a bad habit,” he scolded, “Where did you pick that up?” You shrugged in response, letting go of your tail, letting it fall to your lap to hold on to the meat still. Aaron shook his head and walked away. You listened as the door squeaked shut, waited a few seconds, then scrambled to the corner by Hoseok. Taking the piece of beef out from under your shirt you offered it to him. You heard him gasp in surprise, his hand darting out to receive the small amount of food that you offered. You pulled your hand back once he had gotten the morsel you had hidden for him.

“Thank you, Y/n,” he said graciously before the sounds of him eating reached your ears. You smiled gently at being able to provide for him. After a minute the chewing sounds stopped and he let out a huff at the small amount of food.

“It’s ok Hoseok, Yoongi will get you out soon and then you will be able to eat full meals again,” you comforted him. He growled at you and your ears shot back flat against your head.

“Stop talking like he isn’t going to get you out too,” he growled irritated, “nobody wants you here. We want you with us, safe and able to be comfortable around us. Here you fake your every behaviour to protect yourself and you don’t need to do that in our home.” You felt your heart warm at the feeling of being in their little family returned to you. Shaking your head, you cleared your thoughts. It was not your home nor was it your family. You would gladly stay here to protect them. You didn’t say anything in response, just sat against the wall, the closest you could be to Hoseok.

-

The door slammed open, startling you out of your day dream. You scrambled to your feet and looked out the cage door. Aaron strode in with two leashes in hand, a smirk stretched across his face. He stopped at Hoseok’s cage, attaching the leash to his collar before he came and unlocked your cell. The metallic clink of the leash being attached filled you with adrenaline, thinking back to the gorillas massive build. You obviously started to stink of fear because Hoseok’s hand found your own, squeezing it for comfort.

“Oh how cute you two,” Aaron said sarcastically, he turned his attention to Hoseok, “you ready to see what she can really do?” Hoseok’s upper lip pulled back in a snarl but you squeezed his hand.

“Don’t worry so much pup,” Aaron said pulling on your leashes to lead you to the arena, “she really is a born fighter. She could take a wimp like you down in seconds. She also has the motivation to win this fight and that, my friend, would be you. So you get to see how much she really cares for you today,” You flinched at the statement. You didn’t want Hoseok to see you as aggressive as you would need to be but you also knew you were going to have to push yourself in this fight to save him. Looking back, you met Hoseok’s clear brown eyes and he gave you a small smile to let you know he was ok. You nodded your head slightly as you approached one of Aaron’s hounds. 

Aaron handed Hoseok’s leash to him, mentioning that he would be back in time for the beginning of the fight. Aaron then walked you around to the steel door that led into the dusty, sand-covered arena you had grown to hate. He unclipped your leash, reminding you what you were risking in this fight. His words fell on deaf ears, your mind already focused on the fight ahead. You rolled your neck and stretched out your muscles, faintly recognizing that Aaron had stepped out of the holding area. Minutes later you heard the announcer's booming voice, signalling that the fight would start in 30 seconds. Your tail whipped around nervously, the adrenaline for the fight building up. 

Beeps faintly registered through the steel door in the count down for the fight, then the steel door shot open releasing you into the open arena. You stalked out, eyes focused on the opposite side where the gorilla you had met earlier stared you down. Your ears flattened and your tail puffed, body in defensive position. He smirked before letting out a huge roar with a fist slamming his chest. 

Then, in a cloud of dust, he charged.

A/N: Hello guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was a bit different than the others! Please let me know what you think!

I will not be adding anyone else to the tag list as it is already very long! Please turn on my notifications if you would like to know when I post updates!

Previous Next

Tag list: @timberkat, @jiminslye , @marie-sarah , @jiminmochee, @fuxk-feelxngs, @vantaekiim, @backtonormalthings, @babybluebisexual, @ayoo-bangtan, @raven-melanin, @deficient-mochi, @namelesshil, @narcissism-iskey, @soft-for-styles, @alessandradominguez, @it-is-dana, @watchinthesunset, @aimee-lucass, @wickedblue34, @skyebloodhood, @bloodyp4andicorn, @stitchattacks, @bangtan-zero, @justfollowbacon, @2seokkyo, @boononx, @sugamonster22, @chiminies-noona, @pagangoddess1, @daughterofdarkness1190, @kooky-mysterious, @adorabletata, @serendipitiousbutterfly, @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh, @nabo39, @honeylbear, @mrcleanheichou, @jungkookssistan, @lifeisnorainbow, @agoddesswithablade, @musicandbooksandfoodohmy, @shelley-hennig14, @jumi8457, @coolcat494, @dinorahrodriguez, @daydreamindollie, @yasbts705, @lokathefemale, @hisxwallflower, @gguksunrise, @methevass, @cherryharuka, @thebleuprince, @worldofchoices, @treetops68, @demonic-meatball, @imaforeigner

Sorry, if I missed tagging you or if I tagged the wrong person (I really fear bothering someone if I tag the wrong person by accident!) please let me know if there is an error in the tag list.

Moon Rise: Chapter 31

The next day brought with it murkiness and rain. Plans had been posponed until the downpour slowed. Meanwhile it gave Whitestar time to strategize in her den with the clan's senior warriors. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath Tall Stone!" That was Chicorynose caterwauling outside. Her voice sounded distant behind the drumming of rain against the rocky den roof. The call she meowed was an unusual one, but none unlike Swiftcloud had heard before. She's probably trying to organize patrols, she figured, rising from her nest. Swiftcloud looked back at her wide eyed denmates, none of whom seemed willing to get up.

"Grassclan warriors! Apprentices! Come out here!" Chicorynose demanded impatiently.

"But it's raining!" Gingerstrike complained, tucking himself deeper into his bracken and wool lined nest. It was unlike him to go against orders. Though, Swiftcloud thought that perhaps the mixture of the rain and the grief of losing Ambereye had made his attitude more sour. It was a shame to see the noble warrior so broken down.

"If she's so eager to speak to us she'll just have to haul her soaking wet hide in here," Bumblethroat chimed. The pale brown tabby tom was hardly different from his brother, the late warrior Butterflytail. Like him, Bumblethroat was a bit spoiled and adamant in his choices, but Swiftcloud always thought him to be more sensible. Though she supposed even the most rational of Grassclan cats would be hesitant to go on patrol during a rainfall.

"She better not get any water on us," Ladybugbite grumbled, grooming her calico spotted tail. "I don't know about all of you, but I'd like to keep the rain outside and away from my pelt, where it belongs."

Other cats mumbled in amused agreement. Swiftcloud scoffed. Though she had to admit she wasn't fond of the rain either, at least she wasn't as adamant about going out in it as the rest of her denmates were. Brave warriors indeed. Can't even handle a little rain. Swiftcloud lifted her chin, padding to the den's entrance. She gave one last glance over her shoulder towards the stubborn warriors before heading out.

"Tulippaw!" She called as she trotted past the apprentice's den. At once the brown and white she-cat emerged, bounding to her mentor's side. A squeal of surprise escaped her as the rain assaulted her thin pelt, probably sending a shock of cold through her. The apprentice gave a leap, pressing her soaked pelt against Swiftcloud's for warmth.

"I'm glad to see at least some cats are willing to come when their deputy calls!" Chicorynose remarked loud enough for all den bound cats to hear. "Since you two are brave enough to come out first, you'll be on hunting patrol with me." Relief claimed Swiftcloud at the news, and Tulippaw gave a little bounce.

"Will you teach me how to catch birds, Swiftcloud?" Tulipaw requested. "Nobody catches them the way you can."

"Oh wow, I'd be glad to teach you!" Swiftcloud was surprised by the apprentice's enthusiasm, especially in this kind of weather. Tulippaw had always been an excitable student, Swiftcloud had known, but she never saw this strong of an interest when Ambereye was teaching her. Chicorynose tipped her head, prompting the two she-cats to have a seat. In a heartbeat she turned, slipping into the warrior's den. Her voice carried even halfway across camp, though her words were lost in the patter of raindrops. Swiftcloud felt cold seeping into her fur with every moment and hoped Chicorynose would hurry along. My nubby tail might freeze off by the time we leave camp, she worried. A chorus of groans followed Chicorynose out of the warrior's den, followed by the displeased group of warriors who begrudgingly followed the deputy into the clearing.

"Come on, you know I wouldn't be making you patrol in the rain if I didn't have to. But we have to keep a watch on the Treeclan border. The fresh-kill pile is stocked enough that my patrol and I can fill the rest of the gaps in. You all only have to mark boundaries. So stop complaining." Bumblethroat grumbled something under his breath, making Ladybugbite snicker. Chicorynose turned on the tom and hissed at him before turning around. She stalked back to Swiftcloud and Tulippaw, waving her tail in a command for them to follow. The pair rose to their paws, padding behind the deputy and out of camp.

"Are we going back to the Forest Patch?" Tulippaw wondered aloud.

"Oh no, definitely not. Especially not after the stunt you pulled last time. No, we're going to Rabbit Gorge. I don't recall Ambereye telling me you ever successfully hunted a rabbit before. Today is a good day to practice."

Tulippaw groaned. "But Swiftcloud said she'd teach me how to hunt birds."

"There'll probably be some in the trees nearby the warren. You can catch birds there."

It had been a while since Swiftcloud had visited Rabbit Gorge. She'd originally favored the Forest Patch for it's abundance of cover. The gorge did not provide many places for a cat to hide, especially for her. Chicorynose and Tulippaw would have an easier time hunting there in the dull brown grasses where their pelts seamlessly blended. But Swiftcloud's mostly white fur would make her more easily spotted. Luckily, hunting rabbits was a team effort. In Rabbit Gorge, Swiftcloud was better at flushing out prey, leading it into the awaiting claws of her partner. It wasn't the way she wanted to teach Tulippaw to hunt, but she'd have to learn how to do it this way sometime.

The rain turned rich soil muddy, raindrops causing splatter and creating a fog of mud-spray. Hunting here today would be messy. But the rabbits would be more easily disoriented, disliking heavy rain almost as much as Grassclan warriors did. And their eyesight was poor already; the fog would further serve to provide the cats better cover.

"The three of us will work together today, " Chicorynose meowed. "In this weather, it would probably be for the best. Swiftcloud, I'll take Tulippaw over this way." The deputy pointed with her tail. "You track down a rabbit and chase it in our direction." Swiftcloud gave a nod of approval, turning tail and stalking off. She glided along a worn down path into the gorge, opening her mouth to taste the air. The warm smell of rabbit rushed over her scent glands, tempting the warrior closer. A bear-length in front of her, three rabbits sat huddled beneath a shelf of earth. The area they sat under looked to have been worn down by moons of erosion, most likely due to past flooding. But today it served as the perfect shelter from the rain. Along the same stretch of shelter, another fox-length down, Swiftcloud could see more rabbits huddled together. Why were so many outside in this weather? Was their warren flooded out? Worry began to prickle in the white and black patched molly's pelt. She suddenly felt unsafe here, alone in the gorge. But she wouldn't have to stay long, she reminded her. Through her anxiety Swiftcloud pressed forward, dropping into a crouch and stalking through the grass. She'd need to be as close as possible to chase the rabbits in the right direction. Quiet as a mouse, the patched warrior crept up on her unsuspecting prey. When she was in striking distance, she leaned back on her haunches. She gave a little wiggle, narrowing her eyes in foucus, before bolting out of cover. The rabbits shot out from their shelter like lightning, pelting away as fast as their swift legs could carry them. Swiftcloud was able to keep up easily, swiping at one and tripping it up enough to injure it. Two rabbits ran right into the patrol's trap, getting pounced on and killed off by Chicorynose and an eager Tulippaw. Swiftcloud made quick work of the third rabbit who let out a pained squeal as its life came to an end. Pride swelled in Swiftcloud chest as she picked up her catch, spying the rabbit Tulippaw had snagged. Swiftcloud dragged her prey over to the patrol, placing it before the paws of the deputy.

"Good catch!" She praised, smiling. "How about you two go and find yourself a bird? I'll see if I can nab another rabbit in the meantime." Tulippaw lit up at the suggestion. Swiftcloud twitched her whiskers approvingly. She flicked an ear, prompting her apprentice to follow her elsewhere. Swiftcloud's blue eyes scanned the few spare trees along the edges of the gorge, ears trained to the sound of chirping. There was prey nearby, though it was a couple bear-lengths off. Swiftcloud decided to make this a teachable moment, using this time to explain how she developed her bird hunting technique.

"Back when I was a kittypet," she began, "my Twoleg would swing around a vine with feathers on the end and make me jump to catch it. It was a lot of fun, and I used those skills to develop a technique for catching birds taking flight."

"Really..? Wait, you were a kittypet?" Tulippaw sounded shocked.

Swiftcloud nodded. "I was. I joined the clan when you were very young. I'm suprised no one told you. Or that you didn't overhear about it from someone."

"I think I did. But I guess I never really believed it. You don't act the way kittypets are described at all."

"That's because I never really belonged as a Twoleg's toy," Swiftcloud confessed. "I always knew there was something more out there for me. Joining Grassclan had been like coming home for first time. And ever since, I've done my very best to live the ways of a clanborn cat and to follow the Warrior Code."

"I think I wanna be just like you when I'm a warrior," Tulippaw decided. Swiftcloud felt honored. She'd never realized a cat would even want to look up to her. Then again, she'd never believed she would have an apprentice either.

"As long as you listen to your lessons and learn well, I think you'll turn out exactly as you want. Now, let me show you how to catch a flying bird." Tulippaw smiled brightly at her mentor, dropping into a crouch beside her. "At first you want to keep low to the ground. Step lightly, but swiftly, and keep from sight. A bird will see you before it will smell you, but on the ground it'll feel you first. Use a mouse hunting crouch to start, then when you're close enough change your position to have your haunches raised." Swiftcloud demonstrated, Tulippaw following her every pawstep. Swiftcloud's voice dropped to a soft whisper as she continued. "That way you're ready to leap when the bird takes off. Then, spring out using the power of your back legs, leap up, and swipe at the bird's wings." Tulippaw gave a nod, continuing on her way as a wood pigeon dropped down from the trees, directly in her path. The apprentice gave a glance back at her mentor before putting her focus forward. Haunches raised, Tulippaw hesitated a moment before leaping. The bird gave a startled coo, flapping it's wings and taking off. But before it could get far Tulippaw leaped up, slapping the creature back to the ground. She pressed a paw to it, lunging forward to snap it's neck. The wood pigeon lay limp beneath her grip, and Swiftcloud purred approvingly.

"That was awesome Tulippaw, great job! Let's go show Chicorynose now and head home."

~~~

"Cats of Grassclan." Swiftcloud could hear Whitestar's meow as she crawled through the bramble tunnel, emerging into the clearing. A meeting had been called; luckily the patrol had made it home just in time to listen in. Swiftcloud hurried along with her rabbit still dangling in her maw, depositing the prey on the fresh-kill pile. Chicorynose and Tulippaw were right beside her, putting down their catches to sit and listen to what Whitestar had to say. "Tomorrow, we will set forth on our mission to push back the Treeclan border. After careful discussion with our senior warriors, a sneak attack seems the best approach. Only Fighters and Spies will be required for this task. Treeclan think they can waltz onto our land and claim it for themselves. And that is exactly what we are going to do to them. Spies will watch out for Treeclan patrols, while Fighters will advance ahead deeper into the Forest Patch. We will go as far as we possibly can, but not further than the Thunder Path. I don't expect us to make it that far tomorrow, but if we keep it up and if we win, we should be able to claim our new borders within a moon. It will be dangerous. Fighting is guaranteed to ensue. But Starclan willing, this war will be over soon." At once, Grassclan erupted into cheers, yowling their approvals of the new plan ahead. Swiftcloud, however, remained silent. She knew that pushing the border had been her idea, but she couldn't help feeling anxious for it. It's for the good of the clan, she told herself. But so many will get hurt in the process. But...it has to be done. Come what may, this was the only solution to their troubles. Treeclan would never give up more land willingly. Grassclan would have to take it by force. For the good of both the clans.

The false, sickly light of the approaching dawn illuminated through the woven branches and reed shoots of the nursery roof, giving the darkness inside a peculiar weak hue as night gradually melted into morning. Rainflower had slept very little and fitfully, her fur feeling sticky and prickly and her mind was as active and angry as a disturbed nest of hornets.

On the farther side of her nest, somewhat adjacent from where she lay with her chin resting on her paws and her tail at her side, was Oakkit. The russet-brown tom-kit slept with his back to his mother on his side, silent and still. Since their argument the night before, he had hardly peeped another word to Rainflower, not even telling her goodnight. Rainflower’s muzzle stretched into a scowl as she turned her gaze away from her larger son, rolled over with a grunt, and observed another queen with her own litter...and that one kit that ruined absolutely everything.

Echomist was rumbling a deep, rolling snore as she was surrounded by four kittens. Beetlekit rested his head atop his mother’s, snoring along with her, with Volekit sprawled out on her back with his mouth slightly open and Petalkit curled up under Echomist’s feathery tail, her forelegs sticking out away from her and her paws dangling over the edge of the nest. The other three kits wasn’t what made Rainflower’s blood boil, however, as they were truly Echomist’s kits; it was the ridiculously small brown tabby tom that was tucked in close to the silver she-cat’s belly behind Petalkit. The kit mewed in his sleep, turned over, and exposed- oh, dear StarClan, what a ghastly mouth.

As far as Rainflower was concerned, Crookedkit - by StarClan, that’s what his name was, not the coddling “Stormkit” everyone kept calling him - was unquestioningly the ire of her existence. The runt had ruined everything: her relationships with Shellheart and Oakkit, the various friendships she had once held in the Clan, and he had also cost her her reputation as one of the top cats in RiverClan. If he hadn’t been stupid enough to sneak out of camp and pretend to be something he never was, he’d still be Rainflower’s handsome, strong son, her most prized accomplishment. But now, there he was: mangle-faced and about the size of a half-starved rat in leaf-bare. 

Thanks to him, everyone hated Rainflower, all because he couldn’t handle the tough reality of Clan ways and the fact that Rainflower expected more and better than a pipsqueak that went crying to his Clanmates every time she gave him criticism. She was once one of the most admired fighters and fishers in the Clan, if not the whole forest, but now everyone would snarl at her or shoot her glares that hinted they’d like to claw her pelt off if she got too close. She now ate alone, groomed herself in the sunhigh heat, and was left at the far back of every patrol with no one to talk to.

No one wanted anything to do with Rainflower anymore. She might as well have been a rogue in her own Clan.

They called her cruel, they called her inconsiderate, they called her a monster.

Fed up with Echomist and Beetlekit’s snoring and especially fed up with looking at the kit that had ruined her life, Rainflower rose, stretched, and stalked out of her nursery. The entire Clan was still asleep, which perhaps was a good thing in her case, but she saw that the fresh-kill pile only consisted of some discarded fish bones and the remaining scraps of gnawed fins. Not stopping to sniff around or sit out in the gloom until someone awoke to go fishing, Rainflower pushed her way out of camp and headed towards the river. She wanted to sink her claws and teeth into something to alleviate her anger, hoping that feeling water sweep through her coat would cool the inner fire of her frustration.

Then again, if she brought prey back, no one would eat it if they detected her scent on it. They’d probably act as though it had been poisoned by Twolegs and leave it in the pile to rot. Ungrateful, cloud-minded furballs, they could eat frog dung and toad guts for all Rainflower cared. She arrived at the river, plunged in, hauled out a young carp effortlessly, and devoured mouthful after mouthful of juicy flesh until her kill was nothing but bones she was absentmindedly licking clean. She didn’t care that she was breaking the code, she was hardly regarded as a member of RiverClan anymore anyway. Lakeshine had called her a waste of space, so why contribute where she wasn’t wanted?

In fact...

As she lapped up the last clinging sliver of meat from the bone it was stuck to and swallowed it, Rainflower stood and shook out her pelt, droplets splattered and shone in the light of the rising sun. She stared towards the direction of RiverClan’s camp, thinking of all the cats back there lost in dreams and curled up together. All a joke, she thought, a bunch of thoughtless hypocrites. They could spoil that distorted kit all they wanted, she wasn’t going to stick around and take abuse for a weakling that probably wouldn’t survive to become an apprentice anyway.

Oakkit was being made an apprentice that day, she remembered. However, given the night before and the week or so leading up to it, Oakkit probably couldn’t care less about Rainflower being around anyway. The rest had warped him too, made him hate his own mother, his own kin. He wouldn’t care if she was gone either.

Rainflower took her paw and scraped at the side of her head so her flower would fall out of place. Shellheart had given it to her as a gift when they first began courting, as a sign that he wanted her to be his mate more than anything else. She stared down at the crumpled petals, remembering how Shellheart had once purred sweet nothings in her ear as they cuddled in a spot by the river that was bathed by moonlight and sheltered by reeds. She remembered leaning into and snuggling up against his strong muscles, so glad and blessed that she had such a fine mate to live alongside and cherish. Her claws dug into the flower and tore it; nursery banter for fish-brained kits, the idealistic and moronic assumption that such things could truly last.

She squared her shoulders, left the ripped flower by the bones of the carp that now weighed satisfyingly heavy in her stomach, and took off. Rainflower’s legs pumped as she raced along the riverside one last time before she tore into the direction of the moor. She wasn’t heading to WindClan; the was no point in crawling to another Clan’s camp and begging them to take her in, and she’d rather die before she’d ever run into Twolegplace and scavenge for crowfood or live as a kittypet. Rainflower felt the implant of a sudden truth: she would be a loner now. She was above being called a rogue, no matter how sourly her former Clanmates spoke of her, she would simply live and travel alone. She needed no other cat, wouldn’t ever fall in love or have kittens again, as she needed absolutely no one, especially not a family that would come to crush her dreams and her image and betray her.

She was no longer a Clan cat. She no longer had kin.

The sun turned the sky a brilliant pink as Rainflower pulsed into the trees beyond the Clans’ territories, heading ever so quickly into uncharted land with the unknown waiting for her.

“Where could she have gone?”

“Who cares? Good riddance, I say. Maybe a fox or a badger got her.”

“That’d be too lucky. She’s probably just sulking somewhere.”

Rainflower’s disappearance came to everyone’s attention after everyone had woken up and assumed she went out for a patrol only not to come back. Everyone pretty much went about their day until Hailstar ordered that a patrol went looking for her. He purposely sent Shellheart, hoping that he could talk some sense into his former mate and persuade her to change for the better. Not that it was a fair possibility, as he knew that his sister had always been too prideful for her own good and never liked to admit her faults.

The morning turned to noon, and the patrol finally returned. Oakkit was talking to Petalkit and Beetlekit while Echomist washed Volekit for their apprentice ceremony. The kits unanimously agreed that it would be only fair if they waited for Stormkit and Oakkit to turn six moons old so they could all become ‘paws together. Stormkit was with Brambleberry now, she was checking his jaw and grooming him so he could look his very best.

“Look, the patrol’s back, and there’s your father,” Petalkit piped as she turned her gaze to the arriving arrangement. “I don’t see Rainflower with them, though.”

“Hush,” Echomist hissed as she gave Volekit a final lick. “I’m going to go speak with Shellheart and the others now. You four sit here while I’m away and wait for Stormkit, and don’t even think about getting your pelts all dusty. My tongue is in a knot from grooming all of you just once.”

The kits purred with amusement as Echomist lolloped over to the patrol. As she did, Brambleberry approached with Stormkit creeping along at her flank. “Looks like everyone is all set. On you go now, Stormkit,” the medicine cat gently nosed him towards the others. “You talk with your friends until Hailstar calls everyone together.” When he glanced at her, his gaze unsure, she added. “I’ll be right by my den if you need me.” She then turned tail and disappeared into the greenery. From there on, all eyes were on Stormkit.

He felt so tiny compared to his brother and denmates still. Though he was no longer as small and as weak as he once was when he first had his accident, he still felt like he looked at least two moons smaller than the rest of them. Oakkit gave him a friendly little nudge of reassurance, Volekit and Petalkit looked at him with warmth and compassion, while Beetlekit gave him a firm nod of approval. It was all their own unique ways of supporting him and letting him know that they were there for him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if there was pity below the surface. “So...” he began, sheepishly. “The big day’s today.”

“Sure is,” Oakkit squeaked. He straightened up as puffed out his chest. “About time, don’t you think? The kits of RiverClan’s leader and deputy are about to start their training, the other Clans won’t know what hit them!”

“Yeah!” Volekit bounced up and positioned himself into a crouch. “We’ll be the greatest apprentices in our Clan’s history, and then the greatest warriors, just you wait!” He aimed a swipe at Beetlekit, who swatted at his ears in return. 

“Careful!” Petalkit warned before they could start to tussle. The two toms shot a look in their sister’s direction. “Mom said not to get our fur dirty.” She drew her tongue over her paw and washed her face. “We have to make a good impression for our ceremony, you know. We can’t act like rowdy newborns anymore-”

Beetlekit tackled her before she could finish. “Our pelts won’t be clean when we’re out chasing smelly ThunderClanners away from Sunningrocks!” he yowled playfully. “Then it won’t matter how clean we are when we’re letting them know who’s boss, mangy squirrel-munchers!”

 Volekit tumbled on top of his siblings as they began to wrestle. Oakkit snorted with laughter as he moved out of the way. “Don’t look at me, I’m not getting scolded for messing myself up.” He looked to Stormkit, trying to get him to laugh too, only to his him hunching down and looking miserable. “Hey, what’s the matter?”

Stormkit shifted his paws uneasily, but didn’t answer. Today was the day of his apprentice ceremony - the one he was so afraid of being delayed because he had hurt his jaw. He should be excited! He was about to begin his training with his brother and friends! For a reason he couldn’t quite pinpoint, he felt as though he had a mass of worms wriggling about in his belly and felt a sensation of anxiety that he could compare to waiting for a large bird to swoop down and snatch him up from behind. “I-” he finally choked out, his paws still working apprehensively at the dirt. “I guess I’m- I don’t know- it’s-”

“Rainflower?”

Stormkit swallowed. “Yeah, maybe. Do you think she ran away because of me?”

Oakkit scooted closer and leaned into his smaller brother, licking his ears and wrapping his tail around him. “Let her do whatever she wants,” he mewed gently. “If you ask me, you shouldn’t be concerned with her in the slightest. She’s barely given you any thought for the past three moons, so why should you care about her?”

“But she’s our mother!” Stormkit blurted out at last. He knew and appreciated what Oakkit was trying to do, but the pickling sensation was still spreading throughout him like a chill. “It’s my fault everyone hates her and that she’s been so unhappy-”

Oakkit lashed his tail and pulled away sharply. “Don’t talk like that!” he spat.

“But-”

“No!” The brown tom hissed. “If Rainflower is cold-hearted and mouse-brained enough to ditch us just because she can’t handle the fact you had an accident, then she needs to get her head on right.”

“Kits!” Echomist’s exasperated mew silenced the two brothers. She broke apart Volekit and Beetlekit before scooping up Petalkit in her paws, washing her feverishly. “Just look at what you’ve done to your coats! I just said no getting dirty!”

Just then, Hailstar pulled away from the returning patrol, his eyes hard. Shellheart dipped his head to Timberfur and Cedarpelt before trotting over to his sons. He greeted them with a nuzzle each. “Hailstar is about to make the announcement,” he mewed, quickly settling some strayed fur on Oakkit’s tail. “Sit up straight and stand tall.”

“Did you find-” Stormkit was about to ask his father about Rainflower, but Oakkit silenced him with a look. Rippleclaw and Piketooth looked up from a chub they had been sharing, Fallowtail emerged from the nursery with Lilystem, both of their bellies bulbous with unborn kits. Softwing and Whitefang, who had been made warriors just yesterday, awoke from where they dozed among the reeds. The cats who had been on the search patrol gathered around the meeting point as Hailstar bounded upwards.

“Let all cats old enough to swim gather here for a Clan meeting!”

“Finally!” Volekit cried, leaping up to his paws and charging ahead. “Let’s go!” He scampered off with his littermates, tail up, while Echomist trailed after them with a prideful gleam in her eyes.

Oakkit nudged Stormkit to his paws. “Come on!” he mewed cheerfully. “It’s our big moment, let’s show RiverClan what we’re made of, brother!” he bounded away after their friends, but Stormkit couldn’t help but stay by Shellheart’s side. Something persuaded him that his father needed him to stay behind; the gray warrior’s eyes were dark and scornful, his muscles were rigid and tense, and his tailtip was swaying back and forth. 

Stormkit couldn’t help but swallow deeply. Had he found Rainflower? Did something happen to her, or was he angry at his son for ruining his relationship with her by being injured? “Dad?” he squeaked.

His voice snapped Shellheart out of his agitated trance. He looked down at Stormkit, his eyes confused for a fleeting moment, but then warmth thawed the angry ice that had been in his blue gaze just a second ago. “Everything will be alright, my brave little warrior,” he gave Stormkit a lick in between his ears, purring. “Go stand with Oakkit and your friends, Hailstar just has another announcement to make before your apprentice ceremony begins.”

Stormkit couldn’t help but address the obvious. “I-it’s about Rainflower, isn’t it?”

Shellheart’s expression dropped. He kept his tail firmly wrapped over his paws and looked down at it. “I’m afraid so.”

Fear tightened Stormkit’s belly. “Is she dead?”

“Clanmates,” Hailstar began, rising to his paws to speak. At the sound of the leader’s voice, Stormkit was about to slink over to his brother’s side, but Oakkit had come to sit on the opposite side of Shellheart. “Before we recognize the five kits who have reached their sixth or so moon of life and are now ready to begin their apprenticeship, there is another matter that must be addressed.” The massive silver tom paused for a moment as murmurs swept through the clearing. Stormkit heard brief mentions of his mother’s name more distinctly among the clammer, but he could make nothing else out. “It appears that Rainflower has gone missing since early this morning, without anyone’s knowledge of where she would be going or when we should have expected her back.” “Why should we have worried?” The snarl came from Ottersplash. Stormkit saw her standing with Timberfur, her tail kinked angrily over her back. “All she’s been doing lately has been sulking and expecting us to feel sorry for her, the useless pile of fox dung.”

“Yeah,” that was Lakeshine. “We all know what she did, and now she expects pity because no one will talk to her anymore. She’s no better than a spoiled, whining kit who spends more time complaining and less time actually doing her warrior duties.” RiverClan murmured its unanimous agreement. Stormkit knew that the Clan had turned against Rainflower for her treatment towards him, and while he felt grateful for all the patience and kindness his Clanmates gave him, he couldn’t help but feel like he was indeed ultimately at fault for Rainflower’s misery. “Don’t let her fill your head with that goosedown,” Brambleberry had told him, more than once. “She wants to blame everyone but herself.” Hailstar raised his tail for silence. “We all share the opinion that Rainflower is in the wrong for her actions towards her kits,” he meowed. “But back to the topic at paw, a search patrol was sent out earlier today in hopes of bringing her home or locating her.” Troutclaw snorted. “What makes him think we would’ve cared where she was?”

“We found Rainflower’s scent along the riverside,” Hailstar announced. “Along with fish bones and the flower she kept woven in her fur-”

“So she’s a prey-stealer now?” spat Cedarpelt. He, along with Rippleclaw and Mudfur, where stiff-legged and growling. “She’s always only thought of herself and what she wants, nevermind the rest of us, especially the expectant queens in the nursery who need food now more than ever!” He thrust his muzzle towards Lilystem and Fallowtail, who were hissing in anger.

“Silence!” Hailstar yowled. As the Clan settled down for a second time, Hailstar swept his gaze over them icily before continuing. “There was no sign of her or any indication that there was a struggle of some sort, so it has been decided that Rainflower has fled RiverClan territory after the search came up insufficient.”

The clearing practically exploded with voices. 

“Mouse-hearted coward!” yowled Softwing. 

“She’d rather run away like a scared kittypet than own up to her mistakes,” Mudfur rolled his eyes and kicked a pebble at his paws. “Typical, not too out-of-character for her in the slightest.”

“Well, maybe we never wanted her to come back in the first place!” screeched Birdsong.

Stormkit shrunk lower and lower. Rainflower had...run away? Abandoned the Clan? Just like that? He noticed what his father had been hiding between his paws now that he could see more clearly: the lily that he had given Rainflower as a courtship present, moons before Stormkit and Oakkit were born, and he remembered hearing that Shellheart had woven it in by her ear himself. Stormkit looked up at his father, whose eyes had hardened once again as he kept his line of sight on Hailstar.

“In other news,” Hailstar began again as the angry yowls and snarls had died down. “We have a more joyous occasion on this day. Petalkit, Beetlekit, Volekit, Oakkit, and Stormkit are due to become apprentices today. They are the kits of fine warriors who will definitely grow up to become fine warriors themselves, as they will now begin the path of beginning their training to earn their names within the Clan. Kits, please step forward.”

All five kittens presented themselves. Hailstar called each of them forward, gifting them all with their new apprentice names and assigning them mentors. Stormkit couldn’t help but be in a bit of a trance that was reminiscent of Shellheart’s. Rainflower was gone, but he didn’t know if he should be upset or relieved. Part of him wanted to cry for his mother, but the other part of him felt as though claws had been retracted out of his belly. He looked over at Echomist and Brambleberry, who were pressed together with their tails entwined, looking at the new apprentices. They were more of his mothers than Rainflower had been since his accident...they had cared for him then, they would care for him now and beyond. They were still here with him.

“Stormkit,” Hailstar mewed. His voice snapped Stormkit back to attention. The leader was staring fondly at him with a softness he had never seen on his face before, as were Oakpaw, Beetlepaw, Volepaw, and Petalpaw. “You have overcome great adversity, as you are truly the son of Shellheart. You have shown great bravery and hope throughout your ordeal, and I know in my heart that you will continue to carry it on through your apprenticeship and into your warrior days when the time comes, young one.” He straightened up, puffed out his chest, and said. “Stormkit, from this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Stormpaw. StarClan sees your courage and your determination, and I appoint Cedarpelt as your mentor.”

The Clan erupted into excited chants. They called the young cats’ names in ceremonial recognition as they touched noses with their new mentors. Echomist and Brambleberry purred loudly as they encased Stormpaw, who purred and licked back as Cedarpelt stepped away to give them some room. As Echomist went to congratulate her other kits, Brambleberry continued to groom Stormpaw. “It’s all going to look up even more from here,” she promised. “Make us proud, my son.”

Stormpaw nuzzled her back fiercely. He still had family that loved him and appreciated him no matter what he looked like. Everyone was right; he didn’t need Rainflower’s goosedown on his brain, he was going to be far too busy becoming the best warrior ever to even think about it!

---

y’all wanted more so here it fuckin is!! stormy baby!!

Self Promo Sunday: “Strays Find a Way Home”

(I wrote this back before 5x21 aired, and so in the world of this story, Robin Hood lives. In this story's timeline, the funeral was Killian's, and his return was not right there at the cemetery. Also, I can't take total credit for this one, as I saw the prompt/idea on Tumblr a while back. There were a few people discussing, "what if Emma found this little black kitten with blue eyes like Killian's, she and Henry took it in, and it helped her deal with the loss of her pirate?" I hope no one feels any disrespect that I had to try it as well. The idea just rooted into my imagination and wouldn't leave! I've seen at least one other story from this idea, but I think this one is unique in its own way, and I hope you'll enjoy! Please let me know what you think – I'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And of course, they aren't mine, I only own my ideas and the fluff I want to give Killian and Emma a break to enjoy! ;)

"Strays Find a Way Home"

By: @snowbellewells 

Coming home from the funeral of her True Love is the sort of crushing blow Emma Swan could never have imagined herself enduring. Not so very long ago, she was completely alone, encased in her armor, tough, self-sufficient, and – if not happy – at least settled with her lot in life. Bail bondsperson Emma in her tiny apartment in Boston couldn't have envisioned her son, her parents, friends, and then a stubborn, charming, sexy, devoted pirate, working their way over her walls and making themselves at home in her forcibly expanded heart, but by extension, she'd also thought she was shielded from this level of pain. Now, her heart, which – no matter how hard she tries – still feels, is cleaved in two as surely as it was in a prison infirmary nearly fourteen years ago as her newborn was carried away where she couldn't follow. She had vowed never again… Yet, piece by piece her loved ones dismantled her inner stronghold and made themselves at home with her until she'd had no choice but to relent and return their affection.

Killian had done so more than any of them. She'd wanted to run from him and the feelings rushing back after a decade of disuse from the very moment she saw him as the dust cleared in that destroyed haven of the Enchanted Forest. She couldn't deny how fast her heart had beat when he bandaged her hand with his scarf atop the beanstalk, how tremors had run through her body as his fingers brushed her palm when he returned the bean allowing them to follow Henry to Neverland, how feverishly her blood had burned when she'd grasped his lapels in her fists and hauled him toward her in the midst of that thick, muggy jungle for their first kiss, or how sickeningly her stomach churned when the Snow Queen's jagged spikes of ice nearly pierced him, almost taking her infuriating rogue away from her. It made her crazy to be so attached to him, and she'd fought admitting it for so long, until the day her tears finally broke free as she fully accepted the inevitable when he had told her she was his happy ending. Killian had actually, however improbably, made her believe in the fairy tale, all of it: who she was, her magic, her family and her home, and his own love and devotion.

Now he was gone.

The service had been brief, but heartfelt, and Emma knew instinctively that Killian would have been moved by how many of the townsfolk were in attendance to mourn his loss. However nothing would have touched him more than the young man he had treated as his own son, than Henry's, show of both grief and bravery. Manfully, her boy had stood at her side, shedding only a few silent tears, almost as tall as she was and doing his best to lend support as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Both he and David had said a few words in Killian's honor, which the other attendees seemed to appreciate, though she couldn't seem to focus on anyone specifically, staring blankly at his headstone instead. Then her son had stepped forward, setting a perfect sailor's knot – one of the first Killian had taught him – on top of the marker. It was then that she had given Regina a beseeching look as the memorial concluded, and his other mother had convinced Henry to come to Granny's for the impromptu wake of sorts with her, Robin, Roland, and their baby girl, giving Emma a moment alone.

Her mom and dad had hesitated, Charming looking torn about leaving his "mate" there in that dusky, cold cemetery rain, finally admitting that their mission had failed, and Snow looking desperately as though she wanted to hover, to placate, to offer hope where Emma knew there was none. But at the look they saw in her eyes, both had halted and then told her they would wait for her in the truck before heading away from the fresh plot.

Once she was by herself, Emma stepped forward, wiping the moisture of the soft rain and tears from her face, no longer sure which were which as they blended while she stood in the drizzle and laid her hand on the marbled stone polished smooth, wishing that he could feel her touch and that she could still draw from his constant warmth. Reaching into the pocket of her dark coat, she pulled out and almost reverently cradled a small flask filled with rum. It wasn't his. They hadn't found it on his body, realizing belatedly that he hadn't been seen to pull it out for a drink nearly as often in his last few months. She had bought this one specifically for her purpose today, to leave as a final offering here in his last resting place. She'd had it engraved simply "K.J." in delicate, swooping script.

She raised the flask toward his marker, murmuring "Here's to you, Killian" in a final toast. "You were right, you know, I couldn't handle it." She almost smiled, remembering the challenge, the teasing, the sparks at their beginning, and all that had followed, when he had been continually at her side, helping her meet each new undertaking, even when she didn't know how or thought she had no more to give. That done, she brought the flask to her lips and took a long sip, letting the liquor travel down her throat, warming and lingering on her tongue and in her chest. Then, swallowing firmly and nodding to herself, admitting that there was nothing more for her here, no way that lingering would bring her pirate back, she tipped the flask, pouring the rest of the amber liquid out over the freshly turned earth, then placed the small, silver container at the base of his stone.

Whispering huskily, Emma bowed her head, wishing so desperately once more that she were not speaking at his grave, "You changed me, Pirate… more than I would have thought possible. It hurts…" she had to pause, gulping air for a moment until she could continue, "but…I won't go back. I won't shut the rest of them out…I promised you…and I'll keep it."

Nothing else to do, she touched her fingers to her lips, then pressed that semblance of a kiss to the etched letters of his name in cold, wet granite and turned to slowly walk away.

~~~~~~~~~~~CS~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't until she stepped out of the truck, unfolding her shaking legs to touch down weakly on her front walk, and turned back to promise her parents she would speak to them later, that Emma registered anything else clearly through the vague fog of grief she'd slipped into after leaving behind what remained of her True Love here in this realm. She waved gamely, heaving a sigh of relief when they pulled away from the curb. She knew they only wanted to help, but she could barely breathe and stay standing, she couldn't remain stoic in others' presence much longer. With tired head bent and shoulders slumped, she made her way up the front steps of the white two-story and let herself in. Standing in the entryway and looking around at the house she had hoped the two of them, with Henry, would fill together with laughter and hope for the future they had earned, she nearly crumpled to her knees, feeling sobs she'd kept down for the last two hours rising up to consume her.

Frantically Emma stalked through the kitchen, down the hall, and out onto the screened back porch looking out over Storybrooke's small harbor, needing to escape from the interior of this place she now feared would never truly be a home. Of course, as she stood there feeling the chilled evening breeze on her flushed cheeks and blinking rapidly while she brought her breathing back under control, her eyes came to rest on the Jolly Roger docked proudly at the pier and a strangled cry tore from her throat. He was everywhere – inescapable – so much a part of her now, and yet not close enough for her to hold.

Clawing against the rising panic, sniffling and wiping away tears, she heard a small, plaintive cry that was not her own. Pausing, perking her ears up, and nearing the latched screen door to peer down the steps into the closest part of the backyard, Emma strained to catch the sound again. Sure enough, a pitiful little squeak, hovering barely audible over the sound of the wind and the rain falling on the roof, came to her ears once more. It cracked as though about to give out, while she strained to see anything in the gathering dusk. She held her breath, and the sound peeped up once more, seemingly almost underfoot, this time recognizable as the pleading, tiny "mew" of a lost cat.

For a brief moment, Emma caught the quick glimmer of an animal gaze near the bottom step, huddled in the barest shelter of the wooden stairs to the porch and a badly neglected rosebush. Quickly, she unlatched the door and descended the steps. Bending swiftly and hoping the thing wouldn't run, she reached out to scoop up a bedraggled, wet, and muddy bit of fur, so dirty it was impossible to tell its color, eyes matted so helplessly that it could barely open them enough to look up at her, though it tried, and nearly weightless in her gentle hold.

She spoke in a whisper, trying not startle it, and tucked the tiny kitten in her hands against the shelter of her chest, caring little for how dirty it was quickly turning her formal black attire; she would never be able to wear these things again anyway. "What are you doing out here all alone, little guy?" she asked, worried over how young and feeble it was.

Feeling a surge of protectiveness for someone worse off and needing comfort even more than she did, Emma was already back up the porch, latching the screen door, and through to the kitchen, on a mission now and glad for anything to divert her focus for at least a moment or two. "It's gonna be okay," she promised the slight, quivering bit of skin and bones she held. "We'll get you all fixed up."

Henry would be back after supper, and if nothing else, this little visitor would make him smile. She couldn't very well let the poor thing suffer out in the rain, and it was clearly starving. She could figure out what to do with it long term tomorrow…

Half an hour later, the kitten was washed and rinsed thoroughly in her kitchen sink full of warm, sudsy water, and Emma was drying him with an old hand towel until he gradually came to resemble the soft, fluffy, black ball of cuddly fur he was meant to be. Turning her attention to his eyes next, Emma found that where they had been firmly almost sealed closed before, that had softened now. Brushing gently, hoping the poor critter wouldn't panic and scratch her to bits, Emma used the corner of the towel to wipe the last of the matted gunk away and coax the kitten's eyes open.

A small, soft whine issued from its mouth in protest at her ministrations, but first one and then the other eye blinked open to peek out at her. Her heart ground to a halt as they did, her chest clenching painfully. Those eyes were startlingly blue – a clear, sparkling shade she’d thought she would never see again. With the inky black fur and those curious, knowing blue eyes studying her, Emma's mind flashed to Killian so viscerally it nearly sent her to her knees.

Gripping the edge of the countertop to steady herself, she forced several deep breaths, drawing air in and out of her tightened lungs. The kitten tilted its head, studying her with an oddly puzzled expression, and then ventured from the mound of terrycloth he had been swathed in by her drying efforts. Picking his way over to her on soft, silent feet, he looked up at Emma hopefully before dipping his head to rub against the back of her hand, letting out another tiny chirrup of sound.

It might well have been her own floundering emotions, but Emma sensed almost human concern in the creature's gaze, and she scratched behind its ear affectionately, managing a watery smile. She moved to scrounge up something the hungry cat could eat, already finding herself way too attached, and she couldn't help asking the quiet around them, as if somehow her lost Love would hear. "Killian, did you send him to me?"

~~~~~~~~~~CS~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Henry returned three hours later, the kitten had eaten some bread soaked in milk, nearly stealing each piece she had torn off the loaf from her fingers with his paws before she could get them into the bowl. Emma had forced herself to swallow down some soup, she had made an entire list of things to purchase for her small new charge at the store, and she and the new arrival were curled up on the couch watching Dark Angel on Netflix. The kitten had settled himself up high on her chest, his head tucked warmly under her chin as she stroked his downy fur, a steady, low purr emanating from his tiny body, vibrating against her skin.

She had been so relieved the little guy was with her in her loneliness all evening, his tiny body warm against hers where she had felt there would only be emptiness from now on – Killian's comforting heat whenever he'd held her close lost to her forever. Emma knew Henry would love their family's tiny addition, but the kitten was also already hers as much as Henry's.

Her son entered the living room quietly, clearly subdued in his own right as well as unsure of how he would find his mom. But as he came around the couch to sit with her, his eyes found the new arrival and his face lit up. A watery chuckle and a shake of the head accompanied his question of "Who's this?" as he reached out to stroke the soft, black fur.

"Henry," Emma grinned proudly, even if her eyes were still red from tears and the smile was fleeting, "meet Pirate."

~~~~~~~~~~CS~~~~~~~~~~

To Henry's credit, he didn't question the name, and by the following morning, the initial prompting of it at least became obvious when the kitten sitting beside him on the kitchen counter flicked out a paw and swatted his spoon away just as the teen reached for it to eat his cereal. "Hey!" Henry exclaimed, catching the kitten before it could get far while trying to pull the shiny metal object nearly as big as he was along behind. Henry picked Pirate up, scratching him under the chin for a second before plunking the kitten down in front of its own breakfast and retrieving the pilfered utensil.

When he moved into the living room where his aboveground version of the storybook sat open to a blank page, and he began attempting to record Captain Hook's last brave adventure while Killian Jones, the man behind the moniker - the man he had begun looking to as a father figure - was still at the forefront of his mind, before the details began to fade with time and healing, he found that his chosen pen was not where he left it. Curled up on the seat across from him – seemingly dozing – Pirate cracked one eye open warily, and Henry realized that the little thief had curled up on top of the pen, as though hoarding anything with shiny tips or pieces away for himself. The way that the small cat peered back at him in challenge arrested Henry right in the motion of picking him up and closed his throat thickly. If the kitten possessed a human face, Henry could clearly imagine one eyebrow being raised in an expression asking, "And just what do you plan to do about it, Lad?" More than the animal purloining things, Henry suddenly saw exactly why his mom named their cat as she did, and what he was doing here when she had never mentioned wanting a pet before. "I'll get another pen," Henry croaked hoarsely to the empty room, patting Pirate on the head as he stood.

~~~~~~~~~~CS~~~~~~~~~~

Emma had been afraid to even enter the bedroom that first night. She had spent so long as the Dark One just waiting, hoping for the time that she could sleep again, when she could truly rest safely in her own home. All those dreams and wishes were ruined, her hope of finally curling up in his arms shattered forever, and she dreaded her first night in their room where she knew she would not find peace.

However, as one, then two, then three days dawned, and she managed a restless hour or two here and there, Emma found her heart full of gratitude and affection for the errant fluff ball who’d found his way to she and Henry's doorstep. That first night, with rain pattering down on the roof and the vision of Killian's grave still haunting her mind, Emma had made a little bed of blankets and an old sweater for Pirate at the foot of the living room couch, and then snorted a laugh and let it go when Henry had turned his pleading gaze on her and carted makeshift bed, cat, and all to his room. She had been certain not a wink of sleep was coming to her anyway, and so she might as well allow her son all the comfort he could get.

Sure enough, the hours of the night crept by in the dark and yet her eyes remained open, trying to bring the beloved features that should be there resting on the pillow beside her up before her dry, sleepless eyes. She rolled over, staring at the ceiling dimly lit by the moon's glow, trying not to let tears start flowing again. All the times she had ached to get home at last and sleep for weeks, and she still could not experience the healing comfort of rest.

At that moment, when despair had begun to creep back in more insidiously than ever, she felt the impact of something landing on the bed near her feet. Surprised, Emma rose on her elbows to peer down, glimpsing the waving tip of a furry tail as Pirate disappeared under the blankets; she could see the bump in the covers moving and felt the brush of his fur against her leg as he moved further up the bed. When the little face popped out at the top again with a soft "mew" of greeting, batting at her chin and then bumping her nose with his affectionately, those unnaturally blue eyes blinking knowingly at her, her heart couldn't really ache much more than it already did, and so the resemblance seemed almost reassuring.

"What's the matter, Kitty? Is sleepy Henry boring you?" she'd asked playfully, wiggling a finger before him to bat at. "Poor Pirate."

Meowing again as if to agree with her, her kitten lay down on her chest, gazing back at her sweetly, and Emma gratefully felt a small smile slip over her lips.

When she woke the next morning curled on her side, the sun streaming in the window, she hadn't been surprised at all to find Pirate nestled on the pillow near her head. He might not have been the pirate she'd hoped to have with her in the morning light, but just as her captain would have, he had stayed by her side.

~~~~~~~~~~CS~~~~~~~~~

A week after Pirate came to them, Emma was sitting on the back steps, watching as her father and Henry returned to their swordplay lessons in the shade of the large oak tree about hallway down the yard. Their words of challenge, encouragement and advice came to her ears on the light breeze, mingled with their laughter and the cracks of the wooden practice swords making contact. Emma smiled fondly – if a bit bittersweetly – glad to see her dad and her son genuinely happy, even if Killian would have loved and deserved to be there too, would have treasured adding to the lesson and being part of the familial bonding. She clutched the ring still on a chain around her neck, missing him sharply again, though he was never far from her mind.

Pirate, who had been playing happily at her feet, suddenly pulled up short, standing stock still for a moment, then darted off like a shot. Emma turned, meaning to follow him, and already opening her mouth to call his name, but was then frozen in shock –

Standing at the corner of the house, looking winded, exhausted, and a bit worse for wear, but pleased and disbelieving, and with love in his eyes, stood Killian Jones, seeming solid and alive. For a moment, Emma couldn’t process the miracle she was seeing, couldn’t take in what was right before her eyes. She blinked, shaking her head to clear it, expecting him to fade away and disappear, as he had when she'd dreamed of his return so many times before.

Then his mouth opened and he spoke hoarsely, a crackling tone of uncertainty in the single word, "S-Swan?" He was still real and there in front of her as she stood, tears streaming down her face. Behind her she heard the sounds of swordplay breaking off and exclamations of surprise ringing out as David and Henry caught sight of him too. That all faded vaguely into the background though as she whispered, "Killian?" shakily and ran into his arms.

She crashed into him with the force of waves breaking against rocky shores in a storm, and they were both trembling so hard with emotion and relief that the impact sent them toppling to the grassy lawn together in a heap.

"Emma…my love," he breathed, awed, just before their lips met and then he was laughing, she was laughing, both shedding tears as they did and placing quick, roving kisses all over each other's faces, hands tracing over shoulders, arms, and necks.

Then Henry has flung himself to the ground with them, wrapping Killian in an exuberant, tight embrace as well, laughing and crying right along with them.

David was only a few steps behind his grandson, and just barely managed to hold back from falling into the pile of arms and legs locked in giddy embrace. The Prince found that tears were welling in his own eyes too at the sight of his daughter's hard won love and happy ending returned to her from beyond the grave. Eventually, Emma and Henry both eased off of Killian enough that David could offer his hand to help pull his friend back to his feet, and once Killian stood facing him, David's arm clasp quickly turned into a fierce "man hug" that Killian Jones did not hesitate even a second to return.

Apparently this was the moment that their small new member of the family decided to reappear and make sure no one ignored him. Darting back out of the rose bushes, Pirate streaked over to them, and before anyone saw him strike, latched his claws into Killian's leg, just below where the leather pants stopped and sunk his claws into the man's ankles.

"Oi! What the devil?!" Killian cried, jerking in startled pain and kicking his leg out to dislodge whatever assailed him. Looking down, they all saw Pirate sail over the grass a couple of feet and, after shaking his head briefly to regather his bearings, begin stalking back toward them.

"Oh no you don't!" Henry stooped to scoop the kitten up and hold him to his chest as he showed Killian his furry attacker face to face. "Killian, this is Pirate. He must have gotten jealous at being left out."

"Pirate, eh?" Killian asked, arching a brow sidelong at Emma. Gamely, he reached out to brush a gentle finger over the kitten's forehead, and just like that, the little thing stared up at him, charmed as everyone else by the man before him. Looking at Emma once more, while still lightly stroking the kitten's fur, her sailor’s voice went softer, aching, though he tried to make the words lighthearted. "Missed me that much did you, Lass?"

Emma had to swallow hard around the lump in her throat even to rasp out her answer, "You know that I did." She was hovering at his elbow, clearly not wanting to let him even an inch out of her reach, and Killian gravitated like a magnet to her in return, always leaning toward her.

David remembered his own and Snow's early days together, when one thing after another seemed constantly determined to separate them, and he understood all too well. It wasn't long before he was promising to see his mate again soon, giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead and making himself scarce so that this little fledgling family could re-acclimate itself and he could go home to tell Snow the good news. Emma chuckled despite watery eyes, her arm threaded through Killian's and her head leaning on his shoulder as Henry urged him inside, anxious to show the man how he had written his quest with Arthur in the Underworld, and to show Killian what he had done with his new room.

Looking back over his shoulder once more just before he turned the corner of the house, David smiled in contentment at the sight of the three of them climbing the back steps together, nothing else mattering in this world but their reunion. It was all he’d ever wanted for them.

~~~~~~~~~~CS~~~~~~~~~

That night as Emma got ready for bed she couldn’t remember when she'd ever felt so free, so light, so unaccountably happy that it almost scared her. She couldn’t help fearing when it might all be taken from her again. Stepping back into the master bedroom from her attached bath, one of Killian's formerly retired black pirate shirts skimming her mid-thigh as she gathered her hair into a ponytail, Emma smirked at the sight that greeted her.

Killian sat on the bed, looking adorably comfy and yet somehow still unfairly sexy in grey sweatpants and a plain, white t-shirt. What fully completed the picture was Pirate purring happily on his lap, rubbing his head against her love's fingers, eyes closed in bliss as Killian scratched behind his ears. The kitten's tail switched back and forth playfully, lapping up her man's attention, and Killian was grinning down at the cat indulgently. When he glanced up again to catch her eyes, his were twinkling, and his grin was wide and bright, making her heart flutter.

Padding barefoot across the carpet to stand before him, Emma delved her hands into his thick dark hair, brushing her thumbs over his temples. Killian tilted his head back to gaze up at her adoringly, devastating smile on his face gleaming with mischief and love, hand and hook trailing over the back of her knees as she came to a stop before him. His mouth fell open, simply relishing her touch and the moment. Then a grin lifted one corner of his mouth, he licked his lips salaciously and asked, "See something you like, Swan?"

Her breath hitched, her hand on his chest pushing him to recline slightly and following him with her own body. Pirate was unseated and spit unhappily, hopping off the bed and flattening his ears back in irritation, glowering at them from the floor in affront, as if they had insulted him personally and Emma had just stolen his new favorite human. His blue eyes narrowed as he studied them both, and it was suddenly all Emma can do not to burst out laughing at how much the kitten's expression resembled Killian's offense when someone calls the Jolly Roger a mere 'boat'.

Trailing her finger through the enticing dark hair peeking from the vee'd neck of his shirt, she leaned in to trace along Killian's cheek with her nose, biting her lower lip lightly in anticipation. Nodding as she stared deep into his eyes, she replied. "Oh, I see something I like, alright."

"Well, then, Love, what do you plan to do about it?" he bantered back.

"Plenty," she assured, snapping her fingers to douse the lights. However, she then curled into him, arms wrapping around him tightly, her body language practically begging him to do the same. "For the rest of our lives," she added emphatically, "but for tonight. Will you just hold me?.. Please?"

Killian swallowed hard at her words, hearing the devastation she had been living with in her voice and knowing its echo from how he had felt below, thinking she was lost to him and that he had no hope of ever reaching her again. "Aye, Emma, I can do that."

His eyes had adjusted just enough that after she sighed in relief, and they lay together for several quiet moments, legs entangled, her head on his chest, his fingers running through her hair, he could see her wink before she stole the last word. "By the way, you get to tell Pirate he can't have your pillow anymore."

Tagging a few who may enjoy: @kmomof4 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @searchingwardrobes @jennjenn615 @therooksshiningknight @scientificapricot @bmbbcs4evr @spartanguard @laschatzi @hollyethecurious @drowned-dreamer @resident-of-storybrooke @ilovemesomekillianjones @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @artistic-writer @effulgentcolors @let-it-raines @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @branlovestowrite 

Foster Dog Hamilton AU-Character Descriptions

((I combined all your submissions into one to save space cause I’m kinda OCD like that, okay X3))

Burr Breed: Black Lab Appearance: Um…a black lab,lol. Dark brown eyes. Breed Info: To be honest, this is just what I’ve always imagined Burr to look like as a dog. While Labs are usually very hyper, many can have a calm disposition as well. They are very friendly and charming to lots of people, as well as intelligent. Background: Burr was born to a breeding pair of Black Labs that were owned by an official breeder. He was adopted by a man at a little younger than two months. He was very hyper and playful, which amused his master at first, but as he grew bigger the man grew tired of the constant barking, and began yelling at Burr when he began to get loud, even kicking him at some points. Burr soon grew afraid to bark or make much of any noise. If he even moved around the house too much his master would get angry. He trembled at any raised voice, even at voices raised in excitement. His life soon became both monotonous and stressful at the same time. A personal motto he ended up developing was “Bark less,Wag more”. At a little under a year old, his owner finally grew tired of having him around and tied him up outside the animal shelter one night. When the employees found him they took him in right away. The attempts to adopt him out were unsuccessful, as due to his anxiety he would never play with anyone who came to look at him or interact with them much at all. Plus,he would show great fear at raised voices and barking, as if he would be punished for other dogs barking. The shelter employees decided to ask the Washingtons if they could take him. Perhaps they could help him to be a normal dog again. 

Laurens Breed: Beagle/Retriever mix Appearance: Slightly taller Beagle body, golden brown color with a white chest,fluffy floppy ears, light brown eyes. Scar on his tail. Breed Info: Beagles are friendly social dogs. They usually get along well with others. They do tend to howl and bark when left alone though due to separation anxiety. They also love to track scents,though they must be watched carefully because this can cause them to wander and get lost. Beagles owners have to work hard to train these dogs to listen, as they sometimes their pets will ignore their directions, especially when tracking a scent. Beagles are also one of the most popular breeds in South Carolina. Background: Laurens was born to a beagle father and retriever mother in a small family home. His other siblings were sold but he was kept by the original family. They had a hard time teaching him not to howl and wander off. Eventually he ended up wandering so far that he became lost. After days of trying to find his way back, he finally made it,but his father,who never really liked having the puppies around and still didn’t care for Laurens himself,chased him away before the family saw him,giving him a good bite on the tail. He was picked up by a shelter a few days later. The Washingtons were still new to this foster care thing, so they decided to try and foster him, so he was sent to Virginia to be their second foster.

Lafayette Breed: Picardy Spaniel Appearance: Just as a Picardy Spaniel looks, brown eyes Breed Info: The Picardy Spaniel originated in France as a gun dog. Today it’s nature is active,affectionate, and alert. They are great family dogs and are content to stay by their family’s side. Due to their alertness,they are excellent watchdogs and will sound the alarm if something is amiss. They are easy to train from a young age. They do best with a positive and consistent leadership. They are great with children. Background: Lafayette was born in France and purchased by an older couple living in France. After a few months, their schedule would not allow them to give as much time to him as he needed. Rather than just send him to anybody, the couple asked their friends the Washingtons to take care of him back in America. Lafayette was flown to them some time later, and has been with them since. It was soon after that the Washingtons decided to foster some more animals.

Hercules Breed: Pitbull/Rottweiler mix Appearance: Rottweiler style body, a bit leaner however. Brown brindle coloring. Brown eyes. Breed Info: Both Pitbulls and Rottweilers have a bad reputation due to many being used in dog fights. Both breeds are affectionate and protective towards people. They make good guard dogs and are both active and intelligent. Rottweilers are very alert and aware of their surroundings. They are levelheaded and calm. Pitbulls can be fearless,yet stubborn. Both breeds were used to drive livestock in the past. Background: Hercules was born into a dog fighting organization, but at a few months old he was rescued in a police raid. Despite being rescued as a pup, nobody wanted to take him, especially as he looked more and more intimidating as he grew older. At a couple years old, the staff was thinking he would never be taken by anyone,until the Washingtons took him in. He was the third dog that they fostered and kept,after Lafayette and Laurens. Unfortunately for Hercules, he is often feared by people who can’t see past his breed and history, but he is one of the sweetest dogs.

Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy Breed: Golden Retriever Appearance: Angelica: Darker gold wavy coat Eliza:Straight gold coat Peggy: Light cream coat Breed Info: Golden Retrievers are even-tempered, intelligent and affectionate. They were bred to retrieve game for their masters. They enjoy being in water and are very easy to train. They can be trained for many different things. They enjoy being around other dogs as well Background: These three sisters were born in the same litter and are inseparable. They were adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler at a few months old and have been there ever since. Angelica enjoys going duck hunting with Mr. Schuyler, Eliza gets spooked by the gunshots however, and Peggy is a little too hyper to stay quiet, so they stay home with Mrs. Schuyler. They live nearby the Washingtons’ home, and their owners have been friends with them for years,so they often go over to their home,as it is large enough for many dogs. Eliza is so calm and gentle and Peggy is so friendly that Mrs. Schuyler volunteers them as therapy dogs for children in schools and hospitals. 

(Just a little note that I forgot to add in my submissions. I made Jefferson and Madison cats because I thought it would fit them better in this AU. I may send in an alternate description where they are dogs, but for me, I headcanon them as cats. Plus, it sounds less overwhelming when you say someone is caring for five dogs and two cats rather than seven dogs.)

Jefferson Breed: Ragamuffin Cat Appearance: Brown tabby,long-haired, light blue eyes. Magenta collar Breed Info: Ragamuffins are large and long. Their fur is long, soft, and silky. It needs to be brushed daily to keep all the tangles out of the coat. They usually have a docile nature and love to be held or lay on laps. They crave attention and can become clingy. Background: Jefferson belonged to a wealthy elderly lady. He was very spoiled from the moment she bought him. The best quality,most expensive wet cat food,groomed every day and night, and the softest bed. It all ended when she passed away when he was older. After a little while, some people dropped him off at the animal shelter. He mourned his poor owner as he sat in the kennel he had been placed in. He turned up his nose at the food they offered him, he barely knew how to groom himself, and what was this bed!?. He became grumpy and unwilling to let anyone interact with him. The shelter decided to ask the Washingtons if they would be willing to foster him, as they have been pretty successful with animals. They agree, and the next day he was sent off to them.

Madison Breed: American Shorthair Cat Appearance: Small, stocky grey cat, amber eyes Breed Info: American Shorthair’s have broad chests and a muscular neck. They are placid and easy going. While they’re fine with attention, they don’t need it constantly. They can entertain themselves easily. Their coat is thick and dense, so they need some brushing, especially in the colder months when it gets thicker. Background: Madison was born in a kitten mill. He was sickly soon after birth and developed a cough. It’s a wonder he survived. Police shut down the kitten mill when he was six months old and brought as many cats as possible to be evaluated and treated. Madison was there for a few months to regain his strength. It was discovered that his cough could be controlled with medication. It wasn’t contagious but he would always have it for the rest of his life. Not many people want sickly cats,so the shelter asked the Washingtons if they could continuously foster him if the shelter provided the medication. They agreed and took him soon after that.  

68. ("This isn’t what it looks like.") for... anything with North and Connor, if I had to pick anyone for that.

this is my first attempt at humor so like,,, proceed with caution fvgwakvfgwhkavk also it’s unbetaed except for grammarly saving my ass with some errors here and there. also no.2 i learned that prompts were supposed to be 100 words long which like,,, oops? here, have a healthy 4,1k heap of chaos instead. Enjoy.

@kianraidelcam asked to be tagged, so here you go!

68. "This isn't what it looks like."

North was just watching them. Just watching. Absolutely not breaking into their house and stealing their pets right from under their noses. No, sir.

In her defense, said illegal act hadn't been a part of her plans for that night at all.

She's just been spending her free time the usual way - which meant stalking small anti-android groups, a hobby that made her feel both productive and useful in a way none other hobbies did.

(Besides shooting things, which Markus disapproved of, as it apparently ruined the "aesthetic" of New Jericho to have gunshots going off at night. Clearly, even with his fashion sense, Markus had no sense for true aesthetic.)

The group she chose to observe that day called themselves the True Humanity. It was a really small group - nothing nearly comparable to the gangs that Cyberlife attracted to itself, or the terrorist groups that tried to snipe Markus every few months. Definitely not similar to the workings of the BIOR (Blood is only red) group, Detroit's biggest anti-android establishment that Markus was semi-forced to tolerate for the time being, even if their protesters swarmed Jericho 24/7.

True Humanity was not some masterminds' strategic plan to overthrow the android movement. Not even a boycott or a protest.

It just looked like a band of teenagers with nothing else to do.

She had been standing outside on the street, leaning against the wall, in front of their meeting point, a small, semi-collapsed shack of a house, when she overheard the conversation.

It was between two of the teenagers, the one leading the group and its member, smoking outside in front of the porch. North had been watching them for some time, choosing her place so that the shadows were in just the right position for it to be unlikely that they'd notice her.

They didn't really talk about anything interesting, spent 15 minutes bickering about sports alone.But just as she was losing patience and itching to go and see if there was something else happening in the house, she heard one of them curse and start in a different tone.

"Damn fucking bitch won't stop making more kittens. I swear, one more time and I'll shoot it, right between the eyes." He glanced towards the open door of the house.

The other followed his gaze, before taking a drag of the cigarette and asking, smoke flying off his tongue. "You still having trouble with the cat?"

"Yeah. Gonna drown the new ones today."

North system stuttered. They what?

"Why do you even keep that cat, dude. Can't you just...shoot it already or dump it on the street?"

The leader's answer was quiet. He stared into the ground, voice slightly pained. "It was my brother's."

"Oh," the other replied, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "What...what exactly happened to him?"

The leader took a while to answer. "He...he was near Hart Plaza the day those plastic bastards decided they needed their freedom and vandalized the place."

North scoffed to herself but continued listening. It wasn't the worst she'd heard.

"He tried to run away, but the military mistook him for an android. He...didn't make it."

Oof. It never occurred to her, but really, how was the military supposed to know who was and wasn't a deviant? She didn't care at that time, either.

How many casualties were there? Nobody mentioned any at the meetings.

The leader took a breath and turned around when he received no reaction other than a mumbled "I'm sorry," from his accomplice, ending the conversation.

"You're right though, I should just shoot the cat. No reason for it to stay here, It'll be basically mercy." He nodded to himself, straightening up.

"Gonna shoot the kittens to while we're at it, I don't really feel like going to the river."

North's insides twisted in disgust.

She knew humans could be brutal to creatures that they considered below themselves; the acts against androids spoke for themselves just how far they'd go.

But kittens? Why would they drown kittens? There was a multitude of other things they could do that would not require such a brutal (and illegal) action. Hell, shelters still existed and all they needed was to wait until morning.

She didn't know much about pets, not many androids did, but from what she knew from Connor, humans were usually pretty fond of them. More than fond, in some cases. They were family members, even more than androids used to be (oh, how bitter she was about that.)

"You wanna help?" The other dude asked, absolutely unconcerned.

The leader shrugged. "If you want to."

North's spine went cold. Of course. Of course.

She should've guessed that people who saw no issue in gunning androids in the street would see no issue in shooting a helpless fucking kitten.

She watched as they retreated into the house, complaining about the lack of light. The absence of street lamps in the less funded parts of Detroit was actually something that went in her favor, now more than ever.

She was just supposed to watch. Connor allowed her to stalk them with only that one condition, and North initially saw no problem with it.

Now, she was on her own thin ice.

There was no reason to save that cat. None, really. A few lost kittens wouldn't make the world crash and burn.

But it nagged at her. G-ddamn empathy.

A door shut and the two teenagers came out again, a third member dragging behind. The leader carried a gun, an old rifle from the year 2027. Quite the punch, but without the reloading speed.She had to say it was a good gun when you're fighting androids in the streets.

The leader was explaining how the gun works to what she assumed was a new member. They were all completely caught up in their conversation, not paying attention to anything else.

She was so close. Given that she was an android, locating the cat and taking it away without being noticed would be a breeze. She'd just take it to the closest vet and-

Ah, yes. 2:34:27 AM. She'd take it to New Jericho then, just for the night.

Okay, okay. She could do it.

Only then she realized that she had really started planning.

I'm really doing this, huh?

Fuck Connor. She's saving a life today whether he likes it or not.

She sneaked around the fence, careful to evade detection. Thankfully, it was second nature to her from the minute she became deviant. At last, the days of constantly running and hiding like a coward were actually good for something.

As far as she was aware, True Humanity only had three members, but she'd never seen the newcomer before. Which brought the number to four and meant that one more person was inside, probably sleeping.

She assumed they were awake. Rather assume the worst and then later find out it was better than the other way around.

She went around the back of the house, finding all of the lights off. It wasn't a problem to her; one more advantage she had to herself was night-vision.

(Not all androids had it, but it was standard equipment for sexbots, of course, because how else were they supposed to find the dick in the dark? Echolocation?)

She took out her knife and opened the window to what seemed to be the kitchen and climbed inside, her night vision protocols automatically loading.

The place was a mess.

Did humans really live like this?

The first thing that hit her was the smell; burned food, mold and sweat, oppressing and stuck to every surface.

It was a sight to behold - trash everywhere, clothes and wrappers laying on the ground making her movement unnecessarily difficult and dirty dishes in the sink that she doubted were ever touched. Anti-android banners and posters covered the walls. The room was large; a kitchen connected to the living area; making her able to see the lights on the porch through the window on the other side of the room, above the couch repurposed as a bed.

She checked the couch for the fourth member while she made her way to the door. Wherever he was, it wasn't there.

She avoided stepping on the wrappers and moved over to the hall, adjusting her audio units and listening for any sign of a human presence.

She heard meowing instead.

It came from the other side of the hallway. She crouched at the door, hearing the conversation outside, and moved in the direction of the tiny sounds to the small space in the darkness in front of her.

She saw the cat's bright, reflective eyes staring back at her.

Half across the hallway, her units picked up other sounds, human breathing. It was coming from behind the wall, slowed down and deep; definitely from a sleeping person.

She knew the sound well enough; it was something that androids simulated quite well while in rest mode and she was awfully known for watching her friends sleep, paranoid and insomniac as she was.

The floorboards creaked softly, but she doubted human ears would pick that up.

The cat started hissing when she finally came close enough to touch and North realized that she actually had no idea how to handle a cat with kittens. Well, too late to stop now.

She recalled what Connor did when he wanted to pet a dog on the street and simulated the movement, curling her fingers and reaching out towards the cat.

It recoiled at first, but eventually leaned forward and sniffed her hand. Hissed again, this time quieter. Wary, not aggressive.

North finally noticed the kittens, four fluffy, breathing balls curled next to the cat. They were smaller than her own hand; their ears stuck to their heads and limbs short. She had only used to word three times in her life, but she had to say that it was, as humans said, really fucking cute.

Humans' ability to murder kept surprising her. Androids, their own, children, pets? They didn't care. They would murder everything if it got them what they wanted. Or even, if it just got rid of a problem for them.

(It had actually been what made her stop wanting to murder. Realizing that she could be better than them. After that realization, only then was she able to see what of an extraordinarily strong being Markus was. Murder was the easy way out; it took a lot of strength to avoid it.)

She reached, slowly and hesitantly, for one of the kittens, feeling tears in her eyes when she actually touched the tiny, warm body, felt the fast heartbeat and the weak breaths. How could anybody cut the lives of these creatures short? And even worse, how could they choose to?

She couldn't see the kitten's colors as her night-vision was nowhere as sophisticated as Connor's, but she knew they were beautiful. Tri-colored, by the way how some parts of them appeared darker.

She looked around for anything that she could carry the cats in, noticing a rectangular cardboard box lying on the side of the hallway. She reached for it, emptied it of the never-opened books, and laid it in front of her.

The cats watched her while she took off her jacket and placed it inside the box to create some cushioning.

Now, the hard part.

North didn't know how to handle cats. She never actually met one before, only knew how they looked and what they did, but the actual presence of one and the overall situation made her anxious.

She reached with a whispered "sorry" and lifted the animal with both of her hands, ignoring the way it scratched her synthetic skin in protest, causing drops of thirium to drip down her fingers.

The much easier transport of the kittens began as soon as she laid the cat down into the impromptu container. North hoped their meows, quite loud with the way her audio sensitivity was set on high, wouldn't alert any of the four members.

She was well aware the conversation outside stopped, but currently powerless to do anything about it.

The door opened while she was still holding the fifth kitten in midair. Her thirium pump jumped fair beyond parameters.

"What the fu-"

With the changed audio-sensitivity, the gunshot was loud enough to rattle her processor as a bullet went through her right shoulder. Warnings exploded in her vision, huge and assaulting, but all she cared about was finally closing the cardboard box and getting the fuck out.

The leader of the group stood in the light coming from the main door, gun aimed, his accomplices behind him.

"Oh, my g-d! And android!"

It was really time to go.

The door to the kitchen area was on the other side of the wall, the dude standing directly in front of it. Which left one option.

She picked up the box and broke into the other bedroom, almost falling as she stumbled into a mattress. The fourth member was there, waking up from his slumber, still obviously groggy and not exactly aware of what was going on.

She vaulted over him, trailing thirium behind her and broke the window to the outside, calibrating her leap with the safety of the cats and then jumping through.

The fall was rough for her, she could survive much more than a kitten could.

She picked herself up and started running in the direction she originally came from, knowing where the street allowed her to get to the roof.

Several gunshots rang off behind her, these only hitting the cement wall. Splinters rained down on the sidewalk.

"You fucking bitch-" the leader screamed at her, taking aim and missing again.

Excellent vocabulary there, mister.

She turned a corner and found the ladder, climbing to the roof of the abandoned apartment building.

She immediately set course to New Jericho, only then realizing that there was no way she could make it through the main door like this.

First, there were the protesters. Second, one of the leaders of Jericho just randomly showing up in the middle of the night covered in blue blood is prone to scare some of their own poor, poor people. Third, Markus was probably still awake and she was not nearly okay enough to hear whatever bullshit he'd have to say.

Her own room in New Jericho was inaccessible from the roof; she made that choice so that nobody could sneak up at her and try to kill her while in rest mode. Markus' room was the same case and even if it was accessible, she wouldn't even think of it.

Which left the one and only room which she could use. Connor's.

Connor got the ridiculously small room after everybody picked out their own, elaborating on his choice to wait and see by the claim that he wouldn't be in Jericho much anyway, which turned out to be true. North didn't know much about where he actually went or spend the nights at, but the only days he made sure he was in New Jericho were saturdays.

It was thursday. So, no Connor.

She stumbled several times while on her way to the building, her thirium pump skipping a beat each time. The cats had to make it. Had to.

She knew the thirium loss was making her partly delirious, but it was still concerning when time stopped working how it was supposed to, her awareness fading in and out as her processors tried to cope with the sudden losses of power.

But she made it in under 30 minutes. That was good.

Connor's window wasn't easy to open, the action much more difficult by her hands growing uncoordinated from the unsteady power flow, but she managed to pry it open and started climbing through, cradling the box to her chest with one hand and using the other to stabilize herself.Getting her leg through the frame without completely destroying Connor's special flowers was harder than all the other times she'd done this, but she made it eventually.

The sound of somebody clicking off a gun's safety went off.

She froze and stared into the dark, trying to find the source, while her processor struggled to give her prompts of what to say and produced one heap of utter garbage.

"This isn't what it looks like!"

Okay, North. That was definitely words.

What did it even look like? She was covered in blood, one leg in the room with the other still outside, clinging to a box full of cats like if her life depended on it and she just attempted to break into New Jericho through the room of its Security counselor of all people.

"North?!" Connor's voice. Fuck.

Only then her processor realized that yes, Connor mentioned that he's gonna be finishing some work on thursday. Damn.

The lights turned on. Connor was standing in front of the door, which was still ridiculously close to her; the room itself was more like a tiny pantry than anything that could be lived in, anyway.

His gun was already down, but she knew he had been aiming right at her head a few seconds before. His LED finally lighted up, going to yellow.

He was worried, she could tell, but she doubted she ever saw him so confused in the entire time she'd known him.

"What- did you get shot?!" There it was.

North tried to get her other leg through the window. "...a little."

"A little?!"

"Okay, actually a bit lot." Words, North. Words.

Connor rushed to help her, basically pulling her out of the window and helping her stand.

"There's blood fucking everywhere, North, what the-," he glanced over at the windowsill, "my plants!"

North honestly hadn't considered that she was still dripping thirium everywhere and that thirium was highly toxic. Ah well.

"My G-d," Connor turned to her, his gestures unusually expressive. "What the fuck is going on? North, what did you do?!"

She wasn't sure if her processor was that fucked up from the thirium loss but it sure was producing garbage instead of meaningful sentences.

"Cat. I stole... a cat," she held up the box, "uh, more like, five cats."

"What?!"

And that was the moment the cat decided to investigate the outside, pulling a black paw through a hole in the box and meowing loudly.

Connor stared at her, mouth slightly open, but he didn't say anything. Just stared as if in some kind of shock, his eyes darting from North to the cat and back to her. He didn't move. His eyes were still wide.

She shouldn't be proud of it, but Simon sure did owe her 10 dollars now that she was the one who made Connor bluescreen. Their ongoing bet was silly yet challenging, as Connor never fell speechless when he was supposed to react, always knew what to do next and what to say.

Until now, apparently.

She itched to do something, realizing that she had been staring right back at him and also hasn't moved, as if they were stuck in a staring contest unaware.

Connor moved first, shifted his weight, his expression not changing. "...okay." His voice was strained.

"Can I…?" She gestured at the box and then the desk, getting a nod in response.

She left him standing there and laid the box on the desk, sighing in relief when she found that all of the kittens survived. The cat immediately tied to jump out and North didn't blame it, given that the time it spent in the box wasn't exactly a relaxing experience.

North couldn't scan and even if she could, she wasn't sure if scanning animals for injuries would be available. She surveyed the net and tried to work with what she got, still coming up too short for her liking.

She hadn't even realized Connor moved to stand next to her until he leaned over, his LED went yellow, scanning. His calm facade was back.

"You will tell me how the fuck this happened, but for now, let's take care of these," he reached forward and let the cat, currently sitting on the table, sniff his hand. "You should be glad that I started taking veterinary courses."

North turned to him. "You what?"

"I'm pretty sure the message I conveyed was clear. Did the blood loss damage your auditory units?"

There was the Connor she knew. Cold, stone-faced, sarcastic bastard.

"Fuck you," she snapped back, getting a grin in response.

"They're all dehydrated and haven't been cared for for quite a while, but I don't see anything serious.” He straightened up, his expression going back to neutral. “They’ll stay here for the night. I can drive them to the nearest shelter tomorrow. The cat isn't chipped, so I think it should find a good home pretty fast."

She was surprised at herself when her mind recoiled at the thought. "No."

"What?"

"Mine," her voice was louder than she expected. "Mine now."

"Come again?" His eyebrows rose up.

"I'm keeping them."

"North, are you sure? Do you even know how to care for a cat?"

"No," she began, "but I almost died for them! I'm not giving them back to the humans!"

He thought it over. "North...why exactly did you steal them? I thought you went to investigate the True Humanity group."

"I did. And this was never my plan, but the dude said he was going to shoot them and I just...I just couldn't let him do it."

She saw the fire rise in Connor's eyes. She almost expected him to be shocked, but he was a detective after all; he saw what humans could do to each other, what they could do to androids.

And if there was something she knew that made the detective angry, it was the mistreatment of helpless animals.

"So," his voice was firm. He was, indeed, fucking mad. "They shot you? Because you broke into their house to save these?"

She nodded, looking back at the kittens. They were tri-colored, her search identifying the coloring as calico, except for one, which was fully black.

Her eyes with the mother cat’s and she noted their color  – copper-brown, whiskey at the edges.

Connor was rubbing his hands together, his LED yellow. "Don't worry about the law, I'll cover it for you."

She nodded again, trying not to show her relief. "Thanks."

"Do you have anything to do tomorrow? I'd rather get to the vet as soon as possible."

North crossed her hands. "When did you get the right to command me about this?" she teased.

Connor straightened and put his hands behind his back, a habit he still hasn't let go. "North, you don't know how to care for a cat and these will need more than what you can google. I want to help."

"Sure," she chuckled. "You're just a sap."

His expression dropped. He actually looked hurt as he stared on the ground.

"Fine! You're co-owning them."

His eyes lighted up instantly. It was pure excitement, which was also something she didn't see on him often.

"So, 6am tomorrow?" She asked.

He nodded. "I'm not letting you off the hook about breaking into the house of an anti-android group just yet, but this is way more important."

Connor reached for one of the kittens, petting it with extremely careful movements. "I'm going to order the supplies shortly, but I'll wait on your input if you have color preferences and such."

"Yeah," she said, opening a connection and sending the information.

She lifted her hand, intending to fix her hair, frowning when she noticed it was covered in blue. Ah, yes, bullet wound.

She looked down on the floor, relief washing over her when she noticed the thirium loss was much weaker as her self-repair systems kicked into gear. The floor had quite a lot of bloody footprints, though. Connor hadn't noticed yet. She should leave before he does.

"I...I think I'm gonna go get repairs now."

"You should be glad it didn't hit anything important," Connor said with a slight frown as he looked at her.

"I am."

She hesitated for a while. "Take care of them, okay? I'm gonna be back in an hour or two."

"Of course. "He replied with a nod and a smile.

She nodded back and gave the cats a last look before she turned and left through the door.

She noticed Markus incoming from the other side of the hallway, doing his typical waltz-walk. Their eyes met. If she won't leave now, he will notice.

Not today, sir.

Too many things happened. Too much new.

She turned in the other direction and sped up, hoping he wouldn't notice the blue footprints she was probably still leaving behind.

Lukanette week day 5: Ice skating + day 6: Blush

Day 1 Day 2&3 Day 4 part 1 part 2

When Luka woke up that morning he didn’t expect to see Marinette today at all, let alone be asked out on a date by her. As he understood it, Adrien had asked her for advice on how to approach his crush. Which confirmed that he had either no clue that she liked him or that he was an ass. Adrien didn’t seem like an ass. Still that didn’t keep Luka from calling him as much trough music. Which had made Marinette laugh. It had been a week since Luka had been Viperion. Alya had been all over Marinette for a retelling of the events. Not that she didn’t assault Luka too since, as she was sure to tell Marinette, he ran after her to save her from an akuma that was also after him. Both told Alya that there wasn’t much to tell. They were both picked up by a superhero and left to hide on a rooftop. He by chat noir, forgetting the part about the miraculous and helping to defeat the akuma, she by Viperion. Luka hadn’t even seen Viperion, which meant it was all up to Marinette to tell her best friend all about what her impression was of the new hero. Luka couldn’t help but be flattered by her steadily intensifying blush as she fumbled for the words to describe him. Especially when Alya tried to insert things like ‘hot’, ‘ripped’, ‘mysterious’ and ‘alluring’. He’d joked about how it was bad practice for a journalist to influence her sources like that to save Mari from her best friend. The fashion designer in question had looked back at him gratefully. When they got back to the others, Adrien had ran over to make sure the two of them were okay. They’d thanked him for his concern. Luka had beamed with pride when Mari included Viperion in the credit for her rescue but even more when she made it a point to thank Luka again for going after her, though she wanted to stress that he should leave the dashing into danger to those with super powers in the future. Luka hadn’t really replied to that, since he couldn’t promise he would never do that again. For her he would, without a question. Anyway, earlier today he walked by his sisters room to find all of her friends there. They were surrounding Marinette. There were next to no happy notes in her heart today. He went outside, she wasn’t here to talk to him. But once outside he played the melody he’d seen within her. A very slow song with low notes. Occasionally a high note of a clenching heart weaving in between. But, and this just might be him hearing what he wanted to hear, there was also an undertone of acceptance interwoven in the hurt and the sadness. Something calming in between the heavy notes and the sharp stings. He heard light footsteps come up the stairs. Just by the way they sounded he knew that this was Marinette and that her friends hadn’t succeeded in improving her mood. He gave her a moment to let her watch the water before he announced himself. “Do you feel kind of like this?” he wondered aloud. Marinette looked up in surprise, then she smiled at him. She listened to his melody and nodded, clearly happy that he understood her without her having to explain. He got up and walked over. “If you ask me, a girl like you deserves to feel like this,” he told her as he started to play a more upbeat song, one that fitted how he usually saw her. As she listened to him play he could hear her heart lift. “And whoever made you feel like that is nothing but a –” he played a rude accord that made her laugh and then went back to the pleasant melody he wanted to make her feel. “Luka… Do you have anything to do tomorrow?” she asked after a bit. She then proceeded to explain what had happened between her and Adrien at school that morning. “I’m not as sad as I thought I’d feel. Dissapointed, a little hurt… But not sad. You know?” He just smiled at her and went back to the first melody for a bit. “Yeah that. I guess I didn’t really expected much out of this at this point. And if Kagami is the kind of girl he likes then I was never his type. I never stood a chance. No matter how much he likes me as a friend. And I’m okay with that. But I don’t want to be there alone tomorrow. And what’s more important is… I’d like to be there with you,” she blushed fiercely as she said that last part. It reminded him of the song he’d finished for her. But now was not the time to play it. Perhaps, he’d let her hear it tomorrow. The next day he and Marinette met Adrien and his friend Kagami outside the skating rink. Adrien was nervous. Luka didn’t think the young boy’s heart was quite ready for the fierce girl he’d asked out. But that was not what he was here for. Adrien had to deal with his own messes. He was here to support Marinette, and maybe to help her heart decide. He was wearing the cold weather accessories Mari had included in her designs for the band. A hat, scarf and a hoodie. She hadn’t had the time to make them gloves, but the ice rink included a pair of gloves with the skates so that didn’t matter that much. When Marinette saw him take out the warmer clothes she smiled flattered. She then proceeded to show of a hoodie she’d made for herself. She could turn it inside out. One side it was chat noir themed. Green cat eyes on the back were accompanied by the words ‘a purrfect purrinces’, the other side was Viperion themed. He could barely hide his grin when he saw her choose to show off that side. The turquoise snake eyes leered at whomever was behind her “Don’t hissss me off” it said. “Love your hoodie Mari,” he complemented before he bent down to put on his skates. He heard Adrien ask Marinette what he should do. He was way too nervous. Almost scared. Mari clearly felt bad for her friend. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mari glance back at him, then she smiled, the conflict in her heart disappeared completely, and finally she turned back to Adrien as she started putting on her skates. “Just be yourself. She clearly likes you, you’re halfway there. Show her that you are a kind and considerate person, show her that you like her. And oh, whatever you do. Do not, let her fall” She got up and turned to get on the ice with Luka and promptly tripped over her laces, which were tied together. Lucky for her, Luka had gotten up at the same time she did and was there to catch her and gently tell her not to get caught up in doing everything at once. He sat her back down and tied her laces properly for her, not in a degrading way, but just to be kind. She blushed a bit ashamed of messing up something that basic. She took his offered hand and before they went on the ice she turned back and Luka could hear her tell Adrien: “Like that.” He smiled proudly. Seems like he was doing everything right so far. They started skating, at first Mari was more interested in watching her feet, but Luka quickly let her know that she had nothing to worry about as long as he had her. They quickly forgot about the other pair and got lost in skating with each other. Luka wondered if the blush on her cheeks was because of the cold or because of him. Then the skate instructor burst their bubble. Luka wasn’t overly ruffled by that in fact he welcomed the opportunity to remind Marinette that she was on his mind and heart. Once the man left them alone they went back to their little private dance. After a bit, Mari decided to be bold and took off on her own to attempt a pirouette which would’ve gone just fine had the instructor not gone up to her to ask once again to join the class at exactly the wrong moment. She fell, hard. Lukka hurried over to see if she was okay. He wasn’t the only one. Mari offered Adrien an appreciative smile but took Luka’s hand. If Luka had been paying attention to his surroundings he would’ve seen Kagami joining Adrien and smiling in approval, her opinion of the girl softening now that it was clear that she didn’t plan to compete with her for Adrien’s attention. At least not on purpose. Luka had other things on his mind however. Was she hurt? Why would the instructor do that? Didn’t he see that Mari needed to focus on her jump when he came up to her? What was his deal? “Are you okay Marinette?” he asked gently supporting her weight in case she had twisted an ankle or something. “Yeah, just emberassed.” She didn’t meet his eyes. Her heart sounded sad and scared. She felt like she had messed up. But she hadn’t. “See how important classes can be?” the instructor insisted shoving another flyer in their faces. “Excuse me but you owe Marinette an apology. She was fine until you interrupted her. She could’ve seriously gotten hurt,” Luka insisted as politely as he could. “It’s okay Luka, I’m fine really. I’ve done worse to myself just in the past week.” Marinette’s hands on his chest calmed down his irritation a bit. “It’s not fine Mari. What if you’d hit your head or something?” She smiled up at him, touched by his earnest concern for her wellbeing. “Well… But…” the instructor started. At this point the mayor stepped in and told him that he couldn’t force any of them to join. The instructor left dejected. Luka couldn’t bring himself to worry about that, even if Marinette seemed to feel bad for the man. “He’ll be fine Mari. Sometimes you don’t get what you want, no matter how badly you want it. That’s a fact I accepted when I talked to you after you took my measurements remember?” Mari nodded. “Are you sure you are okay though?” Mari sighed, but looked up at him with warm affection. “Yes Luka. I’m perfect,” she promised, and the way she did brought a blush that had nothing to do with the cold to his cheeks for a change. Mari excused herself to the bathroom for a bit and Kagami followed, leaving Luka to wait for them with Adrien. “How do you do that?” Adrien wondered. “Do what?” he asked as he worked out some last kinks with his song in his head. “Make Mari fall for you like that.” Luka turned to Adrien sharply. He blamed the boy’s sheltered upbringing for his cluelessness. “There is no making anyone fall for anyone. I told her how I felt fully prepared for her to turn me down. Knowing that she’s entitled to her own feelings. She can’t make herself feel something just to make me happy. That’s not how love works. If it’s not there then there is nothing anyone can do about it. I got lucky when she found that she could return my feelings. At this point I’m just giving her space and time to decide when she wants to take the next… Oh god!” Luka stopped in his tracks when he saw the clearly magic eyes spread. He hurried in the direction of the bathroom to try and get to Marinette. “Marinette! Get out of there!” he shouted. But before he could even get off the ice he felt cold overtaking him. And then it was gone. He needed a few seconds to gather his bearings. His brain not quite over the shock of the sudden cold. What was… he heard a sound from the bathroom stalls. Right. “Marinette!” He shouted as he ran inside. He found Kagami dazed at the lavatory while Marinette opened the door to one of the stables. “Luka?” she asked, probably confused as well. He pulled her in a tight hug as he heard Adrien come in behind him. He heard the boy check with Kagami before checking with the both of them. “No lasting damage as far as I can tell,” Marinette assured everyone as she slowly stepped out of Luka’s hug and, to his delight, took his hand. When they left the ice rink a few minutes later Marinette suggested to come back with the entire class. That way Kagami could meet the others as well. Pluss the four of them could show of their awesome skills. Maybe she should design Kagami a matching hoodie as well. She suggested the girl would look awesome in a red scaley hoody. Like a fierce dragon. Adrien laughed at Marinette’s enthousiasm, Kagami allowed herself a smile. They exchanged numbers so Kagami could send her her sizes. Whatever the girls had talked about in the bathroom before the ice came had warmed them up towards each other. “See you Monday Adrien,” Mari called as she waved the other pair goodbye. She was still holding Luka’s hand. They took the subway together in comfortable silence, Mari leaning up against him. They walked together until they ended up at her parent’s bakery. The sun was setting, casting the world in red hues. But Luka knew that Mari’s cheeks were a tad darker than they should be. He was about to tease her, to end the day on a light note. But then she grabbed his collar, pulled him down and kissed him. He was taken by complete surprise but still responded to her kiss in kind. Taking hold of her waist with one hand and gently holding her face with the other. The kiss lasted only  a few seconds, but it might as well have been a lifetime. When they let go Mari bit her lip nervously. “I… Enjoyed myself with you today.” Luka nodded. “I can tell.” ‘You’re supposed to say me too you idiot!’ He chastised himself. Marinette giggled. “Want to do this again sometime?” Ice skating? Hanging out? Kissing? Yes to all three. “Definitely, do you?” Why did he ask that? Well to give her one last out before he devoted himself heart and soul to this girl because lord knew he was more than halfway there already. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I do.” And it was true. Her heart thundered in a sure rhythm. Luka grabbed his phone and tapped a few times. “I just sent you a song. I’d like you to go up to your room, listen to it and text me what you think. Alright?” Marinette looked confused but nodded. Luka kissed her cheek. “See you soon Ma ma Marinette.” And he left. Once out of sight he ran home, straight to his room. He didn’t even acknowledge his mother or sister when they greeted him. He dropped himself on his bed and pulled out his phone. Since he’d ran the whole way it’d only taken him five minutes to get here. It was only a few seconds after he’d settled that he received her text. ‘I LOVED IT! YOU ARE AMAZING’ He smiled. He had a good feeling about this.

day 7

Must Love Dogs

I have been wanting to write the story of how my husband and I met as a CS fic for ages, so I finally started it.  It was supposed to be a one-shot, but it's now going to be a short MC.  And I wanted to post today because it is has been 14 years exactly since our first date. Thanks @profdanglaisstuff for being my beta.

Also on A03

“I’m done with online dating!” Emma huffed into the phone as she flopped backward onto her bed.

“I swear Mary Margaret, I’m done.  There are no good guys to find from dating online.  It would be easier to find a guy in a bar like the good old days.” Emma threw her arm over her eyes to block out the light in her room.

“Oh come on, Emma,” Mary Margaret, Emma’s best friend, began, “They haven’t been all bad.”

“Have you lost your memory, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked incredulously. “Do you not remember my descriptions of all the extremely bad dates I’ve been on over the past two years since I started online dating?” Emma set her phone on her bed, pressed the speaker button, and started combing her fingers through her long, blonde hair to put up into a messy bun.

“First there was the guy who only gave one word responses to every question I asked.” She huffed while unzipping her boots and throwing them into her closet from her bed. 

“Then there was August who invited me to see his band, then got totally wasted before he was even off stage and hit on every other girl in the bar while he was talking to me.” Off came her socks thrown viciously into the hamper. 

“Then that Walsh guy who was totally pretentious about having seen ‘The Vagina Monologues’ but really just wanted to say the word vagina over and over again.’ She wrestled her legs out of the jeans she had been wearing on her date tonight and grabbed her sweats that were haphazardly hanging off the side of her bed. She breathed a sigh of relief to be in much more comfortable clothes. 

“This last date couldn’t have been worse than those, Emma.” Mary Margaret said incredulously. 

“This guy, Neal, started off well,” Emma said, her voice getting a little muffled as she struggled to get her tight, ribbed shirt off and put on a Boston University sweatshirt instead, “He’s a dental assistant, so that seemed promising.  At least it was until he let me know how helpful that was when he got into a fight at a concert last month and had to have his teeth that were knocked out fixed.” Emma angrily stalked into the kitchen and started rummaging through her bottom cabinet for her saucepan.

“Oh, gees!” Mary Margaret complained. “I mean, that doesn’t seem that bad.  At least he got his teeth fixed.” she continued trying to make the best out of the situation.

“Oh, it gets worse!” Emma said, grabbing the chocolate discs from inside the freezer and emptying them onto a cutting board sitting on her kitchen counter. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk and poured about a cupful into the saucepan and turned the burner on low heat.  “He proceeded to get into details about this fight and how it ended with him getting kicked in the balls and how painful that is.” She now grabbed a knife from the knife block and started vigorously chopping up the chocolate.

“Well…” Mary Margaret started but Emma was too worked up now to let her interrupt.

“So, I made the quip about how childbirth was supposed to be more painful, and he replied with ‘That’s just something women say to get attention!’” she huffed and almost sliced her finger with force she was now cutting the chocolate.

“Oh, Emma,” Mary Margaret started again.  

“I literally just gaped at him, pulled out a $20 for my meal and drink, and left.  And he had the audacity to yell after ‘Can I call you?’” And at that Emma practically threw the knife into the sink.

Emma took several deep breaths awaiting Mary Margaret’s response.  It took a few seconds and Emma began to think that they had maybe disconnected. She glanced at the milk on the stove and noticed the small bubbles starting to break the surface and quickly picked up the cutting board and swept the chopped chocolate into the hot milk.  Just as she grabbed the wooden spoon from the drawer below to start stirring the chocolate into the milk, Mary Margaret started speaking again.

“Emma, I know you hate it when I wax poetic on love, but you really shouldn’t give up on finding it.  I still feel like online dating could work if you find the right guy.  I know you have walls from your childhood, but - they may keep out pain; but they also keep out love.” Mary Margaret knew Emma had doubts, but she really didn’t want her friend to give up because of a few bad dates.

Emma was now pouring the hot chocolate into her swan mug and gave a heavy sigh. “Don’t you think all these horrible dates are a sign that I’m just not meant to be with someone? I know you and David found each other on TrueLove.com, but not everyone is you.” Emma placed the saucepan into the sink and quickly ran some water into it. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the whipped cream and sprayed it onto her hot chocolate.  She replaced it back in the fridge then grabbed the cinnamon on the counter and sprinkled some over the whipped cream.

“You do realize David and I didn’t actually meet online.  He was on a date with another girl and I was drunk at the bar and I accidentally swiped his credit card thinking it was mine.” Mary Margaret reminded her.

Emma chuckled, her first true expression of happiness this whole disaster of a night, “Yes, but he met her through TrueLove.com, so it’s still because of that dating site that you two met.  Just think, if you hadn’t have swiped his card he might have ended up married to that Kathryn chick.”

“God forbid!” Mary Margaret gasped.  “Besides, she ended up with Freddie the gym teacher at my school.” Mary Margaret taught fifth grade at the local elementary school.  “Turns out after David ditched her to figure out where his credit card had gone, she ran into him at the bar. Apparently, she and Freddie had been high school sweethearts and her father didn’t like him so he sent her to a college out of state to separate them.  It was fate that I happened to take David’s card, or she may have never found Freddie again.” Emma sighed and rolled her eyes at the way Mary Margaret sounded so hopeful telling this story.  She was always giving hope speeches about finding love.

“Look,” Emma started while blowing on her hot chocolate to cool it down, “I think I just need a break from online dating. It’s exhausting trying to find a good guy on there. I just needed to vent about the awful date.  It’s so much easier on Tinder when I know the guy is a creep I get to arrest.”

“Emma,” Mary Margaret said sternly, “your Tinder dates aren’t dates.  That’s you pretending it’s a date to arrest them for skipping bail.  It’s not even funny to joke about that.”

Emma had now plopped herself down on her couch and turned the television on to Animal Planet.  Pitbulls and Parolees, one of her favorite shows, was on.

“Maybe I should get a dog.” Emma said suddenly. “At least that way I’ll have someone to come home to everyday and someone who loves me unconditionally.”

“I can see I’ve lost you on the dating conversation.” Mary Margaret huffed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, sweetie.’

“Ok, Mary Margaret, talk to you tomorrow.” Emma said distracted by the pitbulls on the television screen.  She definitely thought a trip to the local dog shelter might be exactly what she needed.

EKEKEK

Emma didn’t get to the shelter the next day; a skip she’d been tracking for a few weeks suddenly came back into town and she collared him exiting a grocery store of all places, but the day after she definitely made time to go the shelter where Mary Margaret’s husband, David, worked.

“Emma,” David began, “are you sure you understand all that’s involved in caring for a dog?” He looked at her with concern.  Emma was notorious for barely taking care of herself, let alone another living creature.

“I think this is what I need, David.” Emma began. “I would rather be caring for someone that needs me than go out looking for someone who just wants to get into my pants. I think this would be good for me.” She finished. David nodded and brought her into the back where the animals were kept.

Emma had been imagining that it would be an almost dungeon-like place with sad looking animals in cages.  She was pleasantly surprised to find only a few cages, but mainly large rooms with several happy looking dogs and cats running around playfully.  There was even an outdoor area where the dogs could play with volunteers from the shelter.

“Most people just like to look around, see what kind of dog jumps out at them, literally and figuratively.  You can take any dogs that you like out to the play area to really get a feel for their energy level.” David said

Emma strolled through the room.  Each room window had a paper taped to it that said “Hi! My name is…” with the name of the dog, plus their age, what type of dog they were and any pertinent information a pet owner might need.  Emma knew she needed a smaller to medium-sized dog as she lived in an apartment, and she did not want a puppy that she would have to housetrain.

She walked up and down one set of rooms and saw a medium-sized black and white dog looking slightly forlorn. Two other dogs were wrenching a rope chew toy back and forth between them.  The dog was laying on a large dog pillow, completely oblivious to what it’s roommates were doing. Emma stopped in front of the window and the dog briefly looked up. Something about it just spoke to her.

“I’d like to take that one outside.” Emma said to David who was a little further back.  

“Really?” he asked, “That one has been known to be a little prickly.  Doesn’t seem to like people very much.” He said as he got out his keys from his pocket. Emma laughed at the comment, as people tended to say the same thing about her.

“Sounds like the perfect match.”

“She’s some sort of Boston terrier/pit mix from what we can tell.” David said as he grabbed a harness off the wall to put on the dog. “You can have genetic testing done on a dog to find out exactly what the breed background is, just like with people, but unless they have some disease that is breed specific, it’s not really worth it.” He finished fitting the harness on the dog and handed the leash to Emma. “You can take her out to the back playground for about 15 minutes to get a feel for her.”

The dog was ecstatic to be outside.  She ran around the fence perimeter about three times before she came over to Emma and gave her a good sniff.  Her tail immediately started wagging.

“Smell something you like, huh?” Emma said to the dog.  The dog gave her hand a tentative lick. Emma reached over and slowly started scratching behind the dog’s ears. Immediately, one of the back legs came up and started thumping out of the dog’s control.

“Oh, you like that a lot, don’t you pretty girl?” The dog chuffed at her but did not move away.

They continued to bond for the rest of the allotted time, the dog running around, but always coming back to Emma for a scratch or to be petted. David watched from the window.  He was surprised at how well this dog liked Emma.  She usually acted aloof to any person who tried to play with her. David had never seen her so… overjoyed. And Emma seemed to really be bonding with her too.  David had never seen Emma so affectionate with someone before. They really seemed to be the perfect match.

Emma arranged to pick her up the next day.  It was only after the dog was put back in the room that Emma noticed the name on the dog’s paper, Aphrodite.

EKEKEK

“So, Emma,” Mary Margaret said through speakerphone as Emma was putting away dishes.  

“Uh, oh,” Emma said.  She could already tell that Mary Margaret had something up her sleeve from the tone in her voice.  It had been two months since she had adopted Aphrodite, or Ditie, as she was prone to calling her (with an occasional Diters when she was being a really good girl), and Mary Margaret had seemed to accept that a dog was all she needed in her life and she did not need a man. “This sounds like what you usually say to me when you’re trying to set me up.  You’re not trying to set me up are you?”

Mary Margaret gave a little cluck. “No.” She said almost a little too quickly.  “It’s just….” she paused to get the right wording out. “Well, I was reading this article today about online dating,” Emma huffed through the phone, “and I read that there are all these new niche dating sites that are up and coming.”

“What does that mean, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked exasperated that this is where the conversation had gone.

“Well, have you ever considered a pet dating site?” Mary Margaret asked almost meekly.

Emma glanced over her countertop to see Ditie snoozing away in her dog bed, a new one she had bought for her when she had taken her home the day after their initial meeting.  Emma smiled contently.

“What is that?  Like an online dating site for my dog?  She’s been fixed, Mary Margaret, she doesn’t need any other life partners other than me.” Emma walked back over to the dishwasher and grabbed the silverware basket to put away.

“No!” Mary Margaret said over the clinking of the forks, knives, and spoons, “It’s a site for people with pets to meet other people with pets.  Niche sites are for people with specific interests.  I thought it wouldn’t be bad to possibly meet someone else who also had a dog.  Then maybe you could find a boyfriend and Ditie could also have a playmate.” Emma huffed again.  Ditie also huffed in her sleep.

“I don’t need to find a man just to socialize my dog, Mary Margaret.”

“I know that, I just thought it might be something to look into.  I’m texting you a site I found. Just take a look. Gotta go, bye!” Mary Margaret said brightly, then hung up before Emma could argue any further.

She continued to put away her dishes while Ditie snoozed when a ping came from her phone.  It was the text from Mary Margaret as promised.

“Really?” Emma whined when she saw the name of the site, Mustlovedogs.com. She put her phone back down to finish her dishes.  She still had some research to do for a skip she knew was still in town and she was hoping to nab the next day. She sat down at her desk, opened her laptop and started researching the leads she had about her skip.  

“Ok, the skip has been sighted in these areas recently.  He also has an ex who lives not too far from here that might be helpful. It looks like she has a dog, I wonder if she had it when they met. Dammit!  Stop thinking about dogs, Emma.  Ok, I could scope out the ex’s apartment and see what she’s up to.  Maybe she’ll be out walking her dog and I could have Ditie with me and then it would seem natural.  Two people with dogs meeting is natural.  Dammit! Stop thinking about meeting people with dogs, Emma!” She pushed the laptop away in frustration. She checked the time and saw she’d only been working for about 15 minutes before her mind wandered to that damn website.

“Dammit!” she huffed while pulling her laptop back closer to her and reopening it and entering the website Mary Margaret had sent her.

The website was full of bright pictures of couples with their dogs in various states of happiness: walking in the park, playing fetch, all sleeping in the same bed. Emma rolled her eyes at the obvious happily ever after vibe that was happening on the site. She decided to put in some basic information in the “what she was looking for” section on the website just to see what it would come up with.  According to the site, she didn’t need to have a membership to look, just to contact any potential matches she might get. Once she put the information in, she realized just how new the website actually was.  On the last site she’d been on she had usually matched to about 30-40 different guys with similar interests.  Here she was only matched with eight.

She started scanning through the profiles that had been selected for her.  The main format was the same as any other dating site, just a blurb about yourself, your interests and hobbies, but it also had a profile section for your dog.  

“That’s cute.” She said out loud, while scanning the first profile.  Nothing in particular stood out to her that made her want to contact the guy though.

All the guys seemed standard website dating fare, except that they had dogs, which made them slightly better than most guys Emma supposed. Dogs were excellent judges of  character, so she assumed that all these guys were better than the average single guy just for the fact that they had dogs. But no one was really standing out.

It was 11:00 when she got to the eighth and final profile.  So far Mary Margaret’s website had been a bust, and she was getting tired.  She’d read this last profile, one Killian Jones, and head to . . . holy mother, he was good looking! Dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, a bit of scruff on his chin. He was leaning, almost nonchalantly, against a boat mast with just the hint of a smile on the corners of his lips. It could look arrogant, but on him it looked almost boyish, even though he was definitely all man. There was no way his profile could match his gorgeousness.

Killian Jones - 34, graphic designer

Originally from London, I moved to the US to go to college (Go Terriers!).  I was primarily interested in pursuing an English degree, but even with my superfluous vocabulary, found it utterly pedantic, and not wanting to complete the British stereotype of a stodgy, British, English professor, decided to go into the exciting world of graphic design instead. I currently am the head graphic designer for Boston Tea Party Boat Tours. The sea is my mistress, which essentially means I love to go sailing. I spent many years as a child learning to sail and find it very soothing. A great stress reliever. And, while an affection for sailing the open waters would be nice, is not a deal breaker when it comes to a woman I am wooing. I also enjoy many land activities, including geocaching and drinking rum (I’ve been told I have all the makings of a pirate). Hopefully, being a possible pirate does not put you off of reading the rest of my profile. At least give my dog a chance if my profile scared you a little.

Jolly - 2, Boston Terrier/Pit Mix

Hi! I’m Jolly, short for Jolly Roger, even though I’m a girl.  My dad has a thing for Peter Pan and since he didn’t like Wendy or Tiger Lily for a dog, Jolly it is.  And I am a jolly dog, so aptly named.  I love going out sailing with my dad because I have a cool blue life vest that I get to wear.  I also love walking on the beach and rolling in the sand and getting myself so sandy that my dad has to vacuum out his car more than is necessary. I also love going for drives (I call shotgun!) and just going to any place that allows dogs. I’d love for my dad to find me another dog to play with and for him to have another human to play with.

Emma gave out a slight laugh, because of course it was written perfectly. The profile was definitely different from the usual profiles she was used to reading.  She also liked that he’d written Jolly’s profile as it were from her perspective, something none of the other men had done on their profiles (and the fact that Jolly was the same mixed breed as Ditie). He just sounded so personable, and someone Emma would actually hang out with . . . or even date.

She looked at the time on her laptop and say that it was just after 11 PM.  She had a really good feeling about this guy.  One she’d never had with any of her other online dates.  She did a quick online search of him and found him on the website for Tea Party Boat Tours as his place of employment.  She didn’t find much else, which, in her profession, she always found was a good thing.

“Ok, Emma, you can do this.” she said trying to pep herself up to writing a profile with half as much personality as his.  

Emma Swan, 28, Bail Bonds Person

I moved around a lot when I was a kid so I’m from nowhere in particular.  I finally decided to put down some roots in Boston around five years ago. As it states above, I am a Bail Bonds Person, which I’ve been doing for the past eight years.  I am currently pursuing a criminal justice degree at BU and studying for the Police Academy exam. I am a master of the law so please don’t respond to this profile if you are a felon, have even been a felon, or plan on being a felon. I like taking runs near the water and so does my dog, but I also love just chilling out at home, ordering out, and streaming old 80’s and 90’s movies (Goonies and Hook being two of my favorites).

Aphrodite, 1, Boston Terrier/Pit Mix

My mommy has only been my mommy for about two months, but she has been the best mommy ever!  She gives me lots of treats and takes me on lots of walks! I especially love going to dog parks, especially ones that have water.  Baths and swimming are my favorite! I don’t get to go swimming much though, as mommy doesn’t know anyone with a pool. But my favorite dog park has a little swimming area for dogs like me. I know my mommy thinks I’m all she needs, but I think human companionship with someone else who also has a dog companion for me would be good.

Emma looked it over.  She didn’t want to come off sounding desperate, but she also wanted to match the same playful tone Killian had written his (and Jolly’s) profile with. She just needed pictures of herself and Ditie to add to her profile. 

Opening her pictures folder, Emma quickly scrolled through until she found the picture she wanted to use.  It was the day she brought Ditie home.  David had taken it before she left the shelter.  Emma had a big wide smile, her long, blonde hair tied into a loose braid hanging over her shoulder. Ditie was licking her cheek and David managed to snap the picture before she scrunched her face because of Ditie’s tongue practically in her mouth.

Emma uploaded the photo of her and Ditie, and uploaded the whole profile onto the website. Now, to get Mr. Killian Jones to notice it.  She had noticed that there was the option of a virtual kiss, kind of like a nudge or poke on some of the other sites she had been on.  So she clicked on the virtual kiss option on his website.  She let out a big breath of air that she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. 

Checking the time again, it was now close to midnight, Emma decided there was nothing else she could do tonight.  She closed the laptop and went to get ready for bed.