what a fine day to ignore anon hate, as is every day <3

Royally Screwed

words: 4.2k

pairing: chubby!stableboy!bucky x royal!female!reader

warnings: arguing, period (probably not) accurate problems, smut, fluff, oral (f and m receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, power dynamics

A/n: dear anon, I’m sorry it took me 2 months to write this, I hope you’re not too upset. I changed the original prompt a little, I hope you still like it! Dividers by @firefly-graphics

My Masterlist

The wind is blowing through your hair, a cool breeze that relieves you from the hot summer sun. Your horse is galloping under you, his strong legs taking you over the loose ground. The rays warm your face, a welcome sensation. You missed this, riding through the afternoon, taking time to just live, all troubles and worries forgotten.

Admiral has always been close to you, your first horse and best friend since you were twelve years old, merely a child. The Arabian Stallion slows down to a trot on your command, the high grass tickling his side. You let your hands roam over his dark mane, feeling the sturdy hair under your fingers.

A single bumblebee flies ahead of you, its loud buzz making you smile. The scene around you makes your heart feel lighter, a warm feeling that floats through your chest. You let Admiral come to a halt and slide down from your saddle.

You trail your hand over the horse’s muscles, the short hair caressing your palm. His strong snout nudges your arm and he neighs, causing you to giggle, “You did so well, boy” You wrap your arms around Admiral’s muscular throat.

His scent fills your nose, it’s familiarity never fails to bring you comfort. The animal scratches over the earthy ground as the sound of hooves hitting the floor ripples through the air. You whip around, parting yourself from your companion. A little further away, you see two of the guards coming your way. Their horses are quick and strong, but they have nothing on your Admiral.

“Lady Y/n”, they yell out and you can’t help but roll your eyes. The men reach you quickly, panic in their eyes, “Your highness, you must remain in close proximity for us to successfully protect you at any time”, one of them states, trying to deepen his voice.

“Of course”, you smile at them, “it wasn’t my intention” A lie. You purposely mislead them to have a moment of your own, some quiet minutes of peace. The guards exchange glances until one of them shrugs. “We see. Now, it is of utmost importance to immediately escort you home. We shall keep you as safe as possible, your highness”

You sigh internally, but follow the mens’ orders without argument. Admiral snorts stubbornly, but reluctantly follows your lead.

The sound of birds singing and insects chirping brings you great joy as you gently rock back and forth with the steady trot of your horse. Unknowingly, these were the last moments you would spend outside of the castle for quite some time.

The guards at the gate salute as you pass them. The warm sun has kept you comfortable in the open where the wind was stronger, but you quickly start to heat up inside the walls of your father’s estate. Admiral soon comes to a halt in front of your mother. The woman is fuming as she approaches you, her face twisted into an angry grimace.

“Your father and I need to talk to you, young lady! You are in serious trouble”, her malicious voice hisses as you jump off of Admiral’s back. Your mother’s fingers wrap around your arm to pull you towards her, but a warm smile is on her face. A muscle in her jaw twitches and exposes her true anger. She speaks to one of your guards, but you can’t be bothered to listen for something has caught your attention.

A man has walked up to your horse to pet his head. He is gentle with Admiral, careful and loving even. You let your eyes rake over the man. The typical stable boy clothes are obscuring your view, but you can make out the bulge of his tummy, his big arms and thick thighs. His long brown hair falls over his face, some strands are stuck to his forehead as the sweat glistens over his face. This man looks like an absolute dream and you can feel your lips twitching up.

You begin to walk towards him, a giddy feeling brewing up in your stomach, but your mother pulls you back, “Oh no, you are not getting out of this one. Follow me, now” She drags you behind her and you wish to struggle against her grasps, but won’t dare to resist her. Not at that time at least. You take one last glance in his direction, hoping to see his face, more of him. You find his gaze, stare into the warm blue of his eyes before your mother pulls you out of his view.

A sad sigh escapes your lips, but you promise yourself to go and find him as soon as possible. The way he looked at you, sweet and shy, is replaying in your head, his sweaty form a picture in your mind. Whoever that man is, he makes your insides throb with desire.

Your father’s yelling rips you out of your trance and you look up to meet his vicious glare. He takes a deep breath with closed eyes and when he meets your eyes again he looks calmer. His hand reaches out to your face, cupping your cheek.

“My daughter, what am I going to do with you?”, his voice suddenly sounds sad, “Y/n, you know that you need to enter a marriage soon. I need you to be on your best behaviour, this is about your future. I only want good things for you” You rest your palm over your father’s, “I know, father” He brushes his thumb over the apple of your cheek, “You’re so beautiful, my only daughter. I know this isn’t what you want, but at least let me make it as pleasant as possible for you”

You sigh and stare right past your father, “I already gave my word to marry whomever you choose, father” His hand falls from your face and wraps around your fingers, “I don’t want to hand you to anyone, don’t you understand? I want someone that cares about you” He squeezes your hand, “But you need to behave,Y/n. The men of higher status, they won’t accept an ill-mannered, rebellious women”

Enraged, you rip away from his touch, “I am not ill-mannered” Your mother gasps at your outburst, but your father smiles at you. He steps forward and grabs you by the shoulders, “I know that. Believe me, I do. But these other men don’t” A sigh escapes your lips, but you nod nevertheless, “Okay, father. I will do my best” He grins and it jumps right over to you.

Your father pulls you into a warm hug and whispers to you, barely audible, “I could not be prouder of you, my child” A warm, comforting feeling spreads through your chest and you feel like a little girl, no worries or problems, just love and happiness on your mind. You pull away from the hug and watch your father’s eyes crinkle.

Your mother forces a cough and directs a pointed glare at her husband. He sighs and turns to you, “However, your mother and I have decided to ground you for the next few days. We cannot let your temperament ruin your future. We ask you to stay on the estate’s grounds” This is obviously your mother’s doing. She always cared more about your standing and reputation, but you’ve learned to just accept her orders.

“Yes, father”, you nod at them, “Mother” A satisfied look settles on the woman’s face, hands clasped tightly. “You are excused”, your father rasps and you leave the room, a sour look sneaking onto your lips. Stupid marriages. All of your life, the fact that you will be married off as soon as someone worthy shows interest, has been hovering over you, a subconscious thought that drained your energy, leaving you exhausted and numb. You can’t believe that this dreaded day is moving closer so fast.

You enter your room and sit down on your bed. The mattress gives out under your weight and perfectly molds into a comfortable shape. You let yourself fall until you’re lying flat on your back and close your eyes. Slowly, the darkness and exhaustion consumes you ,hugging you like a warm blanket.

The shine of the moonlight dancing through the window rouses you from your sleep. The light has a slight pink tint and colours the dim room in a nice shimmer. A yawn escapes your mouth and you sit up. The cool air makes goosebumps appear on your skin, yet you feel drawn to it. Suddenly, an idea pops into your mind. Surely, nobody would notice if you left for a little to see Admiral.

A grin sneaks on your lips as you wipe the nasty crumbs from your eyes. Quickly, but careful to remain silent, you dress in your warmer riding clothes, the training ones, not the dresses. Thick, warm leggings and a nice, comfortable pullover. On your way out, you grab a wooly hat to cover your ears, smiling mischievously.

Skipping, you make your way through the halls. A giddy sensation rumbles in your belly, the excitement of knowing you’re about to go on a ride. The door knob feels cool under your skin as you turn it to open it. The freezing air seeps into the kitchen, swirling around your body. Adrenaline shoots through your veins and your legs begin to move on their own, moving faster and faster until you’re running, your feet carrying you over the well known path.

You come to an abrupt stop when you see a small light in the stables, most likely a lit candle. Nervously, you sneak closer to peek around the corner. In the dim shine you manage to make out the features of the beautiful stable boy from earlier that day. His hair is falling free, framing his chubby face so beautifully.

A long sleeved linen shirt layered with a dark vest and brown trousers clad his thick form in such a delicious way. For some reason, this man made you feel things. To your surprise however, he is standing next to Admiral, gently stroking the horse’s strong, defined face. Weird, you find yourself thinking, Admiral usually does not tolerate close proximity with anyone but yourself.

That fact is seriously arousing. This beautiful man being so gentle to your hot headed horse is insanely attractive. Your heart fills with warmth the longer you watch him. He whispers into his fur, smiling adoringly at him. The stable boy’s big hands look so soft against Admiral’s fur, his thick, long digits massaging the strong muscles. You bite down on your lower lip, a sly smirk forming. This beautiful sight almost made you forget about the cold.

Your lungs fill with air as you take a breath of encouragement before you move out of the hiding spot. Making sure to move your hips extra seductively, you wander closer to the man of your desire. It’s easy to pinpoint the moment he notices you by the way his eyes double in size and his entire body freezes. The look of fear in his eyes tugs at your heartstrings.

Gently, you take a step closer to him, but he shies away from you, like a baby deer, scared and vulnerable. “Lady Y/n, I beg your pardon. I didn't mean to intrude”, he stumbles through the words, clearly afraid he upset you. You smile in hope of looking safe and not angry. “You’re fine”, your voice is gentle, almost like you’re talking to a child, “It’s impressive. Admiral really seems to like you”

He shyly looks up to you to gauge your reaction, nervously playing with his fingers. “He’s very beautiful”, the man whispers and tucks some of his loose strands of hair behind his ear. You grin, taking another step forward, “He is”, you reach out to scratch Admiral’s neck, “So are you”

A deep blush rises on his cheeks, warming his skin. You continue talking, eyes trained on the stable boy’s chubby face, smiling warmly at him, “So, what’s your name, pretty boy?” Nerves cloud his eyes, his chest rising and falling quickly, “James, b- but people call me Bucky”

“That’s a real pretty name”, you purr, “Bucky”, testing out how the word feels rolling off your tongue. Lower lip between your teeth, you reach out to touch his biceps. His strong muscles flex under your touch, but it feels soft beneath your skin. Your fingertips squeeze around him as a surge of want ripples through your body.

“I saw you with Admiral this afternoon and I could not stop thinking about you. You’re so good with him, it’s very”, you smirk and lean closer to him, lips right next to his ear, “arousing”. The whispered word makes him gulp and he feels himself twitching in his loose pants. He can’t deny he feels attracted to you, especially in these casual clothes that you’re wearing right now.

He’s been eying you for months now, always hidden away in the shadows or behind corners. He heard so much gossip, so many rumours that intrigued him, but your bond with Admiral really did him in. To see how caring and tender you were with the horse made him crave the same attention from you. He wanted your affections and love, almost like he needed them, but he knew better than to approach you. His family depends on his earnings, he would not challenge that security he could provide. But now it seemed like maybe he could have both.

The close proximity makes his heart race, your breath tickling his sensitive skin. You feel his nerves, so you move even closer, pressing your body against his. He tenses up, but shyly reaches for your waist. “I really want you right now, Bucky”, you whimper, pushing your breasts forward and up against his chest. His breath catches in his throat, but he somehow finds the energy to tighten his grip on you.

The feeling of your body against his further arouses him, a shiver running down his spine. With all the courage he could muster, he looks up at you, “I really want you too” Your hands run over his chest and grip onto the edges of his vest, “Then take me”

Pulling on the leather, your mouths crash together. His rough, chapped lips fit right onto your own soft lips, a result of your maid’s tending. The smacking sound immediately helps you relax into Bucky’s frame, letting out a little sigh. With newfound confidence, he traces your lower lip with his warm tongue, leaving you yearning for a taste.

You open up for him, letting him explore your mouth. He moans at the feeling, licking into you greedily. Little glimmers of want spark in your belly, nipples hardening as the simmering pleasure begins to grow. Your saliva mixes with his, tongues dancing together in an aroused display of want.

Just as you were about to shrug off his leather vest, Admiral neighs right next to you. Bucky shrieks, jumping away from you. You stare at him, a slight fear of being caught running through you before a grin etches on your lips, laughter bubbling in your chest. Bucky mimics your giggling, his eyes crinkling adorably, lips swollen.

Grinning you pet your horse once, but turn to the chubby stable boy to pull him after you. The back of the stable is dark, only Bucky’s candle serving as a source of light. You turn around, coming face to face with the pretty boy. The golden glow makes him look so beautiful, the breath stuck in your throat. It’s completely silent, only the sounds of your breathing audible.

You gulp, stepping even closer to him. Carefully, you take his candle and place it on the floor, close to a pile of hay. “Bucky”, you whisper, “please” He takes a deep breath, but closes the distance between you two, once again connecting your mouths. Gently, he grabs you by your waist, both hands feeling warm and powerful on your body. Your own fingers wrap around his neck, playing with his beautiful hair.

With tongues intertwined, Bucky closes his arms around you to lead you towards the hay, supporting your weight. “Wait”, he mumbles against your lips, reluctantly pulling out of the embrace, “Let me just…” With care, he shrugs off his vest and places it over the hay. A soft smile spreads over your face, a funny feeling whirling in your belly. You take the chance to take off your hat.

“Well then, gentleman”, a purring sound fills the air, “I could use some help undressing” He gulps, eyes widening in arousal. Slowly his hands find your hips, fingers sliding under your shirt. The immediate warmth that seeps into your skin makes you gasp, moaning lightly at the feeling. His digits trace your skin, gently lifting up your shirt so you can take it off.

His hands roam your exposed skin, exploring your body to his full extinct, feeling every curve and uneven spot. You reach behind your back, unclasping your sturdy bra. Bucky gasps at the sight, eyes trained on your exposed breasts. Your nipples harden, once more, under his fiery gaze and you gently push his hands towards the, your body burning for his touch.

The moment his palm cups you, a needy moan escapes you which spurs Bucky on to massage your breasts with more enthusiasm, toying with your nipples. Greedily you let your hands wander under his linen shirt, reveling in the feeling of his soft skin. The chubby rolls feel delicious under your touch, gending to your wishes. You hastily free him from the offending clothing, pressing your body against his.

Arousal and need is flaming inside you and you desperately press your lips together into a hungry kiss, teeth crashing against each other. “Please, I need you so much” He nods, breathless, and gently lays you down on his vest. You catch a glimpse of his tented trousers, saliva running in your mouth, the sight so delicious, especially paired with his big thighs.

Bucky’s chubby fingers work your fuzzy leggins down your legs. The cold air causes goosebumps to raise on your skin. You hear him gasp when he looks at your exposed heat,dilated eyes transforming into a hungry stare. “You’re beautiful”, he groans, his hand cautiously travelling up your thighs. You nod as confirmation and Bucky runs two of his digits up your heat.

He traces your outer lips, your anticipation rising. You hold your breath, hands running through the hay that the vest doesn’t cover. Finally, he leans up and spits on your core, further lubricating you. He finds your clit and begins to rub gentle circles into it, a stuttered breath leaving your mouth.

Bucky trails down to your opening, carefully inserting two of his fingers into you. “Fuck”, he groans, pushing in further, “you’re so tight and wet” He starts to fuck you with them, slowly at first, then faster, his gaze set on you. The squelching noises fill the air, soon joined by your moans. Suddenly he hits a special spot and you arch your back, pressing into him as a loud, guttural groan leaves you.

Your gaze meets Bucky’s and you begin to move your hips on your own, “Please do it again, do it again” Your begging eggs him on and he adds another finger, his strong thrusts leaving you breathless. Your eyes roll into the back of your head, pleasure building up in your lower belly.

All of a sudden you feel something wet around you, followed by a suction right around your sensitive nub. You moan loudly, hands flying into his hair. His penetrating gaze meets your eyes and with an especially hard suck the coil in your tummy snaps and you cum around his fingers, your core grabbing him tightly. You feel him moan against you, but he keeps fucking you through your orgasm, prolonging the addictive high.

Finally, you regain your senses and push him away from you, too sensitive for any further stimulation. You look at him. He sits in front of you, his chin wet with your slick, chubby belly rolls folding into each other deliciously, his trousers tented with his obvious want. A smile plays over your lips, “You look so beautiful like this, James”

He perks up when you mention his name, a shy, but aroused glint in his eyes. “You really think so?”, he sounds so little your heart starts aching for him. “I’ve never seen someone as stunning as you”, you crawl up to him, hands on his cute little cheeks. You feel his breath graze your lips and lunge forward, mouth against his, tongues tangling.

One of your hands drops lower to cup him. He feels heavy in your palm and so nice. A craving awakes inside you and you squeeze him through his trousers, a lovely moan ringing in your ears. Your fingertips hook around the waistband and you pull all the bothersome clothing off of him. His cock jumps free. It looks delicious, hard and slightly curved to the side, thick veins running along the length of it. The bulbous head is covered with his foreskin, a trail of precum has made its way down some of it.

The sight of him is so beautiful, his thick thighs making you bite down on your lip. You bow down, one hand gripping his leg, the other slowly fisting his cock. You watch as the foreskin pulls back to show his wet, sensitive head. With one last look into his face, which is contorted in pleasure, you take him in your mouth, slowly sinking down on him.

He moans, hands cupping the back of your head. You suck on him, yearning for his cum, his taste .Fondling his balls, you become even more hungry for him. He smells so husky, so good, mouthwatering even. Slowly, you take him even deeper, your nose buried in the curly pubic hair. His hips stutter, pressing his length even further into your throat, a hearty groan leaving him. You splutter around him, your gag reflex kicking in.

Pulling off, you take deep breaths, spit running down your chin. “‘m sorry”, Bucky mutters, his own hand now wrapped around himself, fisting his wet cock, “It just feels so good” Your pussy clenches at his words and you lay back down, spreading your legs. “I bet this will feel even better”

Bucky groans at the sight and shuffles closer. He runs his thick head along your slit, coating it in your wetness. Managing to hit your sensitive clit with his cock, he groans, twitching in want. Gently, Bucky positions himself at your stretched hole and begins to push in. He moans, steadily spreading you over his cock until he bottoms out.

Sweat runs down Bucky’s face, pleasure and desperation filling him. He tries to refrain himself, but when you begin to whimper and grab onto his thick arms he crumbles. Bottoming out, his fat balls slap against your bum. Slowly he pulls out again, just to thrust right back into you. His cock is so hard and curved perfectly, he fits inside you so well.

The sounds of skin slapping and moaning is the only thing you can hear, sweaty bodies moving in unison, a play of mutual pleasure, need and adoration. Bucky’s chubby belly feels so good against you, especially paired with the delicious feeling of him hitting your spongy g-spot over and over again.

His hands are all over your body, grabbing handfuls of your breasts, playing with your nipples, holding your thighs and squeezing your waist. His moans and whimpers sound so delicate and sexy, almost serene and calming, but so arousing. The squelching of where your core envelopes him makes you arch into him, his chub so soft against you, yet his obvious strength makes you clench.

His length fills you so good, his hard, quick thrusts turning you on enormously. His fattened up cock makes you mewl, all the sensations adding up into one big coil of pleasure.

Bucky’s sounds grow louder, his hard thrusts faster, more irregular. His cock begins to pulse in you when he drops a hand to your sensitive nub, drawing quick, strong circles on it. Your body is on fire, spasming under the stable boy, your hips meeting his thrusts. You feel so close to the edge and when Bucky grunts, “You’re so good for me, you’re gonna make me cum” you fall over.

Your body shakes, yet you feel like you’re floating. A warm, fuzzy sensation enveloping you, like a soft blanket hugging you close. You feel Bucky’s naked skin against you, his fingers on your skin and his breathing against your neck, but you can’t open your eyes. He grunts loudly and pulls out, but you’re so blissed you don’t find the energy to do anything but whimper.

“Thank you”, he mumbles, his soft lips resting near your collarbone, some spare hairs tickling you nicely.

Slowly, you become more conscious and manage to blink, opening your eyes. Bucky is cuddled against your side, laying on the hay. His arm is wrapped over your waist. You spot his white cum on your tummy; It looks slightly dried and feels a little itchy.

You turn to look at him, a soft smile forming at his beautiful face. His long hair frames him so well, a delicate sight that makes your fingers itch to draw. Instead, you cuddle closer to him and close your eyes. You know you’ll have to get up soon, nobody can find out about this, but for now you want to enjoy this moment of peace and serenity for a little while longer.

My Masterlist

Taglist in the reblog | Join now

If you’ve enjoyed reading my work, please consider leaving a reblog with some feedback! It means so much to me and keeps me happy and motivated :)

ブン-ブン

(Here’s my Yandere Bunny Polnareff x Female Reader story :)) 

Sorry if this is too OOC or too fast paced! I tried my best, but I’m unhappy with the result. 

TW: !Noncon!, Pol is a hybrid!, breeding kink!, cumflation!, !!!HOMIE PISSES ON YOU (this is not really a kink, just animal instinct)!!!!, alludes to cat violence (Not you)!!, marking (rubs his scent glands on you)!, overstim!, etc..)

Please proceed with caution!!)

Hearing a loud yowl from your backyard, you hurry towards your back doors. It seems your tabby cat, Garfield, has gotten himself into some trouble. 

Clicking your tongue to gain his attention, you unlock the French doors, flinging them open.  

You only allowed the fatass outside for a few minutes! How is he already into something he shouldn’t be in? 

Stepping outside, your eyes are immediately drawn to a mass of white and orange. Your cat is currently wrestling with the biggest rabbit you’ve ever seen. 

It’s the same size as your fatass cat, hell, maybe it’s bigger! Its head alone is larger than your fist! 

Its ears are currently being gnawed on by your feline son, specks of red dripping from the bun’s white coat. Garfield is nailed in the side with a powerful kick, causing him to yowl once more. Seeing this, you snap out of your shock, immediately hauling it towards the fighting duo. 

“Garfield, stop it! Leave that bunny alone!” They pretend they can’t hear you, and continue to brawl. Once by the two, you yoink them up from the lush grass, separating them by holding them in opposite hands. You’re grabbing them by the scruff of their necks, frowning at them, “Alright, break it up!”

Your cat takes a couple swipes at the rabbit, the rabbit tries kicking at your cat, both of them ultimately missing one another. 

“Would you two stop it?” You huff, pouting cutely. The bunny is a lot heavier than you originally thought, forcing you to readjust your hold on it, “Do you see how dumb you look? You’re both fighting the air!” 

Garfield hisses in response, causing you to roll your eyes. At least the rabbit has better manners than him. 

“Fine, whatever. We’re going inside now, so I can patch you hooligans up. You both better both behave.” 

Turning on your heel, you stomp inside, wounded animals cradled to your (bountiful/small) chest. Both of them calm once in the crook of your arm, allowing you to have a moment of peace. 

Great. Now you have to patch up your asshole cat and his rabbit friend. 

Bringing them into your master bathroom, you set them on opposite sides of your two sink vanity. Opening the vanity’s middle drawer, you quickly grab your first aid kit, and lay it between the two annoyed animals. 

“Alright you two, if you can’t get along, don’t go near one another. Stay on opposite sides of the sink, okay?” You keep talking to them as if they know what you’re saying, and unbeknownst to you, a certain rabbit finds it endearing. 

Popping open the box, you withdraw white wrappings, q-tips, and hydrogen peroxide. Twisting the cap open on the peroxide, you set it on the countertop, before pouring a capful of peroxide into it. Grabbing your cat’s shampoo from underneath the sink, you turn on your sink’s tap, filling it with warm water. Once done, you slowly approach the nervous bun. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to bandage your wounds,” Its nose twitches, seemingly sniffing out if you’re a threat. After a tense moment of silence, it makes itself look as small as possible, showing submission. 

Giggling quietly, you pick it up, and place him in the water. Its head and ears are above the water, keeping them from becoming wet. Dipping your hands into the water, you smooth down its fur, slightly wetting the top of its head. Once done with that, you pour soap into your palm, rubbing your hands together. 

Now that your hands are sudsy, you start to bathe the calm bun. Its blood quickly washes off, cleaning its wounds. 

Once clean, you pick it up, placing it on a hand towel you got from beneath the sink. You dry the bunny off, making sure his ears are completely dry, before dipping a q-top into the peroxide, and cleaning out his wounds completely. 

After seeing his wounds, you realise he doesn’t need any wrappings, thus leaving you to set him on an old t-shirt that’s sitting on your tub’s ledge. 

“There you go, Bun Bun. Sit there until I finish with Garfield,” You unplug the sink on the bun’s side, and move towards your seething cat. Drawing him his own bath, you clean out his wounds, and give him many kisses, “Good boy, Gar. I’m proud of you for not scratching me.”

He meows in response, allowing you to dry him and fix his wounds. 

Now that the two animals are clean and no longer have raw, open wounds, you pick them up, and move towards your living room. 

Setting Garfield on the left side of the couch, you move towards your back door. 

“Okie dokie, now that you’re all clean, you can go home now! I’m sorry that Garfield was mean to you.”

Opening your back door, you gently place the bunny on the ground, before going inside, and locking the door behind you. 

Little did you know that that bunny wasn’t truly a bunny at all, but a man who’s severely touch starved. 

And, is a man who’s completely, totally in love with you.

-

When Polnareff returned to his burrow, he was practically shaking with excitement. He’d found his mate! 

Once laying down, he could hear his leg thumping with happiness. He can’t wait until you go into heat! 

Then, the two of you can have cute kits! He just knows that they’ll be beautiful, just like their mother… 

Oh yes, once you go into heat, he’ll be there to keep you satiated. 

He just needs to make sure that fat cat stays out of his way. 

-

Garfield lays on your tummy, practically smothering you with his weight. Looking down at him from your lying position, you roll your eyes, “You’re so heavy! Move off of me!” 

He ignores your whining, nuzzling against the area above your uterus. Huffing in annoyance, you pick up the snoozing cat, and walk towards the kitchen. The little shit wouldn’t let you move for hours, and you’ve become rather hungry. 

Once in the kitchen, you set him on the counter. He stretches dramatically, before rubbing against you like a madman. His hackles are raised, yellow eyes transfixed on something outside.

Looking out at your backyard, you see a certain giant rabbit. Sighing, you choose to ignore your pet’s dick measuring contest with the bunny outside. 

Pulling out (microwavable food), you quickly open its packaging, and chuck it into the microwave. Pressing in the time, you rest against the counter your cat is standing on, petting down his raised hair. 

“Garfield, you’re honestly acting ridiculous. The rabbit isn’t scary-” The orange fiend jumps into your arms, furiously rubbing himself onto you. He’s cuddling you like a good boy, stopping you from scolding him, “Awe, you’re so cute when you’re clingy and not biting my shirt sleeves.” 

He lets out a small hiss, but stays in your arms willingly. 

His yellow eyes are trained on the bunny, practically taunting the other male. 

Polnareff is seething. How dare that undeserving feline take his rightful place? How dare that fucking cat scent you during your heat? 

It takes everything in him to not crash through the window and beat the cat into the ground. But, he knows his nightly bathroom break outside will be soon, and that’s when he can strike. 

The blue eyed man watches you eat, happy that you’re preparing for your upcoming heat. Ignoring your pet, Jean feels happiness overtake him. You must know that he’s watching, if you’re eating such fatty foods. 

Little does he know, that’s just the normal way of human life. 

You continue to chow down on your yummy food, a smile on your pretty face, none the wiser to your hybrid stalker. 

Once finished, you let Garfield out into the backyard, “Don’t cause trouble with that rabbit, Garfield.” He didn’t listen to you, and ran in the direction of that damn white rabbit. 

You pinch the bridge of your nose in annoyance, but do nothing. If he wants to fight with it, that’s on him at this point. 

Sitting on your couch, you turn on your TV, flipping channels until you land on a forensic science TV show. Leaning back, you recline yourself into a comfortable position. 

You sit in that position for about an hour, before you realise your cat never came inside. Shooting to your feet, you rush outside, turning on your phone’s flashlight. 

“Garfield? Garfield?” You call out, searching through the bushes, and clicking your tongue to grab his attention. 

He doesn’t come, causing you to panic. Garfield and you grew up together, and you can’t remember the last time you went without him. 

“Gar-Gar? Please, please come home!” Tears well up in your eyes, as a sob escapes your throat. 

As the first tear falls, you feel someone grab you from behind, “Why are you crying, Mademoiselle?” 

You jump a mile off of the ground, and stumble, almost falling face first into the grass. Whipping around, you come face to chest with a very naked, very large man. 

“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in my backyard?” Your scent is thick with fear, and your voice trembles. A saddened feeling pools in Jean’s heart; he didn’t wish to scare you or hurt you in any way!

“Do not fear me, My Love. I am Jean Pierre Polnareff, your future mate!” Blanching at his statement, you finally notice the very apparent white bunny ears on the top of his head. 

“What. The. Fuck.” 

With that, you turn, and haul ass into your house. His heavy footsteps are heard behind you, same with a few pleading words for you to come back. 

Once inside, you slam your French doors closed, and use your body weight to hold them shut, as you try to lock them. His built frame slams into the doors behind you, using all of his strength to bust inside. 

“There’s no need to be afraid! Just open the doors, My Heart! I’ll treat you well!” Your nimble fingers try to turn the lock, but the constant shaking of the opening makes it very hard to do so. 

“Leave me alone! Did you do something to my cat? Because the moment you showed up, he disappeared!” Immediately, the doors stop shaking, allowing you to lock them. 

A long beat of silence follows, before he speaks again, “Oh, I didn’t realise you found him.” 

You gasp, feeling as though your heart was ripped from your chest. He really did something to Garfield! 

“Get the fuck off of my property! I'll-I'll Call the police!” Tears Pool in your eyes, before dripping down your face. Whoever this bunny man is, he must be dangerous if he goes around killing things for no reason. 

“My heart, how you wound me,” You peek through the curtains, only to see him looking back at you with an intimidating gaze. His ice blue eyes seem to be staring into your soul, “This… Garfield of yours was challenging me. He may have had you first, yes, but the rules of the animal kingdom say that if we find our mates, the new found mate must be left alone. But, that feline of yours blatantly disrespected our relationship, My Heart, so I had to teach him a lesson.” 

You gape at him in horror, backing away from the doors, “Stay away from me! I’m not your mate, I’m not your anything! How do you even know me?” 

You hear him laugh through the door, as he lands a swift kick towards the door handle, “You bathed me just the other week, don’t tell me that you’ve forgotten?” 

Running towards the kitchen, you grab a small knife that is easy to use. Did you seriously help a hybrid? 

You hear him kick a few more times, before the doors come crashing down. His heavy footsteps echo across your hardwood floors, as he makes his way to you. Looking around for an exit, you quickly move towards the kitchen window. 

Unlocking it with ease, you slide it open, making quick work of the screen keeping the bugs out. You hoist yourself onto the counter, shimmying towards the opening, only to be yanked back by two strong hands. In your (dominant Hand) is the knife you grabbed, allowing you to slash at the large man. 

“Get away from me! Don’t fucking touch me!” He releases you for a moment, dodging your erratic movements. A saddened look crossed his handsome face, as he man handled the knife out of your sweaty hands. Once disarmed, he forces you against his chest, chucking the knife into the sink. His now free hands grip your wrists, stopping you from fighting against him. 

“Shh, calm yourself. There’s no need to be so erratic-“ 

“Fuck you! You killed my cat and broke into my house, there’s plenty of reasons for me to be erratic!” You try kicking at his strong legs, but he doesn’t even flinch. 

“I understand that your heat is making you irrational-“ 

“What the fuck are you talking about?! I’m not an animal, I don’t fucking have heats!” Thrashing with your entire body weight, you try to bring him to the ground, but he’s too sturdy for you to do so. 

Instead of answering, he brings his head into the crook of your neck, sniffing the area loudly. You don’t see it, but a look of disgust is apparent. 

“We need to fix this awful smell. Hold still and I’ll scent you-“ You head butt the large male, knocking him back and off of you. 

He stumbles back, and you make a run for the open window. You get halfway out of it once more, before you’re dragged back inside by your waist. 

You’re thrown to the floor in an instant, shoulder hitting the wood harshly. A yelp leaves your lips, as more tears drip down your face. 

“Don’t be difficult, Love. I don’t want to hurt you. Just let me scent you, and I can help you through your heat. You just have to trust me,” 

You shake your head, “No, just leave me alone!” 

He frowns, but nods, “It’s ok if you’re difficult, I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re mine.” 

Without warning, Jean grabs his half hard cock, aiming it towards your crumpled form. 

“What the fu-“ A stream of clear piss hits you straight in the mouth, causing you to gag and splutter in disgust. You wipe at your tongue, a wretched sob wracking your form. 

The stream hits your neck next, before traveling down your entire body. You’re absolutely covered in piss, all whilst crying your eyes out. You try to scramble away, but end up skipping in the acrid liquid. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Why the-why the fuck would you do that?” He fries. to approach you, a small smile quirking at his lips, but you kick at him, trying to keep him away from you, “Get the fuck away from me! Don’t fucking touch me! You just fucking pissed on me like a-like wild fucking animal!” 

He grabs you in his arms as you slap, punch, and scratch, quickly bringing you to your bedroom. He tosses you onto your mattress, effectively sullying your new sheets. You try to scramble off of your bed, but his large frame suddenly dwarfs yours, trapping you to it. 

“I didn’t want to do it, My Heart, but you left me no choice. You wouldn’t let me scent you, and I couldn’t let you wear another male’s scent-“ 

“You don’t own me! We don’t even know each other!” You smack at his well toned chest, as you cry. He kisses you on your piss covered forehead, nuzzling into your slightly damp hair. 

“But we will. We’re mates, after all,” With those words, he starts to strip you. “All you need to know is that I know what’s best for you. Right now, you need a big, strong mate to breed your in heat womb, and I’m the right one for the job! So, just lay back and let me help you!” 

Your top half is exposed to him, breasts bouncing as he tears your clothes to shreds. Your hits have no effect on him, as he is stares down at your naked body hungrily. 

“Why are you doing this to me? I’m not a hybrid, it doesn’t make any sense-“ 

“Nature doesn’t need to make sense. Nature decided that we’re made for one another, and the sooner you realise this, the sooner you’ll realise that I’m good for you,” He hoists your thighs over his broad, muscular shoulder, a teasing grin on his face, “But right now, I’m going to make you cum as many times as I can.” 

He attaches his mouth to your unprotected pussy, lips sucking at your clit, whilst his tongue enters your unprepared opening. A loud yelp leaves your lips at the feeling. 

His veiny hands grip the fat of your thighs, as he moves your hips to rub against his face. At first, you’re really uncomfortable, but after a few moments, you’re having to restrain yourself from moaning lamely. Jean is paying special attention to your clit, sending jolts of pleasure down your spine. 

A particularly hard suck has you gushing with arousal, and although it wasn’t an orgasm, it was enough to make your thighs shake pathetically. You can feel him grin against your slit, as he inches a hand down to your cunny, and slips a thick finger inside of you. A loud mewl echoes through your chest, as your once slapping hands cover your face in shame. 

“Are you feeling good, Heart?” His airy voice would be suave if it weren't for the fact that you’re being assaulted, and you’re covered in a strange man’s piss. 

“Nu-no!” He chuckles at your weak attempt of denying him, and dives back into your weeping pussy. Polnareff rubs his finger against you g-spot with ease, not struggling to find it at all. 

That, coupled with the intense suckling on your clit, sends you over the edge. Your juices shoot out onto the white haired man’s face, coating him with your essence. 

“That was a strong orgasm, My Love. Are you sure you’re not enjoying yourself?” The teasing lilt in his voice makes you want to punch him in the face, so that’s exactly what you do. 

He grunts in pain, and in a moment of anger, flips you onto your stomach, hands held firmly in his grasp. Your back is arched just right to be in the prime breeding position, causing his cock to throb in need. Jean always liked a head-strong woman. 

“There’s no need for violence. If you wanted me to make love to you that bad, you could’ve just told me,” He didn’t wait to hear your response, instead choosing to sink his massive cock into your tight walls. Gods, you’re so tight. 

The rabbit couldn’t help bun moan at the feeling of your spasming cunny. It’s almost like you’re trying to draw him in! 

If that’s what you want, then that’s what you’ll receive. 

Jean starts a rapid pace, his hips slamming into yours harshly. His heavy balls smack against your clit with every thrust, causing you to scream in both pleasure and pain. 

Within moments, you’re creaming and gushing around his length. Moaning in unison with you, he speeds up his ministrations, quickly cumming inside of you. His hips stutter, before stopping, allowing him to cum what seemed like buckets. Your body sags, signifying your belief that he was finished, when in all actuality, he’s far from it. 

He immediately restarts his jack hammer pace, his free hand gripping your hip, “You’re perfect! A perfect pussy that squeezes me so good, a perfect personality, and a perfect body. I’m going to knock you up with many kits!” You sob into your pillow, trying to block out his voice, cock, and smell of piss. 

You cum again and again, being filled with liters of virile cum. His hand that once held your hip cups your bloated tummy, a dopey smile covering his handsome features. 

Jean can practically feel you becoming pregnant, and it satisfied him greatly. 

Noticing your lack of movements, he realises that you’ve passed out.

Oh well, when you wake up, he’ll be sure to attend to you once more. 

Safe Haven.

Summary: [prompt from the list a reblogged “Breath with me yeah? Come on. Breathe. You got it - there you go.” Reader finally convinces Din to let her go come on a bounty after being shot months ago but at the first sign of danger, she realizes she wasn’t ready.

Warning/Content: soo much soft Din, like ya’ll man is in LOVE, blasters, major panic attack, prior injury. Comforting Din is a sweet angel. 

Paring: Din Djarin/Female Reader

Tag list. || Master list. 

Din’s eyes feel hot, intense even through the shield of beskar that is definitely hiding the way his face pinches, unamused as thick arms fold across his chest. His stance stops you from pulling the laces of your boots tight, dropping your foot from the bunk completely as he walks close, biting the inside of your cheek, knowing exactly what backlash is coming. “I thought we talked about this.”

“It’ been months. I can’t take one more minute in this ship.” His hesitance comes with reasoning, months ago after experiencing the blinding, gut wrenching feeling of loosing the person you love the most, he was paranoid. At one time he used to embrace danger, welcome it with open arms but now he finds himself staying clear of any planet he hears rumors about in cantinas, engages emergency protocols on the ship to secure no one can get in.. but with every growing day, the walls seem to be moving, growing closer and closer until you can’t take it. More as if Din is trying to keep you in. It’s suffocating. 

It’s not his fault, every time his eyes fall to the small welted scar against your lower neck it brings him back to holding his hand against it as blood squirts from the nick, screaming and yelling as droopy eyelids finally close. He knows it’s unfair, he’s selfish but will never, ever see you like that again. Helpless, lifeless in his arms as blood mats his own skin. It happened months ago but the pain if just too fresh.

“Sweetheart you -.”

“Stop.” It’s unamused, chest letting go of a big sigh as you give into his words, not really sure how many more times you can hear them. It’s either along the lines of “I want you safe,” or “Next time baby.” It’s only to put himself at ease, keep peace in the Crest and honestly you don’t quiet understand, you’re healed, left with an ugly scar that still swells, ripped skin binding purple but none the less okay.

There is no escape from it, his willingness to protect the ones he loves until the day he dies and unapologetically will do so, no matter how angry you get with him, scowl and side eye him. You know you shouldn’t be frustrated with him, but can’t help as teeth bite nervously on the fat of your lip, slightly red from the outburst. Starting to turn but not before orange tipped gloves move the loose strand of hair behind your ear, fingers press against the smooth skin of where your jaw and cheek meet, nimbly sliding until his thumb and pointer pinch your chin. It’s gentle, a small amount of pressure applied under the chin to catch what would be the excuse this time, the apology and the cute pet name that makes your knees week. He’s between your legs, the close proximity used to make his words meaningful, but the way his other hand reaches down to your thigh to catch your attention makes butterflies flutter in your stomach.  

It surprises you, with a sharp turn of your head see him tilt his head towards the ramp, a silent but meaningful gesture. It’s sweet, the smile that reaches eyes, crinkling as you meet his eyes with joyous bulbs. “Really?”

With one singular nod, you’re slipping past him. The smell of outside is so breath taking, of course Din didn’t keep you locked in here, you were allowed outside but never too far from the crest but this, this adventure was what made all those months of being here all by yourself while Din sought bounty after bounty worth it. It’s like a baby foul learning to walk, free and spreading your legs away from the metal piece of junk. It was so close, the tree line visible, a thick fog sits on the outskirts of it, the smell dewy and grassy - you’re almost there, a few more steps and you’ll feel the grass squish under boots but not before Din is pulling you back into the crest with a hand that finds your bicep.

“Din!” You whine but the Mandalorian doesn’t seem to care much, only sits you down in the exact spot as before with a huff. His sinks to his knees, orange fingertips mixing with the black lace of the boots you neglected to tie before, when he’s done he presses his hand to his own knee, staring right back at your own reflection as he tilts his head.

“I have some rules.” You huff back, arms stretch across your chest, noticing the way the swells of your breast pushing up momentarily freeze the Mandalorian in front of you but he breaks his gaze, stern as ever. “If anything goes wrong you come right back here.”

There’s something be pressed against your lower thigh as he lays the heavy blaster down onto your lap, urging it forward to take but not before switching the safety on. “Only for emergencies, I do the shooting if need be. This is the safety sw -.”

“I know what the safety switch is, Din.” Clearly unamused as his fingers tighten around your knee cap as he rolls his eyes but that soon changes as he slides his hand down the outside of your thigh, giving it a small squeeze. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise, there’s no need to worry.”

“I have every reason to be worried.” Din argues as your hand slips over his own squeezing it reassuringly your other hand finds the bare patch of skin between where the his helmet and tunic separate to twirl the soft ends of his hair with fingertips. His own reaching up the feel the puffiness of the scar on your neck, a reminder to what is really at stake here. 

“It won’t happen again.”

Din wants to believe that, wants to trust that he can be enough to protect you but it’s hard when he still sees it in his dreams, feels the blood beneath his fingers and remembers just how lifeless you looked that day.  “You don’t know that..”

Before anymore words can be said, anymore thoughts can creep up and make him change his mind small hands lift the helmet, just enough to reveal his moustache and press a soft, meaningful kiss against his lips. It’s unexpected, mouth open for the majority of the kiss but meeting yours at the last second, it’s almost painful to not experience what was intended.  “I’ll be fine, my love.”

He does not like it, not one bit. Din is not a soft man. He’s kind, cares a little too much about those he loves. He’s passionate, fun, smart and kind but in moments like these he feels like slipping out of the beskar for good, leaving it all behind to spent everyday like this, so wrapped up in each other that the world is forgotten but the red flashing that beeps from his belt reminds him it’s not possible. 

A man of few words as he stands, towers over your sitting figure but none the less extends a hand towards you, gladly accepting his offer as he feels your finger fill the gaps between his own as he pulls you along. The first step of freedom is a relief, a small sigh falling from your lips but the burning gaze you felt has you turning you head to meet his own but he doesn’t say anything, not even when your eyebrows raise in question. 

“Come on pretty girl, not much longer it will be dark.”

***

The Mandalorian is patient with you, allowing small detours only because of how beautiful the planet really is. The vibrant oranges and mixes of purple flowers catch your attention more then he would like but watch your smile and pull him towards the direction of the fields is so serene he can’t even remind the task at hand, all of it seems to disappear, the thought is how pretty your skin looks when the sun touches it, how light your eyes shin against the sun, wants to count every little crystal inside your deep orbs. 

The fob does that, it beeps but you don’t seem to care as your fingers press against the hard cracks of the tree, feeling the growth of decades under finger tips, taking a deep breath with an even bigger smile as the small animal hops towards your direction but the sound of heavy boots at your every turn, so close behind you he’s practically attached at the hip scare it away. 

“The bunny!” You frown, creating as much distance as possible between the Mandalorian in hopes that the white, fluffy animal will come back. 

A hand tugs on your own, turning to face the source but he doesn't move, sinks his fingers deeper into your skin, bringing you forward until he's almost pressed chest to chest with you. "What is it Din?”

"Nothing.." It’s vague, almost awkward until he’s reaching forward, flushing his metal covered forehead against your own, the cool of the beskar feels nice compared to the sun that taunts your skin. His voice falters, unsure as word slip from past his lips. “It’s not too late to go back, we can go a different day.”

“Why for you can just leave in the middle of the night without me?” You can’t see his expression but by the way his shoulders drop, head slightly tilts to avoid has you almost feeling guilty.

He doesn’t ask again, presses soft gloves to squeeze your waist, it’s gentle and fast, just enough to let you know he understands, that he’s sorry for even asking before facing the opposite direction but this time he doesn’t give you the chance to explore or look, he continues on, tugging you by your hand if you in any way get distracted by the pretty flowers and small animals. 

When you do finally arrive at where the bounty is supposedly hiding you look at Din with raised eyebrows, as he crouches down next to you, hidden by the tree line. He would answer but the bright, flashing red gives it away. By the look of this place, it’s empty, an old run down town that is clearly owned by the forest. The trees have started to grow around it, leafy vines cover the bricks, a thick layer of moss that hasn’t been touched in years. All the windows are busted, either by the trees that grew into them or the many years of abandonment. The soft breeze howls through the edges of broken glass, it’s a little off putting, the haunting feel that seeps into the pits of your stomach, nervous but the silence is eerie, it’s too quiet, something isn’t right. The boarded doors with a exception of a few split down the middle were pale in color due to ears of weathering. 

“Stay behind me.” Before the words can even touch your ears he’s leaving the camouflage of the trees making you stumble behind until you reach the center of the lonely town, you’re not even in three feet of him when he suddenly stops. Catching you off guard, walking right into his towering figure with a small huff as you face plant into his backplate. 

“Why did -.” The words don’t even make it out before his gloves press against your mouth, muffling the soft noise you make upon impact. His eyes search around the rattling building as another gush of wind raised goosebumps against your bare arms. Ears alert, seeking the crunching of dirt from the heavy, unexperienced shoes that didn’t belong to you. 

“What is it?” You mange to mumble as his hand starts to loosen but at that exact moment something hits the ground with such force it has both you and the Mandalorian’s heart jumping. 

“Shh!” But it’s too late, the red shot that whips past you comes before the loud echoing that burns your ears. It comes from the opposite tree line you hid behind but now seems miles away as the danger of blasters shooting past you. It’s almost instant as the Mandalorian tucks you into his chest, shielding you from the same direction as he pulls the blaster from the holster, extending it but there’s no one there. His arms stays wrapped around your shoulder, cheek against the cuirass as you squeeze your eyes shut but the other presses into the side of the helmet activating the heat sensors but it’s not until he’s pushing against your back urging you to the nearest building that you realize how dire the situation is.

“Go run!” It’s too late, rays from blasters hit the ground, dirt gathering in a cloud around you, burning your nose, eyes watering from irritation but allows for just enough cover to run, seeking protection into one of the eerie homes. The blasters follow in your and Din’s direction, hundreds of round miss instead they char the ground black and poke through the thin walls of the safe house as Din shoves you inside the threshold of it, flipping an old table over to use it as protection. Din never falters, using his own body to shield yours by pressing his back against the underside of the table, pulling you into his chest and wrapping his arms around your waist.

It’s suffocating but that’s not the reason your chest is burning or the fact that you ran so fast that even Din himself would be impressed. It’s the same reason to room spins, eyes blurring as something heavy crushes your chest, throat closing with squeezed eyes. You can’t think, can’t function properly only pushing away by placing two hands against his chest plate and pushing with all the strength you can manage as the blasters stop. Your own hands find your chest, trying to sooth the burn through the shirt, wild eyes filled with panic meet Din’s which are as equally concerned. 

He’s right there but so far away as you let out a panicked breath, a small wheeze whistles through your nose as your throat begins to close, spits sitting at the back of your mouth as you panic, unable to swallow, unable to move but like always he keeps you grounded. Large hands take your wrist, pressing them against his chest as he sits up on his knees to hold you from falling to the floor. Sliding down to gentle grasp your elbow, the other hand rubbing against your back with slow, precise movements. 

“Breath with me yeah? Come on -” Feeling his own chest slow under your palms to match a more appropriate rhythm for you to follow. The hand moves under your shirt, the bare skin of his hand with the glove thrown lazily onto the floor with more pressing matters at hand.  “You got it - there you go, that’s it.”

It’s frustrating, makes tears sting against your waterline as a choked breath finally expands your chest and makes Din release a soft sigh of relief. His fingers never leave the comfort of your skin, just pull you closer as another warning shot fires outside the building. It’s barely the time but he asks anyways. “You okay?”

Hands tremble against his chest but nod unsurely, hoping to convince him it really wasn’t that bad. False pain makes your neck throb, the scar tingle with the memory of searing pain, hot blood that rushed down your skin, the lightheadness that fell over you that day. There isn’t much time to believe you so instead he pushes himself up from the floor, hand never leaving yours as he drags you along the house. It looks worse inside, walls bare, wires pulled from behind them, the ceiling caved down and scattering the floor in some places but somehow you still manage as he pulls you into the kitchen. The back door is slightly open, the tree line is only feet away, there is no backyard just woods that seem to run for miles and an urging hand walking you towards the direction on the small of your back. 

“Go to the Crest, use the gun if you have to but I only heard one set of boots. He must have a machine gun. I’ll be there.” While is tone is stern, doesn’t leave room for argument you can’t help it.

“What about you?”

“I’ll distract him, just go!” 

***

While it was difficult to find the crest as you ripped through the thick ropes of the forest with watering eyes that impaired your sight, your feet never stopped moving through the thick foliage until they once again press into the comfort of the Crest but even there you couldn’t seem to catch your breath.

Hot tears rush down your cheeks as you lean against the create in the cargo bay, sliding down the length of it until you plop against the floor and pull your knees to your chest. You’re not sure how much time passes, but when the wetness of cheeks start to dry you begin to worry but can’t seem to move, glued to the floor while hysteria pulses against your neck, fingers reach to rub the rigged scar with a soft huff. 

You barely notice the boots that rub your shins, too stuck in your head as you look up to meet the Mandalorian’s tilted gaze. He sighs as he finds himself next to you, sharing the same create for support as he sits shoulder to shoulder with you. He doesn’t say anything like you expect him to, just offers his presence as comfort as his hand squeezes your own.

“You were right.” The barrier of silence finally breaks, head falling to his shoulder for support, for warmth, actually for any kind of comfort he brings. “I wasn’t ready, I heard the blasters and just, lost it.”

“You don’t have to say anything, it’s okay.”

“No, you were right. You always are. All the pain from that night came back, I...I felt like I was dying again.” Smooth fingers glide down your waist, squeezing gently as he pushing you onto his lap, helmet falling to the ground with little care as he urges your face into his neck. The smell of cleanness, his soap fills your entire being as his still bare hand finds it’s way under your shirt running soft, lazy patterns on the curvature of your spine.

Uncharacteristically, lips press against your own. Soft, gentle, filled with so many words he doesn’t know how to say instead he shows you, tilting his head for the bridge of his nose bumps your own, it’s lingering, savoring every minute against them. Foreheads pressed together as he murmurs against them, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise, sweet girl.”

For a second your mind stills, just feeling the fanning breath from his nose blow hot air against your lips. Just to press forward to feel the tickle of his moustache as his pout meets yours once again. Those lips are a safe haven and at this very moment have you trembling for security. 

tags:

 @victias @altarsw @coonflix @mudhornchronicles @buckysalefty @capsheadquarters @godohammers @ilikemymendarkandfictional @rogertaylorsfalsettogivemehives @maileecabudol @itsfangirlmendes @mermaidbrina @nikkixostan @moonlightnumbsthepainifeel @dinsbeskar @est19xxshit @owloveyounever @engie115

@nerdalert-andi

@impala1967666

@akatasukilove

Two Shorten the Road

Part 2

Joel dawson x reader

Warnings: none I think

Word count: 1951

Promt: you and joel are of to a great start on your journey, that is until your get attacked by one of the mutated monsters

I’ve always hated goodbyes, especially when they might be forever. Joel and I had packed quickly and said our goodbyes.

“So joel, you gotta use your advantages, so like your small and fast, so ya know, don’t fight! Just run, run and hide” Tim told Joel

“Take care of him Y/N”

“Stay alive you two!”

“For real! Do not die!”

I met joel right under the bunker’s exit hatch. He looked at me, fear and excitement in his eyes

“You ready?” He asked as he adjusted his backpack

“As ready as I’ll ever be” I said looking up at the ladder

“You know you don’t have to-“ he stared before i cut him off, what was ur gonna take for him to understand that I was coming and that was that.

“I want to, really, I do” I said smiling at him

“Alright then” he said. He looked up and began climbing up the ladder, I followed after him.

We pushed the hatch open, and Joel helped me out. The sun was hot against my skin. I looked at joel. He was looking is all directions, amazed by the sight of the trees and grass. I smiled at him, remembering how long it had been since he’d been outside. We made eye contact, he took a deap breath. Joel jumped down and I followed.

“Ok so, we need to go west” he said looking at his map

“Right…West” I said looking around, I had no idea which way was west, i normally just followed everyone when i went out hunting.

“This is not….very helpful” he said looking at the map

Joel began walking one way, still looking down at his map. He turned noticing I wasn’t following him. Then he began walking the other way

“We’re gonna die” I said

“Hey just because I’m not entirely sure which way is west does not mean we are screwed” he said defensively

“Actually Kato that’s exactly what it means” I said, grabbing the map from his hands

He looked around, thinking for a second as I studied his map. Suddenly he began walking again, i quickly ran up behind him

“Let’s go this way, ya west is this way” he said, nodding confidently “split the difference, done! First decision made”

And we were off

It’s so weird being outside with Joel. I’m hardly used to being outside in general, and joel. Man I cannot even believe why joel is thinking right now, I mean he hasn’t been outside in 7 years. We have been walking for about one hour. We were walking through what seemed like a deserted neighborhood. There were a lot of cars and busses. Covered in vines, rusting away. Preoccupied with what was around me and not what was below me, I tripped, falling on my face.

“Oh shit! Y/N are you ok?” Joel ran over helping you up

“Yup, ya I’m good” I said dusting myself off. I looked up at joel, his eyes had worry behind them. I smiled telling him I was ok. His hands slowly let go of me. I looked down at what I had tripped over. A hot pink frisbee, how convenient.

“Ya I know, I know, your like an strong bad ass” he said jokingly

You laughed and pushed his arm as you began to start walking again

“Y-ya know I never thanked you and stuff, for ya know? Coming with me, I’m actually really glad you came, I don’t think I could do this without my best friend” he said, looking at his feet

“You don’t need to thank me joel, I don’t think I would have been able to stay one day in that colony without you” I smiled

“Also I really do need to thank you because I’m pretty sure I would have been killed already, to death” he said nodding his head

“Killed to death? Really? Wow sounds gruesome” u said laughing

“Wow” he said and we broke out laughing.

Suddenly a sort of rumbling sound came from somewhere, I couldn’t tell which direction. I looked at joel, panic now rest in his eyes.

“Run and hide” he said repeating what he had been told before leaving the bunker “hide….hide in the house! Y/N this way!” He said running toward the house, i threw my bow over my back, adjusting it and then running after him.

The house was quite, the wood creaked under my feet. I took off my bow and grabbed the arrow. Now I was ready to fight whatever bastard was gonna attack us. The sound got louder causing both me and Joel to run outside through the back door. We stumbled out of the house. I looked over at him and he shrugged. Suddenly another sound came from behind us. Bubbles. Me and Joel slowly turned around to see a little pond that had bubbles emerging on its surface. I grabbed an arrow, threading it through my bow as I began walking toward the pond.

“No Y/N!” joel demanded in a whisper

I stumbled back as a creature emerged, it was huge. I slowly backed away. Shit. I could hear Joel trying to tell me to run. He began counting

“Run on three Y/N! One, two, three!” we both broke off in a run toward the gate. I Pulled back my arrow and prepared to shoot but I was too late. Before I knew it I was being thrown into the fence and then dragged toward the toad-like creature. I grabbed desperately onto a log but it just came along with me.

“JOEL! shit! Help me! Grab my bow!” I yelled trying everything I could to slow this thing down. I could feel it’s tongue in my shoe. Joel was frozen in place. Shit. Then barks, something I hadn't heard for 7 years. A small brown dog came running toward me. It bit and chewed at the creature's yellow tongue. It quickly released me and I staggered up. I ran toward joel.

“Come on! We need to go!” I said , guiding him. I stopped to grab my bow before running out of the gate. The dog was behind us. But so was the Toad. The brown dog ran toward a deserted bus that had been decorated, painted. The doors opened and he ran inside, Joel and I followed.

The bus looked like it had been someone’s home at one point. Many different things hung from the room and pages of magazines and drawings covered the windows. I looked around as Joel caught his breath and calmed himself down. I walked over to a table and sat down, looking at what seemed like craft supplies.

“Nice place” Joel said still out of breath “mine if I sit?” Now this man was talking to a dog, figures. The dog looked up as if to say “yes”. Joel sat on the bed and I moved next to him.

“Are you ok?” He asked sweetly

“Ya, I’m good” I said smiling

Joel nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. “Are you all alone?” I asked the dog, he was laying on a bed made out of a quilt and a pillow that said “boy” on it. The dog shifted its head away from us in response. I really love dogs, and this was breaking my heart. I sat down next to the animal and began petting it. I could feel Joel’s eyes on me. Eager to break the silence I decided to test my theory for the dog's name.

“Boy” I said and the dog sat up, he was suddenly all ears. “Is that your name? Boy?” I asked, smiling and giving him more pets. Joel smiled.

“Your names boy” joel said “I’m Joel, and that pretty lady is Y/N” he said gesturing to me “she’s my best friend, thank you for saving her” he whispered

I smiled, how could anyone not love this boy? This Aimee chick is quite lucky. I am worried though. What if she moved on? Joel would be broken.

“Nice to meet you” I said kissing the dog on the head

Joel smiled and then continued to look around. His eyes fell on a red dress.

“Is this a dress?” He asked picking it up

“No, it’s a hat” I said sarcastically, Joel looked at me, confused. “I’m kidding” I said and I could see the realization in his eyes. Suddenly Boy moved and grabbed the dress out of Joel’s hands and brought it back to his bed.

“Ok, I won’t touch it again” Joel said, throwing his hand up in defense. I looked carefully at the dog. He looked sad

“Was that your owner’s?” I asked, the dog stayed still. I laid down to get closer to him “it’s ok, you don’t have to talk about it” I looked at Joel and shrugged. Then I realized “wait did you think I was her?” I asked the dog, still he lay avoiding eye contact. I sighed, this poor dog.

“Hey um, I’m gonna lay down too” Joel chimed in “is that o…” he stopped to take off his backpack which seemed to startle the poor thing. “No it’s ok! It’s just my backpack” Joel reassures the dog. He plopped it down on the floor and moved his feet up on the bed. I laid down next to the dog bed, laying my bow and arrows next to me.

“Wait hey” Joel said sitting up a little “you don’t have to nap on the floor” he told me

“It’s fine, I like to be close to Boy” I responded smiling

“Are you sure? I mean I feel like I should really let you sleep on the bed since you almost died and I couldn’t save you” he said sitting up fully

“Joel, it’s fine! I'm serious, and please do not beat yourself up about that. It’s not your fault!” I told him, trying to ease his worry.

He nodded “kkkkkkkkkkk” he said “just take this though” he took off his red jacket and handed it to me

I gave him a look that said “no really I’m fine” then he returned the look with an “I insist” look. I gave in and used the jacket as a blanket. I closed my eyes, almost drifting off to sleep…..but then Joel was up and at em. He put his backpack on and began to walk out of the bus. I scrambled up and followed him. Guess we are leaving…. Boy followed us out and for some reason Joel seemed surprised.

“Oh hey are you coming with us?” Joel asked and Boy ran back inside “ok then” then suddenly Boy was back out with the red dress

“Oh yes of course, Joel,” I looked at Joel. “We cannot forget the dress!” I told him as if it was obvious

“Oh right ya, here Boy let me put it in my backpack” he tried to pull it away from Boy but he wouldn’t drop it

“Hey it’s ok, he’s gonna keep it so safe in the safe pack” I said kneeling down to sooth the dog. He let go and Joel put the red dress in his backpack. I adjusted my bow and we began walking. Me on the right, Joel on the left and Boy in the middle. My weird brain couldn’t help but think about if we could all be a family. If everything was normal. We would get married and adopt Boy. That is if I ever get the courage to tell Joel how I feel and if he feels the same. Welp! Until then I am stuck in my imagination as we venture closer toward our destination.

Thank you so much for the tag, @jhoudiey!

This looked like a nice, simple enough thing to fill in (though knowing me I will needlessly complicate matters), so I decided to do this as a way to ease myself back into posting.

Firstly, here's the blank answers for ease of use:

Veggies VS Meat

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

Sweet VS Salty

Noodles VS Rice

Mint VS No mint

Singing VS Dancing

Cold weather VS Hot weather

Dog VS Cat person

Big spoon VS Little spoon

Extrovert VS Introvert

Actions VS Words

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

Movies VS Series

Comics VS Books

Good liar VS Bad liar

I believe the intention is to simply bold the answers... But because I'm extra, I'll be providing an explanation where I feel necessary. You may fill it in as you so please!

Without further adieu...

Neko

Veggies VS Meat

Miss Neko is a feline beastwoman, and cats are well-known to be obligate carnivores. However, in being a beastwoman, she also needs some form of a human diet as well. Her preference is absolutely meat, but she stopped begrudging the need to eat vegetables at about age nine.

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

Cats are well known to have sensitive tongues, and Miss Neko is no exception! Anything more than mild spice and the poor thing will be sneaking ice-cubes out of the Mostro Lounge freezer for days!

Sweet VS Salty

She has a bit of a sweet tooth! Especially cake.

Noodles VS Rice

Rice is generally less messy, and there's nothing more irritating than ending up wearing most of your food, especially for a proud pedigree such as herself!

Mint VS No mint

I imagine mint will have the same effect on her as spice - it's less of a refreshing treat and more like a cold burn.

Singing VS Dancing

Miss Neko loves to sing! Whether she's good at it or not, well... That's up for her company to decide. Even then, it won't stop her.

Cold weather VS Hot weather

While she can manage the sun in small enough doses, Neko dislikes excessive heat. She learned the hard way to apply sun-lotion to the skin of her ears when she was but a kitten! The cold weather is so much more accommodating to her natural tendencies. Ah, a cushioned window-sill, a woolen sweater, a warm drink and the sound of the gentle rain hitting the window...

She could just... nod off right... there...

Dog VS Cat person

"Nya? Surely you jest! Can't you see from these adorrrable ears and this elegant tail that I am nothing less than a pedigree kitty? How silly~"

Big spoon VS Little spoon

Both! I was initially going to say it depends on who I ship her with, but even if she was dating one of the taller characters, I don't think she would shy away from curling in around them and purring against their shoulder to soothe them to sleep. Relationships are about give and take, after all!

Extrovert VS Introvert {It's... complicated}

I think that Miss Neko is an introvert that disguises herself as an extrovert. She displays a veneer of charm and natural charisma, putting forth the impression of a very confident person. However, her sense of bravado hides away a rather vulnerable side to herself, a part of her with insecurities and vulnerabilities that she doesn't want to readily share with just anyone.

Actions VS Words

Words can so often be empty. Actions, no matter how small, can say as much as a thousand words could. Although, if you wished to pair said actions with pretty words...

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

I think it does depend somewhat on the situation, but I think that Neko doesn't allow things to pierce her very deeply unless they come from someone she holds in very high esteem. Working as a server in the Mostro Lounge has perhaps taught her how to let thoughtless words roll off her back... most of the time.

Movies VS Series

If you ask her to sit through much more than 90 minute movie, she might just doze off.

Comics VS Books

Both! Though she definitely gets through comics faster, unless the book she's reading is incredibly interesting.

Good liar VS Bad liar

A good liar to those who don't know her heart.

Persephone Amaryllis

Veggies VS Meat

Persephone finds it incredibly rewarding when meals are made using produce from her own garden! You can really taste the difference in quality.

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

She's more adventurous with foods than others! She's always keen to try anything at least once. Kalim seemed delighted when she seemed to enjoy the dishes from his homeland despite the intensity of the spice. Even if a few others looked at her as though she'd grown a second head...

Sweet VS Salty

Sweet treats are great! Especially when you incorporate fruits and berries into a dessert.

Noodles VS Rice

Being someone who likes to work in the dirt when tending to plants, she doesn't really care much if she gets her clothes dirty from slurping noodles. Keeping her clothes spotless aren't a huge priority for her - stains just bring back fun memories.

Mint VS No mint

A little can go a long way, bringing a dish together to feel light yet fulfilling. Easy to overdo, however!

Singing VS Dancing

Being a rather animated person, she often has a lot of pent up energy! Who cares if you look silly, so long as you're having fun?

Cold weather VS Hot weather

Warm weather is Persephone's element. There's no better time to go for a long walk outside and take in the beauty of nature, wading through long grass, sitting in the shade of a tree, watching the gentle breeze sway the budding flowers to and fro. The soft caress of the sun as it cascades over your skin... what could be better than that?

Dog VS Cat person

Both animals are wonderful as far as Seph is concerned! They both have their own unique characteristics as a species that make them charming, though perhaps a dog might suit Persephone a bit more as a pet because dogs tend to match her energy more, and she could take a dog out on her adventures with her. Fancy getting a cat that isn't Neko into a harness!

Big spoon VS Little spoon

She has a protective and nurturing side to her as well. Sometimes all you need is someone to hold you close and be present with you in that moment. Seph may be a high-energy person, but she also knows when to mellow out and simply let a moment pass comfortably with peace. Nothing need be said, only felt. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere.

Extrovert VS Introvert

And extrovert, through and through! She has no qualms about going up and introducing herself with confidence and enthusiasm. Anything new, she will readily and cheerfully throw herself into it. She tends to be quite open and upfront about her positions and feelings on matters and people... there are few things that she feels the need to hide, but that's the same for everyone, isn't it? No one is entitled to her deepest secrets, it makes the version of her she shows to other people no less authentic.

Actions VS Words

Growing up, she learned that people liked to excuse their actions with words. She thinks it's best to let your actions and the way you treat others do the talking for you. Small gifts, body language, physical touch, small acts of service... That's her love language.

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

There is nothing you could say to her that her mother or herself hasn't already. You'll have to try pretty hard or be pretty close to hurt Persephone Amaryllis.

Movies VS Series

Movies have so little time to really explore the world and characters! A series can offer more insight at a far less rushed pace than movies can, and you get so much more growth in a series than in a film. They feel more satisfying to Persephone.

Comics VS Books

There's just something so satisfying about the sound of a page turning, the scent of paper and ink, and a typewritten font...

Good liar VS Bad liar

Strict mothers make convincing liars.

Robin Redfearn

Veggies VS Meat

It takes both to make a wholesome, hearty meal!

Spicy food VS Non-spicy food

Robin is used to her grandmother's traditional cooking, where sadly the most spicy seasoning is probably pepper...

Sweet VS Salty

There's nothing like a nice trifle after dinner to hit the spot.

Noodles VS Rice

She prefers white rice because it soaks up the sauce in a dish, giving it more flavour.

Mint VS No mint

A little bit of mint is fine. Just not so intense that it makes her eyes water!

Singing VS Dancing

True to her namesake, Robin loves to sing and has quite a nice voice! She often sings while she does chores or schoolwork. If you make it known that you're listening, though, she'll trail off, turn red and quickly go back to her business but in silence.

Cold weather VS Hot weather

Many a winter night was spent cuddled up on her grandma's knee in front of the fireplace as it crackled and roared, the falling snow faint through the frosted windowpanes, the dog at her feet. Her grandmother's soft voice humming her a lullaby as she fought sleep but always eventually succumbed. These memories hold such a special place in her heart.

Dog VS Cat person

She's fond of dogs because of her grandmother's Scottish Terrier!

Also she's shipped with Jack, how can she not like dogs lol

Big spoon VS Little spoon

I don't think poor little Robin could be a big spoon if she tried... though the idea of her trying to spoon Jack is kind of hilarious. But no, I think that she would feel safe and content being in the arms of the person she loves, feeling his breath against the nape of her neck as his warmth envelops her. Lured into a secure, peaceful sleep, much like the roaring fireplace back home...

Extrovert VS Introvert

Robin is quite shy and timid at first, and while she does work on becoming more confident and assertive... she still can't quite manage to be as outspoken and energetic as Persephone. She likes smaller social gatherings, and if asked to attend larger ones, she generally sticks with a small, familiar group and tries to have a good time!

Actions VS Words

Both are necessary. Communication is an important part of any relationship. Telling someone she loves them, though nerve wracking to start, will eventually come to be as natural as breathing to her. She also shows love usually through cooking or baking. She'll purposefully make more than she needs to so she can give others what's left over, and omurice with a heart-shaped squirt of ketchup? You'd best believe it.

Thin-skinned VS Thick-skinned

Admittedly, she can be pretty easily discouraged and hurt. It's something that she knows is an issue and she's working on not taking things to heart so much. Easier said than done.

Movies VS Series

She doesn't really watch much TV. She gets more absorbed by books.

Comics VS Books

Having lived a rather sheltered life before she somehow ended up in NRC, she often found escapism in the form of fantasy books. Who would have thought that she would be walking amongst wizards and magicians, not unlike the ones in those childhood stories? Certainly not Robin!

Good liar VS Bad liar

Honestly if she had to lie she would probably just do it by omission or being very selective about the information she shares. Her grandmother had this look that always somehow managed to make a confession spill from her lips in mere moments... Sometimes Robin wonders if her Grandma might have been a magician...

This was fun, if not a bit long-winded... my apologies. I just get so into it! I hope it's not bothersome to read.

Tagging: @mopotatoes, @shadowwalker593, @goudsreblogzone, @junowritings, @kotobukicutie

And anybody else who would like to participate! To those I have tagged, please don't feel pressured to fill this out (certainly not in the amount of detail I went to) if you don't want to. I'm just interested to see what your answers are for your characters. If you're not comfortable sharing, that's totally fine. No pressure at all. <3

Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch2 Welcome To The Wonderful World Of Pokemon

(Semi-songfic chapter. The song used is I'll Be The One by NerdOut on youtube. I don't own a single thing and all rights and credits go to the original artists. Im only using it for the song-fic chapter. Link to song here.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5PjLhNsnaM

"BBBBBBBBAAAAAAAA!!!!"

A sheep's cry pierced through the air as the darkness swallowing you shifted. You groaned and the first sensation your body felt was the softness of cushions under your sore, stiff body. Your....bed? Thank goodness! You were sure that the nightmare you had the other night was one of the worse ones you could've ever had. The soft groans of your own voice reached your ears and like any other typical morning, you begrudingly got up. You still had college-..THAT'S RIGHT! You still had to get to dorm registration on time! Oh you hoped you didn't oversleep again! You went to move your arm- You sucked in a hissed breath of pain through your teeth as pain throbbed from the sore limb making you flinch and your eyes blink open. The first thing you noticed past your blurry vision was that it was still fairly dark. Not completely dark but as if the sun was just starting to rise or a faint light in the room was turned on. Confused, you blinked even more as your vision cleared up even more and noticed the white ceiling in the dim lighting. You blinked at the ceiling before slowly turning your head to the left to see what was around you. From where you were laying, you could see a pink wall, and on the wall was a window framed by pink curtains. The view outside was a forest and beyond that was the twilight sky with the sun just starting to peek out letting light go out to the world. Next to it was a couple paintings, a woonden cabinet under the window with a few things on it, a TV, a white radiator, coffee table, and a plant in a pot. This-....

This wasn't your house at all. No room in your home looked like this. Then...where were you?

You sat up- A hiss escaped your lips as a spike of pain and soreness ran down your back and you winced. ...You..Tried to sit up but only managed to prop yourself onto your elbows as you took a better look around the room you were in. Taking notice that the couch you laid on was a green color. As you did you noticed a white door right across the room from you, and the sight of another uncarpeted room from you to the left. Along with another bookshelf and radiator alongside the wall behind the couch. YEP. Definately not your living room. How did you get here? Your f/c eyes looked down at your body and you noticed you still had on your fuzzy but now dirty pjs and what looked like was a home made quilt was thrown over your body to keep you warm and a few patches of your exposed skin was covered in bruises and small scratches from last night- Wait! So it wasn't a dream!? That giant crow thing did chase you!? Then how did you get in a nest!? Where were you!? Who brought you inside!? Were you still just dreaming?! That's it! This is nothing but a wild dream and you're going to wake up any moment. The sound of a door from the next room over opening and closing made you jump and turn your head towards the noises. There was some shuffling from over there before footsteps made their way towards you. Your eyes widened and breath hitched in your throat as you could only lay there and watch as a shadow danced across the wall in the dim light and soon after a person appeared head looking in your direction.

"Oh goodness. You're finally awake," came what sounded like a middle aged ladies voice and as the person stepped into the morning light coming in from the room you finally caught a glimpse of the person. What you were met with was a woman who looked around the same age as your mother. Oval shaped glasses sat in front of her brown eyes as her grey hair was pulled over in a ponytail sitting upon her left shoulder, tied back with a green ribbon. As she stepped closer to you you took notice of the flower printed gumboots making the heavy footsteps and the plain grey t shirt and long overalls adorned her body. "I was worried you might've been really hurt from how we found you." You didn't say anything as she kneeled down next to you and gave you a concerned look over, reaching a hand out but not touching you. "How are you feeling? You're not hurt are you?"

"Uh..." You shook your head finally coming back into the moment and reached a hand up to rub your head. "N-No. I-I'm alright." Your eyes again looked around the room. "Where am I?"

She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Oh. Where are my manners? You're in my house. Munchlax found you passed out by the garden fence and I was worried you were hurt. I almost thought about calling the doctor, but luckily you woke up shortly after we brought you inside." She smiled wider in a motherly way. "Wait. How rude of me. I didn't even ask your name."

"Uh..My name is Y/n, Miss," you answered back before deciding to fully sit up. Which you immediately regretted as you hissed leaning your body up. The lady watching with a concerned look as you sorely sat up all the way and looked back to her. "How did I get here?"

"I brought you inside, which wasn't easy," she sighed reaching a hand up to straighten her glasses, "But if you mean how you got by my garden, I can't really say. I only found you after my munchlax pointed you out."

"I-.." Your mind rewound to last night remembering the giant crow thing that you had ran away from in the middle of the night through the darn woods. "I was chased! B-By this giant black bird thing with wings!"

The lady's brow rose. "A..bird? Well I'm not sure what a 'bird' is, but there is a wild flock of corvinight in the woods out back. They're very territorial of that area. It's the reason I don't let my children wonder too far in there." A small thing popped up next to her and gave off a small puppy growl sound. "Oh look who finally came in."

You jumped and blinked at the-....the-...whatever this small cat-..dog-...bear thing was that was looking up at you both before you pointed at it. "W-W-What the heck is that?!"

"Oh this is my pokemon." She smiled happily at the small thing before petting it between the ears. It gave off a pleased growl as she did. "He likes to follow me around my garden and sneak veggies when I'm not looking, but it looks like today he found something else. Isn't that right, Munchy?" It growled again happily at the affection she gave it.

"Wait. D-D-Did you say-...pokemon!?"

Pokemon!? As in-...The game pokemon!? No. That can't be right, this couldn't be happening! There was absolutely no way you were in a fictional world of a video game and anime series right now! Your eyes briefly went back to the munchlax who tilted it's head back at you curiously and blinked like how a dog would. ....If you weren't seeing it with your own two eyes, and your pain proving you were in fact awake, you would've sworn you were still dreaming!

The lady nodded. "Yes. Have you never seen a munchlax before?"

"Uh! N-No no! I have! Must've just...slipped my mind!," you quickly fumbled with your words and the lady hummed.

"Well, it seems since you were chased by a corvinight I guess you would seem a little frazzled. Do you want me to call you a doctor or anyone?"

"N-No! R-Really I'm ok." Even if she called a doctor you really didn't have any money on you to pay for it anyways. "C-Could you tell me where I am-" You paused...Wait. What were places in the pokemon series called again. "Uh...Region! Y-Yeah! Could you tell me what region I'm in?"

Her brow rose up more as she looked at you. "We're in the Galar Region. You don't know where you are?" You shook your head no. "Are you sure you're ok? You didn't hit your head did you?"

Galar Region. Why did that sound so familiar to you? "Uh-...W-Well you see the thing is-...I-...Um..I-I'm-" Your mind raced with some kind of excuse to give the woman. You couldn't just say you were inside of a video game! She'd think you were crazy or really did hit your head. Although you might've taking that tumble from the tree last night. "I'm uh-...Just visiting here! Yeah! I-..M-Must've forgotten because of last night."

The lady stared at you for a moment longer before slowly nodding seeming to understand. "I see. I guess anyone would forget certain things if they were chased by a flock of corvinight." She finally stood up from her kneeled position next to you with a smile. "Well I'm glad you're alright. Although it looks like you had quite the fright by how messy you are. Would you like some breakfast? I imagine you must be hungry."

"I-I mean- N-N-No thanks! I couldn't possibly ask you to do that for me when you've already done so much for me," you insisted not wanting to overstep your welcome.

"I insist. It's the least I can do for you. By the looks of it you lost your things to the wild flock." She gestured to your body and you looked down at yourself. Oh...She was right. You really didn't have anything other than the clothes on your back didn't you? Great- A sound of thunder from your stomach made you sheepishly look down at your own stomach's betrayl of showing your hunger but she just chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes then." She smiled. You went to interject again before hissing as your sore muscles pinched in pain, making her tilt her head at you again. "Oh dear. It seems you were a little more roughed up than we thought. Why don't you go clean yourself up?" She gestured to the white door you had noticed earlier. "There's a shower and bathroom through there. You can clean up and I can let you borrow an old pair of clothes from the back closet."

"Oh NO!" You held up your hands to stop her. "Breakfast is more than enough. I insist!"

"And then you'd go around all covered in dirt with filthy clothes looking like you're homeless?" She asked raising a brow and you took a moment to pause and look down at your dirt and grass stained covered pjs..Oh yeah. You really didn't have any of your other things from your home did you? "Mm hm. That's what I thought. Besides. Like I said it's not a problem."

Well considering you didn't really have any other options at the moment- You sighed and nodded your head in agreement with her to which the lady smiled and again directed you towards the washroom of the home. Well, it's not like you had anything better to do..Except hiss and groaned in pain as every muscle in your body ached trying to move with you literally forcing yourself to toss the quilt off and force your sore legs off the couch and onto the cool floor. Hissing and reaching up to carefully massage your dull aching muscles in your arms and neck and shoulders. Getting up was another thing in of itself. You felt like you did a ten mile hike with how sore your body was, but never the less you willed your self to shuffle towards the washroom. On the way there the lady had come back as you opened the white door and held out an old shirt and more overalls and explained that they were an old pair and she really didn't mind giving them to you when you tried to resist her kindness once again, but you ended up relenting and you ended up taking them into the bathroom with you. You were happy you did in the end because you ended up discovering more than you'd think.

The warm water of the shower helped to release more tension from your aching muscles and while scrubbing off any dirt it was like something clicked in your mind that halted your movements for a while. Pokemon-....You were INSIDE the world of POKEMON! Or having a very very very realistic dream or hallucination. But HOW!?...Well you guessed that question wasn't on the table for now. The more important one was how to get back!? You paused there for a little while pondering over all the questions and info you had just gotten in your head. Ok. Relax. You took a deep breath and exhaled trying to relax yourself and mind. Ok. Don't freak out. The first thing you rationalized was to figure out where you were, then you could go from there. The woman said this was the 'Galar Region' right? Alright. But since this is Pokemon, does that mean you were in the show or one of the games? And why did Galar sound so familar. A memory suddenly flashed by in your mind and you gasped as the memory of being back home. Of the box that knocked over and seeing the games and old consoles tumble out. Of the pokemon game case: Pokemon Sword and Shield- HOW COULD YOU HAVE MISSED THAT!? It was the very last video game you had completed and it took place in the GALAR REGION!! You wanted to smack yourself as everything came flooding back and you groaned. Great! Well at least you knew where you were now, nevermind the fact that going into a video game should've been inpossible unless dreaming. Now that you knew where you were...to an extent, you could try to process what to do next after this-....Wait a moment....Now that you thought about it. This home and that woman seemed familiar too. Had you seen them before? You shook your head, deciding it was enough thinking to yourself and got out. Thankful for the clean change of clothes you slipped on once dried although your (f/c) hair was still sticking onto you slightly wet. But the surprises didn't end there however. As soon as you excited the washroom you were met with another person just sitting on the couch, she looked up as soon as you opened the door and the both of you stared at each other.

You blinked in surprise and looked at her. Not expecting a person sitting there. The girl was younger than you by a few years, looked about 13-14 years old if you had to take a guess. Her dark brown hair was in a short hair cut above her shoulders with matching dark brown eyes, her body adorned a pink dress, grey jacket, green socks with brown boots, and a green beany on her head with a white pom pom sticking up from it. In her hands was a phone and the noises of a crowd cheering wildly came from it in the time you two stared at each other. Presumably what she was watching, and in front of her on the coffee table was now a tea cup on a saucer pan. Presumably what she had been drinking.

Eventually she asked, "Who are you?"

You jumped and blinked at the question. "Uh...I-I'm Y/n. Uh...I just....W-What's your name?," you asked back.

"Gloria. This is my house-"

"Oh there you are." You both jumped and turned around seeing the woman with the glasses once again making an appearance, Munchlax waddling at her side eyeing the plate she was holding in her hands and she sent another smile at you. "I see you finished just in time, and you met my daughter." She then looked to the young girl who looked back at her apparent mother. "Now don't be rude to our guest. She's already frazzled enough being chased by corvinight."

"Corvinight?," Gloria asked eyes widening a bit as her mother nodded. "Oh wow. That's a bad experience."

"And now you know why I never let you kids in those woods." She turned back to you and held out the plate. "Here. It's nothing fancy but it's good enough."

You agreed and nodded reaching for it. "Thank you." The plate as you could tell had a few eggs and some meat on it, but you didn't mind as your stomach rumbled and you happily ate it with the fork you were provided. As you ate, you noticed the sunlight through the window had gotten much brighter. It still looked early tho. Maybe seven, seven thirty in the morning. "This is good. Thank you." You complimented to the woman who smiled back at you.

"I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry I couldn't offer you more."

"N-No. You've already been too kind. I couldn't ask for anymore anyways."

"Well, if you wait around a moment longer I can at least get your other clothes all cleaned up before you go. It'd be cruel to let you go out in that condition, and you can keep the ones you're wearing now. I insist!" She cut you off as you went you counter. "I wouldn't let my own children go out with such things and it'd be cruel of me to do the same to you. You did seem like you lost everything during your scuffle last night."

That made you pause...That's right. You didn't literally have anything other than the very clothes on your back! No money. No phone. No car. Nothing!! And you doubted you could've called anyone with your phone anyways if you still had it. They were all a world- or game- away from you. ...So it's better to take what she offered right?

"O-Ok. If you insist."

She smiled. "That's the spirit. How are you feeling anyhow?"

"Better thanks. The shower helped," you answered before taking another bite of eggs.

"Im glad. Why don't you two sit down and talk while I finish up cleaning those clothes of yours?" She gestured to Gloria who shrugged now with a small smile before looking back to the screen of her phone, before turning and walking out of the room towards where ever you guessed she was cleaning your clothes.

You watched her go before you looked back towards the couch and the girl who was excited watching the screen the cheering noises were coming from. ....Gloria?..GLORIA!! You recognized her now! In the game you could chose between two trainers and considering if you didn't rename them or change their looks to yours, they were either Gloria or Victor. And that woman was their mother in game!! Now you recognized her! Which means in front of you was one of the playable trainers you played as during the game! So you guessed you really were in the game. You stared at her a bit more before clearing your throat grabbing her attention.

"Uh...S-So-..." What do you say to a video game character you play as?..You pointed towards the couch. "W-Would you mind if I sit down?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I don't mind!," she replied before looking back to the screen. You watched a moment longer before deciding to slowly walk over and sat down next to her- "YES!!" She suddenly yelled out doing a fist pump catching you off guard almost dropping your fork. "LEON WON!! Not that I'm surprised of course." She said to no one. "He's the champion for a reason."

You blinked and paused for a moment....Champion..Leon?? OH YEAH! Wow. It had been a while since you played this game. Couldn't remember everything in one day you guessed. Leon was the reigning champion of Galar's gym leaders and pokemon League. You wracked your brain for as much info you could remember at that moment about this Leon, but you weren't doing a good job on it except that you vaugely remember he had a horrible sense of direction and he was supposedly really nice. Your eyes tilted to her phone. Maybe if you looked?

"What are you watching?,'' you asked nodding to the screen and she turned smiling at you widely.

"It's not what but who!" She excitedly pointed her screen to you and you blinked. The sounds of people cheering greeted you as did the sight of some purple haired man waving to the crowds around him....and you blinked at the sight. Flashbacks from last night spearing into your mind like lightning. "HEY! I know that guy!"

"Who doesn't? Leon's been champion for years running! He's like one of the kindest most strongest trainers out there!," she spoke to you happily. "This was from earilier this morning during his latest match. I was asleep but thank goodness for news websites!" She brought the screen back to her again as the video stopped. "Raihan was challenging him for champion title again. But it's always so cool to see them both."

Raihan? Well now that you knew the game you were in you could definately remember some parts including some of the characters. Raihan including. "Isn't that the guy who flirts with everyone and takes too many selfies?"

"...PFFFFT- AHAHA!!" Gloria turned her head with a snort and a few bits of laughter. You weren't expecting that...but smiled at the light hearted laughter from the teen before she looked back at you with a bright smile. "I g-guess you could say that. Hehe. Although I haven't heard anyone refer to him like that before." She shook her head no. "Nah. Raihan's the strongest out of the Galarian Gym Leaders. Other than Leon of course. If Leon wasn't so powerful Raihan would've become champion instead, but since he is Raihan is the top among the gym leaders and likes to challenge Leon a lot for the title...Despite losing all the time. He likes to document everything and posts it all to his own website for everyone to see! ...He's actually a pretty fun guy by what Hop and Leon have told me."

You nearly choked on another bite of your food as you turned to look at her again. "....Wait. You MET Leon?"

"Well, yeah. I knew him ever since we were all little. He's from here you know."

"No I didn't know. Uh...Mind telling me where we are?"

She blinked. "You really don't know?"

"Corvinight chasing can make someone lose a sense of direction,'' you answered as an excuse.

" You're in Postwick. A farming town since days of old where people and their pokemon live in close harmony...or that's what they put on the post cards for the few tourists." She shrugged. "Not really an amazing place, but it's got pretty wildlife and lots of wooloos. So I guess I can't complain. Not when I'm about to start and finally challenge this year's arena battles for the title!"

You blinked. "The title?"

"For the Champion? How do you not know that?" She rolled her eyes. "Not everyone can challenge Leon for the official title other than a few with special titles themselves like Raihan, since he's considered the top strongest gym leader. But there's also the arena battles for the new trainers that begins once a year. It's so special you have to buy a pass just to join or else you can't and only after you get the gym badges before the actual event you can battle in. It's the Chairman's way of making sure only the best trainers can try to earn the title and battle Leon themselves."

"Wow," you muttered. You vaugely remembered all of that from the game but actually hearing Gloria explaining it seemed like it was much more harder outside your gaming experience.

"Oh yeah! And ever since Leon took the champion title from the previous one, he's been unbeatedable for YEARS! Last year he actually broke Galar's record for the longest standing champion yet!" She pointed towards the ceiling and smiled with a determined look in her brown eyes! "And when I get out there Ill show Leon and them all my years of training paid off! Victor's going to be so jealous!"

"Victor?" Wasn't that the name of the male trainer you could've played as in the game. "Uh...Where is he anyways?"

Gloria shrugged. "My brother was more interested in traveling and seeing things than battling. He left home on his own journey earlier this year but we keep in touch when we call or he sends us pictures."

Brother? So in the world you were sucked in Gloria and Victor are siblings rather than an only child the player could pick? Interesting. ..Was that the only change in the game? You tucked that info aside for later in case you needed it and nodded. The next few minutes were you and Gloria watching some more videos on the phone, the plate emptied soon after and placed on the coffee table next to the cup. Eventually Gloria pulled up a song and you instantly tilted your head towards it. The younger girl seemed to noticed the smile on your face now.

"Oh you like music?," she asked.

"Duh! It's like one of my most favorite things!,'' you comfirmed with a smile.

She smiled back. "Well then I don't suppose you know who Piers is do ya?"

Piers?...Piers. The name rung a bell, but you couldn't quite place a name to a face here. ..Wait a second- "Uh....He's one of the gym leaders right??"

"Yeah. Sadly not a lot of people know that or battle him really...In fact I don't think his gym badge is required at all to get into the champion cup?..But nevermind that. He's known throughout galar for something far more than just a Gym Leader! Most don't even know about the Gym Leader bit because of his other job!" She turned and began typing something into her phone.

Oh. So Piers was another gym leader huh? You really had forgotten a lot. Haven't you? "Other job?" You rose a questioning eye brow and Gloria finally pulled up a video and held up the phone to you.

A beat you had never heard began to play and she smiled widely. "Yeah! He's a rock star! The most popular in Galar! Watch and listen!"

On the screen was a stage. And on the stage was a band, but they were more hidden in the dark, the spot light mostly on a single person standing on stage and holding a mic to his mouth. His punk rock attire seemed to fit him well as he tapped his punk rock boots along with the music as it played. Long black and white bangs and hair flowed from his head as piercing blue eyes looked out at the crowd. Or whoever was filming.

"You know there's more to the chapter,'' the man sung out and you blinked at the sudden tender, gentle tone of the man it came from. There was a....an almost tired motion behind the tone, but you could've just been thinking wrong. "On the edge of the darkest day. To be the ultimate master. I'll take my story to any place. Jumped in a race, I was born to run! Fresh out the gate, I was born to run! I'm not look-ing back-wards! They'll yell my name through the stadiums when I'm gone!"

"Isn't he great?," Gloria asked and you blinked to her a bit in surprise, having been absorbed in the music for a bit. "I actually think this is one of his older songs, but he's always trying to put more out to attract attention."

You blinked but turned back to the man with piercing blue eyes as he continued.

"-I'll never be gone." There was a brief three second pause as he took a breath and closed hit eyes. "I'm. On. My. Way. A destiny as old as the sun! They'll. Stake. Their. Cla-a-aim. But I know that I'll be the one!" The beat suddenly picked up with a more rock theme mixed in and bright blue eyes popped back open as his soft expression from before turned into what you could only describe as Gloria's determined face from before as he sang after the brief pause for music. "But I know that I'll be the one!" Another brief pause of music as he began moving along to the beat. "But I know that I'll be the one!" Followed by another pause of music.

"Wow..He's really good." You spoke out loud not meaning too but Gloria nodded.

"I know! He's been singing for as long as Leon's been champion!"

Oh really? Man you really wished you had more time back home to listen to music instead of your mother constantly badgering you to study or work. ..But then real life wasn't like this. And any moment you were still expecting to wake up from your sleep with your mother demanding you get ready and head for the first day on Campus because you were late again.

"A legendary adventure. Out in the wild to prove myself. This power too high to measure. I'll go to battle, don't need no help!" He suddenly leaned the mic forward a bit repeating the chorus from earlier. "Jumped in a race I was born to run! Fresh out the gate! I'm not look-ing backpwards! They'll yell my name through the stadiums when I'm gone!" One hand darted out pointing up. "Straight to the top. Yeah. I'm. On. My. Way. A destiny as old as the sun. They'll. Stake. Their. Cla-a-aim." A smile graced his otherwise tired or determined face and you couldn't help but feel the happiness from it. "BUT I KNOW I'LL BE THE ONE!!" More rock now dropped in the back most likely from the band behind him, and he began moving more to the music. "But I know that I'll be the one!!.....But I know that I'll be the one! I'm! On! My! Way! A destiny old as the sun! They'll! Stake! Their! Cla-a-aim! But I know that I'll be the one!"

The music ended and you couldn't help but smile at the ending performace, the singer, Piers you guessed by what Gloria said lifting a hand to the watching crowd as they cheered. Piers huh? Hopefully you're old memories would come back soon enough to remember him and everyone else soon. Might be helpful.

"Thank you! Please give a round of applause for my marvelous band and consider visiting my own music capital Spi-" He spoke into the mic but you didn't get to hear him finish wait he was saying before Gloria pulled the phone away and turned off the video. A little disappointment filling your features at the end of the song.

"Wow...He's uh..a good singer,'' you tried complimenting to remain polite.

"HE IS! When I battle him on my way to victory Im totally asking him to sign something for me!" She smiled like a giddy teen girl her age would and you smiled. She seemed to have a lot more personality to her than her in game part you played as.

"Well it certainly sounds like you two are getting along." Both of you looked up and over to see that Gloria's mother had returned and in her hands was you could only describe as a very old worn looking back pack and a smile on her face as she walked in. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Hey, Mum! Nah. I was just showing Y/n some music videos." She nodded to the bag. "Whatcha got there?"

"Y/n's clothes I promised, and Victor's old school bag." She smiled as she held it out to you. "Here. I figured it would be awkward for you just to carry a pair of pajamas under your arms while traveling."

You stared at the bag before you..but it was placed into your lap before you could protest. "A backpack too?! Ma'am. It's nice b-b-but I can't accept this."

"Think nothing of it. That old thing was taking up space anyways. Victor never wanted it back after he got a new one before he left and it's been collecting dust ever since in the closet. You'd be doing me more of a favor if you took it." She reassured. "I'd be much happier knowing it's being used than becoming Munchlax's next chew toy. Besides, if you're going to start traveling, you'll need something to carry all your essentials in." Said pokemon yawned from behind her as the munchlax walked over to a carpet near the white door to the washroom and flopped over in a position for a nap.

Well....when she put it like that, it'd be much more useful to have. An old back pack was enough for now. "I...Thank you so much! ..for all of this! Im really grateful, Ma'am."

"Like I said think nothing of it. If I had lost everything being chased down by a flock of giant corvinight, I would've wanted someone helping me in the same way. And I can tell you're a good person." She smiled before turning her attention to the dishes left on the coffee table and picking them up. "You better be ready Gloria. Today's your big start you know."

"I know! I was just relaxing a bit." Gloria smiled and her mother rose a brow.

"We'll make sure you're ready," she said before turning and walking off letting Gloria groan. Kinda reminded you of your ma a bit.

"Oh. Are you going somewhere today?," you asked looking back to Gloria who nodded.

"Yeah! The Champions Cup! It's finally back and I'm feeling pretty lucky this time around! But I'm kinda waiting for someone still."

That's right! In the game is started out with the weird dream you had last night, which you now realized must've been the match between Leon and Raihan who must've been that other guy with the orange head band from said dream, before Gloria or Vincent went on their journey in game with...with...Another kid you were sure but you couldn't remember who. You went to ask her for a moment but the sound of a doorbell made the two of you blink and look over as the door just opened and you blinked as another teen walked in.

"Hello, Hello!," a younger male voice chimed out as the door closed behind him as he looked around. Before catching sight of Gloria sitting in the next room over on the couch next to you smiling as she smiled back.

"HOP!," she chimed happily. And your eyes widened.

HOP! That was his name! The boy who might've been the partner of the main player with how close friends they were, and the Champion's younger brother if memory served you right. The boy smiled and walked towards you both but your eyes blinked and went down to the fluffy companion by the boy's side. It-...It looked like a cheep with grey braids. It baaed in greeting following it's you guessed master into the living room.

"Oh, that your new flash phone, Gloria?," Hop asked noticing the phone in her hands to which Gloria nodded with a hum. "Were you watching Lee's exhibition match on it?"

"Sure was!" She burst with happiness! "It was so cool how he defeated Raihan!"

"But you can't cheer him on with your hands full!," Hop insisted followed my an agreeing bleat from his ...sheep pokemon, "You know the only way to properly cheer on Lee would be with his famous Charizard pose!" He then struck a pose that looked slightly familiar to you with his hand up and head tilted down. Gloria giggling and smiling and you not helping the smile on your face that came. Hop broke away from the pose and smiled again at Gloria...before blinking over at the lady beside her who oh so happened to be you. "Oh. Is that your friend?"

Upon being gestured at you paused and looked over him. He wore a blue fur-rimmed jacket, with a black shirt and pants, the latter with two purple stripes on the sides, along with black, white, and purple colored shoes, and a green bag thrown over his shoulder. His eyes were a gold yellow with a darker complexion, and dark purple hair. Like a younger Leon almost now that you remembered. Gloria however jabbed a thumb behind her at you.

"Who this? This is Y/n. She was chased by a flock of corvinight last night and Mum found her passed out by the garden."

You felt kinda embarrased about letting the lie go further and found it a lil more embarrassing that they thought you were chased by a flock of giant bird brained pokemon and fainted by a fence-....But you guessed it was better than them thinking you were crazy if you had said they were characters in a video game and you were somehow teleported here from the real world. But the way Hop looked at you gave you a more guilty feeling.

"Wild Corvinight?," he asked wide eyed, "How did you meet a whole flock of corvinight?"

"Uh-...." You tried to think of a good excuse of why they would chase you other than 'I magically woke up in a tree and saw a giant crow'. You settled on. "Camping in the woods??"

"...You mean you actually went camping in the Slumbering Weald?," he asked and you could only nod. "How are you alive?! There's lots of different dangerous wild pokemon there! How could you not know?"

You shrugged. "W-Well...Im kinda new around here."

Before he could say anything else an older woman's voice caught his attention from behind him. "Hop!," Gloria's Mother greeted him with a bright smile, "Didn't expect to see you here today, Dear. Isn't today the big day?"

Hop smiled and put his hands behind his head. "Yeah! That's why I came running over to get Gloria! Never mind watching the match now. I've got it recording at home anyway. I record all my brother's matches." He turned from he smiling lady and turned to Gloria still sitting on the couch. "Come with me, Gloria! He should be here any minute!"

Gloria gasped. "REALLY!?"

Hop nodded back. "And Lee always brings presents when he visits, so I wouldn't forget that bag if I were you. Now I've got to run! See you at mine later!" He turned and waved a hand at you. "It was nice to meet you Ms. Y/n!"

You could only wave as he and his pokemon quickly turned and exited the house with another squeaky noise from the door and Gloria quickly fumbled with her phone, shoving it into her grey jacket's pocket as she got up. And you blinked.

"Hey, where are you going?," you asked.

"To see Leon with Hop!," she excitedly answered looking at you, "Hop's been friends with Victor and me like FOREVER! Not to brag but I've known and liked Leon even before he was cool and we're like siblings! But I haven't seen him in forever and now he's seeing us before we start our own journeys! Im so excited to see him again!" She quickly turned and started towards the door-

Only to be stopped by her mother's voice. "Rushing off in that state, Gloria?," he mother asked raising a brow, "Didn't Hop say you should bring your bag?"

Gloria blinked. "OH! Right! I forgot!"

Her mother chuckled. "I last saw it in your room. And don't forget to grab a hat for the weather."

"I already have my hat!," she retorted back but ran past her mother and through the kitchen into through a door with a slam to where you supposed where you room was. Her mother shaking her head as she did.

You slowly stood up from your place on the cough, back pack in your hands as you slowly stepped away and through the living room entrance by the front door just as her mother turned back to you.

"Um..Y-yeah. I think I should get going too." You started but really...you were just not wanting to take anymore space than you already had. "T-Thank you for the clothes...and the food. I really appreciated it."

She smiled and waved a hand. "Not to worry a bit. It was the least I could do. Thank you for being so polite." She paused and blinked at you though. "But have you figured out where you're going next?"

You paused at her words. You hadn't even thought of that!! What WERE you going to do now? It's not like you could waltz right on home when you didn't even know how to get back!! You didn't even know where to go from here?! So to answer her you shrugged.

"Travel around more...I suppose."

"Travel around Galar barefoot?," she asked gesturing to your feet and you followed her pointing at your feet. ...Oh right. No nothing also applies to no shoes either. And before you could reply, the lady shook her head before walking towards you. "Here. You can have my old gum boots until you can get something better." You blinked and followed her with your head as she made her way past you and over to the coats handing on the wall by the front door. Reaching down and picking up a pair of green gumboots that looked the same as the flower print ones she wore, minus the pretty patterns. With a smile she turned back to you and held them out to you. "Here. Ever since I got the new ones I haven't used these at all. They have a small hole in the bottom of the left one's sole that leaks water in but it should work for you considering you don't step in water or any puddles."

You gawked at her for a moment but she placed them into your arms without a second thought as you gaped at her like a goldfish. "W-WHAT?! W-Wait! I just can't take your boots."

"Correction. Your gumboots with a hole in them that I definately can't use if I want to garden or use in the rain. Im serious when I say I can't use them and don't need them anymore. If you don't accept them, they'll just end up in the rubbage or recycling bin anyways. You're doing me a favor by taking them off my hands for me." She smiled. "And it'd be terrible if you had to walk around barefoot and stepped on a sharp rock or something and hurt yourself. It's better to have this in case."

Well....when she put it like that, it was probably best you took them. "I-....T-Thanks. I appreciate it." You smiled and bent down to put them on. The rubber boots squeaking as you did before you leaned back up and threw the backpack you were given. But there was still the question...What now? You could travel around you guessed since that's what you suggested..but you wanted to go home. How could you get home? You didn't even know where home WAS from here!...This reminded you of an old anime you watched a long time ago when a girl was sucked into a video game and she had to live through the whole thing trying to stay outta trouble-....Wait. Your f/c eyes widened. THAT'S IT!! In the game of Pokemon Sword and Shield the player who played either Gloria or Victor traveled around Galar for the Champion's cup to battle Leon and eventually defeat him and taking over the title of Champion themselves! And since it was Gloria going on this journey you assume this world has her to be the future champion. If she goes on her journey and defeats it as the game did, that would mean the game would be over! And if the game was won and over-...That means maybe..Just maybe whatever hallucination or dream or...or whatever fantasy realm thing happening to you would be over with too and you could go home!! Maybe..It was a long shot, but right now it was the only thing you could think of! So there was one thing you could think of now! To make sure Gloria succeeds on her journey and get home! Sounded like the cliche beginning of some fantasy show but what ELSE were you supposed to do now?? The sound of Gloria slamming open the door caught both of your attention as you both turned to her beaming and slipping her bag onto her back.

"I FOUND IT!!," she called and stopped in front of her mother who crossed her arms.

"Uh huh. And did you pack everything you need for a journey that could take days or even weeks to complete?"

"YEP!"

"Uh huh. Extra clothes?"

"Yes."

"Hygiene products?"

"Yes."

"Extra poke balls?"

"Yes!"

"What about food? That mini first aid kit? You PHONE?"

"MUM!!" Gloria puffed her cheeks out in a pout. "YES!! Can I PLEASE go now!? Leon's here!!"

...Her mom gave a smile. "Alright. But not before you give me a good bye hug, young lady." Gloria happily abliged and you smiled at the sight before she pulled away and patted her daughter's head. "You be safe out there ok? Don't forget to call me every so often. And say hi to dear Leon for me, alright?"

Gloria nodded and turned to you once she noticed you there with the back pack slung over your shoulders. "Are you leaving too Y/n?"

"Um..Yes. I remembered what I was traveling for. I was actually on my way to watch the Champion's Cup!," you replied and she smiled.

"Really? Wow! That's amazing but it's still pretty far off considering they have to give everyone time to complete the journey to get the gym badges. What are you gonna do in the meantime?"

You shrugged. That was a fair question. "I guess I'm going to travel around for a bit until then." After all there wasn't really anything for you to do in the meantime til then. And you shouldn't interfere in the events of the game just in case. You couldn't risk altering the events or Gloria's chances of becoming Champion herself.

"Hey! Why don't you come with me!?," she suggested and you blinked, "You seem like a cool person! And anyone who can make me laugh at Raihan is totally cool in my books!"

"ME! T-Travel with you?"

"Why not? I was planning on traveling with Victor or Hop, but considering Victor's already traveling and Hop might go a different path on his way to get the gym badges it could be fun to travel with someone! It'll be fun! Please Mum?!" She turned to her mother who hummed and glanced at you after seeing Gloria's smile. "If I travel with someone then you don't have to worry about me being alone! And Y/n is good. I can tell! And I've never ever been wrong before following my gut!"

She hummed again. "Well...It's true you were never wrong before..and Y/n's been nothing but a polite person." You were nervous as she rose a brow in thought. "And if you weren't alone I would feel better.....Oh. Alright. But at the first sign of trouble you call me immediately and get help."

"YES!! I promise, Mum! THANK YOU!! Not only am I starting my first journey but I got my own traveling buddy before I even start too!" She fist pumped. "Sucessful Jounrney to be champion is a go!!"

Wow. You didn't remember Gloria being so pumped up and energetic in game, but again, you shouldn't interfere so should you even go???....Well, it would be better to watch just to be sure thing's would progress like in game, and this way you wouldn't just aimlessly be walking around until you did go home.

"I....I guess I'm going with you then," you nervously smiled.

"YES!! Trust me you won't regret it! NOW!!" She pointed towards the door. "Onwards to Hop's house and to Leon! You'll love him! He's like the nicest, most chillest guy ever!...Even if he does have a bad sense of direction."

She smiled and went to the door and opened it, you following behind but stopping and glancing at Gloria's mother for a moment. "Hey..Um..I j-just wanted to say thanks f-f-for everything, Ma'am. I really, really appreciate it!"

Her mother smiled. "Not to worry. I know it must be difficult to lose everything to a pokemon. I feel the same way everytime Munchy chews up and destroys something of mine. You just take care and good luck to you on your journey."

You smiled before inhaling and exhaling and turning to the door. You had one goal ahead of you know. Travel with Gloria and help her succeed in becoming Champion no matter what. And get home...Easier said than done.

Witcher of the Night (Chapter 16)

THIS IS MODERN ERA READER WHO WOKE UP IN THE DIMENSION OF THE WITCHER.

UPDATES FOR WITCHER OF THE NIGHT WILL BE PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY NOW IN MY TIME (GMT +8)

CHAPTER 15.1

WITCHER OF THE NIGHT MASTERLIST

Characters: Geralt of Rivia x small!Naive!Reader

Summary: A horny and insecure witcher decided to talk what his mind has been keeping; making you see how much of a man he was that was worth to choose and be chosen. 

Warnings: NSFW 18+. (Yep. Again. Love it while it lasts, bb’s. Hehehe.) Some witcher in a rut. Finger sucking. Cream pie. Smut. Size kink. (I meant Geralt’s body build. LMAO *I base this story on the show. Not the game or books.*) an irritated bard? Ahehehehe. Nakedness? Geralt being soft and honest? (*screams*)

A/N: I was drained from the last chapter and I’ve taken a break. I was supposed to not update today due to it. I hope you can lend at least a minute to reblog or give me feedback, ghost readers out there! 💟 There ain’t no moments like this anymore because the plot will take its place on the next chapters! ENJOY WHILE IT LASTS!

TAGLIST IS STILL OPEN FOR THIS ONE! Heehee! Don’t forget to REBLOG, COMMENT OR GIVE FEEDBACK IF YOU DID LOVE THIS CHAPTER! IT’LL MAKE ME SMILE! Sorry for the grammatical errors and such because English isn’t my mother tongue!

Disclaimer: PNG’s and pictures used in edits are not mine even the GIF’s too. However, the edits and oneshots are definitely from moi (GIF credits: littlechinesedoll)

MY WORKS ARE NOT NOT NOT NOT NOOOOOOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER WEBSITES. My official username in Wattpad is “TATATHEPOTATO” and that’s the only other site I have for writing aside from Tumblr. Thank you, Tater tots!

GERALT OF RIVIA WAS IN A RUT.

You were sure he was after being fucked into oblivion by the witcher for countless of times already; taking a lot of orgasms in just about eight hours? He was lucky that he was a mutant. However, in your side? It was unfortunate because your stamina was weaker than his.

Your poor punani has been overworked and wrecked again. Lungs seem to be incapacitated, dangerously reaching the critical level for accepting Geralt's wishes; another round of ceaseless bliss in which you certainly didn't defy. Pants and wheezes were muddled against the mattress as you shoved your face on it, vigorously being burrowed from behind.

Here you thought; feeling mighty and confident that you could take and last for how long his enhanced self would.

Technically, you were wrong. Utterly wrong.

Was it round twenty-five already? Thirty? You may never know because every time Geralt finishes, his girth somehow magically becomes stone hard again like he never spilled himself inside you. If only he wasn't sterile, you were probably about to get pregnant with little witchers somehow based on how he always milks you in; like you were his pet, letting you take it good.

The white wolf's libido was overly developed as well. As you were told by the man, himself. He could go on for hours, days and even weeks, nailing you repeatedly until you have no energy to comprehend what was happening, and you were sure that his enhancement with the desires he had was a perk and also a disadvantage for your weak self who had her virginity taken just days ago.

Your sexual experiences are being expanded and learned by Geralt, not knowing before that you had a size kink of being choked in his own weight above yours, baptizing every nook and space in their home like animals in heat and being treated like you were such a fragile little thing before being corrupted; tainting your once chastised soul.

The witcher was a person who had given you a different outlook in life. Bringing you to a wonderland in the midst of being railed repeatedly; consistent with his rigorous, shameless pounding from the back. Brusque. Sharp. Perfect for the angle that hits the perfect spot, polishing your hole that has sent you ripples and waves of glory.

Geralt's moans were withdrawn, holding back those sounds of pleasure from ponderously watching his girth push and slither inside your heat. His mouth tightly shut and thick eyebrows scrunched in rapture. Aureate eyes intensely concentrated on his hard cock slowly drilling back, keeping his bulbous head in before slowly drawling back like he like watching you be filled with his girth; admiring how you were stretched around his hardened cock.

He'd felt your body intensely tremble beneath his.

Your knees were quivering with every plunge. Warm drizzles of your cunt leaking with a mixture of his fluid and yours together; like art combined with a color that creates a new one. The room smelled like sex and sweat with a scent of fresh grass because of how the windows were wide opened.

Nobody would see you both in such a debauched position, right? you've thought that when Geralt has lowered you down against the mattress, his weight crushing and pinning you down, quickly getting to his job; sticking his girth inside of you like he never would get tired of doing so after basically baptizing the hallway through the second floor.

Elbows began to feel sore. A desperate whine began to gurgle from your dry throat. Hand tightly grabbing onto one of his that laid on the curvatures of your hips, dragging you back to his swollen girth with every shove; filling you over and over like how you deserved because you've been a good girl. Every time he did, Geralt never misses the spot that could bring you into another restless, writhing orgasm.

The filthy sound of skin slapping on skin came with icherous slimy caresses of your nectar coating each other's carnal greed. Noise came with his bedpost hitting the wall like a maddened gorilla raging out of its cage, when all of a sudden; you've heard Kolby's strange bark that seem to come from the first floor, alarming you both that his family has already came back. Yet, here you were, splayed below the witcher and still getting driven to his extremes.

Geralt pulled his hand away from the bed post, leaving a print and a crack of his hand against the wood. His fingers slid through your dangling breasts, palms groping your teat as he began to knead onto it like a cat trying to suckle from his mother; claws out as he tweaked your sensitive nipple in one breast to the other. Simultaneously changing hands as he continued to reach you both to the edge of Nirvana.

Then, you've heard laughter and complaining downstairs.

"Geralt," you started with a mewl, your body being rocked from behind, the sheets thoroughly disheveled from your tiring day activities. His hand that fondled your teat trailed up your body; while the other glided down for what throbbing nub that was needed attention for another release.

His palm gently met your mouth when you've began to moan from his fingers touching your clit, rubbing and circling it the right, pleasuring way while he went on with his ceaseless ramming.

"Hnnng," you whimpered, voice muffled from his large, calloused hand that covered your mouth; hushing you from any noise that could echo out of the room.

The way he was manhandling you does it. From the moment he tried shushing you up, your heat began to clench around him. Your body squirming and thrashing under his skin. Weakened from the sudden action as it made you tremble; feeling the coil beginning to snap with just a few more jabs.

More thuds and unfathomable complaints echoed outside the room. With Jaskier finally knowing what caused the commotion that he somehow managed to be in. Geralt didn't seem to be bothered about the fact that their table has been wrecked; though, the bard might say otherwise.

His plowing slackened when you’ve felt him breath heavily from behind, 

"Shhhh. Quiet down, midget." he clasped his palms tighter on your mewling mouth; hearing his breathless grunts above you was making you squirm in his hold. It didn't take you another lewd moan when Geralt's thick index and middle finger skid in between the pillows of your lips, an act of pacifying your noise down which has gotten an elicit of your juices flowing down your thighs, soaking you more than ever. But, you never did deliberate to suck on those fingers like how your mind has told you.

The smutty action was enough for him to briefly glance down at you, engrossed and captivated by a never expected bustles from his naive, greenhorn of a woman. 

Another weakened moan was muffled beneath the palm that clasped your mouth. Your fingers trying to wrench his own away from slightly pinching on your sensitive clit, dragging you to where you wanted.

Neverland. Nirvana. Heaven. Where ever you could experience bliss.

Or basically Geralt's bed because you were currently being brought to the edge of the rainbows.

He was persistent and continued rubbing on your nub, his thick, long fingers thoroughly drenched from your arousal. 

"Ugh---Hmm. fuck." the white haired witcher deeply grunted and moaned, his jutting hips bottoming out as he continued his desperate, urgent drives. Thrusts turning reckless. Panting breaths like dogs in heat; embracing every bit of his urgency to reach the floating clouds.

Your real name has slipped out of his tongue, sounding so lewd which has taken you over the edge. Knees began to shake as the high took over. Muscles clenching and also your cunt tightly choking his girth to spill his seed, urging him to thoroughly coat your insides. Another loud breathless grunt left his ajar lips; the sweat dripping down his temples as it also drenched his chest from all the activities. His heartbeat was running miles after miles, chasing to catch yours.

"G-Geralt, Geralt, Geralt!" you've salaciously cried out with every sloppy thrusts in the midst of having a muscle spasm; choking in the blast of euphoria when he'd took his hand off your mouth, grabbing onto yours which has been holding onto the headboards for dear life. Hence, as the witcher pulled your hand away; he'd done the unexpected.

Geralt of Rivia has sweetly peppered the back of your hands with honeyed kisses to soothe your convulsion; treating you like he wasn't fucking you to oblivion nor corrupting you from behind.

You've heard his breath hitch. The way he'd dropped his large hand on the mattress over your small ones, gripping onto it hard; you knew he came. He'd panted heavily above you, the new position being surrounded by his gigantic warmth. Your juices soaking your inner thighs as his load shot inside you. All warm and cozy; giving you a fuzzy feeling inside your chest that you couldn't explain.

He never pulled out until he was finished. You were so full of him, his seed dripping out of your cunt when his semi-flaccid cock dragged out of your overused pussy, telling him how he’d filled you more than he planned to. Your knees eventually buckled and lost its will to be useful for you; your face down on the pillow, running short of breath as you planted over the tousled sheets.

Geralt laid on the bed beside you, his large body built turned to you with an arm tucked below his head. Basking in all his glory and sweat with amber eyes solely worried for your weary form. You sounded like you were wheezing as he hovered over to pull the blankets over your waist, shielding you over the cold, crisp wind of the afternoon dew. Your whole body coated in the satiny sliver of your sweat combined with his and the witcher couldn't help but take in the view that he longed to be habituated once again before you came along.

Did he...actually break you while being drilled? he silently thought at the back of his tousled, half tied chalky white hair.

"Midget?" He softly muttered, using an elbow to peer down before you. Aureate eyes lingering a little bit longer. His fingers extending to graze along the line of sweat that covered your spine before reconsidering, hands ought to brush your disheveled hair away from your face, taking his time as he glided his fingers down through the side of your face.

He doted on the spent image of your sprawled body in the middle of his bed. Your heart turning more warmer than it ever could when you've felt him watching you over, the blankets glazing atop of your skin as you've closed your eyes, trying to steady back your breathing.

"I'm...fine. Just...spent. Let me...breathe," you breathlessly whispered.

"Hmm."

His faint, vibrating hum slowly calmed the fluttering butterflies flapping their wings inside your stomach. He earnestly cast his eyes over you. The thick pad of his fingers tracing along the hairs of your arm; giving you a shiver, padding down till the tips of yours before strikingly filling in the gaps of your fingers with his. Such a simple action making your heart feel snug with a hint of palpitation from the sudden, unusual gesture from the white wolf.

Well, he was certainly learning.

You've taken a peek from under the flat fuzz of your pillows; seeing amiable, tired, tender eyes. Rough, large palms delicately scraping through your soft ones, entwined amongst the unkempt silk of sheets from the result of your passionate tupping.

With your eyes still shut, a jaded admission was sent to the latter; assuming things from your negative state of mind. This always happens in the movies, right? the small voice in the back of your mind stated. After all the blissful moments, complication and problems tries to hinder over the blithe that wanted you to believe that this was a much of a miracle to happen.

It was subtly telling you that your presence in their world had a time limit because you didn't belong to their world in the first place. Salt came pinching down your heart at the sudden realization of that; getting a gist of feeling by choosing to live in their world forever, there were instances that would get you coming back from your dimension. Every felicitious moment feeling like it was all temporary and a fleeting scene in your mind.

The idea struck like a lightning. You didn't belong to their world; nor do you fit in.

Such a change of heart that you wanted to scurry home since the first day you've arrived; thinking that everything was just a dream or a nightmare that couldn't wake you up. But, in this exact moment; you felt like not wanting to go home.

"Why do I feel like you wouldn't come back after your hunt?" you weakly muttered; brushing off the infectious thought that could bring the felicity down; pulling yourself closer to him. You've tossed the bad shadows trying to lure you in as you've focused on the golden light that Geralt could let you see through. His warm breath fanned your face as you heavily sighed out the worry crippling out of your chest.

"You're overthinking." he deeply rasped, hearing him breath steady; sounding like his declaration had a double meaning. His thumbs brushed over your knuckles as he continued to reassure your troubled self, "---I never leave nor would I plan to. My family is my home,"

Geralt collected his thoughts, breaking through the spell you've always had to cast him in. Only your exquisite scent being the fire to thaw his walls down. It took him seconds before bluntly saying his next words, making you flutter your eyes open to see him softly smiling back at you. His tone warm, comforting and nesh for your sensitive, soft heart soul.

"---you are also my home. I'll always come back to you---always will find you,"

Those words that he stunningly said made your heart skip a beat. The cicatrix glowing beneath the sheets without you knowing, ecstatic of what has come out from his lips as a burst of bliss spread right through your chest.

You've felt the adrenaline rush from his sudden admission and change of aura; abruptly making you nail your elbows on the table, repeatedly blinking back at the witcher when you've felt the balmy cloud of warmth spread around your eyes; close enough for you to cry and you languidly leaned down to his very peaceful face to softly give him a kiss on the lips in which he gladly reciprocated.

No. This wasn't sweet nothings where he tries to win over your heart. His words was a declaration of breaking those walls down for you. It was a key for you to come hopping in, an invitation of seeing the real him; his vulnerable side that nobody ever sees.

Hence, this was the first time you've had someone showing you what it felt to be important, needed and cared for. A person with real intentions. Sensations which you never knew it existed or believed that you would ever get to experience such.

Nevertheless, it took you a trip to another dimension just to have it.

Your mouth left his with a euphonious twang. There was no rush to the kiss or any type of greed. Just a succulent sharing of what you wanted him to feel from your quiet response of what he said. It needed no words of approval or even a shedding of your tears; erasing the worries away if you started bawling your eyes out from his secrets that he whispered. His thick brows furrowed in a questionable expression, intently eyeing your dewy peepers staring back at him. Utterly fond. The witcher feeling as if there was profound affection deep within your eyes as you tried to shield them over with that twinkling gaze of yours.

He knew what he was seeing or feeling from you. But, he chose to ignore as of the moment.

"Jaskier's fond of you," he abruptly admitted, downright apathetic; his gravel tone expressing a mixture of interest and a little bit of doubt, not for you but for himself.

That simple display of what you've visibly felt made your heart soften a lot more than it ever could. Finding it hard to believe that this person slash mutant in front of you also had his own issues, sounding diffident with just conferring about this surprising fact he noticed from his friend who seemed to be catching feelings for you that certainly was quite difficult to believe.

You were biting the tips of your tongue from saying anything further more, pulling back from driving too fast that maybe Geralt was falling behind.

"Jaskier? Your Jaskier? The bard who always tries to ruin my day? you’re hallucinating, Geralt." you wanted to snort from his accusation.

Geralt has given you a dirty look, appearing to look like he has issues with you that he didn't want to expand as he kept his silence and continued to send a grimace. Was he hallucinating? Were he hallucinating when he'd read those words upon your lips hours ago? Was your endearment just a slip of your tongue? A simple caught up in the heat of the moment?

Was he also just hallucinating when you’ve called him ‘love’?

"Am I, really?" the witcher stated flat, sending a displeased hum as he subtly played with the softness of your fingers clutched to his bigger ones.

Your eyes turned wide from his deadpan, "What did I do? That banter sounded sarcastic, kitty!"

The latter slowly blinked, dragging a sigh as his baritone timbre turned stern and also meek no matter how hard he tried to cover it up from the roughness that he wanted it to sound like, you could read between the lines and sure enough, he was self-effacing from his friend who was also fond of you.

"Do...you like the bard?" he hesitatingly trailed off. The question ending with a pause as it sounded completely unforthright. You've given him a tender beam; child like and masking with nothing but innocence, affection and understanding, "Go on. I'm listening. Tell me what's on your mind," you started, seeing his tight lipped mouth shut. Those amber eyes briefly looking away from you,

"---Come on, please? Let me understand and see through the good heart that I've always believed in,"

Geralt gave it a moment. Exactly a minute as you've accepted the tranquil silence with him. Such silence that you have never imagined to be so comforting because back in your apartment, the stillness was eerie and cold; imagining hands trying to take your soul away from surviving a life by working in another country where you had no one but you.

"You're...significant to me." his glowing amber eyes turned heartfelt, shooting warmth through your skin and chest, "---you are a lot to handle. An unorthodox in my dimension. Yet, despite that, you're the havoc I didn't know I needed,"

"You're calling me chaotic. How sweet of you," you deadpanned, snorting from his metaphors that got you successfully rolling your eyes back at him.

"Your existence brought me sheer confusion about you. But, I'd rather have that befuddlement than to not be with you,"

Destiny brought you to him. Those assumptions he'd taken into consideration was now taken into account. Thus, destiny just needed this to not fuck it up. It shouldn't because he much rather not imagine how it would happen nor how he would be able to accept such fate laid before him. 

"Jaskier's...a friend---he's important to me," he continued, feeling your other hand fall onto the side of his face; soft fingers tracing along the scar on his forehead and cheekbones with that glimmer in your eyes that make him want to give you another kiss; readable in your peepers was the acceptance he never knew he needed so badly, "---No matter how annoying he is. He's still my companion. A real...friend. I've seen how comfortable you are with him, saw how compatible you were with the bard,"

You've stopped brushing your fingers along his marks. Your free hand sluggishly propping below your chin as you've peered down. A small grin curling your lips, "When have you been a love guru? Does this version of you come up with a graphic chart that tells how many percentages do I seem to be compatible with Jaskier?"

He kept silent, staring straight into your eyes with a lukewarm expression; not understanding your references.

You've given him a faint raise of your brow, skeptically looking at him with an amused flicker of your peepers, "You've seen us that night. Explains why Jaskier was ranting about the door you've broken,"

Geralt kept his mouth tightly shut, shortly looking away before giving you a pensive response, "I've already fixed it---and you know it was not just about that,"

Pulling your closed fist under your chin, you've tilted your head to the side. Pleased by his tamed reaction as you've leaned closer to his face, adoring Geralt's sublime features that never fails to charm you everyday. His charisma totally knocking your wits out as you could finally see more of his true self.

You started, your words smoothly dancing per word; sounding utmost sincere and in wonder, "People in your world say witchers don't feel emotions," even being disregarded like they weren't humans, you silently added much more to yourself when you paused to talk, "---Well, my witcher is exactly the opposite because you're full of it even though you sound unenthusiastic all the time---comes with the mutations, I guess?"

The soft look in his eyes warmed your soul. Attentive of the stars that seem to float inside those amber pair; looking like he'd caught them for you. He stayed silent, never breaking his gaze away from you nor planning to move away from your body close to his.

"Do you want me to be with the bard?" your question caught him off guard, keenly reading through what your eyes wanted to say. The query sounding like it was just a quip.

"Will that make you happy?"

Geralt warily asked, completely earnest of what he said that made you bite the inner plump of your lips. There was a long amount of silence, contemplating what made him think that way, even considering the idea of never getting in the way when you'll choose another person than him. Was he even real?

Your smile fell a little at the question, swiftly unwrapping your hands entwined with his which ignited a tight frown from the witcher when he miscalculated the sudden gesture. But, those dreadful thoughts ceased when you've poked his muscular chest, the part where his heart loudly beat beneath the pad of your index finger.

"Will that make...YOU happy?" you slowly emphasized and returned the question, intently gazing above him. When he never answered and stayed quiet, it was the right time to say words that couldn't be kept to yourself. You've forgotten to bite your tongue from saying anything further less.

"---But, YOU make me happy, Geralt of Rivia. Isn't that enough reason to choose you?"

Keen golden eyes deeply gazed into yours, as genuine than it has ever been before; sucking you in and having no chance to escape from the resplendent color of his hues. Geralt moved beneath to help himself by using his elbow, his sudden elevation making you tilt your head back to see him deeply staring, mouth turning into a tight straight line as he rasped.

"Even if it takes for your life back in your world to be taken away from you---fuck." he abruptly stopped in the middle of his sentence, briskly taking a glimpse of the door behind you when he could hear stealthy padded footsteps hiking up the stairs. 

Jaskier.

Geralt sharply sat his back on the headboard. His silvery, unkempt half-tied hair moving as he does so, the white sheets pooling just below his torso. He looked bedraggled and utterly sweaty which made it feel so fulfilling to have him in your presence looking like that. A miraculous snack. You could never have this opportunity back in earth.

You bit your lips from keeping yourself from grinning, curiously eyeing him as you mused. He deliberately scanned your exposed back, "What? What's happening?"

The latter took no questions and quickly pulled the covers over your shoulders as you laid on your front, slightly elevated with the help of your arms tucked under. He loudly sighed, sitting back on the wooden board. Recognizable footfall thumping louder and closer before a wind up bard barged in the room without knocking or announcing his presence.

"You two!" Jaskier exclaimed, ceasing midway in the middle of the room; looking lost and piqued. His pretty face morphed into a tight frown to find you and Geralt utterly rumpled under the sheets. You tossed a look over your shoulder to see the bard straight up crashing inside like there has been no lock or whatsoever.

Geralt motioned with his hands, palms on either side to show how taken aback he was from his friend who came trudging in like he owned the place. His face hinting with displeasure. Wordlessly gesturing towards the bard with a 'What the fuck?' face.

You skeptically hushed whispers beside the witcher, timidly pulling the covers over your wild head, looking stunned as you exclaimed, "I thought you locked the room? I told you to lock it!---What if it was Cirilla?!---Don't you know what a lock is, Geralt?!"

Despite of your panicking and embarrassed state, he was entirely the opposite as he sounded lackadaisical, going on by glaring at the bard who has his face scrunched in utmost displeasure, "I didn't expect them to arrive home this early." the witcher rolled his eyes from his galled self and sent a scowl towards the bard.

Jaskier raised his brow in disbelief, "Early? We've been gone for 8 hours, Geralt!"

"Well, I thought you'll be gone for at least a day and not barge in our room after we had a 'moment', Bard. A knock would’ve suffice."

Another set of padded footsteps, this time it sounded like this person was merrily hopping through the hallway. Until a ball of Ashen hair peeked through the opened doorway with a short Hirikka standing in the middle of the threshold.

"I'm here---woah!" Cirilla seemed to be knocked out of her boots when she saw you emerging from under the covers, bashfully covering your chest with the sheets, looking mortified by everyone seeing you in that kind of state. You were glaring at the witcher who tossed your off the side for a while as he dealt with his scandalous and crazy family.

"---I knew it!" the princess of Cintra loudly clapped and jumped on her feet. Her excitement immediately dying down when she noticed that you both weren't actually clothed beneath the white blankets. She firmly crossed her arms, her nose scrunching in disgust, "---Also, gross! Please do lock the doors next time!"

She whistled at the flabbergasted Hirikka who was sniffing the whole room in bewilderment; stout stopping before the bard as he sniffed him loudly enough for Jaskier to wave his face off away from his face. Cirilla whistled another, catching the beast's attention and making Geralt wince due to his heightened hearing, "Kolby, let's go! I'm giving you a nice warm bath!" before she shut the door closed behind them when he'd run off towards the princess.

Geralt and Jasker were giving each other stern glares; seeming to be in a challenge where one shouldn't back down despite of how mean it appeared to be like.

Jaskier was the first to talk, beginning his interrogation, "Who ruined the dining table?"

You swallowed the butterflies wanting to fly out of your throat, lifting a shaky finger to point at the witcher who was still as he sat on his side of the bed, "I’m definitely not the person who has superpowers here---It's him," but, Geralt seemed to answer in the same time with you.

"No one."

Jaskier didn't seem to want and take everyone's bullshit as he crossed his arms in front of you both. Geralt's clothes on one hand and yours in the other that made a blush go straight up your whole face, burning the dignity that was left. You wanted to yell from how irresponsible you were for leaving your clothes all around the house when you promised yourself that it'll be fixed after your activity.

You didn't expect Geralt to take eight hours---or you did?----and actually forgot what was needed to remember.

"Oh, no one, Geralt? I suppose this shirt is also owned by no one, considering how unclad you are right now? Hmm. Would this tunic come from the Hirikka then?" the toubadour raised his hand where Geralt's black under tunic has been balled up.

Jaskier dramatically puffed out a sigh, sounding like it was the end of the world for what has welcomed them when they came back from their weekly visit for Cuthbert. He held forth about your sudden shenanigans around the house like a father delivering a tirade.

"We leave for eight hours and this is what you both welcomed us in," pause. "---A broken bloody table where we dine!" Another pause as he threw Geralt's clothes at his face in which he caught it perfectly, "---your clothes everywhere in the house like snakes who shed their skins anywhere they go!"

Lastly, his foot fidgeted on the wooden floors, tapping in anxiety as he remembered that tiny scratch he had seen on his beloved musical instrument, entirely galled from the wound it received like it was his baby.

"---and also my lute---my beloved lute falling on the floors! You've hurt her!"

"We didn't touch your lute," Geralt's response was tepid, lazily blinking back at the enraged bard who stood in the middle of the room.

Jaskier's raised his hands to his hips, raising a finger and opening his mouth, expression wild and ready to send another harangue before back paddling inside his train of thoughts.

He briefly shut his mouth, tilting his head to the side as he wondered out loud, "Oh, maybe the air pushed it to fall. I remembered how I left the windows opened too. However---!"

Geralt cut his verbal onslaught, his gaze narrowing at Jaskier who also didn't back down at sending a nasty lour at the entertained witcher.

"I'll fix whatever is needed to fix, bard. Stop your whining," you've felt the bed squeak and bounce. Geralt slipped his legs out of the sheets, feet plopping down the floors as he heavily sighed. It needed power; manpower for Jaskier to leave the room and Geralt knew he wouldn't leave until he pushes him out of the threshold.

The witcher stood tall and firm, completely au naturel from head to foot like how he have been when he was a baby, stark naked without being moved by the idea that Jaskier was in the same room as you. His bare ass never shaking him off and so does the bard.

"Leave. Out of my chambers, Jaskier."

Geralt sauntered to where he is. Your eyebrows raising in amusement as you've marveled over the witcher in the nude. His beautiful, rugged bare back on show with that A+ rating of his derriere in which you freely tried to memorize inside your head.

Though, you couldn't help but take a glimpse of Jaskier who seemed unfazed by this whole nakedness he was seeing; like he was familiar of the whole thing and the white wolf's dangly bits hanging and it has peaked your curiosity.

Do they bathe together then?

The bard has seen your amused smile with a skeptical brow raised to what you were witnessing. Thus, he peeked around Geralt to acknowledge your curiosity; pointing at you with a roguish grin, "That face tells that you have been swimming deep inside the vast depths of the sea, wondering why I am not bothered by the witcher's nudity---"

"Jaskier," Geralt sent a tired warning and held his slim shoulders, forcefully turning him around as he pushed him forward, towards the door.

"---It's because I have rubbed chamomile onto his lovely bottom before! It was true! I never lied! It was a part of the rules in becoming the rightful travel companion until you came along and began rubbing it for himself! Though, I doubt you did it to join our adventures!---"

You couldn't help but stifle your tee-hee from his admission. Finding their friendship amazing to the point that he does it for Geralt; receiving nothing but his altruism and adventures that the witcher has shared together with him.

Geralt loudly closed the door behind Jaskier; his mouth running on and on about how such a change of habits it has been when you came in their life. He'd knock a lot of times, calling out for the both of you and trying to want and barge in your moment but your white wolf finally knew what a lock is and slid the wooden block over the hook to lock his chambers.

"He seriously rubs chamomile on your butt?"

The skyclad man turned on his heel, raising a skeptical brow as you tried to focus hard on his face and not his body that stood before you.

"I guess that silence means yes, then. Oof, such bromance! Don't you think I'm the one who's actually becoming a hindrance between your platonic relationship with your bard?"

"Ridiculous." He took several steps closer, making you turn your head from becoming too flustered over his glorious, scarred body that he certainly isn't afraid or diffident about his imperfections anymore after you've treated them like it was a part of him that you will always accept. Geralt sat on your side, reaching over the bedside table to look beneath the drawers.

The latter placed a small, transparent bottle on your hand. A clear yellowish tone of liquid inside as you stared at it, thoroughly intrigued, "What's this? Is it another one of your witcher potions?"

Geralt hummed in negation, lifting his calloused hand to take your chin in between his fingers, turning your head to look at his ardent, shining amber, "Eucalyptus Oil. Took it from Cirilla's chambers. For you---For later. Perhaps, our recent activities had you feeling utterly spent,"

You've blinked, taken aback from his plans for whatever it is he wanted. Though, it didn't take you to put two on two together to know where his plans would take you, "Why are you---Oh. I know. I definitely know what you want." pause. "---you are insatiable, Geralt."

Geralt gently nudged your chin, tilting it up to his advantage as he leaned down to press a soft buss to your lips. Once again, he'd took your breath away by how tender he was handling you. The mere opposite of what people see and expected from because they never had the chance to walk through him; they didn’t have the courage to know who he really was.

His thumb that rested upon your chin were easily replaced with his lips, kissing you on the spot before gliding the dimples of his nose to yours, subtly giving you an Eskimo kiss.

"My overly developed lechery certainly comes from the mutation,"

Geralt's mouth lifted into a small, unusual beam, fluttering his eyes closed as he concentrated on you and that specific comfort he found. Questions came hitting him like stones, breaking the mirthful bubble that he was brought in.

He didn't want you to go home anymore because he'd found home in you.

But, what if fate had move mountains and threw his happiness away again? Leaving him no choice but to watch you go?

Taglist for WOTN: (Strikethrough means I can’t tag you, bb’s! 💖) @alyxkbrl​​ @himarisolace​​ @barkingbullfrog​​ @ayamenimthiriel​​ @hellodevilslittlesister​​ @vania-marie​​ @spookypeachx​ @grungelovebug @fangirl-inthe-us​​ @nympeth​​ @amirahiddleston​​ @gabethelobster​​ @dreaming-about-starfleet​​ @uncoolcloudyhead​​ @melaninstylezz​​ @psychosupernatural​​ @missjenniferb @dance-dreamer​​ @marvelousell​​ @kingniazx​​ @angelias134​​ @tapismyforte​​ @chook007​​ @covid-donotenter​​ @winter-moons​ @cheesecakeisapie​ @silverkitten547​​ @angelofthor​​ @carrieannewaywardson, @plantingmum​, @stuckupstucky​, @shesthelastjedi​, @a--1--1--3​, @gutfucks​​,

Overall witcher taglist: @pizza-eater-i-ate-the-pizza​

General taglist for Henry: @agniavateira​​, @iloveyouyen​​, @rahdaleigh​​,

Alpine

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Request: None

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: Fluff fluff fluff. Mentions of someone being hurt and brief discussion about the mistreatment of a cat.

Author’s Note: I haven’t written in so long, I’m so sorry. I suck at fluff apparently, which is a good note. It’s pretty short, sorry about that. Enjoy!

~

James Buchanan Barnes. The Winter Soldier. The White Wolf. Deadly assassin. Cat person.

This was a secret if you've ever seen one. A shame, constantly hanging over Bucky's head. But you honestly thought it was cute as hell. 

I mean, come on, he's the scariest dude you'll ever meet; but once you break through his surface he's the opposite of terrifying. He's like a burnt marshmallow, rough on the outside and soft on the inside.

So, when you saw his face light up as you walked by a pet store, you set your plan in motion. You are going to get Bucky a cat for his birthday, even if it kills you.

~

It was March 3rd, exactly a week before his birthday when your plan was set in motion. Presents were wrapped, plans were made, and all for the incredible payoff of jack shit.

A pair of socks and a new shirt, absolutely nothing. But the cat, the cat was everything. It was going to seal the deal. It was going to make this the best birthday ever.

His name was Alpine. The cat that Bucky had looked at every day when you passed the glass window. Alpine. A white, scrawny, orphan cat. Not a kitten, but a cat. A cat that would at least make Bucky's day, if not his year.

In the days leading up to Bucky's birthday, you slowly got everything in order. Bought more towels, blankets, and even cat food. Everything was in order, now, and all you needed was the cat.

~

March 10th. Bucky's birthday. The day he simultaneously loved and hated. In one way it reminded him of his life in the 30s, and in the other wasy it did the same, yet only it shone light on a different perspective.

You snuck out of bed at 8 AM. You were positive that Bucky would probably freak out if he woke up to an empty bed, so you wrote him a sweet note that said you were picking up a last-minute gift for him.

It was like something out of a spy movie; you wore a hoodie and sunglasses, in case Bucky went out on a morning run and spotted you (definitely not for the thrill of pretending you were in a James Bond movie).

First, you went to the pet store, not the shop where Alpine stayed, but at a giant pet store. You bought all the things that you couldn't easily smuggle into your apartment. Kitty litter, a crate, a collar, and a tiny little cat toothbrush that was far cuter than a toothbrush had any right to be.

After picking up all of the necessities, you drove to the pet shop. A smile spread onto your cheeks when you saw who was at the window.

It was Bucky, sweating like a pig from what you assumed was his early morning run. He was peering into the window and had a giant smile on his face as his lips formed baby talk (or cat talk I guess, but you assumed it sounded the same).

Waiting for a few minutes to enter the store was no problem, it would all be worth it to see Bucky have that same smile on his face, all day long. 

Once Bucky left the window, you instantly rushed into the store. The woman at the counter had a cheery (if not enthusiastic) look on her face, and you hoped that her service would be as great as her smile.

"Hi, I'm (y/n) Barnes, we spoke on the phone." You exclaim to the woman with a smile.

"Of course, you were seeking to adopt Alpine the cat; correct?" She returned with a grin.

"Yes, that is me," you pull out your ID to show her. 

"Great, it seems like you have most of the paperwork already filled out, if you could just fill out these few forms you'll be all set to take Alpine home." She cheerfully responded.

"Thank you so much." You reply, taking the clipboard she was handing you into your clutches.

It only took about 10 minutes to fill out the forms, and once you handed them to the woman at the counter she looked over them and then said: "Congratulations Mrs. Barnes, you are now a proud pet parent. Do you have a crate to take home Alpine, or would you like to purchase one."

"I have one, if you wouldn't mind that I pop into my car and go grab it." You could barely contain your excitement, just because this gift was for Bucky’s birthday it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a present for you as well.

You ran to your car at an almost lightning-fast speed, practically walking on sunshine the whole way there.

Once you got back into the store, the clerk was standing right next to the window. On your side of the glass, there were boxes with all the cats and dogs. It was positioned in a way where the side facing the street and the side facing you was glass. The two adjacent walls were made out of wood painted grass green, and the top was open.

There were several pillows and a water bowl in there, and he seemed slightly malnourished. "He was a rescue." The woman exclaims.

"Hm?" You ask, you were too busy looking at Alpine to register what she was saying.

"His old home abused him, eventually animal control found out and rescued him. They put him in a shelter for a couple of weeks, but he was too scared to eat or interact with any of the other cats, so we thought it would be much safer and healthier to have him live here until he got adopted."He's a pretty traumatized cat; we've only had him in for about a month, and he's not a great eater. If you do decide to adopt him, you're going to have to do a lot of work to keep him happy and healthy. I would completely understand if you didn't want to adopt him now, we have several other kittens that would be great for you and your husband."

You didn't have to think at all, you already knew your response. "No thank you, my husband walks past this shop at least once every day, and he loves Alpine. Every time he comes here, his mood instantly brightens. He's been through some shit, and so has Alpine. I think that they could help each other."

Your gaze averted from the woman and down to the white cat in front of you. 

"Alright then, I'll open the crate and you can pick him up and put him there." She exclaimed. 

The moment your fingers touched his fur, the entire world became bleached in sunshine. His fur wasn't soft by any means, but that didn't matter to you. It was obvious that he wasn't taken care of that well, and you felt yourself developing more and more resentment for anyone who helped this beautiful cat become as scared and hurt as he was.

You carefully picked Alpine up and wrapped your arms around him in a way that you hoped made him feel protected. Half-expecting him to freak out and scratch you through your shirt, you were pleasantly surprised when he did none of those things. He just simply cuddled himself closer to your chest.

"He's perfect." You whispered under your breath, just enough to make the women smile lightly.

Gently placing Alpine in the crate, you smile at his small paws prodding around the new space. He mews, and your eyes light up even more.

"Thank you so much," You exclaim with a smile to the shopkeeper.

"No problem, give me a call if you have any problems." You grin, and shake her hand.

You pick up the crate, and Alpine starts mewling at the shaking space around him. "It's okay," Reaching down to put your hand at the opening you smile when he rubs his face against your fingers.

When you walk out the door you wave at the shopkeeper. The two of you make eye contact and exchange a smile. 

As you walk back to your car you try to move as carefully as you can to not swing around the crate too much. When you reach the car you gently put the crate in the back seat. Even though you may want for him to sit next to you in the passenger seat, you know that he could get hurt.

~

When you got home, you asked the old lady named Cynthia in the apartment next to yours to watch Alpine for a little while, just long enough for you to keep Bucky's surprise going.

"Hey baby," You exclaimed as soon as you walked in through the door to your apartment.

Bucky was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book as he ate cereal. You internally winced when you realized that in your haste you had forgotten to make him a special breakfast, or at least picked up some donuts from Krispy Kreme. Bucky would never expect you to cook for him, but it still made you feel bad that he was eating cereal on his birthday.

"Hey doll, how are you doing today." You smile and walk up to him, scooting his chair back and moving to straddle his lap. 

"I'm doing okay, how about you?" You ask, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm doing great now." He says with a chuckle. "I was a little bit concerned when I came home and you weren't here, but it's all good."

"Sorry, I was picking you up a present." You kiss him on the lips again.

"Can I open it right now?" He asks, moving in to kiss your neck.

You laugh, and simply respond with, "I'm not your present Bucky, I think you'll like the one I am getting you a whole lot more."

"Nonsense, you being here with me is a gift of itself, everything else is just confetti."

"Awww, baby." You tilt your head to get a better look at the adorable fluffball in front of you. "I am getting you a real present though, and I think you'll like it a lot.

"So... Do you want to unwrap presents now?" 

"Sure, sounds fun." Bucky is trying to play cool, but you can see through his eyes that he’s excited.

"Alright, I'm gonna run into the bedroom and grab them really fast, then we can open them. We'll open the rest of the presents tonight at Pepper's house."

Inside of the closet where you stashed the shirt and socks you giggle thinking about the stunt that you're about to pull on Bucky.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Bucky, happy birthday to you!" You walk in carrying the two presents in your hand, and Bucky looks almost happier than you've ever seen him before. 

Once you set both of the presents down on the ground, Bucky eagerly rips open one of the neatly wrapped packages. The second he sees that there is only a red henley inside, his face falls slightly, but he quickly picks it back up to keep the appearance of excitement on for you.

"It's great Doll, I needed another one." He reaches over and kisses you on the forehead.

He opens the second present, more slowly this time, and pulls it out carefully. His face immediately droops when seeing that it's socks. He puts on a happy face and says, "great, I love it." With as much enthusiasm as he can muster.

You let out a chuckle, even though you feel guilty for making Bucky feel bad. "I'm just kidding Baby, close your eyes and I'll have your real present in a minute."

Bucky lets out a sigh of relief, and he immediately looks guilty the second after.

"C'mon baby, did you think I would play you like that?" You respond with a small chuckle. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes," you exclaim as you lean down to kiss him on the cheek.

After you leave the apartment, you pretend to stomp down the hallway, when in reality all you’re doing is going next door. You carefully knock on the door, and Cynthia opens it up almost immediately.

"Hi, is he doing alright?" You ask with genuine concern.

"Oh lovely, you're very lucky to have him, he's sweet as sugar. My cat, Vera, has taken a liking to him, perhaps you could bring him over some time for a play date?" Even though you had never heard of a cat play date, you were open to the idea.

"Sounds great!" You reply with a smile.

"Splendid, I'll go get him now." She walks back into her apartment only to shortly return with the crate.

She hands you Alpine, and you quickly respond with: "Thank you so much, Cynthia, have a great day!" She then smiles and closes the door.

You walk the few feet back to your apartment, and you open it to a crack. "Hey baby, could you close your eyes for a minute?" Bucky doesn't say anything, and just simply puts a hand over his eyes.

As you open the door, Alpine lets out a meow. You frantically look over at Bucky, but he’s none the wiser.

Once you're fully inside and have the door closed, you set the crate on the ground and open the latch, pulling Alpine out. 

"Keep 'em closed, and let your arms out." Bucky does as you told him to, and you gently place Alpine in his arms.

"You can open them now."

Bucky looks down at the white ball of fur that he's holding, and a smile immediately erupts on his face. "Is it-"

"Yeah, baby, it is." A grin spreads on your features.

Bucky doesn't say anything, just carefully plays with Alpine. He turns him to face him and smiles even more when he sees his cute little whiskers. He begins to talk baby talk to Alpine, and you can't help but giggle at this adorable display.

"His name is Alpine." Bucky looks up at you, and then back at Alpine.

"Well isn't that the perfect name for the perfect cat." He exclaims with the biggest smile you've ever seen him wear. 

He reaches towards you and pulls you closer towards him. You move from facing him, to sitting next to him, and he wraps his human arm around you.

"I love you, sweetheart." He says as he kisses you on the forehead. 

You smile and respond with, "And I love you." As you move your lips towards him to give him a kiss, which he eagerly returns.

After you finish your sweet embrace he turns down to look at the white cat that had cuddled himself into Bucky's arm. "And I love you too, Alpine."

Requests are open!

Prompt List

~Taglists are open~

Permanent Tags: @natasha-danvers​

Marvel:

Chapter 11: Pride

Notes: Pride is just a manipulative bitch, I dunno what else to say about that lmao

Word count: 3129 words

Written with the help of @justfor2am !!!

Next Chapter: TBA

Find the rest of the story here!

——————

Roman was barely conscious for everything that had followed, and was only half aware that her wrists were bound in cold metal against a wall. The room was so dimly lit she could hardly see, but that mattered little right now. She had to escape, but his magic was so wore down, there was almost nothing left. Roman pulled as hard as he could against his chains but it made no difference, and trying to summon anything only left her feeling more exhausted.

The new side, still to be named, had waited for a few more hours to continue their plan. Roman was ridden of, and as long as nobody went looking for him, they could get away with whatever else they needed to. What they hadn’t expected was for Patton to mistake them for Roman, making some overly-excited comment about the new outfit. Not that they had minded, rather enjoying the compliments that Patton showered them in, and made no move to argue that they weren’t Roman. ‘Roman’ asked Patton where Virgil had been, and after receiving an answer, hurried off to find him. Now is Virgil mistook them for Roman... well this could go horribly well or awfully perfect.

Meanwhile, Virgil was still holed away in their new room, having carefully pulled its things out and making the space feel a little bit more like home… or at least, what they felt home was supposed to be like. They were surprised to have Roman return to them so quickly, and the fear of being cast out stirred up inside themself again from where they stood by the window. And yet, part of it was almost happy to see Roman again. “Hey again, is everything alright?” they asked.

‘Roman’ had nodded and flashed a happy smile at Virgil. “I hope you’re finding everything to be adequate for the time being... I’ve been working on a little something for you since I heard you’d be coming around. Are you still settling in?” they promoted, holding out their hand to Virgil. “I know we got off to a rocky start, and this doesn’t really make up for it, but I was hoping it could be a start,” they murmured, glancing a bit away from Virgil, almost looking ashamed. “I don’t know how interested you are, but I’d like to start over. If that’s alright with you?” they finished with, looking back to Virgil again.

Virgil had been a little taken aback, to tell the truth. The idea that Roman would ever want to touch them, let alone offering first was dizzying enough, but to put in the effort to make them feel more comfortable was… nice, actually. Really nice. “I… I would really like that, actually,” it said, taking Roman’s hand with a tentative grip, light enough to still pull away. “To be honest, I’m still trying to get used to all of this, but I do want to get to know you better,” they said, unable to fight the shadow of a crooked smile on its face.

‘Roman’ grinned softly at the response, pulling Virgil close and giving them a little spin before starting to walk, moving their fingers to intertwine with Virgil’s. “Well I’m more than happy to tell you anything you’d like to know. Come on, it’s just down through here,” they said cheerily, stepping down some rustic looking spiraled stairs. Roman hadn’t ever bothered to actually fix them up, since the area never got used. The new figment lead Virgil to a room with a wooden door, grabbing out a key and unlocking it before pushing it open, standing out of the way to let Virgil walk in.

As Virgil followed, they felt like their entire head was going to combust from ‘Roman’s’ suave movements alone, and they held on a little tighter than before as the two walked toward’s their next destination. It was slightly confused at first, but upon walking into the room, Virgil could feel their voice being swept away. Before their eyes was a lush and ornate garden, and there was a twinkle in the air that made Virgil’s chest tighten up with anticipation, and their head felt foggy. But realism still itched at the back of Virgil’s mind, despite Virgil’s desire to ignore it. “I don’t understand… what’s all this for?” It asked, turning to face ‘Roman’, a mix of glee and worry stirring up inside. They weren’t exactly sure what kind of answer they were hoping for or were expecting honestly.

Sighing softly, ‘Roman’ began to speak again. “I was really shitty to you before, and I just... wanted to make sure you felt welcome here. You didn’t deserve the things I said to you,” they murmured. “Truthfully, I wish I could’ve been more like you. You’re so strong, Virgil, and smart too,” they complimented, a soft look on their face. Glancing back at the garden, they seemed to perk up some. “Oh I almost forgot! I haven’t even shown you the best part,” they said, before hurriedly running ahead through some doorways made out of large bushes, looking like it was just out of a movie. The soon stopped, grinning softly and gesturing, where quite a few cuddly animals roamed the grass.

Any more compliments and Virgil might never shake off the pinky hue their face had taken on. They were grateful for ��Roman’s’ sudden burst of excitement, and trailed after, not-so-subtly fanning their face. But whatever else the other side had been saying was lost on Virgil’s ears. A small rabbit hopped towards Virgil’s feet, and they scooped the little thing up with a cautious hand, beaming. “You really didn’t have to do all of this,” it mumbled, the delightful fogginess from before setting in again. “But it’s really sweet of you, thank you.”

“Well of course I had to,” ‘Roman’ murmured sheepishly. “It’s worth it to see you so happy. Besides, the blush is a nice bonus,” they flirted lightly. They took a seat on the ground, letting a few of the rabbits jump towards them, smiling some and petting them. “There’s a few things I have to attend to. Would you mind staying here a while? I’ll come back with lunch and we can have a little picnic, get to know each other a bit better?” they offered.

Virgil nodded, almost too eagerly; there was just something about how ‘Roman’ was behaving that they couldn’t place that made them feel wanted. “Yeah, of course! I’ll wait for you, I mean, there’s so much to look around at…” they trailed off, mesmerized by the view. Virgil would wait happily as long as ‘Roman’ wanted to, with how safe this place felt. It could hardly remember why it was nervous about being around the other in the first place.

Smiling at the response, ‘Roman’ stood up again. “I’ll see you again soon, my little meadowsweet. Feel free to look around—there’s plenty I didn’t show you.” They left with a hum, shutting the door behind them. They didn’t lock it—the illusion of choice and comfort for Virgil, it was just easier that way. And besides, the others would question if they heard Virgil shouting. That’s the last thing they wanted. They stepped into Roman’s cell, ready to patronize the other as a grin seeped across their face. “Getting cozy there Roman?” they asked. “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of Virgil, nobody’s questioned where you went. They all think I’m you... must say something about you, doesn’t it?”

Roman glared up at them. “You won’t get away with this, whatever the hell you are, you can’t keep this game up forever.” Even with his brazen words, it was obvious that Roman was still recovering from… god knows what this other creature did to him. His eyes lacked their usual spark, and the lack of blood flow to his arms wasn’t exactly helpful either.

“Oh but Roman, I already am,” they answered with a grin.

“So what’re you going to do with me, then? Am I no longer the thorn in your side that I was? ‘Cause if you let me out, I can show just how much of a pain I could have been,” Roman snarled.

“Good to know I didn’t take any of that hideous anger. I’m not sure yet, I rather enjoy being prince. I think king fits me better though, don’t you?” they asked, tapping their index finger against their chin. “Maybe I’ll keep you here and just take your place. No one would dare to question a king, you made it so they wouldn’t. Ah yes, that would do nicely,” they hummed, pacing the room slowly. “Oh and by the way... Virgil’s happy, I’m sure you’ll be glad to know. The poor thing doesn’t have a clue what hit it. Nobody will find it again...”

At the mention of Virgil, Roman yanked harshly against her chains again, “What the hell did you do with them?! Where are they, you better fucking tell me right now!” He shouted, eyes sparking red if only for a feeble moment. “You are no king, just a fool and a liar playing dress up. This isn’t your world to play with, and if you think for a second no one will catch on, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.”

The trait merely laughed at the response. “Oh Roman, poor poor Roman, I think you forget... I’m still you. They don’t think any different. They have no reason to,” they answered. “You may call me the fool, but I at least know how to use the way Virgil feels about us to my advantage. Funny that you didn’t notice before, it’s in love with you,” the murmured, looking amused as they looked at their nails. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to tell you though, seeing as you nor it are getting out anytime soon. Virgil’s in its own little magic forest... it’ll be lost on its own soon enough.”

A million and one questions were running through Roman’s mind at the moment, from the point that Virgil loved him to the magic forest. She shook her head and glared back up at the other. “You’re horrible using them like that! Let me remind you that Virgil has yet to do anything that warrants this sort of treatment!” She gritted her teeth, “You’re a bully, and a prick, and the most obnoxious son of a bitch I’ve ever met.”

“Virgil wasn’t anything in the first place. It was a mere mistake. We should’ve ridded it earlier, and you know that as much as I do, but I guess it makes me the bad guy to be honest about it;” they muttered.

Roman sighed, resting her head against the wall. “But can I ask for one thing, since you’re so clearly acting as the high-and-mighty king right now?”

“What is it Roman?” the trait asked, bored by the question. “Hurry along now, I did promise Virgil a lovely lunch. Poor thing is eating right out of the palm of my hand you know.”

“Two things, and don’t lie and tell me you’re actually eager to get back to them,” Roman snarked. “First things first, I don’t know who you think you’re fooling with that outfit, but it’s loud for even my tastes. I mean, black with ruby accents? You, my formidable foe, look like an emo nightmare, and not in the good way,” she started, testing the waters, trying to get a rise out of this strange side. “And, for my question, could you get a little closer? I know you must find my voice annoying, and I’m sure a whisper would be much less grating on your ears.”

“I’m far from eager about it, though Virgil certainly misses me,” they remarked, a grin on their face. “And perhaps I don’t look exactly like you, but a look change is easy,” they added with a shrug, simply snapping their fingers as their appearance shifted. “Though I’m certain I look twice as good as you either way,” they finished. Despite their words; they indulged in Roman’s request, coming closer and kneeling in front of her, waiting for the response.

Roman grinned, and blew a raspberry in the other’s face. He was nothing if not a child at heart. “Fuck you, and fuck everything you stand for. As soon as Virgil realizes you’re not me, they’re going to flip their shit, and it’s not going to be pretty. You’d be lucky if you escape with all of your limbs intact.” He knew Virgil wasn’t violent in the slightest, but the other didn’t need to know that. “And you still look like a freak show,” he quipped. “Maybe it’s the stupid smirk on your face, you look much better without one,” Roman taunted, mildly amused by himself for actually pulling such a stupid stunt off.

The trait gritted their teeth, wiping the spit from their face. “Roman, you keep forgetting, you’re not the only part it fell in love for,” they muttered, wiping the spit off on their pants. “Even if the paranoid freak figures it out, do you really think I’m stupid enough to let it out? It wouldn’t dare hurt me. At best, it would feel bad for causing such horrors to us, and I’ll make sure it knows it’s all its fault. No amount of reassuring from you will fix that.”

“You motherfucking—“ Roman started off blazing with anger again, but cut himself off. Her shoulders sank once more as the wheels in her head finished turning. “You’re doing this just because you can. There’s no rhyme or reason, is there? You just want the world, and to step on whomever doesn’t fit your idea of it. There isn’t a drop of remorse in your body, is there?” She wasn’t looking at them anymore, but at the floor as she pieced everything together. “And, even so, I still don’t know what to call you. You’re not Cruelty or I’d be way worse off, you’re not Hatred or Anger…”

“Oh don’t fool yourself, Roman, I don’t step on what I do for no reason. Virgil wasn’t part of the plan, we both know that. Logan’s lovely, I wouldn’t dare to hurt him. But I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to do the same with Remus,” they shrugged. “Simply put, mistakes don’t belong in my world, and as long as I’m living, it is my world.”

“You think you’re perfect,” Roman mumbled, and he almost laughed. “Logan and Remus are almost the most polar opposite sides you could have compared, of course you like Logan. They’re efficient and quiet and do as they’re told. Remus is anything but those things.” He looked back up at the other. “The only thing that matters to you is for everything to be exactly the way you want it, because obviously your way is better than anyone else’s.” Roman stared them in the eye, “You’re arrogant and see no flaws in anything you do. A perfectionist through and through… I know you’re name. You’re Pride.”

“Pride, huh?” the villain grinned. “I like that actually. It suits me well. Well... whatever this may be, I have something to be tending to,” he hummed. “Ta-ta, Roman. Oh, and don’t let me catch you mumbling to yourself anymore, yeah? Be a shame if I’d have to silence you,” he remarked, stepping out the barred door and locking it behind him.

Roman waited to the count of twenty before returning to his struggle against those dammed chains. He had to get out of here, Roman didn’t want that slime ball of a side nosing anywhere around his creations. The clattering of his shackles resounded in his cell, and Roman let his arms fall back against the wall. Whatever charm was on this place, it kept him from using any of his powers. So, she resorted to the only other option left, as humiliating as it was. “Hello?! Is anyone there?!” he shouted into the air.

Virgil had been humming softly as it pet the animals, peaceful and content. Well, at least until it heard some rattling. It stood up, taking one of the bunnies with it and carefully started stepping towards the noises. They had done some exploring, but not much without ‘Roman,’ not wanting to get lost. But curiosity got the best of it, and it couldn’t help being a little concerned about the noises it approached. It hadn’t made out the words that the person had said, but knocked lightly on the stone wall, which was covered in vines and leaves. “Hello?” they called quietly, still nervous as their heart pounded, pulling the bunny a little closer to their chest.

Roman flinched; to be entirely honest, she didn’t think that would work. But it was this particular voice that mattered more to Roman in this moment, and she leaned as forward against her chains as she could, speaking again, “Hello?! Virgil, is that you? Say something, anything, are you alright? They haven’t hurt you, have they?” she asked frantically.

“Ro... man? Woah, woah, wait, slow down—what do you mean?” Virgil was trying to wrap their head around half the words Roman had said, and frankly, they were failing miserably. The kneeled down next to the wall, setting down the bunny gently, that cuddled up to their thigh. “Has who hurt me? Nobody’s hurt me Roman—what happened to you? I thought you said you had some things to take care of then you’d be back...” Virgil wasn’t exactly sure if they should be scared, concerned, or just bluntly hurt, and somehow, they managed to be all three.

“I’m trapped somewhere, you have to to help get me out of here!” Roman answered quickly. “The place you are in now isn’t safe, you’re going to get lost in there forever if you don’t find a way out now. There’s someone walking about that looks just like me, their name is Pride, you cannot under any circumstances trust them! They locked me up, and I’m not strong enough right now to get out on my own. Please, Virgil, I need your help.”

Virgil froze up a bit at that. “Oh.” The response hung heavy in the air. They knew Roman couldn’t have just been being nice to them, of course he couldn’t. They were foolish for ever believing there was any good will to it. Still, even though it stung, Virgil couldn’t help hoping that it wasn’t true. “And all the rabbits, and hand holding... oh...” Virgil continued quietly, trying to connect the dots. They took a deep breath, doing their best not to cry. “I want to trust you, I want to say you’re the real Roman, I do but—given what you just told me, how can I even trust you?” they asked.

——————

Tag List (ask to be added)

@genderfluidmoma

@sinuous-scakt

@youremotionallystablefriend

@alinatheanimelover

It’s a kind of magic #5

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8 || Part 9 || Awesome drawing Villain was cold and starving after more than two weeks with supervillain. Their mouth was dry and their throat hurt from the tight collar. Supervillain had loosened it enough for villain to take normal breaths, as far as their muzzle allowed, but it still hurt. Villain watched the house and waited for supervillain to wake up. It was still dark outside and villain hoped that supervillain would be in a good mood today. Maybe they wouldn’t ignore villain and let them out for a bit. Villain hadn’t been out of their kennel for days, but luckily they didn’t have to wear the muzzle anymore when they were in the kennel. The last time they had left the kennel was when supervillain gave them the jewellery. “And? What do you think? Aren’t you a lovely beast?” They held a mirror up to show villain how they looked. There were a few wide golden rings shoved onto their horns with rubies in them. Between their horns there were thin golden chains that ran from one ring to the other. The gold reflected the light of supervillains living room giving it a pretty shine. They were indeed beautiful, but villain hated the ringing sound of the moving chains immediately. “Do you like them, beast?” Villain nodded while looking supervillain in the eyes. They had learned that supervillain didn’t like it when villain disobeyed. When answering they needed to look at them. Otherwise supervillain would tighten the collar or give them even less food. They could also just drown them or let them stay in the kennel for days. “Are you thankful, pet?” Villain nodded again and supervillain rewarded them with a big smile and a soft hand through their fur. “That’s a good beast. You will learn.” The light of what had to be supervillain’s bedroom finally turned on and villain started wagging. They saw supervillain’s silhouette move behind the window. Maybe they would be allowed inside today. Maybe they could be out of the rain for a few hours and let their fur dry if they were good. They would be good for them. Villain saw supervillain leaving their room. They waited for supervillain to come and let them out. They wanted out, they wanted to stretch themselves to help their aching back and shoulders, they wanted to be held, to be good. But they had to be allowed to do so. Supervillain was their master, they had to listen, to be good. “Already awake, I see,” supervillain said annoyed when they walked out of the door. They crouched down before the kennel and looked villain in the eyes. A little smirk playing around their lips. “I have some guests coming over today, so you have to look beautiful for them and you have to behave. Do you think you can do that?” Villain nodded, causing the chains between their horns to ring. Supervillain sniffed. “You smell like wet dog and you’re all dirty.” They opened the door, but villain waited for permission before they walked out. “Come.” Villain walked out and lay down before supervillain. They were still cold and wet and they felt terrible. Their stomach grumbled, causing supervillain to give them an angry look. “You need to stay quiet and why are you shaking?” Villain tried to stop themselves from shaking, but they couldn’t. They were too cold. “You need a bath, I can’t show you off like this.” Supervillain took them by their collar and dragged them to the bathroom. The guests arrived a few hours later. Villain didn’t recognise them, but it seemed like an important meeting for supervillain. Villain sat up straight beside supervillain’s chair. They weren’t allowed to lay down or to walk around. The guests were quite interested in villain and did whatever they liked to them. They opened villains mouth to inspect their teeth and pulled at their ears. They held villain’s tail up and looked at their claws. At one moment supervillain had ordered them to stand on two legs  like a circus animal. Villain could manage that, but not for too long. Luckily they didn’t have to stand for long. Supervillain let villain stand before them and set them in the right position, just like a dog on a dog show. The hind legs neatly backwards and beside each other, tail curled on their back, head up. Villain felt the gazes burning on them, they were in the centre of the attention. When the guests started to talk to each other again villain was allowed to walk around a little. They were looked at every time they passed someone and after a while they just lay down in the corner of the room. One of the guests walked towards them and without a warning they kicked villain in the ribs. Villain cried out and within a few seconds everyone was looking at them. “I told you to stay quiet!” supervillain screamed angry after they had dragged villain out of the room. Villain hid their tail between their legs and took a few steps back. They knew they had been bad, they disobeyed, they didn’t listen. “You are worthless! Even as a beast! You had one job! So simple and you can’t even do that!” Supervillain grabbed a vase from the table and threw it at villain. Is shattered against their body and fell on the ground. Villain made themselves small. “You can’t do anything right! I should have left you alone in your kennel! That’s what you deserve!” Supervillain grabbed villain by the collar and threw them on the ground. Villain whimpered and closed their eyes. They felt how supervillain tightened their collar again. They landed their fists on villain’s face and grabbed their cheeks. “Look at me!” Villain opened their eyes. Their heart was racing in their chest. “I’m taking you back to your kennel now and you don’t get to make a sound. I won’t let you out for the rest of the week, after that we will see, understand?” Villain nodded. They felt the blood on their back, they were laying on the shattered glass pieces. Supervillain had put the muzzle on again, even tighter than the first time. It cut through villain’s skin, but supervillain didn’t seem to care. They pushed villain into their kennel and slammed the door shut. “I hope it’s going to rain for the rest of the week. I won’t allow you to warm up again.” Then they stamped away. Villain made themselves as small as possible. Their shoulders and back already started to hurt from the awkward position. They felt the blood on their back dry, but the glass was still in their fur. Villain started to cry. First quiet, but after a few minutes they couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. They felt sick and tired. They were cold and hungry and hurt. They tried so hard and it wasn’t enough, supervillain was right they couldn’t do anything right. Hero had been right, this was what they deserved and they would feel alone. They felt alone and hurt, more than ever. They wanted it to stop. They wanted to pain to stop. Villain’s ears peaked up when they heard someone walking through the grass. They immediately went silent. Supervillain said they weren’t allowed to make a sound. “Villain? Are you in there?” The footsteps came closer and villain heard someone crouch down in front of the kennel. “O my god, villain!” Villain opened their eyes to see hero standing in front of the kennel. The look in their eyes was worried and they tried to reach villain through the bars. Villain tried to get away from the touch as far as they could. ‘What are you doing here?’ they thought. “I heard you screaming for me in my head. I searched for you and since I heard you weren’t in the prison anymore, I thought you escaped and I couldn’t find you.” ‘But I didn’t scream for you? How did you find me?’ “The link, the way I heard you, I just teleported to the images you send me. I think you did it unknowingly. It’s okay, I will take you home.” Hero opened the kennel door with their magic. Villain didn’t come out. It could be a trap, maybe supervillain and hero were working together. Maybe hero would hurt them again, just like supervillain did. “I won’t hurt you. Come, I can take you home.” Hero came closer and villain tensed up. They pressed themselves against the back of the kennel. Hero sighed and touched villain’s arm. Everything around them moved and before villain knew it they weren’t in the kennel anymore. ‘Where am I?’ villain thought. “Don’t you recognise it? It’s your own bedroom. You thought about it as a save place, so I took you here.” Villain looked around. Hero was right, they were home. They were finally home! Hero let their hand go through villain’s fur. Villain tensed up and pulled back. ‘Please don’t touch me, please, please don’t hurt me,’ villain thought as they tried to get away. “Just let me take those things off. That muzzle is cutting into your skin and that collar seems way too tight. Can you even breathe?” Villain slowly shook their head and let hero get closer to take everything off. Hero was careful not to hurt them. “I’m sorry villain, I didn’t want this to happen.” Villain walked away from them and walked towards their kitchen. ‘Go away.’ Hero followed them to the kitchen. Villain stood before the kitchen counter. They kept themselves on two paws by leaning on it. They tried not to cry, to show how broken they actually were. Hero now saw the glass in their back. “Villain, please, let me help.” ‘I don’t want your pity. Just leave me be!’ Hero came to stand beside them. “Please, villain, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were hurt so bad! Let me help you.” Villain turned towards them. ‘GO AWAY!’ they roared angrily in hero’s face. Hero didn’t take a step back. Villain let themselves fall on the floor and started crying again. ‘Haven’t you done enough already? I’m broken, okay! I will never be safe again!’ Hero crouched down in front of them and let their hand rest on villain’s shoulder. “Trust me, I just want to help, I know a few spells that can help you heal faster.” ‘If you want me to trust you, turn me back, only then I can be safe.’ Hero looked at the ground and shook their head. “I can’t, there is no turning back.” Before villain could say anything hero started to pull some glass out. Villain cried out and growled, but hero put a spell on them. Their back felt cold and nice now and villain could relax a little. “That’s right, here, come.” Hero helped them to the carpet and worked further. Hero was exhausted when they were done. They had used too much magic and healing spells took a lot of energy out of them. Villain had fallen asleep on the carpet after hero had helped them to relax a little so they could sleep. Hero sat down beside them and let their hand go slowly through their fur, hoping they would relax a little further and don’t wake up. “I’m really sorry. I..I..” Hero shook their head, they didn’t know what to say, even to a sleeping villain. Villain opened their eyes, smiling a little. ‘I know you’re sorry now. Thank you. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.’ Hero gave them a sad smile. “It’s the least I could do. It was my fault after all.” Hero sounded tired and villain could see how sick they looked. ‘Lie down, you can sleep here tonight. Use me as a pillow, it’s okay.’ Hero looked at them. “Are you sure? I mean.. I turned you into that.” Villain shook their head. ‘Just as you said last time, I did that myself. Come it’s fine with me.’ Hero smiled as they laid their head on villain’s fur. “Good night then.” ‘Good night and again, thank you for saving me.’

Everfalls

•Chapter 8•

This is based off of the artwork by oceanteeeth on Instagram! Also shout out to my Beta super.rose.cosplays!

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

(Summary: Eddie's day only gets worse the longer it goes on and it causes him to have an anxiety attack.)

~

(The Day After The Test)

Everyone knows the saying about waking up on the wrong side of the bed. That morning, Eddie realized what it really meant. Even though he went to bed early, he felt tired and sluggish. It was also a bad hair day, but I can cover it up with my hat- He looked over at the place he usually kept it, under the bay window, Shit, where’s my beanie? He searched his room frantically until he realized that if he didn’t get ready and leave, he’d be late for school. So he begrudgingly pulled a navy blue hoodie over his polo. The hood will do, he thought as he walked out the door.

The weather was grey, the dark clouds that lurked overhead threatened to rain. It reminded him all too well of the day he fled The All Lands, so that didn’t help his mood, at all.

Eddie didn’t even get to see Richie and Beverly for their morning smoke (They smoked, not him. He has asthma) because he had 5 minutes before the first bell and he knew that with his luck, today, it’d take him twice as long to open his damned lock.

He burst into the homeroom with 2 minutes to spare. Alley gave him an amused smirk as he rushed to take his seat. “You good there Eddie?” She watched as he nearly spilled all of the contents in his binder on the floor.

“Oh stop finding this so funny” He practically growled, which is something he rarely does, only when he's really pissed, or stressed.

“Sorry, sorry” She shook her head in amusement. “Anyways I was thinking today…” He listened to all she had to say and forced his more genuine smile. Can this day get any worse? He thought as he pulled the blue hood farther up his head.

English class, that’s when it got worse, a lot worse. Just the fact that he had to wear a hood made his day worse, it didn’t sit the same way his beanie did, he had to constantly be pulling it higher as it had a tendency to slide down. Everyone around Eddie seemed to be in a meh mood as well, so that didn’t help him. But the moment he walked into English class and found his test turned backside up towards him. He was greeted by a score of 41%, that, was the final straw.

Without another word Eddie ducked his head and left the classroom. Tears pricked at his eyes, he needed to be alone, he needed to breathe. He had taken one step out of the classroom before he ran into someone. He glanced back only for a split second. A familiar face stared back at him.

“A-Are you okay?” Bill’s eyes were filled with worry.

He couldn’t muster anything greater than a whisper, “I’m fine”. He turned and continued down the hall. He quickened when he heard Bill calling out behind him, the words were inaudible over the sound of his heart that beat loudly behind his ribs.

Richie entered his third period english class. His eyes immediately scanned all of the faces in the room, Eddie’s usually here already, he thought as he walked to stand over Eddie’s desk. The paper that sat on its surface sat face up, his heart dropped at the mark that the page displayed. Immediately, his head shot up and he found Alley, the girl who showed Eddie around on his first day. “Have you seen Eddie?” His voice took on a new tone of urgency.

“Yeah, he just left, I don’t know where he-” Richie didn’t stay to listen, he was already out the door. Something was off, he could smell it in the air. A sixth sense was telling the wolf to find his rabbit.

“Richie” A familiar voice called out to him. He turned on his heels, but he was met by disappointment as he realized it was Bill who stood before him.

“Yo” Richie said, his voice was distant as he tried to pick up a scent on Eddie. Shouldn’t be that hard, just gotta find a trail. Focus on it. The smell of rain, evergreen trees and ilacs. The smell you love so much-

“I ju-just saw Eddie. Is he o-kay? He se-seemed uh-upset” Richie could feel his wolf ears perk up from beneath his beanie, at the sound of the other’s name.

Richie’s eyes grew wide and wild, on the verge of reverting back to their wolf state, “You saw him. Which way did he go?”.

Bill raised his hand and pointed down the nearest hallway, “T-That way- But R-Rich, is everything oh-okay?” Bill interrogated. His voice was filled with concern and worry.

Richie didn’t even get a chance to answer as his feet had already swept him away and down the hall. He was halfway through the empty corridor when he smelt it, heavy rain and freshly picked flowers. Eds. Richie broke off into a sprint.

He burst through a set of doors that led outside. Immediately he was greeted by the steady mist of rain that fell from the dark clouds over his head. The yard was fairly quiet, the main sound was Richie’s own heavy breathing as he scanned the area. Trees, benches, pavement. He froze when the green grass was disrupted by a white ball of fluff. White rabbit. He stared at the creature for a beat as he experienced major dejavu.

Suddenly Richie was back in his room, staring out his window, at a white rabbit. The same white rabbit, a little voice inside his head spoke. It dawned on him almost immediately. Eddie. He kicked himself for not piecing it together sooner, first he sees a magical white rabbit, then literally days later he meets a boy who’s half rabbit? It seemed so evident now. But now was no time to stare.

Richie broke free from his thoughts. He began to put distance between himself and the school, slowly he closed the gap between himself and the bunny, that stayed ever so still where it sat. Richie made an effort to not make any sudden movements or overstep, worried that he'd scare the poor thing off.

He couldn’t shake the thoughts that clouded his mind, why’d he shift? Why here? Why now? That’s so unlike him to be so reckless he must’ve- anxiety. The memory resurfaced of Richie making nachos and Eddie explained how his emotions can trigger his shift, how during his most intense anxiety attacks, he’d shifted. Richie’s heart ached at the thought, he couldn’t help but wonder what had caused such strong emotions.

He stopped about 5 feet away from the rabbit. With such close proximities, Richie was finally able to make out the colour of the bunny’s eyes. That’s what confirmed his theories. The rabbit shared Eddie’s magical crystal blue eyes. The sight caused the corner of his lips to rise ever so slightly into a small smile.

Without breaking eye contact, Richie steadily lowered himself down to one knee. Then he spoke with a low and confused tone, “Eddie, what happened?”. The rabbit’s eyes went wide at the mention of his own name.

The bunny blinked in response. Without missing a beat Richie realized, he can’t talk, cause he’s a fucking rabbit. Good going dumbass. He mentally facepalmed.

Instead of speaking again, Richie shuffled over to sit right in front of the rabbit. “It’s okay. You’re okay” Richie whispered, lowering his head to try to catch the bunny’s glance again.

The rain turned from a mist to something like a drizzle. The bigger water droplets accumulated on the rabbits fur. It sent a shiver up the animal’s spine. He lightly shivered as his nose wiggled a little, in normal bunny fashion.

If Richie’s heart wasn’t aching enough already, then the sight of a shivering bunny for sure made it swell. “Come here” He requested with open arms. He was met by a quizzical gaze, the rabbit’s blue eyes skimmed over Richie and the lap he was offering as a place to sit. After a minute or so, the shivering hadn't stopped, now even Richie felt the chill in the air. “Please?” He wrinkled his eyebrows and attempted his best puppy dog eyes.

Hesitantly, the white rabbit edged its way through the grass. One paw after another. Right until it stood in front of the big human with massive glasses. His little rabbit heart beat happily at the thought of being in such close proximity to the one he’s been fantasizing about most. He climbed over the human’s legs and sat in his lap. He took a moment to get comfortable before releasing a deep sigh. He felt safe. It’s something he’s always felt when he was with his wolf.

Richie watched as it got comfortable and felt the little breath as it sighed. Richie did the same, releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He let the moment continue until he was absolutely sure everything was okay. Once he was sure the precious bunny in his lap wouldn’t make a run for it, he slowly moved his right hand to rest on top of the bunny’s white fur.

His heart skipped a little beat at the softness that he was greeted with. Something about Eddie, in his Ancestor form, laying in Richie’s lap, made him feel like the clouds could start downpouring and he’d still feel the same way he does now. Like time had frozen and he finally had time to think. Even if time had frozen, he wouldn’t have wanted to spend eternity with anyone else.

Richie’s hand slowly began to move it’s way down the bunny’s back. The creature in his lap stiffened, only for a moment before moving into the touch. Richie kept that up for a little, just slow, soft pets. He stopped and rested his hand on the bunny’s back once he’d seized his shivering.

“Eds, baby… You can’t stay like this forever. Uh- do you mind if I pick you up?” Richie sounded like Bill as he submitted his request. The thought of being held did not appeal to Eddie. But he trusted Richie, so he wiggled his little pink nose as a positive indication.

Richie’s smile grew as he positioned his hands appropriately around Eddie before he held him up to his face. Now they were at eye level. The two took some time and just studied each other.

Eddie studied a face that he’s been staring at for over a week now. His big chocolate brown eyes, that if he stared too long he’d get lost in their sweetness. His crooked smile and little dimple that he suddenly got the urge to poke. But alas, he was a rabbit, with no fingers, the poking of the dimple would have to wait.

Richie studied a face he’d only seen in his dreams. The white rabbit that started this all. Sure it was only one dream, the night after he saw the allusive creature, but still. It was so mysterious. Also the fact that he’d just learned how almost all white rabbits are in someway magical, totally blew his mind. Looking at the rabbit in his hands now, how could he not be magical? It’s Eddie. The sound of his laugh echoed through Richie’s head, sure he had magic, but Eddie had Richie completely smitten all on his own, no magic needed. That’s how much Richie cared for him.

Richie had been wanting to do this for a while now. He knew well enough that human Eddie would’ve given him a slap if he tried this any other time. But now Eddie was a bunny and he couldn’t do anything from stopping Richie’s index finger from bopping his little pink nose. “Boop!” he smirked as the nose automatically scrunched up on impact. The reaction brightened Richie’s smile.

“Okay now, Eds, you can’t shift out here. You’ll freeze your balls off”

If rabbits could roll their eyes, Eddie would’ve done so right about now. He probably would’ve given Richie a smack as well.

Richie’s mind was scheming, the gears behind his eyes turned until they clicked and created an idea. “What if I sneak you into the boys bathroom? The one in the basement has a lock. Bev and I usually go there when it’s too cold to smoke- that’s besides the point” Richie cut himself off, “What do you think Buns?” Richie tested out a new nickname. He received a scrunch of the nose and a twitch of the ears. Eddie hated it and Richie was loving every second of it. But after the bunny gave what could only be interpreted as a nod of his fluffy head.

“Okay! Okay…. Now to get you into the school. Shit. Uhhhh- I can’t just bring a rabbit through the front doors” Richie began monologuing out loud. Eddie let out a little huff. Though he always acted like it, he really didn’t find Richie that annoying. He actually enjoyed (for the most part) their constant banter. He hadn't been able to do that with anyone else, ever. Something about their constant bickering almost seemed comforting, as if he knew that above all else, they’d always have that.

After a couple minutes of Richie rambling, Eddie’s chill came back and he knew they didn’t have time for another cuddle session. Although Eddie would definitely try again once he was human. Now he needed to get back into the school and shift. With an idea in his head, he wiggled in Richie’s grasp and nudged the wolf’s jacket with his nose.

Richie stopped talking. He hesitated momentarily as he pieced together a plan. “Jacket? Good idea Buns” he nodded in approval.

Dear god, please stop calling me that. Although he thought that, Eddie knew if he were human, his ears would’ve grown hot and his cheeks would be pink right about now.

It took a little bit of adjusting but soon enough, Richie had pulled his hood over his head and loosened the drawstrings as much as possible. From there he held Eddie out and allowed him to crawl inside the hood and find his own footing. Eddie ended up mainly laying over the back of Richie’s neck. It took Richie a second to adjust to the sudden amount of pressure and warmth on his back, but it soon turned into something that soothed him. Similar to the effects of a weighted blanket. He couldn’t stop the thought that entered his head next. What would Eddie’s body feel like draped over mine? He blinked away the thought as he knew they had more important things than his silly little crush. If that was what he was calling it now.

“You good in there SpaghEds?” Richie asked as he put his hand out in front of his hood. He felt a little nose make a little bobbing motion as if to nod its head. “Good. Okay keep quiet in there alright? And only come out when I tell you” He instructed. For safety measures, Richie snaked his phone out of his back pocket and turned the selfie camera on. He looked at himself and watched the little ball of fluff retreat into the darkness of his hood. This hoodie was a couple sizes too big, so the hood draped over his head and allowed Eddie to be hidden within the excess layers of fabric.

After he released a long sigh, Richie clenched and unclenched his fists and began marching towards the school “Let’s do this”.

~

Right as he stepped over the threshold of the school he could sense it. “Keep low” he murmured in a voice so low only Eddie heard. With those instructions, Eddie curled deeper into the back of Richie’s neck.

He turned the corner at the same time as someone else did. Richie’s insitics kicked in and he leaned his shoulder to the side, which allowed him to effortlessly slide past the oncoming traffic.

“Richie?”

Richie turned on his heels. “Bill! Hey.” He hated how anxious his voice sounded.

“Did you end up finding Eddie?” He asked with concern, but Richie’s tone didn’t go unnoticed, “A-Are you oh-okay?”.

“Me? Yup! I’m fine and dandy, but uh- Eddie on the other hand-” Richie immediately felt the bunny tense up on his neck at the mention of his name. “H-He’s having an anxiety attack. He just texted me” Richie held up his phone. “He’s in the bathroom, I-I’ve gotta go.” Without waiting for a response from Bill, or further questioning, he sped off through the halls. After he made a couple turns, just as he was about to go down into the basement of the school, he checked the halls to make sure Bill hadn't followed them. He even took a moment to let his wolf ears listen for any suspicious movements. Once he was sure they were safe to continue, he opened the door and made his way down the stairs.

The bathroom was empty, of course it was, the basement bathroom was for smokers and make out sessions. And the main people who smoked down here were Richie and Bev, and they scared away most of the horny teens who wanted to use it as their secret make out spot. So yeah, it was empty, and probably would stay like that, unless Bev came. She usually smoked in between classes or outside, so they were safe.

Richie locked the door. Took a moment to catch his breath. He could feel Eddie do the same from inside his hood. The rabbit nudged the back of Richie’s ear with his little head. The nudge brought an amused smirk to the wolf’s face, the soft fur tickled his neck.

“Okay Eds, we’re safe” Richie confirmed as he took a seat on the floor.

He held his hands out on the right side of his hood and waited until Eddie shuffled out. Richie turned his head to glance at Eddie as his little pink nose wiggled, sniffing the air. “Smells good Eds? You like the smell of my smoking hideout?” He said slyly.

Eddie slouched slightly and rolled his eyes, or at least he thought he did. This wouldn’t have been his first choice, or a choice at all. He could only imagine how sticky the floor was, and he didn’t even dare think of what those toilets looked like. But this was where Richie took him, and it was his only option right now. So he had no choice but to wiggle out from the safety of Richie’s hood and into his grasp.

"There you go" Richie held Eddie for a moment. Softly petting his fur, "You're okay... You're okay" he reassured him as he closed his eyes, slowly and slowly leaned against the bathroom door.

Richie wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he was finally brought back to reality when a moist little nose poked the palm of his hand. He didn't move his head, just his gaze, he looked down and saw Eddie had nudged his hand. Then, he did it again, almost as if he was planting small little kisses on his hand. Richie's checks burned and his smile widened.

Eddie hopped he'd get another chance to do that, kiss Richie, as a human of course. But now that's what he really wanted, was to be human. So he turned his neck to look up at Richie who was all red and smiley.

"Yeah yeah, I get the message" Richie groaned, but his voice was more amused than anything. He sat up straighter, leaned forward and let Eddie hop down from his hands. "Do you need me to look away or something?" Richie questioned.

Eddie gave him what he could only assume was a shake of his head, to indicate no. The shifting process varied for the different types of ancestors. For the rabbits it was a little easier, the simple flash of light, then suddenly they're human. Minimal pain. Hell, they even get to keep their clothes. That's the power of Ancestral magic. The rabbit hybrids were one of the first created, so they've had more time to evolve.

Werewolves on the other hand, like Richie, are more recent, only a couple millenniums old. Which makes their magic newer, still raw. Their transformation process is still painful and possibly gruesome.

Eddie has never had to see a werewolf transform, but he couldn't help thinking about what it might be like. Or how much it might hurt for Richie.

For now Eddie tried to keep his mind focused on his own transformation. It wasn't necessarily hard, especially since he wasn't too anxious at the moment, Richie had done a good job at relieving his stress. The pets and scratches had really eased his nerves.

He hopped a couple square tiles away from Richie. He positioned himself, closed his eyes, and started the mental process. He let his conscious travel deep down into the darkness of his mind. It lingered there for a while. On the other side of that darkness, that's where the light was, the light that started the Ancestors. The light that fell from the sky millions of years ago and created the first hybrid.

When he traveled to the light it enveloped his entire form, both physically and mentally. The tingle he was all too familiar with reverberated throughout his body, causing his nose to twitch and his leg to tremor. A rush of manageable pain shot through his body as the light appeared.

Then, Eddie was human.

Richie blinked at the boy that now kneeled in front of him. The transformation was a lot different from the times he’s witnessed Went transform. It was smoother, cleaner. He watched as a little shiver ran through the rabbits body. The flash of light that followed took him by surprise. Suddenly, the rabbit had turned into his friend, and Richie was left speechless. It was like a scene out of some cheesy fantasy movie.

“Holly shit” Richie exhaled, his eyes wide in amazement and shock.

Eddie kept his eyes on the ground ahead of him, a smirk growing on his lips. He was currently kneeling on the floor, with his legs beneath him and his arms stretched out in front of him, holding him up. He shook his head to get a glimpse at Richie. He was quiet, for once, clearly in shock and awe.

Eddie was only able to muster the words, “Cool right?” before his arms gave out from beneath him. He fell face first onto the cool tile floor.

“Shit!” Richie sharply inhaled, immediately diving down to the ground. “Are you okay?” His voice was frantic, the shock finally settled.

“F-Fine” Eddie mumbled with his eyes closed. He flattened out and rolled onto his back.

Richie leaned over him, he moved his hands to Eddie’s shoulders and pulled the boy into a sitting position. RIchie wrapped his arms around Eddie, hugging him tightly.

“What happened? Bill said you looked stressed and-”

“Chee, I failed the test… And I-I lost my dad’s hat.” Richie moved away so he could cup Eddie’s face with his hands.

Eddie began to feel the same stress he had before. The emotions began to fill his head and caused tears to well up in his eyes.

“Your dad’s hat? You mean the one you always wear? Th-The beanie?” Richie stumbled over his words, overwhelmed by the sight of an emotional Eddie.

“Yes, Richie. The last fucking thing my dad left me…” Eddie’s voice drifted off as the first tear rolled down his cheek.

“Which I lost.”

“Which is right here.”

The two said at the same time. Eddie’s eyes became as wide as saucers, “What?” He questioned, unsure if he heard Richie correctly.

“Yeah! Eds- ah, I’m so sorry I accidentally took it when I grabbed my jacket yesterday” Richie reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and produced Frank’s hat. “I’m really sorry.” His voice was sincere as he met Eddie’s gaze.

Eddie tried not to seem too eager as he took the hat from Richie. He held it to his nose and inhaled the familiar scent. It brought a warm smile to his face, he felt the stress lift off of his shoulders. In the moment, Eddie was so happy he didn’t even think through the words he spoke, “Richie, I’m so happy I could kiss you”.

“You-What?” Confusion snuck onto Richie’s face. He was unsure how to feel, of course he wanted to kiss Eddie, he just never thought Eddie wanted to kiss him back

Only then did Eddie realize he’d been speaking out loud. Why did I say that? Kissing Richie? Why is that what my mind always goes to? He’s just a friend, a really, really good friend. My best friend. And friends don’t just kiss each other, guys don’t kiss each other. Or at least that’s what his mother drilled into his head.

“Nothing! Nothing…. J-Just, thank you for the hat” Eddie kept his eyes on the hat in his hands nervously.

His mother’s voice echoed through his head.

Eddie Bear, you don’t wanna be like those other dirty birds, now do you?

No mama.

Boys should never think of other boys like that. Our heavenly father did not put us on this earth to love the same sex. That’s why there are women, and there’s men. You hear me Edward?

Yes mama.

That’s better…

Eddie abruptly got to his feet, he wobbled slightly but stepped aside from Richie and reached for the door.

“Eds- Where are you going?” Richie’s brow furrowed together, looking up at Eddie.

“Don’t call me that.” His voice was sharper than he would have preferred, so before Richie could say anything about it Eddie continued, “Thank you, for this. But I’ve gotta head back to class”. His fingers fumbled to unlock the door but once he got it, he was gone.

Word Count: 4310

This chapter was a blast to write! I adored all the cute cuddly scenes and how Eddie's powers are controlled by his emotions. I had been planning an anxiety attack like this basically since the beginning of the book and I'm happy with how it went! As always I hope that you all enjoyed, and if so, leave a comment, tell me your favourite part of this chapter, it always makes me happy to see people like my work.

That's all for me, I'll see all of you next Friday with the next chapter!

Until then,

So Long and Goodnight.

~

[Taglist]

@richietoaster @s-onora @that-weird-girl-blog @beproudtozier @ghostnebula @bellarosewrites @s-s-georgie @lermanslogan @iamcupcakefrosting @madidraw @gazebobullshit @thoughtfullyyoungduck @aangzukos @ambitiousskychild @reddieonwheels @breadheadscorpius

Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list!

 Stray Cat Strut

Chapter 1

Reader x OT7

► Faerie!AU

Fluff, Comfort

Warnings: Mention of Death, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Faerie Mischevious Bullshit

↳ Summary: When your grandmother passes away, she leaves her countryside house in your name. The longer you stay, the harder and harder it becomes to explain away the odd happenings. What kind of secrets does this sleepy town hold? And why do the local animals act so strangely around you?…

Previous      Masterlist          Next

Your granny passed quietly in her sleep on one rainy night nearly three months ago.

Honestly, you couldn’t have imagined her leaving this earth any other way. The neighbors who found her said she looked so peaceful it was like she was only sleeping, a cup of tea cradled in her withered hands and a smile curving her lips. You had already cried all your tears for your gentle grandmother, already made your peace with the sensation of permanently missing her with the help of friends and loved ones. But soon enough, her amenities and will came into question, and, surprising no one, you were left the bulk of her possessions. Including her house. At the behest of your family, you hopped on the first flight out to the country, to see what kind of shape it was in and to consider the option of moving in. You’d offered it to your mother first, of course, but she’d firmly declined. Back when granny traveled, your mother had watched over the house for a short while and developed an intense dislike for the small town. Insisted it was haunted. Besides, she pointed out, you had lived there with her for a while, even if only as a child too young to form concrete memories. Perhaps it would reignite some familiarity in you, give you some fulfillment that life in the busy city had failed to produce.

 Three months of planning and mourning culminates in you standing in front of the small cottage, luggage by your side. It’s on a small hill, a few paces from the rest of the village. Separate enough for privacy, but by no means lonely. The trees on either side of it had made it difficult to see from the modern road and you’d had a hell of a time trying to sputter vague directions to the driver. You place your hand on the old iron of the gate, warmed by the sun, and push it open. It doesn’t even squeak, moving silently and easily as it had all those years ago. Come to think of it, you realize as you shuffle the bags through the gate and shut it behind, the garden itself still looks as beautiful as ever—well and lovingly tended bushes of rose and lavender, sunflowers and some patches of tiny white flowers you can’t identify. Grass still as green, if a little overgrown. Granny did love her plants so. The sunlight dapples through the trees and lends a hazy glow to everything in the immediate area, bathing it in soft light like a tiny piece of heaven. You trail a hand down the vine that curls over the stonework by the front porch, reminiscing on faded, incomplete memories. The old wooden door itself opens without any fuss, and you breathe in the smell of rose perfume and dust.

Simply decorated and tidy, there’s nothing to suggest that this house has been abandoned, except for the fine layer of dust. She might as well have just stepped out. You set your belongings down and take a quick look around, making sure the water works, the heating is on, etc. On your way back outside, to check the perimeter, you suddenly spot a small hole in the side of the wooden stairs leading off the porch. You can’t decide whether or not it’s human-made with as smooth as it looks. You bend to take a closer look. Something inside it glints in the sunlight as you crane downwards. Shocked, you reach forward, managing to slip a few fingers through the hole and retrieving…candy. Several old-fashioned sweets, wrapped in crinkly paper that shines. Granny was not the kind of person to stash things, you know that for sure. If she’d wanted something, she’d have had it. Must be some neighborhood kids; maybe a small creature hoarding shiny stuff.

Your first real act in this house is to clear it out, filling the hole with cotton and taping over it until you can get it properly filled in. As an afterthought, you set out a small trap that you manage to shift out from the shed—one that doesn’t harm the animal, just traps it inside. You’ll catch whatever it is and release it deeper into the woods or something.

The next step is cleaning. You spend the entire rest of your morning sweeping and scrubbing, wiping down surfaces, polishing wood, and by the time you see fit to collapse into the guest bed, you’re tired but proud of your handiwork. The shed is going to have to be something you tackle later—there’s so much in it and so many large things that you simply can’t lift, garden furniture and the like. You decide that a nap would suit you just fine and drift off on top of the covers in the guest room. Briefly in the afternoon, you dream of something scratching at the back window, but you slip back into the inky void before you can properly think on it.

 You awaken to the sound of rain and realize by the rumbling of your belly that you didn’t bring anything for food besides the protein bars you’d traveled with. You slip on a jacket and shoes to head out as it begins to rain, hoping that the convenience store you saw on the way would still be open. Happily, not only is it open, but the staff is so incredibly friendly. They recognize you as being new in the area and ask you several questions on where you’re from, what you do for a living. You explain that you’re temporarily living in your grandmother’s house to sort out her belongings. They ask if you plan on staying. When you say ‘maybe’, they throw you hopeful smiles and tell you how nice it is here, how beautiful in the springtime and serene in the winter. The man ringing you up throws in a free umbrella and you thank him for his kindness, touched by how immediately they’ve welcomed you in.

 On the way back, you stumble across an old bus stop. It’s built straight into the concrete and the cobbles, paint wearing thin in patches, flashing glimpses of a bright yellow beneath the faded blue. A model grins at you from a poster plastered on the inside, her product’s advertising and the details of her face both sun-bleached to the point of being indiscernible.

Something huddled within the glass corner catches your attention. It’s a tiny black cat, shiny with the wet and glaring out at the rainy sky. It’s not cold out, currently, but the rain is unrelenting. Pity constricts in your chest and you reach out a hesitant hand, thinking maybe you could entice it back to the house. It pays you no mind, but its ears flick back at your approach.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” you promise softly. You turn to dig through the plastic bags and produce a small container of mostly-cooked lamb that you’d planned on throwing into a stew or something for dinner. Can cats eat lamb? You aren’t sure but the way it sniffs the air as you peel back the wrapping tells you it’s at least considering being interested.

“If you come back with me,” you goad, stretching to place a small cube of the meat as close to the cat as you can manage without it flinching, “I’ll give you a place to sleep at least. Maybe dry you off? Would you like that, kitty?”

It doesn’t move, but sniffs the air again. With all the indignity of scorned royalty, it finally bows its head to the lamb. The stray casts another glance up at you and you realize you have never seen eyes so luminous on an animal before. Green, hauntingly so, almost lit from the inside they’re so bright and clear. It looks back to the offering and slowly, hesitantly, chews off a small bit. It eats the piece as though pondering the flavor before suddenly snapping up the rest and eating like it hasn’t eaten in days. In the blink of an eye, the lamb is gone. You toss another piece towards it which the cat regards for only a moment before gobbling that down, too.

“Good kitty,” you soothe. Grasping another cube between your finger and your thumb, you gesture to convince it to follow you underneath the umbrella. To your surprise, it sits up and trots to your side, though it leaves a good foot between you. And when you move to start towards the hill again, it follows just as easily, eyes flitting between you and the meat. You lead the small cat to the cottage like this, intermittently shifting the umbrella to cover it from rain and encouraging it to walk forwards with you until you’ve reached the front gate. It stops before you do, sitting down rather pointedly to wait for you to release the latch. Even as you open it and step inside, it only watches. You wave it in, meaning for it to continue into the garden, but to no avail. It stares. You purse your lips and shift to hold the meat out closer.

“It’s okay. You can come in.”

The cat sits back up and obediently trails after the meat in your hand. It doesn’t even flinch when you close the gate behind it, being mindful of its long tail. You lead it across the stone path and into the house itself, finally laying a few pieces of lamb just to the side of the entrance hallway. It can chew on those while you look for some spare blankets. You arrange the fabric into something like a makeshift pet bed, just by the old-fashioned heater. It clanks loudly when you turn it on but otherwise seems to be in perfect working order. If nothing else, you can warm the poor thing up for the night.

“You can stay here,” you continue talking to the small animal as though it can understand you, unable to shake the feeling like it can. “And in the morning I’ll take you to the vet—to see if you’ve got a chip or anything.” You straighten to watch it finish the piece it was eating and mosey its way to the pile of blankets. It flops down on top of them with a world-weary sigh that makes you chuckle. As you drift about the house, locking the back door, closing the windows against the rain, putting the rest of the food you bought earlier away in the empty refrigerator, you keep checking in on the stray. It seems content enough to sleep where you’ve left it, and in time you’re ready for bed yourself.

“Goodnight, kitty,” you coo in the cat’s direction, curling up in bed and closing your heavy eyes. You’ll see about finding its owner, if it has one. If it doesn’t…well, maybe you could do with a companion. One day into watching this house and you already know the store owners and potentially have a pet. The thought makes you giggle at how ridiculously cozy this town is.

Sleep claims you easily, gently. Halfway through a nonsensical dream about cats and airplanes, you swear you hear the trap outside snap shut, but almost immediately decide to check on it in the morning and go right back to a heavy sleep. The rest of your dreams aren’t near as memorable, but you do smell something briefly that sticks with you even as you awaken. Like old wood and cinnamon and spice.

 You wake up slowly, stretching and groaning at the pure amount of light streaming in through the way-too-thin curtains draped over the window in the room. You’ll need to buy heavier ones if you’re going to keep staying here. Still possessed by the bleariness of a deep sleep, you stagger through the door and make a beeline for the bright hallway, suddenly unsure of whether or not you’d dreamt the stray cat. Maybe mourning your grandmother has made you lonely? The pile is still there, but there’s no animal to be seen. A concerned wave of energy surges through your body, awakening you fully.

You start to look for it around the house, peering underneath all the sparse furniture and checking for loose boards or openings that could lead to the outside. After a good hour of searching, calling, waving lamb around, you finally have to give up, though internally, you’re more than a little disappointed and worried. It can’t have just vanished into thin air, but it can’t have just walked out of here, either. Everything was latched—unless it spontaneously grew thumbs and unlocked the front door by itself, you can’t think of a way it could have Mission Impossible-ed itself out. You’re struck again by the fear that grief has made you verifiably insane and go back to the fabric pile, intending to look for cat hair or something to definitely ascertain that the cat existed in the first place. Sure enough, there’s a faint outline of black fur on the white pillowcase you threw in there for padding.

There’s something else in there as well. For a moment you’re petrified that it’s droppings, but after a beat of horror realize it’s a stick of some kind. It’s the same color as cinnamon, about palm-length and sanded down to be perfectly smooth, though unpolished. One side has been worn down flat, and there are symbols and decorative borders carved into it with an incredibly delicate hand. You’re reminded of marimba bars—but only about the width of your thumb. When you pick it up and roll it between your fingers, you catch a whiff of the smell you’d dreamt of. Wood, cinnamon, spice. Like autumn. You raise it to your nose and sniff again. What sort of smell is that? You don’t remember putting it in there.

But, you finally reason, granny was a big fan of natural scents. She probably left these things around like air fresheners, and the cat could have then picked this one up. It’s not perfect but that’s the story you end up going with. You do like the smell, actually. It’s weirdly familiar, which serves to fairly well confirm your theory. A crafting bin in the spare room produces a small jewelry bag, so you can slip the stick inside, hanging it on a chord around your neck. It’s satisfying to feel the gentle smell enveloping you whenever it jostles against your chest.

Speaking of dreams. You remember with a start the sound of the trap shutting and rush to the back door to look. There isn’t actually anything inside the trap, which is disappointing. What could have triggered it you don’t know, but when you bend to reset it, you see rocks lodged inside the mechanisms, preventing it from closing. No amount of fussing or bashing coaxes them out of it and what you’re left with is a broken cage and a definite feeling like something is playing tricks on you. You sigh loudly. At this point, you still either have issues with some local kids or just a really smart raccoon. Either way, you can’t just let things be. You pull up the local hunting goods store on your phone and cringe at the direction it insists you take. Right through the woods. Oh, well. If it can’t be helped, it can’t be helped. You grab a jacket and some tall shoes for the underbrush, locking the doors as you step out, a handful of cash thrown into your pocket almost as an afterthought.

 The map on your phone seems much more confident in where it’s going than you are, following a small, stony path that’s probably just as old as the village itself. In some places, it splits to runs off through the forest and you wonder where the roads might lead to. Soon enough, you lose the cottage entirely to the horizon of trees and foliage. You aren’t too worried—your signal is strong and the weather is beautiful after the rains yesterday. Warm but breezy. The bird song is definitely putting you in a good mood, and if you listen closely, you could swear you can hear a stream nearby. Not a bad hike.

Until the signal disappears off your phone so suddenly you almost miss it flitting off your screen. You halt in your tracks, lifting the device as though to present it closer to the invisible signals in the air. Nothing. You turn in your tracks and take a few steps back up the path. Nothing. You’re so invested in pressing these buttons and switching those switches that a sharp rustling in the underbrush makes you jump. Your breath catches, your mind races, scanning the bush and looking for more movement. Is it a bear? A wolf??? Are there wolves in this region? You don’t even know that much. To your delight, neither of those things is what then peeks out through the leaves at you. It’s a rabbit. Its coat is such a deep brown that it’s camouflaged almost perfectly in the bush, given away only by the occasional twitch of its nose. It’s a little larger than a plain rabbit, but smaller than a hare—and bizarrely sleek. You wonder if it’s someone’s pet.

“Hello.”

It blinks at you.

“Aren’t you pretty?” Your knees bend so that you can get a closer look, maybe take a photo. It stays remarkably still as you pull up the camera on your phone and snap one, even. You’re too entranced by the real thing to look at the picture, like it’ll disappear unless you keep your eyes on it. “Hello.” You say again with a gentle smile.

It shifts backwards. You straighten, putting your phone in your pocket.

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you.” You reassure. “Just making my way back home, actually.”

You turn on your heel to follow the path back, but a hesitant shuffling from behind convinces you to crane your head over your shoulder. The bunny is following you at a safe distance, nose twitching. You purse your lips at it.

“You don’t like sweets, do you?” You ask it dryly, struck by the thought that this might be what’s chewed a hole in your grandmother’s porch. It blinks at you again. It springs up like a flash, suddenly, throwing itself back into the brush and zipping away. You can hear its departure for a short while before the rustling is covered up by birdsong and ambient rustling from the trees and the wind. You take that as a ‘no’ and continue on your way.

 Ten minutes or so into your trek, you’re realizing that this might have been a worse idea than you thought. The paths you noticed before have gone from charming to troublesome as you can’t tell them apart until you’ve already gone too far to recall which one you’d come down through. You try to calm yourself, be logical about your advancement, but as your phone gradually drains and you still have no signal, you begin to really worry. The path that you’re currently on dissipates into a clearing you hadn’t passed before, marked only by a small stone shrine untouched by human hands for god only knows how long, and you almost fall to your knees in despair. Despite yourself, tears creep through your eyes and clog your throat. You’re being silly, you chastise, trying to wipe them away. It can’t be that hard to find your way home, and the forest here can’t be that big.

Shockingly close, you hear a bird’s song, clearer than the rest of the noise, break through your worried thoughts. It’s a sweet tune you’ve never heard before, almost too melodious to be birdsong. Looking up, you spot the tiny culprit situated on a branch just above you, regarding you with round little eyes. It fluffs its soft red feathers—nearly pink in color—and repeats its music. Unthinking, you echo it, whistling back. It shuffles on its branch, delighted to get a response, and shifts closer. It sings again, a different collection of notes, but uncannily like the next section in the same song. You smile, wiping at your tears and repeat it again, feeling put a little at ease. The small bird hops down, fluttering to land on the shrine. It cocks its head at you and peeps. It’s so cute, you can’t help but giggle at it.

You try again to use your phone, but it doesn’t work and the battery gets even lower. The bird sings brightly, cheerfully. You try your best to return the song through your frown, but the small creature seems disappointed by your lackluster effort. Absentmindedly, your hand drifts up to the bag around your neck and you rub at the stick through the thin fabric, gaining what small comfort you can from the smell of it. Maybe you could call someone? But without a signal you can’t even look up the number for a taxi service or something. You don’t know anyone in this part of the world. It’s getting harder and harder to swallow down the panic trying to crawl up your chest.

The bird sings again, but it catches your attention this time as you realize it’s moved, back towards the path. You peer at it. It peeps and bounces, craning its head in the direction you came from.

“I’m lost.” You’re engaging it in conversation before you can stop yourself. It blinks at you. “I-I’m new here. Can you go get help?”

Its feathers ruffle again. It blinks, chirps, dips its head to groom the crook of its wing. Why are you talking to a bird like it can understand?  It’s not the first time you’ve done that since you got here. You recall the way the cat looked at you. Maybe there’s just something about the wildlife here that makes you behave weirdly? Maybe you’re just going crazy. But at the same time…

This…is familiar. Almost. There is a deep memory. Too deep, too far below the surface, for you to engage with directly. Something from so very long ago. It’s been so long that it’s dissolved into only a feeling. An intuition.

You straighten. Your fingers curl more firmly about the stick hanging from your neck.

 “I’m willing to bargain.”

It isn’t your lips that form those words, but they flow from your mouth like water regardless, before you’re aware that you’re even speaking them.

The bird stills. The forest around you goes silent. Nothing rustles. Nothing sings, coos, calls. Your breath catches in your throat. You can’t look away, caught in the pitch black of the bird’s eyes. A beat passes. Several. Its head inclines forward, slowly, and as it does, you can feel yourself copying the motion. The hair on the back of your neck rises with the build of some unknowable electricity.

The sounds of the forest suddenly kick back in, flooding into the background, louder even than before, sweeping you up until you’re dizzy with it, as if caught in the release from a spell. The bird doesn’t make another noise, but alights gracefully off its perch and flies back a ways, onto another branch hanging over the path. It watches you from there. Your feet move to follow it automatically, settling every inch of your sole to the bricks and worn cobbles beneath you. Just as you get close, there’s a flash of feathers and the bird flits to a different bough.

The two of you make your way through the woods like this; the bird now entirely silent, and you fully enraptured, obediently trailing behind like one sleepwalking.

There’s a flash of wood and old stone from between the trees. Granny’s house. You’d recognize that pattern anywhere. Relief rushes through you, and you spring forward with a cry of joy, laughing suddenly with a snap of built tension. You almost throw yourself onto the fence, delighted to have found your way through safely and soundly.

You pause.

A presence behind you. Not malicious, but heavy. Knowing. Intent. As you turn, you can sense that electricity from before again, crawling over your skin. Drawn as surely as gravity, your eyes meet the steady gaze of the tiny, pink bird, sitting now on the branch nearest the path into the wood. It stands out brilliantly against the backdrop of vivid green leaves, fresh and new for the spring time. The two of you lock eyes and the world spins forever into eternity between you. Empire rise and fall. Everything reduces to dust and is born again without you.

It blinks. Shuffles once, and finally darts out of sight.

In the back of your mind, you can almost hear your granny’s voice, chastising, but the shred of memory melts into the sound of the wind through the trees, the birdsong far away. You don’t remember what you were doing.

Previous     Masterlist          Next

Honeylocust || Morgan & Deirdre

TIMING: Recent

LOCATION: A farm not far out of town

PARTIES: @deathduty and @mor-beck-more-problems

SUMMARY: Morgan and Deirdre take a break to visit some cows.

CONTAINS: brief mention of past abuse

The farm was some miles out of town, secluded off a thin stretch of road. The humble homestead rarely brought traffic or attention, but the owner was passionate right up to his passing, of which Deirdre did her duty to observe. But unlike most deaths she watched, she couldn't stir her mind from what this man left. His home, his animals, and the family that would undoubtedly sell it all as soon as they flew in from the big cities they found far more alluring. It was by some combination of asking around, promise-binding and careful planning, that she knew his farm would not be attended to. A tragedy, surely, but an opportunity on another hand. Of course, all she told Morgan was that she wanted to show her something.

"I think it's just over here," Deirdre explained, resting her arm along the door, windows pulled down to let in the cool summer breeze. Her luxury car wasn't suited for the cracked road under them, and the forest-lined street seemed about as exciting as the occasional bump in the road. Every so often, they'd hit a patch of wide grassland to look over, the shimmering ocean beyond them, but the view was quickly obstructed by trees again. "Or at least I think it is. I might be lost. I don't see any signs for 'fun and special surprise for Morgan'. We didn't pass it, did we?" Her voice hid her amusement poorly, even if the lopsided smile and mischievous glint hadn't given her away. Deirdre might have considered trying to act more convincing if she wasn't so excited. She had a feeling Morgan would like the rabbits the owner kept, they were big and fluffy and as much as Deirdre compared humans to rabbits, she thought the gesture would be well received. If the rabbits didn't work, they did have the stranger's house to themselves. And, well, if that didn't work either, there was a beach just further down that was decidedly less cursed than the one they knew. "You know, why don't we pull up into that farm there and ask for directions."  Pulling up to the small house, she turned on to rough gravel that gave way to smooth dirt. The red brick burned against the well-kept, white wood accents, revealing a house that was both humble, yet striking. Small, yet loved dearly. Deirdre shut her car off, smiling at Morgan before taking in the sight. Beyond the house was the pasture, which had the jersey cows lazily grazing, and beyond them was the chicken coop. The rabbit pen was somewhere by the chickens, as Deirdre remembered. "Or, you know, it might just be that the surprise is around here somewhere. We should get out to look." She grinned, already half out the car.

Morgan would have spent the drive in Deirdre’s lap if she could. The summer had been hard, marked with death and restless nights and now, in a twist she should have seen coming, more cruel magic. She watched the sun glint off the windshield and imagined how the heat felt to the concrete, how the lacy wisps of cloud above them might long for more moisture. She imagined it was the same way she longed for this break from White Crest. The world she wanted, the kind one, the one where she could still feel and connect without pushing her mind to its limit, that was hers and Deirdre’s felt harder to reach when there were strange voices and underground cages and alchemists filled with iron and rage around each corner. But there was safety in the sprawl of the forest, with its trees so old they seemed to lock arms against any trouble. And there was hope in the curl of Deirdre’s smile as she drove. Morgan shifted in her seat just to look at her better and sneak a candid picture to add to her collection. “Fun and special, huh?” She asked, smirking as she lined up the shot. The sun was so bright it made her hair look like it was streaked with gold. “As opposed to the boring and super ordinary kind of surprises you’re just full of. Although, I would probably find a ‘boring’ surprise really interesting. Anything from you is worthwhile, babe.”

The world peeled away turn by turn, simpler and greener than the one they were leaving for the day. She laughed softly as Deirdre carried the charade all the way up to a cheerful looking farmhouse. Not the kind of place she would’ve imagined Deirdre liking at a glance. It was tidy, lovingly maintained, and still within view of other, similar homesteads. But these little surprises of discovery endeared her more to her love. They could stay together for a century or more, and Morgan still wouldn’t have all the answers to her. “So, what’s this?” She asked, playing along with exaggerated curiosity. “Are we staying the night here? Because I definitely didn’t pack a bag and there will be nothing to save us from my morning hair.” She stepped out and stumbled through the rocky grass to take her girlfriend’s hand. “Are you taking me to a picnic? Is this why we brought extra snacks? Ooh should I close my eyes so I’m extra surprised?” Morgan bounced on her toes and gave her a chaste kiss. “Not that I’m not already surprised and happy to be here. I can’t begin to say how much I need this. So, thank you, my love.” She tugged her along the grass, walking backwards. “Show me your special surprise now?”

“Anything from me, huh?” Deirdre smirked, doing well to hide the nervous flutter that claimed her stomach. She wouldn’t mention her three-part contingency plan, or how she was beginning to think that, just maybe, rabbits weren’t that thrilling. But when she’d seen the farm for the first time in a vision, all she could think of was how it might be nice to take Morgan to a place like this: idyllic, calm, loved and friendly. White Crest gave Morgan no breaks, but Deirdre could carve one out for her, on this homestead, some miles out. Even if the rabbits were a miss, the summer sun and the late farmer’s garden hammock sounded pleasant enough. “You know, I’ve never wanted to be saved from your morning hair, I happen to like it.” Deirdre grinned, squeezing Morgan’s hand a little tighter as she took the lead. “Unless you mean in addition to being adorably fluffy, it also has a mind of its own. Is it going to strangle me? Now I’m intrigued.” Her banter continued over her unlocking the pasture gate, and leading them into the open field. “I wouldn’t recommend closing your eyes---” And in saying so, Deirdre’s gaze met one of the cow’s, who had paused its grazing to regard them curiously. “Actually,” she turned to Morgan, “close your eyes and stand--” she moved her, “--right there. Hold your hands out like--” she gently tugged them up “--that.”

Jingling carried along with the breeze, the cow happily galloping towards them, its bell swaying with each step. It mooed quietly as it nudged Deirdre’s hand first, who then led her to Morgan. This cow, brown in color and smaller than the rest, Deirdre pulled out from the farmer’s rambling as Penny. As a Jersey cow raised on his homestead, she was as friendly as she was soft to the touch. Penny began to nudge Morgan’s hands, trying to rub her head against them to incur the scratches she wanted. When that wasn’t working, she pushed closer, rubbing against Morgan’s arms until she had successfully squeezed in between them. Despite her greed for attention, Penny was a gentle creature, as most dairy cows were. She mooed again, finally solidifying what she wanted from Morgan by licking her face. Deirdre raised her hand, grabbing Morgan’s and bringing it right behind the cow’s ear. She curled their hands together, rubbing them across the fur as the cow tilted her head towards them, clearly pleased. “This is Penny,” Deirdre released Morgan’s hand, “she’s very excited to see you.” The other cows began the slow jaunt towards them, their bells clanking as they moved lazily across the pasture. “The owner of the farm passed away. I’ve had to bind someone into coming by to take care of the animals since his family is a little uninterested. I must have...left some gaps in that promise.” Very attention-hungry gaps. Penny whined again, insistent for more. “You don’t mind if I take care of them for a little bit, do you?”

“Anything,” Morgan emphasized. “Try me, I dare you.” She followed Deirdre through the grass, content with the mystery of her surprise, bubbling softly with laughter as she teased. “Oh, now you’re interested? What about my shiny afternoon hair? Or my just straightened magazine hair? Maybe my evening hair wants to strangle you with much more elegance. You know, with a little rosewater, a classy strangling, as you do.” She reeled Deirdre into a kiss just as she asked her to close her eyes. “Ooh, now I’m intrigued,” she murmured against her skin. “As you wish, my love.” She let her hands be posed and held them in place, the picture of obedience.

Morgan knew better than to expect anything in particular, but the strange wet pressure on her fingertips still made her squeal with surprise. “Oh, Stars! What is that? Is that a--!” She squealed again as the creature moved her head under her palm, insisting on some form of pets. “Are we petting cows?” She giggled. Slowly, after enough halting efforts, she realized that Penny liked a firm, scratching hand just like herself. Morgan released the tension in her arms and opened her eyes. Penny’s limpid black cow eyes were bigger than any she’d seen on any animal. Her lashes fluttered and her moos changed in tone as she reveled in the new attention, spotted tail swinging. Morgan turned her face just in time to avoid getting licked in the eye and redoubled her efforts along the cow’s fine hair with her free hand to prove she understood. She craned her head back at Deirdre, who was bursting with a look so soft and nervous, Morgan stopped to nestle her girlfriend’s body even closer against her back.“Penny, huh? Has that always been her name or did you just give it to her so she knows she’s special?” She looked back at the young cow, almost as attention-hungry at Moira, and resumed her scratches. “She’s beautiful. She...she looks like she’s real soft. All that fine hair, and all that pink on her ears. She probably feels as soft as she’s gentle, huh?” Her voice trailed off thoughtfully as she went on, trying to remember if she’d ever pet a calf at a petting zoo or at the ranch field trips her school had bussed them out on. She must have, she was sure, but she couldn’t remember, much less how the cow was supposed to feel or whether she was being too rough or if her skin was going to prove too cold before long.

“Of course you can,” she said softly. She lifted their joined hands and kissed Deirdre’s knuckles before turning her attention back to the cow, running her hand along her back in long strokes now. “Are these like the cows you raised in Ireland? You had one that you named once, didn’t you?”

With snide comments about hair subdued, there was nothing but the cow to focus on. “You can be rougher with them, you know,” Deirdre explained softly, demonstrating the force Morgan could use by pressing her fingers against Penny’s head, then applying the pressure to Morgan’s arm. “They’re not delicate. Not like the cats. In fact, she really wants you to be less gentle with her.” Penny kept insisting for more from Morgan, nudging her with her large nose, or rubbing her head against her clothes. “But if you’re worried about it, she seems good just using you as a brush. I’d warn you about the rough tongues, but I think you’ll be okay.” She moved around, wrapping her arms around Morgan’s waist and tightening her grip as she spoke. “She’s very soft. As soft as she is gentle. Imagine Anya with a rougher coat, it’s still silky, but just thicker.” Deirdre pressed a kiss to Morgan’s cheek, “and if you’re good with her, my love, let me just go grab a brush.”

Deirdre rolled up her sleeves as she moved to the side of the house, which she knew was where the farmer kept a few supplies. She filled a pail with water from the hose, grabbing the cleanest towels of the ones left out (cow saliva had a way of drying like glue, and she thought Morgan might appreciate washing it off her face). Then she picked two brushes out, both with thick enough bristles and solid handles. With her items, and towel flung over her shoulder, she made her way back. It was something about carrying a metal bucket that made her feel like she was back to doing her chores in Ireland. Those days were too far gone now to be missed and too unimportant to be mourned, but she carried herself with familiarity of the motions: setting the pail down, readying her brush.

“‘Penny’ is the farmer’s doing, by the way. I have better taste than that. I wouldn’t know what to name a cow in any case.” Moira was the result of a verbal fumble, her creativity couldn’t extend that far. To name something was to give it value, to have value in something was...to care. And to care was---Deirdre shivered. “We had a different breed in Ireland. Thicker coats.” She held her hand over Penny’s neck, remembering Ella’s, adorning mismatched cuts as she struggled to summon the power necessary to end her life cleanly. She was only 10. “Just one.” She raised her hand, expecting to see a knife where she held the brush. She ran the rough bristles along Penny’s coat in slow, deliberate streaks. She marveled at the lack of blood, the pleased exhales instead of the pained whistles. “To care was to lose, and it never made sense to name creatures that only lived to be hurt.” Penny moved her head, positioning herself best to get as much brushing and petting as she could, in the places she wanted. The other cows mooed, renewed in their desire to join Penny. Deirdre’s gaze, however, had wandered away from Penny to watch Morgan. “Here,” she held the extra brush for Morgan to take. “This might be better. You’ll know you’re being too rough when the cows aren’t leaning into it.”

Morgan let her hands grow idle and still as she watched Deirdre come marching up the field with her supplies, more confident and at ease at once than she’d seen her in a while. Her banshee was self-assured more often than not, but this was different, another side of her emerging into the glaring day for the first time in, well, who knew how long, really? Morgan tried to imagine her carrying such heavy things as a girl, her big workboots, her adamant determination to do all she was capable of, and felt a part of her heart throb and give way to Deirdre, who was still so much more than Morgan realized. “Sure you would. You named Moira pretty well, didn’t you?” She said, beaming from Deirdre to the cow and back again.

“Is it...wrong or weird somehow, to remember the lives of animals, the way you do people? I mean, if they were cared for, if they were known and you loved them…” Morgan hesitated as Penny insisted she pet her more roughly. “I guess what I’m trying to ask is if it’s okay to talk about her. Your cow. Or...any others you cared about. We don’t have to, I don’t want you to be a way you don’t want to or anything, I just wondered. You already seem so...there’s something different in you here. Something nice, though.”

Morgan hesitated as she reached for the brush, even as Deirdre guessed her thoughts. She had only made Moira uncomfortable once when she squeezed her too tightly to her chest in a burst of fondness. She had released the kitten at once and left her alone the rest of the day out of shame, even though Moira was ready to sit near her within an hour to herself. Morgan had never felt like a monster, but hurting a kitten, even on accident, was enough to make her wonder. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I’ll try my best.” She started at Penny’s neck and followed the fall of her hair. Short strokes at first, then harder as Penny continued to but her head against Morgan’s arm. “They’re pretty resilient for being so gentle. I can see why you might like them. I bet they’re good listeners...”

"I was trying to name her after you," Deirdre confessed quietly, "one of the stupid pamphlets in the lobby said you could try naming them after things you liked. It was—it was geared towards children, but in my defense, it was the closest thing to read to where I was sitting." She hadn't named Moira, so much as she had stuttered and Morgan filled in the blanks. She couldn't name a creature again, it felt dooming. "And it….had a crossword on the back that I did. I just—you remember it, the wait was long." Embarrassed, she turned back to Penny, moving down to brush along her ribs. She was happy enough to leave the conversation there, but the inquiry to the animals she knew left her tense. She remained silent for a moment, glancing over to Morgan eventually. "You're doing good," she praised. "Oh, the best listeners, but terrible gossips. You really have to be careful when telling them anything." It was another moment before she remembered she hadn't answered Morgan's question, and so she turned away from smiling at her love to trying not to over-brush the same spot.

Deirdre began in a low, soft rumble of a voice. "They're animals. If their lives have any meaning, it's because someone prescribed it to them. They're animals." Which was synonymous with having minimal value. Her family did a good job of separating things out; the humans were like animals, but the animals were better behaved. Deirdre paused, dropping her hand away from Penny, who was preoccupied now with Morgan. "She wasn't my cow, she was just a cow. Animals are...truly innocent creatures. All instinct and nothing else. It was hard not to like them. But I'd killed them all, one way or another, and there's no sense in—" Another cow nudged Deirdre hand, seeing her unused brush. Painful as it was to remember the creatures she slaughtered, harmed, or did nothing to protect, she couldn't stop herself from laughing with simple delight. "Okay, okay," Deirdre soothed the cow. She spent enough time with animals to know they had personalities and quirks. To know that, for all their supposed lack of value, the ones at the estate always appreciated her arrival. She'd never stopped to wonder what it meant that the things happiest to see her, were the animals. Animals easily won over by treats and attention. Animals she had the great task of harming for the sake of her training. "Remorse was the first thing my mother trained me out of. To give a creature value is to care about them, and you couldn't care about things so far below you. I only thought to care about humans better…because of you. Because it wouldn't be fair to you otherwise." Her voice was soft, absent as she lost herself to the actions of brushing this new cow, just the way she knew cows liked. She always enjoyed the methodical way that caring for animals went. When she didn't want to think, which was often, she lost herself to the motions of care and routine. It was breaking the habit of caring for them that was the hardest, one she hadn't quite learned even now. "I don't think I was particularly kind to the animals. But the ones I liked best died first, and I never knew what to make of that except apathy. Yet, my mother never stopped me from giving treats to the ones we'd just screamed at, or the ones I knew were to be slaughtered. I think she thought it was harmless. I see now that she should have stopped me." It was an Achilles heel of emotionality, it must have been. The very thing that would have made her capable of caring for a human then, of falling in love with one. "I only ever had the nativity to name one of the animals. I wished I could have thought of them with apathy, but we only had a handful of animals on our farm. And I was the one who fed them, bathed them, cared for them. Even if I never gave them a name, I knew exactly which ones we were hurting. And I watched their livelihood deteriorate. Everything I cared for died, by my own doing, to teach me not to care in the first place." She dropped her hand away from the cow, suddenly unable to muster the strength to continue. "I don't think I'm some kind person, Morgan. I just think I'm one that fell in love with you."

Morgan paused in her brushing at Deirdre’s confession. “After me? Oh, my love…” Morgan reached out for her shoulder, running her knuckles gently over her skin. “I am honored by your intentions. I wish you’d said something sooner. You are too kind and too good to me.” She leaned over to kiss her arm and went back to brushing Penny, who was bearing her neck for the brush with more excitement than either of their cats. The cow cooed gently for Morgan and pawed the ground with excitement. Would she always be this way? Or was she only excited because she sensed, somehow, that Deirdre and Morgan wanted to be here in a way her newly promise bound caretakers didn’t? Morgan stared into one of Penny’s eyes in search of the answer, but she felt Deirdre’s fond gaze on her and realized she was probably just being silly.

She almost missed the beginning of Deirdre’s story. Her voice was so soft, and she came about it so strangely at first, Morgan thought she was just making conversation. “Of course we make them more special. Their lives have value in the universe like everything else, but care has value too. Love has value…” But that was Deirdre’s very point. Or the one her mother had tried to torture out of her. Morgan brushed Penny’s neck as Deirdre went on, shushing the cow with extra scratches when she seemed to fret that Morgan was touching her too gently. It was strange to find herself relating to Penny’s desperation to feel comfort, to have the relief of just the right amount of pressure. Morgan felt all the worse for coming to understand her better as Deirdre’s thoughts made their bitter end. Morgan gave Penny’s coat a good, hard squeeze and turned to Deirdre, coming up to hold her from behind.

“Of course you’re kind,” she said, laying her cheek to rest on her back. “How else would you have known to be kind to me if you weren’t already. And then there’s Blanche, Ricky, Remmy, Lydia, and Ariana, and you even sacrificed a fresh bone to help save Winston. And you couldn’t help but pay attention to your cows, to know them so well even without a name to set them apart.” Morgan untangled a hand to start finger combing Deirdre’s hair the way she liked. Gently, she reminded herself. Deirdre never minded her touch, even when it was too hard, but so few things in her life had been gentle with her. Morgan wanted her to remember that she was meant for softness as much as any other creature alive. That she should be touched with tenderly, even if Morgan was too desperate to feel her to give that tenderness too often. “Why else would you give them treats after they’d suffered, or when you knew they were about to hurt? Why go out of your way to make a poor cow happy for a moment, if not to be kind, Deirdre? Your heart must be so great, to withstand all of that work and still want to care. You can forgive yourself for doing what your mother asked of you. It doesn’t make you any less kind or ‘good’ if that’s even a thing. Not to me, my love.” She paused to press a kiss to her shoulder. “Should we sit somewhere for a bit?”

"I don't know if that's something you should be honored by…" Deirdre laughed lightly, relaxing under Morgan's touch. She tried to untangle her thoughts just enough to explain them; something or another about how there was nothing she loved more than Morgan, no other name on her lips. But as her gaze settled back on Morgan and Penny, she thought better of interrupting them with unformed confessions, clumsy as they were sure to be. She let the silence and the wind carry her love instead, hoping they'd be more eloquent. To say she loved Morgan more than the sun was bright, bursting between the lazy rolling clouds above. To say she loved her as the wind pulled around them, for each hair on Penny, for every blade of grass under them. For more than her words could ever dream of saying, and just so much that when asked to name a cat, the only meaning she could think to give it was Morgan's.

"From what I've learned of care, there's a difference between that and guilt; sympathy." Deirdre stood stiff, musing on how her mind had drifted so far from trying to figure out how to explain her love to lamenting a life long gone. Morgan's fingers in her hair were gentle, just enough to draw the pain away, and the cows—unlike Moira—didn't issue any vocal complaints to the lack of brushing. But Deirdre had just one: "why do you do it like that?" She asked, turning to pull Morgan into her arms as well, so they could hold each other. "So gently, I mean. You don't have to." Deirdre knew the answer, more or less, but for every time Morgan summoned that gentleness for her, she hadn't been any less awed. "I'm sorry, this isn't the thrilling surprise I had planned, exactly." She laughed into a kiss, cut short as Penny nudged her. "I can take being good to you, kind in your eyes. It's a far more valuable metric anyway." She could trust it, and she had just started believing it. Penny nudged her again, and Deirdre laughed as she turned to pet the creature on her wet nose. "Alright, I get it! Fates, I don't remember cows being this needy." Then again, she might just have known more about killing them than she did caring for them—or at least it felt that way. "Sitting sounds good. We could do that here, the cows might put their heads on us, if you ever wanted a creature 11 times your weight to use you as a pillow." One of the cows mooed, seemingly offended. Another had already taken to laying in the grass near then. "The surprise I wanted to show you was the owner's—he had a small garden. With rabbits. A rabbit garden. It's nice, or it looked nice in what I saw. I thought you'd like it. We could go there now or—" Penny nudged her again, as gently as she had the times before just the force was enough to jolt Deirdre upright. "Well now I know you're doing it on purpose." She held her hand out against Penny's bowed head. "And for the record—" her voice softened as she turned back to Morgan. "I don't care about being kind, I just want to be good, for you. But I wonder, sometimes, if I'm doing enough or—" Deirdre's gaze fluttered back to Penny. "If I've done too much wrong to even think of being any way else. Maybe I'm a fool for even trying. But I named the cow Ella, and I missed her when she was gone, even if it was my doing." She dropped her hand away from Penny, finding her place easily again, wrapped around Morgan. "Sorry, we should sit. Sitting would be better."

Morgan loosened her hold with ease as Deirdre turned in her grip. She pulled her down so their heads could rest near each other while they rested in each other’s arms. “You were a child, Deirdre. You were having to take this on while other kids were learning how to care at all. But even then, without any knowing or teaching, you tried to make things better for them, however briefly you could. You did as much as you knew how, as much as you thought you could. What more could anyone ask of a little girl?” She tightened her hold for a moment so they were pressed firmly enough for her to feel the comfort of Deirdre’s weight around her. She sighed, relaxing her body to savor the feeling, better than any weighted blanket, and relaxed her grip so it became gentle once again. She turned her face to give Deirdre’s cheek a tender kiss, nuzzling the spot with great care as Deirdre posed her question. “I do it because you’ve had so little softness in your life before now, and when I was alive--” she sighed, reaching back through memory to try and share in the tenderness with Deirdre. “When I was alive and with you, so many of the best parts were so gentle. The first time I got to play with your hair, the way you touched me that first time I stayed over, and those times we came back together after being apart. We were so gentle and it felt so good I swear I cried at least once. I don’t want you to lose that. Even if I never get to feel just like that again, if it has to be different for me, I don’t want it to be like that for you. You were made to be touched gently. I want to still be able to give you that, even though I’m like this now. I do it because I love you.” And to prove her point, Morgan brushed her lips against Deirdre’s skin, so faintly to her senses it felt like she was kissing the air. Slowly, she reached back up to her girlfriend’s hair and resumed her finger combing. “I hope that’s okay,” she whispered.

Morgan couldn’t help but laugh as Penny nosed her way between them by degrees. It made Morgan wonder if Deirdre had visited with her when she came to fulfill her duty, made friends and given them extra scratches and brushes, knowing their fates might take a bitter turn before too long. “Don’t be sorry one bit,” she assured her. “And for the record, you are always enough, Deirdre, and you are plenty good as far as I’m concerned. You have already done so much good, how could you not be? If you’re a fool for trying, then you are my beloved fool, and we’ll be fools trying together. But I don’t really think you are at all.”

Morgan wrapped Deirdre up in her arms again. “Yes, let’s sit. Anywhere you want us to, since you know the place. A nice tree, or by the rabbit garden you wanted to show me, anywhere as long as we can sit close. And you could tell me why you named her Ella, maybe? It’s a pretty name. Sweet, like I bet she was.” Morgan tugged on Deirdre’s arm, leading her backwards towards the gate and the rest of the quiet, sylvan farmland. She held her gaze as she moved, her face all gentle with trust and devotion. “Anywhere, Deirdre.”

A lot more, Deirdre wanted to explain. She had never been a child, her mother didn’t like children. And what she took as praise, being treated as an adult, she knew she could never subject another child to. There was a lot she was asked to do; her duty did not lessen because she was a child. Yet, Morgan had a way of speaking that was light, as though Deirdre might believe her, as though she could. “A lot more…” she croaked anyway, wincing as she recognized the way her mother’s voice could retch out of her---that she was something less herself, and more like the things that made her. She could regurgitate in perfect form her mother’s words, and if she didn’t stop herself, she was almost inclined to. But with Morgan was the only place she never felt the need to, where she could be as she was---however unsure she felt of exactly who that woman was. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’m not a child anymore.” She pulled herself closer to Morgan, twisting so her body fit the way it was supposed to and the knotting of worry inside of her subsided. Morgan had a way of being that was light, as though there was more, there would always be more, and whatever wretched hold Deirdre found herself in, she could always find her way out.

And she had a way of touching her that was gentle, but deliberate--like the softest kiss, or her fingers combing through her hair. Deirdre had expected the answer to be that she was loved; even when Morgan was alive, Deirdre had enough sense to recognize the gentleness she was offered as care. But Morgan could derive no sensation from the act, it was strictly for Deirdre’s benefit. “I remember…” she mumbled, “I didn’t have the words then to tell you I cared, or the bravery to share what words I did have, and so I was gentle instead. We were.” But Deirdre never had been good at taking things just for herself, and where her touches could no longer be gentle, her voice was. Something needed to be given, and there was precious little she wouldn’t give. “I haven’t lost it, I wouldn’t have---even if you didn’t. You don’t have to be so gentle, Morgan. But I---thank you. It’s okay. It’s more than okay. I love you too.”

Their trek to the pasture gate was met with resistance in the form of mooing, and the clanking of Penny’s bell behind them. Deirdre had made the mistake of glancing back just once, finding the eyes of the other cows expectant and watching. She snapped her gaze back to Morgan instantly. “You’re too good to me, you know that?” She couldn’t think of what more to say. Many of Morgan’s compliments early into their relationship were met with rebuttals or disbelief, but she had come to a place where she could accept them with silence---mull them over in her mind, and store them in a place where she might just dare to remember them. For a moment, her expression mirrored Morgan’s, bursting with her own love and faithfulness, and then her gentle grin cracked upwards, taken with mischief. With a rush forwards as the pasture gate clinked shut behind them, Deirdre tightened her grip around Morgan’s waist and lifted her up just enough to spin her back, hoisting her up against the rough white pasture fencing. “Or we could stay right here,” she said, inching closer to Morgan’s lips. “One good turn deserves another, doesn’t it?” She kissed her rough and hungry, pressing against the coarse wood of the fence. It was in pulling back for the sake of her silly, silly, lungs, that she noticed Penny’s head propped up beside them; staring. And beyond her, the eyes of the other cows, still waiting. “Or….not.” She pushed back, rubbing Penny between her eyes. “I think the rabbits will be less manipulative.” They had to be, Deirdre already felt poor enough for leaving the cows. She’d see about convincing Morgan they needed one more brushing session before they left. “Come on, before Penny starts getting ideas.” But as they left, Deirdre muttered an apology to the cows in Gaelic, hoping somehow the different language would detract from the embarrassment of apologizing to cows.

Deirdre led Morgan around to the farm’s right, opposite the pasture. While the front of the house was marked by old trees, staunch watchers of the homestead, the right side was decorated with vegetation, and grand white trellises complete with intertwining vines. The rabbit garden stood in the center, with flowers and hedges trimmed to be proportional to the creatures. The sizable fenced area read more like a miniature garden without the fluffy creatures bouncing around, but thankfully for them, the rabbits were out in full force, exploring their lovingly made city. Their cabin house was empty, the rabbits finding more delight in the tunnels, ramps and raised platforms of the garden. What Deirdre thought Morgan might delight in was the attention to detail in all the miniature pieces; like any grand garden, it had a fountain, and spades and gloves inside a wheelbarrow---all scaled to size. “The garden is all edible, I think. Something about them being free range. The chickens don’t even have it this good.” Deirdre gestured to the wooden patio swing overlooking the spectacle: their place to sit, finally. “After you.”

“Mmm...I’m not sure if there is such a thing as too good to you, babe,” Morgan crooned. “But I’m interested in the concept, it sounds like something I could get on board with.” She watched, smitten and awestruck as Deirdre’s expression shifted, opening towards her with a tenderness that made her want to lean in and surrender herself, to redouble her own efforts to express the affection giving way and expanding inside her. But there was only so much the muscles in their faces could do, only so much that could be held in the flutter of their eyes or the curl of their smiles. She couldn’t hold the expression forever, it was moot. Morgan’s face cracked into a smirk, then wider, until she was laughing to the sky. It was too absurd to be this full of feeling she had no way to express fully. You would think they’d stitch the word for every feeling that could pass through mind somewhere, or come up with some better ideas in the centuries sapient beings had been around to think it over, right? But there was no kiss, no word to fit the strange warmth between them or the way she felt held and soothed by Deirdre’s gaze. Morgan laughed all the way to the fence and into Deirdre’s kiss, hard and strong enough to make her senses feel sharp again. There was no one gesture that could fit everything between them, but there were moments like this that reached as hard as they could.

“Wow. I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or just jealous,” Morgan said. “Are we being too scandalous for your pasture, ma’am? Will you forgive us for getting carried away in the middle of your wonderful grass?” She scratched the cow affectionately, ventriloquising, “‘Yes, but only if you give me even more scratches just like this,’” with a Texan twang, as if all cows were somehow spiritually from the south. She loved on the cow until Deirdre lead her away and out of reach.

“It’s a shame we can’t see them more often,” Morgan said as they walked. “This place really does feel kind of special. And I like what being able to care for the animals does to your face.” She jumped to peck her cheek and tucked herself into her side as they approached the rabbit garden and the bench that overlooked it. “Aw! Do you think they have names too? That one looks like it could be called Peter, don’t you think? I almost wish the owner hadn’t had to die just yet. There’s so much love in this place. Look at those ramps, who comes up with that? And those little stairs that are extra wide for their big hind legs to hop on? It’s incredible.” She sat down on the bench as Deirdre asked and pulled her girlfriend down with her, hip to hip, legs entwined at the ankles. Morgan peppered her with kisses everywhere she could reach easily as she tucked them in as close as she could without upsetting the bench off its balance. She squeezed her, greedy for more pressure, more feeling. If it weren’t for the bench rocking back with their every movement, she might have climbed into her lap and insisted on picking up where they left off.

“I never really thought a farm could be so romantic,” she admitted. “But this is lovely.” She pressed another kiss, now at her earlobe, and murmured gently into her skin. “We don’t have to talk about Ireland if you don’t want to. I was just curious because I want to know more of you and being here makes all your stories more real in my head. But you can tell me something else you’re thinking. I’m happy hearing anything from you...which I feel like I keep saying a lot. But that’s just because it’s true. Funny how that is, huh?”

“You know Jersey cows are British, right?” Deirdre watched her girlfriend with unspeakable fondness. Though she meant to tease her, her voice fell too gently at each syllable. She thought of adding more, a clever remark sat at the tip of her tongue, but she could not summon it above the hubbub of affection that wanted to bubble out of her. Though rare for her to deny a moment of mischief, she always managed to hit a threshold of affection in which the desire to share it with her love was too great---even enough to stop retorts, as the only words she could think to vocalize were declarations. It was in these moments she deeply considered the ramifications of simply having Morgan right where she stood, of tackling her to the floor or making use of a wall---she thought it terrible when the mood struck her while they were apart; she realized it was worse when she knew it would be inappropriate to interrupt them. And so, she lingered close as they moved, her desire shooting through the twitch of her fingers and the smirk on her lips. Her shoulder remained stiff as she managed to keep them moving along without interruption.

“The owner’s family plans on selling it as soon as they can. I don’t know where the animals will go…” Deirdre stopped herself there, afraid her pessimism would sour the moment. “...my face…?” But her confusion quickly dispelled the frown. Her face continued to be furrowed as they went on---she reached up to touch her face when Morgan seemed preoccupied with scoping out the rabbits. It felt the same to her. “Oh, you know, now that you say it, that one does look like a Peter. Just the same as the ones from those books, though much more portly. And--don’t ask me why I know of a children’s series about a thieving rabbit. Oh, hey, that one looks like a ‘Margaret’.” She pointed a rabbit out who was fast asleep, and seemingly unbothered by the strangers in its territory. “You mentioned wanting a place for potential cats, when I asked you about the kind of house you’d like, and I wondered if it’d look like this but...cat-sized.” It was, by all accounts, a paradise for rabbits. “Maybe a little larger, with some space to explore and---” And now she was thinking about it. Deirdre coughed, allowing herself to fall on to the bench, uttering a small gasp in surprise at the swinging that their sudden sitting wrought. After a moment to steady herself, she was quick to wrap an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder, holding her tight and close. The kisses were harder to reciprocate from her angle, but there was little barrier that could stop Deirdre from giving back her share of affection--she did so readily, happily. She hummed under her touch, trying to anchor them closer together, despite the rocking. The bench was clearly made for the stationary observer and not the affectionate couple.

“As someone who was raised on a farm, they’re still not romantic.” Deirdre laughed easily, trying to tilt her head to press a kiss to Morgan, but being able to catch only the corner of her lips. “I don’t mind sharing, not to you, my love.” It was true that she’d grown far more comfortable telling Morgan of her life, but she still held her reservations. She only ever spoke of the quieter moments from her childhood, knowing that the rest of those days were colored by bloodshed and torture and her adult life was a blur of dutiful monotony. She had so little to speak of that seemed like it might be of interest, but for the first time, she opened herself up to the stories she hid, and she gave Morgan every power to ask for them. “You wanted to know why I named that cow Ella? I must have been learning about our family history at the time; my great-great-grandmother had gotten to the bits with the baronies of Ireland, and our ruined castle in Eliogarty. I always wanted to visit, she described it so fondly, yet...sad. I wondered what it must have been like to lose a thing like that, and then I suppose it was poetic that Ella was the first animal I killed.” She paused. “I marked each place by the training that took place there--the drowning or the bone breaking or burning or the rites. I learned how to kill and maim on the animals, the acres of our farm weren’t so our cows could frolic, but so our screams wouldn’t draw any unnecessary attention. I watched those creatures suffer because of me, and then I was applauded for it.” Her fingers curled around the edge of the bench, trying to snap wood she knew she was too weak to break. ”I lived secluded on that farm for years, and when I was finally old enough to leave it, I couldn’t figure out how to be without it. All I knew of a home was that place.” She paused again, watching the rabbits mill about their garden. “The first death I ever saw was a rabbit’s. I must have been five, maybe younger. I watched and waited for a fox to dart out and claim it. Then I felt privy to a part of the world so many people didn’t know, of death and nature. Then of how to explain the world I lived in, a place of predators and prey---humans and those who kill them. All I knew of life was that.” Deirdre turned to lean against Morgan, burying her head into the crook of her neck. “Until you,” she mumbled against her skin, pressing firm kisses where she could. “I don’t know what you want to hear about the estate. I can tell you anything you want. But I’ve run out of pleasant stories and ways to tell you that at least the scenery was pretty.” Deirdre was sure all she had about days spent preserving fruits, baking and celebrating ancient family holidays, she had already shared---or simply couldn’t think of the value of sharing them.

“You can’t just say you know about Peter Rabbit and then not tell me how!” Morgan whined. “This is seriously new information. Beatrix Potter isn’t even Irish! Were you allowed to read them as a kid, or did you just get curious later? Also, that one’s totally a Flopsy.” At the fall of Deirdre’s laughter over the romance of pastoral life, Morgan couldn’t help but laugh with her, albeit sheepishly. “Okay, I’ll admit, this is a little smellier than what I had imagined from the stories you told me, but I was a city girl. The only thing I’ve seen close to this was a horse ranch for a school field trip. And, you know, the local petting zoo. And it’s all so green and loved and alive, and you are just so--” She shook her head and shrugged, speechless. Deirdre was herself, deliciously bright and mischievous and kind. She was still weighted by her duty, by her years of loneliness, but crystals were no less wonderful for their heaviness. And yet there was something else, something feather-like that emerged when she looked at the animals and gave them the care she so desperately wanted to bestow. And something sad too, as Morgan suspected, Deirdre’s own memories turned color and shifted under her new perspective. She was not one woman but several, past and present reflecting off and around each other, different but complete, like a perfectly cut crystal prism. But how could Morgan explain how she saw this? How did she prove the way her eyes shined and shifted in the sunlight or what mix of feeling she read in her dimples? Morgan poked one affectionately and continued to revel in her love’s beauty, how expressive it was, how telling of all her strange little thoughts, too weird and deeply buried to be unearthed at once. At last Morgan settled for saying, “You’re amazing, as always. Just more so right now. And so to my very untrained eye and inexperienced self, this peak Hallmark material.”

She kicked out her legs and started to swing them gently, sighing as Deirdre showered her with affection. She mumbled an I love you into her hair and listened as she told her story. She interjected sporadically (“How is a ruined castle not romantic? That’s something people write poems about.”) until the solemn current of Deirdre’s words overtook her. Gradually, she put her feet down and let them rock more and more gently until they stopped. Morgan moved a hand down to cover Deirdre’s, white knuckled on the bench beneath them. “I am sorry that your farm couldn’t be like this. That you only knew it by the different ways you had to suffer or hurt, that you didn’t get to see the animals you cared about be happy, or not for long. I know it wasn’t what you completely wanted…” She prised her fingers off the bench so they could hold hands properly. “You know I’d take any sad story you wanted to tell me, but I guess all my questions about the estate are just...stupid little things. What your bedroom was like, and what grew around your lake, and where your little hiding places were, and where you would visit the wild fae cats. But I also wonder how you did manage to leave, how to feel okay separated from everything you knew. How to change what home could feel like. You must have been on your own a little before coming here and finding me. I don’t think you’ve told me anything about that time. It feels like it barely exists in my head. I don’t need to hear only your good stories, I just don’t want you to feel like you have to, just because I’m curious or asking. You don’t ever have to if you don’t want. We have time, you know? You could tell me what made you think about my dream kitty kingdom instead, for example. I don’t even know the last time I’ve thought about it. Although, if you must know, the one I imagined is kind of like this, but cat-sized, and indoors. It would obviously take up the better part of one of the guest rooms. With lots of levels to explore and window seats that get good sunlight and shade.” She shrugged, letting the improbability of it all drift away like the clouds above them. “And you can tell me about how you see the world now. For both of us, I reckon. We don’t have to just look back. We can look forward too.” She twisted in the bench seat and cradled Deirdre’s face gently in her hands and brushed their lips together in a kiss, tender and careful, a gift only to her. Then, keeping their heads tucked close together, she draped her legs over Deirdre’s lap with a self satisfied smile. This was much better than just being side by side.

“They were the only books appropriate for children that we owned! They were purchased a hundred years ago and my grandmother read them to me but substituted everything with skeletons. And what---just because my family is very Irish, doesn’t mean we only own Irish literature.” Deirdre huffed, feigning offense. Mostly, she was embarrassed in that way she always was when describing anything she enjoyed as a child. “The one’s a Mortis,” she pointed to another rabbit, dropping her hand away as Morgan’s laughter drifted through the air, more captivating than any note of a song. “Oh,” she laughed along with her. “I’m sorry. I thought I did a good job describing the manure to you. Haven’t I told you about my favorite chore shoveling it?” By which she meant that she complained at length about being made to do it. The animals I liked, I will admit I liked them, she would say, defeated, but they shat so much, and it was so big. She tapped the tip of Morgan’s nose, “now imagine how it smells for me.” But Morgan was right about the farm being green and loved and alive, even if she didn’t understand her comment about being different here. Nature did calm her, she thought. Maybe it was that. “ If this was Hallmark material, I think one of us would be a secret prince, right?” Her smile grew, so much so that her cheeks began to ache. “So I should cancel the very romantic hot air balloon ride I have planned for next week then? Have I peaked?”

Deirdre was bursting to share at that point. Her heart was full, and she believed she risked injury by not speaking. Her life, her stories and all the things she knew, she had always thought too strange to share in entirety with Morgan. She had trouble reconciling what part Morgan must’ve loved and cared for. If it was truly all of her, or some strange vision where she was kind and cared about animals. She worried any story she might tell would reveal the face that Morgan didn’t love. Each was a dagger she held over her heart, waiting for the moment Morgan would plunge it into her. That moment never came, but Deirdre never learned to stop waiting for the ire. “I just don’t know what to share,” she admitted quietly. “When I try to draw my own thoughts to kind, they won’t come. But if you ask, I can conjure them. And I do want to share---I do.” Morgan shifted, and Deirdre found the opportunity to hold her better, tighter. The bench swung lazily, threatening to throw them off balance if they dared for too much affection, but Deirdre didn’t care. She thought about the things Morgan had brought up, and then began on them. “My bedroom was plain. Maeve kept stealing my bones, so I had to leave my collection by the lake where it was often shifted or taken by animals. The only thing I had was the sheep skeleton, which Maeve thought was too beneath her to take. And it was wildflowers that grew around the lake, nothing special. But there was this one that looked like bells on a stick, and it grew under the moonlight. I’ve been all over Ireland, and I’ve never seen it anywhere else.” Deirdre paused to collect her thoughts again. This time she wondered if it was odd to share so much of herself in one shot like this, but she was aching to share herself. As much as she normally worried about it, she was burning to give herself to Morgan. “The farm was very big, all of it could have been a hiding place. The garden was a favored spot, but I’d normally take a horse out to the far fields when I wanted to be alone. I was just close enough to be called back if I was needed, but far enough away that I didn’t have to think about anything in particular. I never did this often, I was obsessed with training.” Earning her mother’s praise, her family’s astonishment. She worked herself to fever, often to injury. It wasn’t all her mother’s teaching that left her scarred. “I left for school. I studied in Dublin and lived in the dorms my first year, but the human roommates were unbearable, and so I lived alone after then.” The days of her adulthood came back to her and she winced. “I wasn’t so separated. I was still in Ireland, mostly, and if I wasn’t, I only went where there was family or fae. I came back to the estate often. I did nothing, was nothing. That was my life, and that would have been my life until I died. I wasn’t myself so much as...whoever I needed to be in any moment. It was reflexive.” She sighed, “none of my past feels like it’s mine anymore. Maybe there’s more I could say, but I’ve never wanted to contemplate it. My childhood is different because it feels like a ‘before’, a becoming of who I was meant to be. I couldn’t tell you about the ‘after’, I don’t know how.” She needed time to parse the childhood she was still struggling with, she needed more to understand the adulthood that was a blur. All she knew of it was loneliness.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it. The kitty kingdom--um, in theory. About the things you said you wanted, but clearly were too afraid to try for yourself. I’ve always thought about it, I’ve always wanted to give those things to you, my love.” She wondered if Morgan realized the firepit that suddenly materialized after Morgan’s moving in was an example of this, of how often she thought of and tried to make things better for Morgan. There was a plot of land and a future house that also stood as an example, but she dared not mention it. “Do you...want to talk about the future?” She turned her head, curious. “When I said I would love you forever you seemed a little….well, it seemed like it might have been too much to say. And you’re right, it is a lot. And we don’t have to talk about that either. We do have a lot of years ahead of us; we have time.”  

“You? Peaked? Never,” Morgan chuckled. She played with Deirdre’s features more as she talked, doting on her with the gentlest caresses of her fingertips. As Deirdre struggled her way into her story, however, she lost the will to maintain such exhaustive control and settled for draping herself snug against Deirdre and pressing close, as close as they had practiced before. From her position she could hear Deirdre’s heartbeat. Once her skin used to prickle the little hairs on her ear, startle her senses wide awake. But now it was only Deirdre, another part where she happened to fit so easily, another hollow to hear the subtle drum of her heart. It was so many seconds between each beat, the rhythm was almost imperceptible. But how incredible, how constant it ws. Even when Deirdre could not find herself, even when Morgan feared her love might slip through her fingers, this heartbeat remained.

“You don’t have to know right now,” she crooned near her ear. “It’s okay, babe. It’s kind of hard, looking at everything all different and new. It’ll probably take time. It is a shame, though, that you had to miss out on yourself, and everyone you met missed out too. You’re pretty wonderful. But maybe that means you get to discover yourself instead, and appreciate who you are better.” She situated herself closer in her lap, coming dangerously close to capsizing the bench swing, but it was worth the extra jostling to be closer to her.

“Always?” Morgan asked, brow furrowed. She couldn’t imagine that. “Since you asked me or--even before?” She had been endeared to Deirdre early on, but she hadn’t imagined it had been at all the same. She remembered very clearly relying on this assumption in the early days, something to steady herself from falling in all at once. But that hadn’t helped any, had it? She lifted her head to look at Deirdre a moment and felt a fearful hope strike through her. Could she have been cared for so easily? So completely? She was silent to Deirdre’s question, twisting the two in her mind at once.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “It just...feels like one thing for me to say that I’ll love you forever. That even if things fell apart tomorrow, I would still love you, I would still want you to ask for me if you needed anything, however many years away it might be or however many miles I might have to travel. I didn’t think I could care this much for anyone, but I know it to be true and I don’t see any point in pretending otherwise.” She squeezed Deirdre briefly, just enough to feel her girlfriend’s chest rise and fall against her own. “It just feels so...different, to imagine someone else to say they’ll love me as much, or as long. No one’s wanted me this long before much less loved me. I always messed it up or the curse got in the way. And it’s scary because…” she faltered, her throat going stiff. “Because I do believe you. Or I believe you much, much more than my fear doesn’t. But that means my fear can’t bungee me back if I...I don’t know, if I do something reckless or say something stupid like, oh, even if the universe makes me stay on this earth after you’ve gone from it, I’ll still probably love you and still hold onto our promises because they’ll be all I’ll have left of you.” She sniffled and tried to laugh with airy self deprecation. “And if I can’t bungee myself back to safety, I don’t have anything to keep myself from breaking if something goes wrong. And I just...I’m not even cursed anymore and the ground keeps crumbling even when I don’t do anything! And I think, well, maybe I just won’t think about the whole ‘earth could fall part’ thing. I’ll just keep moving and I’ll hang onto you, and then it won’t seem like anything at all. But then I keep wanting to make new plans with you. Future place plans. And that means having to think about scary, ‘well what’s the point if it doesn’t happen or if we get killed tomorrow or I screw it up like everything else or scare you away like I did before, I don’t even know how that could be, but…’” Even in explaining herself, she was growing rigid and small, her body begging her to shrink further and further until she could slip through the cracks in the bench and fall away. But Morgan held on and forced herself to meet Deirdre’s eyes. “No one’se wanted me enough to even ask for something like what you…” she shook her head as a shiver overtook her spine. “And you know me so much, and you’ve forgiven me for everything I’ve ever done, and you still...when we’re together everything is so...there isn’t a better place, you know? I don’t have any good reasons not to believe you. So I do. I believe that you...you really could. You...you do.” At last she broke her gaze, sniffling. “We can...I mean, looking ahead in terms of months isn’t so scary. Lots of people do that. I’ve tried to work my head around this issue long enough that I don’t feel scared talking about a few months ahead.  I’m not saying I don’t want to talk about it. I’m just...I feel like I should explain, in case maybe you thought it was some other reason. I was too scared before, and I didn’t think I deserved it, and I’m still not sure if I do, but I want you anyway, even if maybe I really don’t deserve you. I want you and I want to be good to you. And good for you. I love you, Deirdre. I love you so much and I want all of this to be good, I do, I’m just…” Scared. And still at a loss as to how to see beyond what little she knew.

Deirdre's face contorted with discomfort. Discovering and learning how to appreciate herself sounded like something humans did, something that culminated in a trip to India which she would return enlightened from. She didn't like it. She didn't like it just as much as she hated anything human being prescribed to her. What kind of an idiot didn't know who they were? And yet, she could not discern which bits of her were honest, or if they all were. When she had fallen in love with Morgan, the woman she knew as dutiful and unapologetically fae, had crumbled away. She could not exist alongside the one that loved Morgan, human or not. And was that woman the same as the one in her adulthood, ruthless and lonely? Was it the same as the girl she hated, the one that cried? Did she have anything to do with the one that came after, the girl who was haughty and stubborn? Were they all her, or had she truly lost herself in the quest to please her family? Stupid as it was, she held no answer. There were three truths she knew how to cling to now. One: that she was a banshee (and this itself meant many things). Two: that she loved Morgan (and this also, meant several things). And three: that she loved pie (this meant nothing but just that, but Deirdre would believe her superior taste in dessert foods would mean she was generally smarter and more right than anyone else). Maybe there was nothing else to discover about her. Maybe she had always been some fragment of a person. Maybe it was too late to look for the answer.

But the topic of her love for Morgan, she could discuss ad nauseum—and then some. She delighted in it far more than speaking of herself, and there always was a steady beat of confidence under her words as she spoke about her love. "Always," she mumbled, trying to think of a more accurate answer. It must have been since her argument that Morgan could have anything she wanted switched from something she said simply to argue to a truth she believed. But she'd always believed it in some respect, and in another she was fascinated with Morgan the moment she met her. It was hard to pick apart her logic then; that too, felt like someone else. “Maybe since that first letter I sent you; probably before then. Maybe since we went bowling, or when you came over that first time. I don’t know, exactly. It feels like always, and maybe that’s not factual, but I know as soon as I pieced together what your life had been...I’ve only wanted good for you.” Which she could vaguely remember her telling herself was the logical thing to do, when confronted with another’s tragedy. Deirdre’s face screwed up in contemplation. Would it be incorrect to color their past with the love she felt now? Had it been there longer than she assumed? Her thoughts were a jumble then, and she was so hung-up on Morgan’s humanity that she didn't dare think of anything else. “Always,” she repeated. It felt right.

“You don’t have to---” Deirdre’s voice trailed away, halted by Morgan’s explanation. She listened, sticking her leg out and digging her foot into the ground to stop the bench from swinging wildly. She held Morgan closer to her, a little tighter, trying to ease away the fear. She didn’t know what to say, either. She had surrendered herself to Morgan and the love she felt the moment she confessed it. In some small part, she knew something would be given up; her duty squandered, her identity as a fae shattered. She trusted Morgan, and she wanted to be with her more than she was afraid of it. She understood the feeling. But in that surrendering, she knew how easily Morgan--or life--could take it all away, and yet, she saw no reason to hold herself back. Even now, the breadth of that love shocked her. She held back feebly against telling Morgan that in the event of her passing, premature or natural, she wouldn’t mind the obstruction of fate--to find some way to live longer, live as long as she had to. She grasped the idea of simply promising Morgan awkwardly in her chest, the only deterrent being that she knew Morgan wouldn’t accept it. But what else was there to say? She was afraid too, she had been for a very long time. She held Morgan tighter. “Thank you for believing me,” she said after a moment, then paused. “Can you hear it? My heart?” Her heart rate had spiked, as it would naturally as fear bubbled up in her too. She knew Morgan often laid near her chest, and she wondered if that was what she was listening for. She wondered if she felt every flutter, every skip, every time her heart sang in its cage for Morgan. “It’s yours, you know? Each beat; it’s yours.” She paused again, staring out at the bunnies that continued to pay no mind to them. She remembered each thing her mother told her about rabbits, her metaphor for humans and life and their place above everything.

“The nature of life is such that you will inevitably encounter something new; the nature of relationships is that one will always be longer than the rest, it will always be new---and new is terrifying. It’s alright to be afraid, that’s how you live, that’s how you survive.” She turned back to her girlfriend, “and you’ve had to survive so much.” She did what she had to do, optimistic so her circumstance wouldn’t crush her, fearful when she knew she could lose much---Deirdre understood this. “It’s okay, my love. I’m not asking you not to be scared, I’m not even asking you to trust me, I’m not really asking for anything at all. The fact that you do believe me is more than enough, but I don’t say that I’ll love you always for the sake of making you trust me. I say it so it’s there. I mean---so you have it, so you can think to trust it if you want, leave it if you don’t. I’m not asking for anything Morgan, I mean it. You don’t need to be less afraid of the future for me, it’s scary, I know that. It’s okay. We don’t need to think about the long-term, if you don’t want. And we can make plans for months from now, years, weeks, whatever--or we don’t. Or you can cancel anything you don’t feel like going through with. I don’t mind. We’ll do this at our pace, Morgan. Whatever feels right.” She reached up, sparring just one of her hands tasked with holding Morgan tight to cup her face, thumbing along her bones. “Bad things happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re cursed or not; they happen, they’ll always happen. I don’t believe in being so afraid of life that you’re scared to live it. You can have good things, Morgan. Good things that stay. I meant it when I said it then, I mean it now. I believe in it, I’ll believe in it for you. I know it’s hard to wrap your head around, and I’m not asking you to try. If you wanted to--if you wanted to try--I’ll be here. And if you want to stop trying, I’ll still be here. If you want to make plans, and then you want to stop them, I’ll be here. I love you. I’ll love you anyway. I trust you, Morgan, and I believe in you.” Deirdre paused again, pulling Morgan into a kiss--to say what her words might have struggled to convey: it was okay, it would be okay, no matter what; and that she loved her, she loved her so very much. “I think we should convert one of the guest rooms into a space for the cats. I know we only have two, but we should do it anyways. Maybe we’ll get more, maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll move, maybe we won’t. Maybe you’ll hate it, but we should do it anyways.”

“I can hear it, yes,” Morgan whispered. She tried to imagine the organ growing arms and sliding through Deirdre’s ribcage to wrap around her, to draw her even closer, safer, against the fae she loved. She imagined these arms as a red blanket, with her name embroidered in the corner that marked their connection. She tried to remember warmth and imagine that too, even though Deirdre’s arms had always been a cool kind of comfort, her touches down her back like melting snow. Morgan listened and tried. The images came to her so easily: yes, Deirdre gave herself to Morgan, gave everything and more, beyond anything Morgan would have dared ask. But she struggled to think of it as hers, as something she could keep, that could stay wholly in her hands without having to be given back. Part of it was wanting to give it back, so Deirdre could love her friends and love herself, even more than she wanted to hoard her care and attention. Morgan’s hand settled over her chest, trying to conjure the feel of its rhythm. She wanted to tell Deirdre that she would put her own heart next to hers, that she sometimes wished for her alchemy back so she could demonstrate the magic that ran between them, diagram the places where she felt so inextricable, she could never be broken away even if they fell out of love. Instead Morgan dragged her lips down from her neck to the flat of her chest, just above her heart. She kissed her sternum and pressed as hard and close as their bodies would allow and listened to the wind in the grass and the rise of Deirdre’s pulse. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured. “It’s my favorite thing to hear at night. Well, and my ocean sounds, but you know what I mean. It’s special.” It was special because her own heart was silent, and she needed to borrow Deirdre’s to stay tethered to the earth until the morning came with all its tasks and responsibilities. But there were other moments when the heartbeat, with all its steadiness and silence, played itself in Morgan’s ear as exactly Deirdre’s. She thought of its music as the centuries she was meant to live out, as the code to her self, still so mysterious and wonderful to Morgan’s attention, as a signal of the incomprehensible constancy she promised her.

Her eyes welled as she hung onto this thought of the abundance and sureness in the lungs beneath her ear and listened to the rest Deirdre had to say. When Deirdre lifted her face to kiss, Morgan’s eyes spilled over. Long used to it by now, she paid her tears no mind, but slung her arms tight around Deirdre’s neck and kissed her back with greedy hunger. “I do,” she mumbled between kisses. “I trust you, I believe you. Don’t let me say any different, because I do. You’re the safest place I know.”

A laugh burbled out of her at the suggestion of making the cat room a reality. “I’m not going to hate it. It’ll be great. And the cats are already becoming friends. They’ll like having somewhere they can go no matter what. Anya will like being able to climb even when the weather’s bad. We can do that. That’s--I think that’s a good plan.” She pulled herself into another kiss and pressed her head down against Deirdre’s shoulders when she felt her banshee’s pulse jump with the need for air. “And can we--sometime, I mean, can we go to Ireland together? Some fall or winter when it’s safe and quiet, would you really take me? I’ve been thinking about it lately, how much I want to see it with you. Or, maybe I didn’t realize I was thinking about it so much, but then Mercy mentioned it with the whole sharing my head thing and pointed out I should say something. Make sure we get to go sometime. And...even that’s a lot, I know, maybe too much, but you said you wanted to go and I want it and I want you. I love you and I don’t want to lose you.” She pressed her arms around Deirdre tighter, clinging to her. “Is there...is there something else you want? Something we can do...that we can plan for, that’s soon? Can I...I don’t think I’ll be such a mess if we plan for soon, or soon...ish? I don’t...not want to try. Maybe...maybe this is something I can give you.”

“Well, nothing can compare to ocean sounds.” Deirdre smiled softly, turning her head away to make it seem like the pastures far off were far more thrilling a sight; a blush she tried to hide, suddenly embarrassed by the very attention that she spurred. It was thrilling to hear that she was special, not for any part of her that she created, but for something she could not touch or change, even if she tried. For something as mundane, yet integral, as her heart. And she could believe it too, only as Morgan said it. Only ever when Morgan said it. And it was the way she spoke: earnest, giving, as if the only thing she knew to speak was the truth. It might not have been true in the grand mechanics of the world, but it was true to Morgan, and Deirdre thought that was more precious anyway. And when they kissed, there wasn’t a more precious feeling. Deirdre held Morgan tight, digging her foot into the dirt below to try and keep the bench from swinging them out of position. “I love you,” she mumbled against her, nodding along to Morgan’s words.

“Cat room it is then.” Deirdre pictured the room in her head; they could use the guest bedroom in the center, which caught the sun’s rays better than the other rooms, perfect for a cat to nap curled up under the heat (Deirdre, of course, preferred the small sunroom off the kitchen for her napping needs). But her fantasy burst with mention of her homeland. “Ireland?” She nearly pulled back, though only due to shock. “That---” She pursed her lips together. She’d thought of it, naturally. She knew the best times to bring Morgan there, where they could avoid her family and still catch the beauty of the place she’d grown up. She’d then considered taking her to meet her family, officially. They could go between the festivities in winter, or even on one of the auspicious days. She’d thought about it, she’d thought about it a lot. “I didn’t know you’d been thinking of that.” There were so many things she wanted to share with her: her lake, the wide pastures, the gentle indifference of the animals, the pale horses in the barn up the hill. But it was a home she hadn’t made her peace with yet, a home she hadn’t properly cast away. Would it be okay? Could it? “I’d like that. If you’d ever want to meet my family...we could do that too. But maybe just Ireland first, unspoiled by whatever they might think. There are...so many things I want to show you there, Morgan.” Her smile grew wider as she spoke. “Yeah. Yeah, that could be good. We could take the horses out to the lake, or I could take you to the antique shop I used to spend all my allowance in, or the old bookstore beside the post office.” Yet her voice fell more sheepish as she went on. “I’m getting ahead of myself,” she corrected, “but I’d like that very much, I think. If you’d want to still, whenever we go.”

But to think of what she wanted for herself in some future’s time, was harder by several degrees. “I want you,” she started, as she did any question of her desires. “I know that’s nothing to plan for. But I do want you. Now, and certainly still in some months.” Deirdre tried to think. She leaned into Morgan, pressing her into the bench. It was an awkward shape and angle to lay her down on the wood, but she pressed forward with intent. “You don’t have to give me anything, my love. You’ve already given me so much, you always give to me.” She paused, laying her forehead against Morgan’s. “Could you plan to join me inside the house? I think we could work out what needs to be given better without--” Deirdre lifted her leg up, letting the bench rock dangerously back and forth, its old chains creaking. “I want you.” She brought her leg back down. “And as far as plans go, well--” She smirked. “I can think of a few things.”

Morgan’s nerves shivered as Deirdre processed the Ireland request. She felt something strange, even sour about how that particular question struck between them. It was like she’d stepped on a chord and released a whole confetti drop of questions, but she could only see one or two flitting past her eyes on the way down. Even as Deirdre seemed to settle and become excited about the idea, Morgan’s sense of caution spiked through her chest and she resolved to put those hopes in a box and not open them again until Deirdre brought it up seriously. “Unspoiled Ireland sounds beautiful,” she said, already wistful about it. “Especially all those places you like best. Of course I’ll want to. It’s all a part of you. It won’t mean as much if I’m not seeing it through your eyes. But whenever you think is best. It doesn’t have to be a whole, elaborate, intimidating deal.”

She couldn’t help but smirk at Deirdre’s assertion that she wanted her. “Hey, you already have me. I’m yours. You have me right now…” But Deirdre was very serious. There was no joke gleaming in her brown eyes, no twist in her smile. “But how is that...is that really enough?” Morgan asked in a small voice. “What if I want more for you than just me? Or if I want to make you happier, even just for a little bit.” The bones and roadkill she brought home made Deirdre perk up, more so when she was able to demonstrate how her impulse control was coming along. But she did that so often now, she wasn’t sure how much the gesture really excited or what dreams it fulfilled. She squealed when the bench rocked and clung to Deirdre and the chain at once so she wouldn’t topple off. “You’re not funny,” she said, giggling. “But I mean it, Deirdre. If I could give you something, anything more, even some small, silly dream like a cat room, I’d like to have the chance to try. Just think about it sometime?” She still wasn’t sure what her girlfriend meant by how she gave to her always when Deirdre was the one giving Morgan a home, a cat, a cat room, her history, her insights, her support, her patience, not to mention clothes nicer than anything she’d had the nerve to transmute, and enough stability build up respectable savings. She caressed the strands of hair that had flown in Deirdre’s face with deliberate gentleness. It was the only thing on hand she thought she had to offer. She gave her a look, affectionate and pleading. Let me, please just let me.

Slowly, Morgan’s mouth widened into a grin and she pulled them up to solid ground. “I do think I like the sound of your immediate plans, though,” she said gently. “As long as you give me very strict instructions. I’d hate to leave you anything less than completely satisfied.”

"I miss home," Deirdre confessed quietly, hoping it would explain her thoughts better. "I miss Ireland, but I don't know why or if I should, even." She glanced behind them, beyond the rabbit garden and into the flat pasture and out across the forested area bordering the homestead. She could pretend it was the same, if she didn't think, but she knew the landscape was all wrong; the temperature, the trees, the way the sun rolled across them. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she realized she was in foreign land. "I want that place to be good to you, like it is to me." If Morgan could just feel the way a breeze hit up the cliff side, maybe she'd see it like Deirdre too. "I want you to like my family," she said, even smaller. "I want them to be good to you too." Her body shrank into itself, unfolding only when the conversation was done.

She was quiet again for a moment. Deirdre caught Morgan's expression and she understood it well, but she couldn't think of anything else she wanted. "You are my dream," she explained softly. "I don't want anything else but you, and everything you give me." Maybe she could explain it better, go over each touch and what it meant to her. Each moment Morgan listened to her half-baked thoughts or came to her side before she even realized she needed someone there. All that she had believed in her for, and for all the patience she had given. To be loved by someone this way, this much, this kindly, was all a dream to her. Her mother said it would never happen, and Deirdre had believed it. And then it did, and she had nothing more to want. "I'll think about it," she rasped, "but I want you; you love me, you've given me your love, and I don't want more than that. That is...all I've ever wanted. Just you, as you are and everything you give, are all I've ever wanted." It sounded dramatic, and perhaps that was why Deirdre allowed herself to be pulled up and away, the conversation easily replaced with something more suggestive. "I can do that," the confusion rippling through her face dissolved into a smirk and the eagerness splayed behind her eyes. "I wouldn't want to lead you astray. And you'll be good for me, won't you?" She tapped Morgan under her chin, playfully tilting her head up before she took her hands, pulling them along.

Morgan melted at Deirdre’s words. There was no seduction in it, no pretense. But the mystery of her love called to her like the great arcane mysteries had, beautiful and inexplicable. What did she give her that any good partner wouldn’t? How could her little walking corpse and all her nerves and hopes and recklessness be transmuted into a dream worthy of a fae without offering anything else to the universe? How could there be no gesture, no task that she could do to set herself a little higher, give Deirdre a little more comfort or joy? Morgan wasn’t sure if she could ever know enough to figure how the math came out even, but she hoped in spite of her fear that she would be able to try. “Okay,” she soothed, lips brushing her ear. “You don’t have to worry about any of this right now. It’s okay...”

When they were on their feet again she had to reach to brush back Deirdre’s hair and dust the pollen and dirt from her sleeves. “Aren’t I always a good girl for you?” She said coyly, batting her lashes in a way that only tempted challenge in the delicious sort of way. She may not have understood what she amounted to in Deirdre’s eyes, or how she could curb her own wants for a clear, promised future where the ground stayed firm beneath her and hopes sprouted as green as the farm around them. But it was a comfort to cast her eyes no further than a handful of hours ahead and the evening to follow. If her questions reared their head again, she could ask them later.

The rabbits could wait, even the cows undoubtedly eager for their next brushing could. But Deirdre and all her bubbling desire and burning need to show Morgan just how much she wanted her, and in just what ways, could not.

Goodbye Kodi

This is one of the most difficult posts I’ve ever had to write. It’s been just over 9 years since I lost my cat, Pumpkin, who I grew up with. My parents put down the family dog just before Christmas in 2015. And now 5 years later, I had to unexpectedly say goodbye to my baby, Kodi.

This past Friday morning at 8am I dropped Kodi off for a dental cleaning - the second one he’s had with this vet. I’d had anxiety about it for a couple days leading up to it, but for the most part I was worried about giving Kodi the pain meds that follow. Justin had a bad feeling that morning and kept checking in with me for status updates, so in general we somehow knew something was going to go wrong. They did all the standard pre-op exam and labwork, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. During the dental, the vet had cleaned one side of his mouth and started the process of removing 2 of his teeth when they noticed a significant heart murmur that had not been heard before. The took him off anesthesia immediately but his heart continued to deteriorate. The vet said he went and they gave him 4 rounds of epinephrine, 3 directly to his heart to try and bring him back but nothing worked. I received the call just after noon that he was gone. I’ll never forget the sound of the vet’s voice as he said “I have really hard news, we lost Kodi.”

I called Justin immediately after, and we both took the rest of the day off and waited for a call from the vet so we could go say goodbye. We returned to the vet office around 2pm where we were let inside a small room. The vet who had been performing the dental talked with us about what had happened, then a tech brought out his body for us to hold one last time and say goodbye.

On Sunday, the practice owner called us to discuss what had happened. He thinks Kodi had undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a type of heart disease common in cats, and especially male cats. It’s genetic, and most often caught due to a heart murmur or other apparent symptoms, none of which Kodi had. I still catch myself thinking I never should have scheduled the dental, even though I know it was the right thing to do. I also know that the vets did everything they could do for him. We at least know that he was under the effects of anesthesia when he passed so he was never in any pain.

I adopted Kodi at just a few months old in July 2013. He was 3 pounds of fluff and stretch out across my lap with ease. He eventually grew into the 14 pound lovable boy who had to settle with laying next to me most of the time because my lap just wasn’t big enough for him.

He was the sweetest thing who begged around dinner time a little bit, but mostly he just liked to stare at me. Judging. Because how dare I not have gotten up to feed him yet. But mostly he understood “no” meant to back off from my food, and had very little interest in people food to begin with.

He loved when I bought the leash out because he knew it meant he would get to go outside for a bit and enjoy the grass, or hunt small critters. We spoiled him with more and more toys, but he always went back to his favorite plastic jingle balls that he loved to play fetch with. Though crumpled paper did the job too, if he was bored.

Kodi was skittish of people for a while, but recently he’d opened up more and actually ended up being the more social one when we had people visit. He was such a mama’s boy and cuddlebug, and absolutely had to sleep above my head every night. He knew that when my pillow was placed flat, it was time for sleep and that was his spot. Yet he also loved to sunbathe in the window, and sleeping on the pillow nearby, or the pillow on Justin’s side of the room, or lounging in the hallway.

He didn’t always get along with Eevee, but I know they enjoyed each other’s company at times, and they did love to play tag almost every night. Until she would get too rough, he loved chasing her and being chased around the apartment.

He gave kisses every day and would purr immediately from the slightest touch, or even the promise of a touch. He was vicious when you pushed his limits, but only to me. He somehow knew that it was okay with me, but other people were off limits for scratching and biting. On the whole though, Kodi was so full of love, and would make circles to come back for pets, stretching in between each lap, throwing himself at you for head rubs or butt paps.

The night before his dental cleaning, Kodi cuddled with me on the couch for a couple of hours and I am so glad I had that time to just enjoy his company one last time. People always say animals know more than we do, and I don’t know if that’s the case here, but I am so grateful to him for giving me that time to look back on.

He had his issues like all pets will, and his quirks, and his adorable qualities. He took some time for Justin to warm up to, but in the end he was so loved by both of us that we still can’t really believe he’s gone.

We picked up his ashes today from the vet. They charged us for a portion of his dental and the epinephrine, but did cover the cost of a private cremation for him. Kodi is the first pet I’ve had cremated, since we buried Pumpkin in my parents’ yard. I didn’t know what to expect, so I was surprised with how heavy the box was (but then he was 14 pounds). The vet also took an impression of his paws in clay, and clipped some of his fur which they gave to us in a small plastic bag. We also received a small cat figure from Chewy.com today, after I removed Kodi from my account and wrote what had happened.

The outpouring of love from our friends and family has been incredible. No one truly feels the loss that we do, but I know many are pet parents themselves and understand what we’re going through.

There’s still so much I could say, but I’ll leave it here for now. I’ve had a few days at this point to grieve, and start to accept that he’s really gone. It’s still hard, and we feel his absence at every meal, every night when we go to sleep, every morning that he’s not waking us up to play. He was truly a special cat and was so loved. We’ll miss you Kodi. Thank you for being a good boy.

    Atom wipes the blood from his mouth and tears from his eyes as he shakily stood up and continued sweeping. Razz growls.

    "That outta teach ya not to disobay me!!!" He snarls. Atom whimpers, he didn't know what he did wrong. But it didn't matter he must have done something. Razz snarls angrily and storms out. Atom shakes and cries. He wanted to get out of here, but he knew he stood no chance. He picks up a discarded newspaper and looks at it. On the front was a picture of a tall, black, handsome skeleton with an alluring, seductive smile and jet black moth wings. His name was Dusk. Everyone knew that. The brave anti hero with a tragic back story. And Dawn's frenemy.

    Atom smiles softly. He sorta had a crush on him. He cuts out the article and pasts it on the wall of his hole in the wall that served as his room. Razz told him that Dusk would probably kill him before even thinking that he was worth something. Atom believed him but that didn't stop him from daydreaming. He looks out the window and sighs. He goes to lay down hoping to get some rest before Razz comes back.

    The sun shone in Atom's face the next morning. He shifts softly. It went dark again as he felt something touch his lips. A kiss. Atom jolted awake, startled. But there was no one there. He looks around. He was in a strange room in a strange bed. On his lap was a tray with a steaming hot breakfast. His tummy grumbles softly. He looks around and starts eating as there was no one else there, he didn't want to waste food.

    If this was one of Razz's tricks he would learn about it later. Beaten to the floor for being so gullible. Atom feels his tummy. Nothing seemed off about it. He didn't feel sick. Usually when he woke up in a bed he was pregnant. But there was nothing. He notices his arms and legs were bandaged. He feels his head. The scars were gone. He was even more confused. He notices his rags were gone, replaced with silk, velvet and fleece. He was clean as well. The dirt and grime gone.

    Atom finishes and gets out of bed. He goes down stairs to see if he could find anyone. There was no one. Not a single person. Atom was alone.

    "I-i must be going crazy!! R-razz!? S-slim!? Please tell me this is one of your jokes!!!" He trembles and shakes. But then something catches his eye. A note on the table. He picks it up and reads it.

    'Dear Starlight, (That's you)

          I know you must be confused and scared, and wondering who I am. But do not fret, I will reveal myself in due time but as for now take this time to explore your new home. There is no one here who will hurt you. The fridge and pantry are always full and I advise you eat. You may head outside if you wish I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The shelves are packed with good books, games, movies and puzzles, to pass the time if you get bored. Everything you need is here. If there's anything you want just write it down and leave it here.

                                  Your's truly, <3.

Ps: you can leave if you wish but I don't advise you doing so.'

    Atom felt reassured, he relaxed and looked around. It was a nice little house. Cozy and neat. There was only one door that lead out. He opens it and gasps.

    Little song birds fluttered in the trees as mice and rabbits moves about in the flowers and grass. A family of deer rested in the shade of a large oak tree as squirrels chittered about. They all stop and look at him. Atom wanders out amazed by the beauty of it all. A little bird alighted in front of him and chirps curiously. Atom smiles and picks the little bird up. He pets it before letting it fly away.

    "W-who? W-who could have done this for....me? It......couldn't have been Razz......." He sits down and basks in the sun. It was so peacefull and calm, he felt so safe, he was soon asleep again.

   Atom woke up a few hours later, his tummy grumbles softly. He heads back inside. He was stunned to see a large meal already prepared for him. He looks around, hoping to catch a glimps of his kind host. He sighs in defeat and sits down to eat.

    When he was done he washes his dishes and puts them away. He looks around for something else to clean. But there was nothing, no cleaning tools either. He sighs, his gaze drifts to the bookshelves. He picks up one of the books and sits down on the couch to read.

     Atom spends the rest of the day reading and doing puzzles. He doesn't notice as the time flies by. He yawns as he finishes a maze. The puzzle book drops to the floor as he falls asleep.

     Atom was again awoken with a kiss from his unknown host. He was back in bed. He sits up and looks around. Still no one there. He sighs and eats. He heads down stairs again. He pauses when he notices a new note on the counter along with a small box. He picks up the note and reads it.

    'Dear Firefly (that's you again)

          I've collected some of your old belongings and put them in this box. It took a little longer than expected, I had to break a few necks to get them, but I hope to hear back from you soon.

                              Your's truly, <3'

    Atom gasps softly and opens the box. He pulls out his old plush lamb and blanky. He cries happily as he snuggles them.

    "LAMBY!!! BLANKY!!! I never thought I'd see you again!!!" He smiles and pulls out the next item. His journal. He blushes as he looks through it.

     "Boy, I hope they didn't go through this......" He sets it down. He pulls out the rest of his stuff. His favorite story book, his scarf and mittens. And even his scrap book full of drawings and cut outs of Dusk. Atom blushes more.

    "Oh gosh." He giggles and slips it on the shelf. He smiles and puts his stuff away. He smiles and goes outside.

    He starts gardening. Removing weeds and tending to the flowers and trees. The little animals help him plant seeds. Though not without eating a few. Atom giggles.

    "Hey! Those are for the garden not your tummies!"

    The animals chitter and chirp gleefully. Atom giggles and yawns. He goes under the tree for a nap. The animals gather around him. He rests his head on the buck's side. The doe licks him tenderly. He was soon asleep once more.

    The days pass without incident. The days merge into weeks and time seemed non-exsistant. He soon got bored and lonely. He sighs. "....I wonder if they'll allow guests.....not that anyone would visit me...." He thinks and writes a note.

    'Dear unknown,

          Can I get guests? Please? I just want some one to talk to that's not the animals. Not that I don't appreciate what you've done for me. I thank you for everything. It's just lonely. It's okay if I can't. I'll just be happy with what I have. Thank you.

                                    ~Atom.'

    He leaves it on the table and goes to bed. His dreams were calm and happy. Like they had been every night since he had been brought here.

    He sleeps till he's woken with another unknown kiss the next morning. He wakes up again to a warm breakfast in bed. He eats and gets dressed and heads down stairs.

    He pauses in surprise to see Dawn, the gaurdian of the multiverse, in his house.

    "D-dawn!?" He scurries over. Dawn perks up.

    "Oh hello. You must be Atom. Your friend has told me alot about you." She shakes his hand. Atom was stunned.

    "W-when I asked for g-guests I didn't think it'd be the literal guardian of the multiverse." He laughs nervously.

    Dawn giggles. "It's nice to meet you too." She smiles warmly.

    Atom shakes his head. "Why don't you take a seat. I'll make some tea."

    "That would be lovely thank you." She purrs. Atom smiles softly and goes to make tea.

    He sits down with her and they talk for a bit. Atom especially interested in her stories about Dusk. Eventually Dawn had to leave. She promised to be back later. She gave him a letter.

    "He told me to give this to you."

    "Who?"

    "Your lover."

    "Oh! O-okay."

    Dawn leaves. Atom looks at the letter. He opens it kinda hoping it would reveal the identity of his mystery lover. He opens it and pauses.

'Dear Starlight

      I know you barely know me. You don't even know who I really am. But I promise you will know in due time. However in this letter I wish to ask if possibly you would grant me access to your body tonight as you sleep so that I may grant you with a child. A child you can keep. I promise that if you say yes you will get a little baby. And I promise no harm will come to you or them. I want a child as much as I know you do. So just leave a note with yes or a no. I will not do anything without permission.

                                Yours truly, <3'

    Atom read and reread it almost a thousand times.

    "A...a child?" He holds his tummy with tears. "N-no....t-this can't be real....it's a trick...." He sat down. He couldn't believe it. This person, had already done so much good to him. But would he really give him a child? And even let him keep it?

    Atom teared up and cried. All he ever wanted was to hold a child. A child of his own. But everytime he had one before, Razz and the others would kill it. He could only see it when they snaped it's little neck infront of him. Never hold it for even a second. He read the note again. With tears in his eyes he wrote his anwser and went to bed.

    The next morning Atom felt strange. He got up and ran to the bathroom to throw up. He hung over the edge of the trashcan goaning.

    "Mmngh-" He gasps softly. He lifts his shirt. His eye's widened when he saw a little soul swimming around peacefully. He hugs his tummy tightly. He slowly gets back up and heads back to the room but there was no breakfast in his bed. Atom goes down stairs. He nods when he sees a masive breakfast on the table.

    "That would make sense....." He ate and went outside. He gardened for an hour or two before laying down on the grass for a nap.

    The next day Atom told Dawn the happy news. He was going to have a child. Dawn smiles and hugs him tightly.

    "That's amazing!!! Though....I wouldn't expect him to actually do that.....he never struck me as a family person.....strange...."

    Atom looks at her with fear. "H-he's n-not gonna kill them i-is he!?"

    "Oh, no, no. I highly doubt it! He loves kids. And....he loves you. I wouldn't think he would do this just to break your heart in the end......he's insane yes....but not crule. Unless you happen to be someone he really truly hates. Oh jeese I might be giving away too much information about him."

    Atom nods softly. "If you say so...."

    Dawn smiles softly. "You're safe. I promise."

    Atom sighs. "Any more letters?"

    "No. Not today. But I suggest you write him some. He got really happy when you wrote the one asking if I could come over. Well not me spacificly but you get the point."

    Atom nods. "Alright."

    Dawn smiles softly. "I'll see you later. Bye Atom."

    "Bye Dawn...."

     Dawn leaves and Atom sits down to ponder if this was a good idea. He hugs his knees and cries, sobbing endlessly. Someone wraps a blanket around his shoulders. Atom stops and perks up. He looks around. But he was alone. A hot cup of coco lay beside him. He picks it up and sips it.

    "Thank you....." He whispers softly. He dries his tears and calms down. He lays down on the couch and falls asleep, holding his tummy tight.

    The next morning he found himself in his bed, again woken with a kiss and a tray of warm food with pancakes shapped as hearts. He smiles softly as he eats. He rubs his tummy.

    "...maybe he really does love me......who ever he is."

    Atom gets up and goes downstairs. He pauses when he sees a wooden box with a note on the table. He picks them up and reads the note.

    'My dear beloved firefly,

        I was thinking of you the other day and thought you might like this. It's not much but it's the best I could get. I know you'll make something amazing.

                                Yours truly <3'

    Atom opens the box. Inside was a yarn, thred, needles and fabric. Sewing, knitting and needle work. Atom was delighted. He took the box and sat down to work.

    He works all day, and late into the night. He wanted to keep working but suddenly felt very tired. He falls asleep soon after.

    The days days past easily. Atom had almost forgotten about his past life. He was looking forward to being a mother and hopfully meeting his lover. Dawn visited every so often and they would talk. And then one day Dawn gave Atom some news that made his heart skip a beat.

     "H-he wants t-to m-ma-marry me!?" Atom exclaims.

     Dawn nods. "Yep."

     "But I-I don't e-even know who he is!!!!"

     "....well....you kinda do...."

     Atom trembles. "W-who!?"

     "Me." A deep, smooth, voice said from behind.

    Atom jumped and turned around and looks up. He froze in place his eyes wide.

     There, near the couch, was a tall, hansom, black skeloton with jet black moth wings and a charming, seductive smile. It was Dusk. "Hello starlight."

    Atom faints.

    Atom shifts and slowly wakes up. He pauses. He was laying on Dusk's lap, his head against his chest, Dusk's arm around him. A soft blanket was drapped over him. His mind raced. 'No this can't be real. It's too good to be real.' He shook he couldn't wrap his head around it.

    "Oh your awake." Dusk smiles and wraps the blanket around him a little more. "Have a good rest?"

    Atom nods softly. "Y-yes t-th-thank y-you." He fidgets. "I-is t-this real? I-is it really y-you?......"

    Dusk chuckles. "Sure is, Starlight."

    Atom was in utter shock. "I-it w-was y-you all t-this time?"

    Dusk nods. "Yep."

    ".....b-but....why?" The only thing Atom could say in the moment. "W-why?"

    "Why what?"

    "Why.....everything.....w-why did you s-save me? Why? Why didn't y-you kill me? W-why did y-you do this...a-all this

.....f-for....m-me?"

    Dusk chuckles softly. "Oh my sweet starlight." He rubs his cheeks.

    Atom holds his hand and looks at his eyes. So kind and caring and loving. He saw his future in them. Bright and warm and full of love.

    "....." Atom gazes into his eyes. Just then something caught his attention. Dusk wings. He looks at them closely and gasps softly. His wings, they weren't completely black! They shimmered like the night sky. He touches them gently. They were soft and felt like velvet. He smiles softly and looks up at Dusk. He smiles.

    Just then he felt a small kick in his tummy. He winces softly. Dusk lays his hand on his tummy.

    "Lively one arn't they?" He smiles softly.

    Atom pauses as the pieces clicked. "This is.....I'm carrying.....no....this.....you really did-"

    Dusk laughs and kisses him. "Yes. And I'm just as excited as you are."

    Atom jumps up and wraps his arms around Dusk's neck. "Thank you!!!" He cries heavily into him.

    Dusk holds him close and rocks him. Atom sobs. Dusk comforts him as he calms down slowly.

    "Thank you."

    "It's my pleasure." Dusk purrs. He pets him gently.

    "S-so...you're really want t-to marry me?" He looks up at him with wide eyes.

    Dusk nods. "As soon as possible. But I'll let you settle down first."

    Atom snuggles into him. "Thank you...."

    Dusk nuzzles him. "It's my pleasure."

    Atom falls asleep once again.

    Wedding bells rang cheerfully. Atom stood infront of the mirror, nervous. It was the day of his and Dusk's wedding. He shifts in his dress as he looks at his reflection.

    "Is this really h-happening?....Am I..r-really getting m-married?....a-and to D-dusk?" He trembles in both fear and excitement.

    Dawn pokes her head in. "Hurry everyone's waiting for you! And Dusk really isn't that patient! Especially on day's like this!"

    Atom nods and hurries out. He pauses when he saw Dusk at the alter. He almost fainted again. This was real and he really was getting married to his dream man. He slowly walks down the isle, blushing softly. He gets to the alter and stops in front of Dusk.

    Dusk looks at him and blushes softly. "You're beautiful."

    Atom blushes more. "Y-you really think s-so."

    Dusk nods.

    Atom beams as the priest starts. Atom gazes at Dusk waits for those special words.

    "Do you Dusk take Atom to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

    "I do." Dusk smiles. Atom beams happily.

    "And do you Atom take Dusk to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

    "I d-do!"

    "You may now kiss the bride."

     Dusk pulls Atom in and kisses him deeply. Atom blushes brightly as he melts into the kiss. Everything was perfect.

    Dusk sweeps him off his feet and takes him to the celebration party. Cross cuts the cake. Atom looks at Dusk. Dusk chuckles.

    "Go on. Have as much as you want."

    Atom gasps happily and takes as much cake as could fit on his plate.

    Dusk pauses. "Okay maybe not that much.....don't want you sick."

     Atom pouts and eats it anyway. Dusk laughs softly.

     "Cutie~" He winks at him.

     Atom blushes. His mouth stuffed with cake. Dusk licks the frosting off his cheek. Atom giggles and boops him. Dusk laughs and kisses him.

    Atom gazes up at his eyes again. "I st-still can't belive I'm ma-married! And t-to you of a-all people!" He beams happily. "A-and to think y-you found w-worth in m-me.....instead of just killing or eating me....."

    Dusk laughs. "Eaten you!? You were little more than a ration when I found you!" He looks at him and smirks. "But you've definently rounded out nicely since then~" He rubs his waist. "Fit for a king~"

    Atom shivers and blushes. "Y-you're not g-gonna eat me are you?"

    "If you don't want me to I won't."

    Atom nods softly.

    There was a scoff behind them. "Well well well~ what do we have here?"

    Atom freezes and burries into Dusk. Dusk snarls. "Razz-"

    Razz smirks. "Hello Atom. I missed you."

   Atom twitches. "Missed what? Useing me!? Beating me to the floor? Abusing my kindness?"

    Razz acts offended. "Atom! I thought you were better than this! I just came to congratulate you after you left me with out saying anything! Then get married behind my back with out inviting me! After all the love I gave you? I'm offended. I didn't even have to be here!"

    Atom shakes. "Selling the one you love off to other people for money ISNT LOVE! You SOLD me razz! FOR MONEY!! I gave you my heart, my love and my kindness! YOU were the one who WANTED a child an when we did- YOU KILLED IT! I'm MUCH BETTER OFF WITHOUT you! I'm MARRIED to someone whose much kinder and more patient than you EVER COULD BE!! I-i just wants someone to love me.....someone who'll just hold me.....wh-who won't call me an idiot every time I mess up a dish....that wasn't to your liking! IM SO TIRED OF YOU YELLING AT ME BECAUSE IT WASNT PERFECT!!!! WHO CARES HOW THE STEAK IS CUT!?! Who CARES HOW MUCH SHARDINAE IS IN THE GLASS?! Dusk doesn't! Dusk loves me! He took the time to love me! To know me! YOU NEVER DID ANY OF THAT!!! YOU JUST PUSHED ME AWAY LIKE I WAS NOTHING BUT A TOY!!! I'M NOT A TOY!!! AND DUSK UNDERSTANDS THAT!!! HE TREATS ME LIKE AN ACTUAL PERSON!!!! HE LOVES ME!!! YOU!!! NEVER!!! DID!!!" He shakes and runs away.

    Dusk watches Atom with sorrow. He glares harshly at Razz and attacks him.

    Atom runs and hides in an empty tree hollow. He cries heavily and holds his tummy tight. He sobs. Something pokes at his tummy. Something, large, wet, and black. A huge nose. A huge nose belonging to a huge black wolf with large red eyes. Atom gasps and backs more into the tree. The wolf pawses and whimpers. He tries to wiggle in with him. He gets stuck and tries to pull his head out. Atom pauses and helps him.