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arrowflier · 3 years

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Tomato and Basil

Daily Speedwrite. This wonderful image by @mikcrymilkovich came across my dash again this morning, and I decided it was a nice fluffy topic for the day.

“Mickey, I’m home!” Ian called as he kicked the door shut behind himself. He hefted a canvas tote in one hand, reaching up with the other to catch his straw hat by the brim as it threatened to slip off.

“Mickey?” he called again, and was met with a crash and a muffled curse from the kitchen.

“Fuck, I ain’t cleaning that up—in here Gallagher!”

Grinning, Ian made his way to the kitchen, dropping his burden on the counter and sneaking up to wrap freckled arms around his husband from behind. Mickey relaxed back into him, letting his head loll back for a moment against Ian’s shoulder before returning his attention to the pot he was stirring on the stove.

“Mmm,” Ian hummed, running his nose along the skin behind Mickey’s ear before stooping to hook his chin over the other man’s shoulder. “Smells good,” he commented.

“Yeah?” Mickey asked, stirring counterclockwise with the wooden spoon he had stolen out from the house kitchen right under Debbie’s nose. “Thought we’d try somethin’ new, it’s this sauce Jill said she swears by.”

“Oh,” Ian responded. “Yeah, that smells good too.”

Mickey dropped the spoon to rake a hand through Ian’s hair, then shoved him away with a palm on his forehead.

“Fuckin’ sap,” he murmured, but Ian knew how hard his husband was fighting to keep his lips from twitching up.

“Ey, you bring the stuff?” Mickey asked as he picked up the spoon again.

“Of course,” Ian answered, grabbing that canvas tote and pulling out the requested items. “Got our first round of tomatoes right here,” he said as he revealed the ripe red fruit, “and some oregano from the next plot over.”

Mickey spun around, face bright. “Ooh, some of that green stuff I liked? You steal it for me?”

Ian sighed, pretending to be put out. “No, Mr. Sticky fingers, I asked very nicely if Mrs. Whitman would mind trading me some.”

“Trading?” Mickey’s brow furrowed. “You givin’ away our vegetables again, man?”

“I’m not giving them away, Mickey, I got something in return,” Ian corrected. “And tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable.”

Mickey snorted. “Fuck that. If they were a fruit,” he said, stepping forward to poke a finger into Ian’s chest, “then you could make a smoothie out of ‘em.”

Ian grabbed his finger and used it to tug him closer, until Mickey was effectively pressing him back into the counter. “I had a tomato smoothie once,” he reminisced.

Mickey’s voice was low when he responded, eyes on Ian’s lips. “No you fucking did not.”

“I did,” Ian insisted. “It had kale too, though,” he said, wrinkling his nose at the memory. “It wasn’t very good.”

“See?” Mickey murmured. “That’s ‘cause they’re both vegetables.” He ran a hand down Ian’s side, leaning in. “Don’t belong in smoothies.”

“Fine,” Ian gave in. “Believe your lie.” He moved his head forward just enough to breathe out against Mickey’s lips as he spoke. “You know what is good with tomato, though?” he whispered.

“What?” Mickey asked breathlessly. His eyes fluttered closed, his head tilted in preparation, and then—

“Basil!” Ian yelled, pulling back.

Mickey’s hand left Ian’s waist to make a frantic shushing motion. “Shut up, you idiot,” he hissed, grabbing at Ian’s arm as the taller man walked away and further into the apartment. “He just settled down!”

“Oh Basil!” Ian called again, giggling at the way Mickey fell over himself trying to stop him. He ended up pushed against the back of the sofa, Mickey’s hand over his mouth, when the telltale click of nails on the wooden floor informed them that silence was a moot point.

Mickey groaned, and Ian laughed, licking Mickey’s hand to make him let go. Mickey turned to lean back with both hands on the frame of the sofa while Ian hurriedly knelt down on the floor.

“There’s my boy!” he announced happily as a tiny grey pup waddled toward him on shaky legs. It slipped on the smooth floor in its excitement, and he scooped it right up, letting it cover his face in wet puppy kisses as it nearly wriggled out of his hold in glee.

“See what you’ve done now?” Mickey asked plaintively. “He’s gonna be underfoot while we’re cooking, you moron.”

“Come on, Mick,” Ian said. “Don’t pretend you don’t sneak him bits of hamburger when I’m not looking.”

“Not the point,” Mickey muttered behind him. “And what’s with the name, anyway?” he continued, louder. “You weren’t supposed to name him, we’re just watching him for a few days ‘til they find a place for him, remember?”

“Sure, Mickey,” Ian agreed.

“Just don’t go gettin’ attached,” Mickey told him, “I don’t wanna deal with you pouting when he leaves.”

“Of course, Mickey,” Ian agreed again.

“Now go feed him since he’s up,” Mickey demanded. “And make sure you put water on it, he gets dehydrated. And his vitamin is on the table, with his harness, so take him out after.”

“When did we get a harness?” Ian asked as he moved to do as instructed, sharing a secret smile with his canine companion. Basil just licked his nose and wagged his tail some more, whole body moving with the effort.

“Grabbed it this morning while I was out,” Mickey answered absently. “He pulls too much, he’ll choke himself with that damn collar.”

“Mmhmm,” Ian hummed. Then he sniffed the air and made a face. “Mickey, did you turn the stove off?”

“Shit!” Mickey yelped, pushing himself off the sofa to run back into the kitchen, where the sauce was boiling over and burning against the heating element.

Ian finished taking care of little Basil while Mickey cursed and tried to save their dinner, then grabbed the leash and harness from the counter. He slipped the dog vitamin into his pocket to use as a bribe to get Basil back inside.

He dropped a kiss on Mickey’s head as he carried Basil toward the door. “Be back in a minute,” he said, and Mickey nodded distractedly.

“Hey, wait!” he heard as he opened the door to leave, and turned to see Mickey’s head and upper body poking around the kitchen wall. “Don’t let him near those azalea things, he keeps tryin’ to eat ‘em.”

Ian raised an eyebrow. “Azaleas?”

Mickey shrugged. “Yeah, those pinkish flower things,” he explained, scratching at his neck with one hand. “Looked ‘em up, they’re fuckin’ poisonous.”

“Okay, Mick,” Ian assured. “I won’t let him pull, and I’ll give him his vitamin, and I won’t let him eat any azaleas.”

Mickey nodded. “Good,” he said shortly, disappearing into the kitchen again.

Ian left and shut the door behind himself, placing Basil on the ground so he could sniff around as they went down the hall. Sure, Mickey, he thought. They’d give Basil back in a few days. Just like they had given the apartment back. Or the garden plot. Or the recipe book from the old lady down the hall.

Stopping to wrestle Basil into his harness before they went outside, Ian decided to stop by the store the next day and get him some new tags for his collar, too. He was going to need them.

#daily speedwrite #gallavich #fanfic #tomatoes #puppies #cooking together

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ginger375 · 3 years

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It’s been a while since real life got in the way of my sharing anything… so I thought I’d drop a little piece I’ve had sitting in my docs for ages. It’s short, and is kind of a sequel to Quiet Time. Feels too short to post to Ao3, so I’ll share it here… Enjoy!

“I feel like a little kid.”

“You look like a little kid, the way you’re poutin’.”

“Hey!”

“Gonna trip over that lip you stick it out any… now that’s just rude.”

Rogue waved her protruding middle finger around Remy’s face until he brushed her hand away.

“The thanks I get for makin’ sure you don’t wander off and get yourself lost,” he sighed dramatically.

“Oh my good god, please shut up,” Rogue said, exasperated.

“Maybe we need one of those things if you can’t stay put,” he gestured to a child wearing a harness attached to a leash their mother was holding.

“You are such an asshole.”

He chuckled. “Oh come on, Rogue, it’s a nice day, we’re just goin’ for a walk in the park… you could at least try not lookin’ like a hostage in need of rescuin’.”

Rogue relaxed the tension in her arm a fraction, not enough to make her look less uncomfortable. Remy sighed and started swinging their arms back and forth.

“Now what are you doing?”

“Trying to get you to loosen up,” he said with a grin. “You’re not this tense when it’s just the two of us…”

“Don’t you finish that thought, swamp rat.”

“...alone in your room,” he finished.

Rogue felt her face heat up and tried to yank her hand out of his, but he held fast.

“We came all the way to the city so that no one you know will see you holdin’ my hand,” he tugged her along the path. “Easiest way to ‘engage in prolonged contact’ in public, really.”

Central Park was full of people walking, jogging, talking, laughing. She and Remy were just two in a sea of hundreds. No one paid them any mind as they went about their day. It was kinda nice to just wander around and take in the scenery.

“Once we see all the statues you wanna look at, we should go to the Met,” Remy suggested.

“Why, so you can case the place?” Rogue snarked at him.

He scowled at her. “Maybe I just think you need a little culture,” he snarked back.

She winced a little at his tone. Their banter was veering into argument territory, and she knew it was her fault. He was right; she wasn’t usually so tense with him. It was one thing to be in her room at the institute practicing her physical contact, but it was entirely different to be out in public.

She hadn’t been the best company, and most people probably would have called it quits by now

But he never let go of her hand. That had to count for something.

“The Met’ll be packed by the time we get up that way,” she said quietly. “Maybe the Guggenheim would be a little less crowded?”

He looked at her, trying to determine if she was having a go at him. “You’d really wanna go to the Gugg?”

She shrugged. “I know it’s more modern than the Met, but I’m sure there’ll be something worth looking at there, right?”

Remy considered her for a moment before nodding. “Definitely.”

Rogue took the lead and pulled him along, finally letting go of the tension.

#fanfic #fanfiction #gambit #rogue #romy #x men fanfiction #x men evolution #xmen #remy lebeau

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queenofspades20 · 3 years

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Dog walk

Synopsis: Just a little something inspired by my dog's antics today. Didn't meet anyone out of it (sadly), but was pretty funny. I'm sure I looked ridiculous. Could be seen as an AU or not (no mention of missions or anything).

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: some curse words, mostly just fluff.

Y/n ran into the door after getting home from work. She saw her sweet dog on the couch.

“Hi, Baby! I missed you so much today,” she said, as she walked over to pet him. Loki twitched his tail and adjusted his body, letting her know that he was excited she was home, but, as per usual, refused to get up.

Y/n sat next to him, petting his ears. She leaned down and kissed the top of his fluffy head. After a couple minutes of giving Loki some attention, Y/n got up.

“Okay, Bubba. I’m gonna change real quick and then we’ll go for a walk.”

Loki looked at her with interest at the “w” word, but didn’t move. Y/n went into her bedroom and changed into some workout capris and a tank top. She made her way back to the front door, where Loki’s harness and leash were hanging.

“Come on, Bear. Let’s go for a walk.”

Loki huffed and moved so his front paws were on the floor, while his hind legs were still on the couch and he stretched.

“Oh, good stretch. Come on, now. Let’s go.”

Loki’s back legs hopped off the couch and he sauntered over to where Y/n was standing. He allowed her to put on his harness, staying still. Once it was clipped into place, Y/n grabbed the dog bag dispenser and keys from their hook and led Loki out the door.

The walk went as it went every day. Loki sniffed and did his business, taking his time. They made their way around their neighborhood, Loki stopping frequently to smell each blade of grass. When they got halfway around the neighborhood, Loki decided he no longer wanted to walk and sat down.

“Okay then,” Y/n said, looking at her dog. This was a regular occurrence during their walks. Luckily, she wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere, so she decided to sit down next to him.

Loki immediately got excited and started sniffing her hair, trying to take a bite.

Y/n couldn’t contain her laughter as Loki then started to rub his body on her back, like a cat would. Luckily, this was not the first time Loki decided to show affection, so she was able to brace her body as he threw his against her body.

“Silly boy. What are you doing? Are you looking for butt scritches?” As she said this, Loki moved his butt towards her face, demanding pets. His tail hit her in the face. She moved her head, laughing. Y/n reached over and started rubbing his back. Loki started dancing from side to side, just lifting his back legs, enjoying the attention.

Bucky and Sam were walking around a neighborhood, where Bucky was thinking about buying. He wanted a change from the dark apartment he had been living in.

“What do you think, Buck?” Sam asked, looking around.

“It’s quiet around here, but not bad. I like it.”

They had just looked at one of the places for sale. It was just perfect for a single person. The price was pretty reasonable and it was in an area where there were plenty of restaurants and things to do nearby.

“I think you should get it if you like it. The realtor said they’re pet friendly, too, so you can think about getting something.”

“What would I get?”

Sam looked over and saw a woman with her dog. They were practically wrestling, though the dog was clearly in the lead. “A dog would be good.”

“Dogs are scared of me.” Bucky hadn’t noticed the woman yet, engrossed in looking at the details the realtor had provided.

“I doubt that.”

“A dog would never want to get near me.”

Sam tapped Bucky on the shoulder and pointed to the woman and the dog. “I bet that dog would.”

Bucky saw the pair playing. He smiled at the sight before him. “Yeah right. I’m sure that dog would attack me before I got too close to its owner.”

“Dinner says the dog wouldn’t attack.”

“Fine. I’ll go.” Bucky grumbled. He was sure the dog wouldn’t let him near the dog or its owner.

As he made his way over, he was struck by how pretty the owner was. Probably married, he thought to himself. When he was about 20 feet away, he made himself known.

While he expected the dog to jump in front of its owner, not what actually happened. The dog jumped and tried to run away, pulling the woman back, almost causing her to fall flat.

“Loki! You scaredy cat!” Y/n yelled, laughing. She pulled him closer and rubbed the top of his head. “You’re fine, Bubba. He’s not even that close to us.”

Bucky felt horrible. “Are you okay?”

Y/n smiled at him. “Yeah. Not the first time he’s done that. He’s easily startled. Definitely not guard dog material. Is there something I can help you with? I’m assuming you wanted to speak with me.”

Bucky thought she had the kindest eyes he had ever seen. He felt himself flushing. “I was wondering if I could pet your dog.”

“Sure! Just walk a little slowly and it helps if you crouch down when you get closer. He’s not a fan of people bigger than him,” Y/n said with a laugh.

Bucky moved forward and did as she suggested. He crouched down. Once he did, the dog inched his way towards Bucky. Bucky held out his hand. “It’s okay, Buddy. I won’t hurt you.”

“Go ahead, Loki. Make a new friend. He just wants to pet you.”

Bucky kept his eyes on the dog. “Loki?”

The woman smiled at him. “He’s a bit chaotic and every once in a while, I’m convinced he’s dead set on world domination. Just gets that look in his eyes. Seemed to fit. That, and he actually answered to it. He wouldn’t answer to the name he came with.”

Bucky looked at the woman with a bit of confusion on his face.

“Shelter dog,” she clarified. “The shelter asked me if I was going to change his name. I told them I was thinking about it. And the woman doing the paperwork was just like, ‘good. Cuz he won’t answer to the one he has now.’ Kind of made up my mind for me,” Y/n said with a laugh. “I’m Y/n, by the way.”

Bucky smiled at Y/n. “I’m Bucky.”

“Nice to meet you, Bucky. Are you new to the neighborhood? Haven’t seen you around before.”

“Uh, I’m thinking about buying one of the units that’s for sale.”

“Well, it’s a great area. Not crazy expensive, plenty of things nearby, but also pretty quiet.”

“I was noticing that.”

There was a lull in the conversation, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Bucky kept petting Loki, when Loki moved around Bucky and started to sniff at his hair.

“What the . . .” Bucky started. He felt a cold nose on the back of his head. It wasn’t unpleasant, but was definitely a weird feeling.

“Um, so I think he’s going to scent mark you.”

Bucky looked terrified. “He’s going to what?” Bucky tried to turn around to face the dog, but the leash was preventing him from fully turning around.

“So, like when a cat rubs its body on your legs, Loki likes to rub his body on your back. He rarely does it. He must really like you.” Y/n looked surprised. She moved her hands down the leash and stood up, trying to pull Loki closer to her without it hurting Bucky or Loki.

Bucky felt a mass of weight move against his back. He caught himself before falling.

“Loki, stop,” Y/n said sternly. “Shit, I’m sorry.” She managed to get Loki to move further away from Bucky.

Bucky just laughed. “It’s okay. Not what I expected when I came over here. You said it’s cuz he likes me.”

“Well, he’s marking you as his.” Y/n moved to look at Bucky’s back and winced. “I’m sorry. Your back is now full of dog fur.” She made to brush some of it off.

“It’s fine.” Bucky felt a sudden surge of confidence. He had thought Y/n was pretty. “If you wanna make it up to me, you can let me take you to dinner one night, maybe show me around the area?”

Y/n looked surprised. She had never had someone come on to her like that before, but she couldn’t deny she was interested in the gorgeous brunette. “I can make it up to you by letting you take me out? Shouldn’t I be the one paying?”

“I’m old fashioned.” Bucky waived off her comment. “So, what do you say?”

Y/n smiled. “I’d like that. Let me give you my number and we can set up the details.”

Bucky unlocked his phone and held it out to Y/n. Y/n reached out and quickly put in her number, sending herself a text. She heard a R2-D2 beep, letting her know the text had gone through. She handed the phone back to Bucky, who saved her number.

“I sent myself a text, so I know not to ignore your call. I tend to not answer unknown calls.”

“Smart. Well, I’ll be seeing you soon then.” Bucky leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

“Bye, Bucky.” Y/n had a slightly dazed look in her eyes, surprised by Bucky’s kiss. She bit her bottom lip, trying to contain the giant smile she felt coming. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Y/n turned away and led Loki on to walk more. Bucky made his way back over to Sam, who was smirking.

“So, where are you taking me to dinner?”

Bucky looked at Sam. “Normally, I’d have a comment, but as I got a date with a beautiful dame, I’m gonna let it go.”

Sam smiled victoriously. They made their way over to the car. “Let’s go to dinner and you can tell me about her.”

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #And yes my dog has about 20 different nicknames #Dog walk

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honey-dewey · 3 years

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The Dog Days of Summer

Pairing: Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales/Reader

Word Count: 1,923

Warnings: A few mentions of Tom, but this is all fluff!

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

On one of the warmest days of summer, Frankie takes his dog to a one man dog wash. The last thing he expected was for his dog to lead him to the future love of his life, but hey, that’s how things work here.

“Community dog wash,” Frankie read off the flier that had been placed in his mailbox. “What do you think Red? Wanna go check it out?”

Red huffed from his spot on the couch.

Frankie chuckled, sitting beside Red. He’d always been a dog person, but could never see himself owning one. At least, not until he’d come home from his latest mission. When Tom had died, he’d left his beautiful Rottweiler dog to the boys. Apparently his wife and daughter weren’t dog people. The Millers couldn’t take Red, and Santi still hadn’t come back to the country. So the care of Red had fallen to Frankie.

Red was not a small dog. At almost 120 pounds, he could’ve been a menace if he wanted to. However, he was gentle as can be and so incredibly enthusiastic for literally anything. Frankie could still remember when Tom had brought Red to meet the boys, and he’d been a tiny fuzzy puppy who’d fallen asleep cradled in Frankie’s arms. Now, that baby was nearing 5, and was no less adorable.

The only thing Frankie hated about Red was having to bathe him.

Red was a menace on bath day. He cowered in the corner of the shower, never got close enough to the shower head to actually get clean, and bit Frankie when he tried to dry him off.

“I think we should go,” Frankie said, scratching behind Red’s ear. “Check it out. You might make some friends.”

Red boofed softly. Sometimes, he responded at just the right times and Frankie could’ve sworn he understood him.

Nearer to noon, Frankie got up off the couch and got dressed, Red dutifully following him and vibrating with excitement at Frankie put his harness on and led him to his truck.

The location of the dog wash wasn’t far. In fact, it was a few minutes away in a small public space. There were a few kiddie pools, a hose, and a single person standing there, drying off a small dog. A handmade sign read ‘Community Dog Wash.’

Frankie kept a firm hand on Red’s leash as he walked over. Tom had trained Red well, but he was still prone to overeager introductions or forgetting he was a big dog.

“Alrighty Ms. Avery, Lydia’s all clean!” you said, handing Ms. Avery her small dog back. Today was one of the nice days of summer, warm without being stifling. So you’d donned shorts, an old shirt, and a baseball cap you’d gotten from a friend and headed out to wash the neighborhood dogs. You did it every summer, and this year was no exception.

“Hello,” a slightly nervous voice said, and you looked around. A man who you’d seen once or twice around the neighborhood was standing there, a practically vibrating Rottie standing by his side. “Is this the dog wash?”

“Yep!” You said happily, kneeling down to introduce yourself to the dog. “Hello, who’re you?”

The man pat the dog’s head. “This is Red.”

Red, seizing his opportunity, licked your face.

“Red!” The man reprimanded, causing Red to whine. “No!”

“Oh it’s fine,” you reassured, wiping your face with your sleeve. “My dog is so much worse.”

As if on cue, your dog came ambling over. The man’s eyes went wide. “That’s not a dog. That’s a small bear.”

You reached up and scratched behind your dog’s ears. “Nah. She’s a Caucasian Shepherd dog. Her name is Oboe, short for Oberon.”

“Like the Game of Thrones character?”

“Midsummer’s Night Dream actually,” you said. “I’m (Y/N).”

“Frankie.”

You stood, brushing yourself off. “Well, Frankie. Shall we?”

Red was very eager to follow you right up until he discovered this would include water. At which he pulled on his leash and whined pitifully, trying to escape.

“I’m so sorry,” Frankie said as you stood by one of the pools and tried to contain your laughter. “He’s always like this when I try to bathe him.”

Oboe snorted, as if she was laughing. She had curled on the grass, bathing in the warm summer sun. You sighed. You’d have to get her some ice, or else she’d overheat herself.

You walked over to Red, grabbing him and lifting him with ease, which shocked Frankie. He stood there, wide eyed, as you plopped Red in the kiddie pool and got in with him, straddling the dog and squeezing his hips with your legs. “See, this isn’t so bad.”

Red whined and tried to run, but your grip on him tightened. “Frankie, can you hand me the hose?”

Frankie grabbed the hose and handed it to you, smiling as Red gave him a very betrayed look. “Sorry buddy,” he said, kneeling down. “But you smell.”

You gasped overdramatically. “No!” You said, smiling. “He smells just fine!”

Frankie laughed. “Mhm. Sure he does.”

Getting Red wet wasn’t hard. Between the pool and the hose, he was soaked in minutes. However, Frankie had to shed his shoes and join you in the pool because Red wouldn’t sit still. Now, with Red soaked and both of you getting sore, you reached to grab the soap and immediately got a face full of water as Red shook violently.

“Red!” You gasped, looking down at yourself. You’d been a bit damp from your previous dogs, but this wasn’t just a bit wet. Water raced down your arms and legs, and you completely abandoned your ball cap, sighing. “Gonna have to wash that.”

Frankie mirrored your action, tossing his hat beside yours. “Yeah. He’s prone to shaking. Sorry.” His face was just as wet as yours, water dripping off his chin and cheeks.

You shrugged, putting soap in your hands and throwing your leg over Red’s back again. “It’s fine,” you said, starting to lather the soap into Red’s fur. “Oboe’s got all that long fur, and when she shakes, it’s hell.”

Frankie nodded. “Where’d you even find her?”

“A breeder,” you said, scratching Red’s shoulder and laughing as he began to kick. “Breeder was a good friend of mine, and she had a puppy who no one wanted because she was the runt. I had just moved here, and said screw it, I’ll take her. They named her Oberon. All the puppies in that litter had Midsummer names.”

“She’s a runt?” Frankie looked at Oboe, surprised.

You nodded. “She was,” you said. “She’s actually still on the small side for her breed.” Red squirmed out of your soapy grip, but Frankie caught him before he could make a getaway. You smiled and picked up the hose. “Red, stop squirming.”

Red didn’t listen. He continued to wriggle, now trying to bite the hose water. You used one hand to clear the soap from Red’s fur, grinning as he kissed your chin when you bent down.

“So, how’d you end up with Red?” You asked, looking up briefly at Frankie.

“Oh.” He was quiet for a second. “I was in the military, and we lost a good man on a mission not too long ago. Red was his dog.”

You paused in your actions. “I’m so sorry.”

Frankie shrugged halfheartedly, still crouched in the water. “It took a while, but we recovered.”

Red gave you no time to feel much regret about your words. Instead, he tried to bite you as you washed his paws, and you gave him a light bop on the nose. Not enough to hurt him in any way, but enough to warn him. He didn’t try again, thankfully.

Once Red’s front paws were clean, you turned around and started to wash Red’s back half. Oboe had joined the fray, licking moisture out of Frankie’s shirt. He didn’t seem to mind much as he held Red’s face and kept him from going anywhere. As you scratched your nails over Red’s butt, he began to wiggle harder, one leg coming up and then the other.

“He’s dancing!” You said joyfully, continuing to scratch. Frankie laughed, watching Red kick.

Finishing your job only took a few more minutes, and then you were drying Red off and strapping him into his harness again. He kissed you anytime you came close to his face, and you laughed when his entire back half wiggled when he tried to wag his tail.

“Alright,” you said, finally done. “He’s as clean as he’s gonna get!”

“It’ll last all of ten minutes,” Frankie promised, picking his hat up but not putting it on. “I’ll see you around?”

You nodded. “Of course. I’m here every weekend to play with Oboe. We haven’t got a huge backyard, and she likes to run.”

Frankie smiled. “Maybe we’ll have to come play with you and Oboe one weekend.”

“I think we’d both like that.”

Frankie left after that, and you watched him herd Red into his truck. He waved as he drove off, and you waved back.

“Alright Oboe,” you said, turning back to your dog, who was chewing absently on the brim of your hat. “Hey!”

You pulled the hat from her mouth and immediately felt your stomach flip. This wasn’t your hat. The oil company logo was faded and unfamiliar, and you looked around. Frankie’s truck was nowhere to be seen. He probably hadn’t even noticed he’d left with your hat instead of his.

After an hour, the sun got to be too much, and you relented, putting Frankie’s hat on your head. You had to adjust it so it would fit, but it did a decent job of keeping the sun off your face.

When you finally ended up home, you hung the hat up and let Oboe loose in the house. She immediately curled up in her bed, and you slowly made yourself dinner. You were halfway through chopping some vegetables when your phone rang.

“Hello?” You wedged the phone between your shoulder and ear.

“Hey.”

You smiled. “Frankie!”

Frankie chuckled. “I think you have something of mine.”

“I could say the same about you,” you said, glancing at the hat on your coat hook by the door.

“Yeah. Sorry about that,” Frankie said. “Glad you wrote your number in it though.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot I did that,” you admitted, dumping the vegetables into a bowl. “Oboe and I are going to go back to the community space tomorrow to watch the neighborhood soccer team play. Wanna come with?”

Frankie was quiet for a second, and you could hear shuffling. When he spoke again, he sounded strained. “Yeah. Sorry, Red had my shoe.”

You laughed. “Tell that rascal he needs to be nice to his daddy!”

Red barked in the background, and you smiled. “Anyway, tomorrow. The team plays at noon, but I’m always there at eleven to help set up.”

“I can be there at noon,” Frankie said. “I won’t bring Red though. He’s spending the day with his uncles.”

You leaned against your counter and tried to wipe your grin off your face. “It’ll just be the two of us. And Oboe.”

Oboe looked up when you said her name, but quickly went right back to sleep.

“That works,” Frankie promised. “This almost sounds like a date.”

You tried to cover your nervousness. “Maybe it is a date.”

Frankie had a grin in his voice when he spoke again. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date.”

“Same here.”

“I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then.”

You nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be seeing you. Don’t forget my hat.”

“Don’t forget mine,” Frankie replied. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” you echoed, hanging up and looking at Oboe. “Oboe. I think I’m in love.”

#Triple Frontier #francisco 'catfish' morales #frankie morales #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x you #Pedro Pascal #My writing

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survivingthejungle · 4 years

Text

everybody wants to rule the world (caliban)

When Sabrina was 8 years old, her life got a little more unusual. Being a half witch raised by her two aunts and cousin (all full-blooded witches) in a mortuary was not a common experience for most children. But things became different when another cousin, from her mother's side of the family, came to live in the Spellman house. Her mother, Diana, had a brother, William; WIlliam married and had a daughter just two years before Sabrina was born. She was named Genevieve Sawyer, and she and her paternal cousin had been very close to one another their entire lives. When it was heard that William had been shot and that Genevieve's mother was not fit to parent, the girl's cousin and family immediately stepped up to take her in and be her legal guardians.

Despite Genevieve's unfortunate circumstances, she never lost her bright personality or kindness. She seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in the Spellman house from time to time, but it was a welcome change of pace for everyone who lived there. For the next eight years after she had gone to live with her cousins and aunts, she had grown into a compassionate, driven young lady. Growing with her were several pets she had acquired over the years. Genevieve had a special love for animals and so had adopted many. She had a spotted turtle named Tucker, whom she had rescued from getting run over by a truck one morning. She also had an orange tabby cat named Tex, a green budgie named Pico, and a blue pit bull terrier named Bambi. The latest addition to the family was an albino ball python, whom she was currently in the process of naming.

"Genevieve. I mean it this time," scolded her aunt Zelda. "No more pets. You have barely enough space for them all, and I won't allow any more of this."

"No more, aunt Zelda. I got it. This guy is the last," she affirmed, gesturing with the snake which was slithering over her shoulders and down her left arm. Her aunt shuddered.

"How you can allow that thing near you is beyond me."

"She's sweet!" she defended. "She's just curious."

"She stays in your room only. If I see a snake slithering about my house I won't hesitate to kill it."

"She won't go anywhere. Promise."

Once her aunt had finished scolding her and left her room, she turned her attention back to her new friend. "What do we call you, huh?" Genevieve said. She set the snake down on her bed and flipped on her record player against the wall to fill the silence, and an old Fleetwood Mac album started spinning. "Well," she said, "I have to take Bambi and Tex on a walk, so I guess we should put you in your tank, huh?" She moved the young albino to the mostly empty tank and placed the lid over it, promising, "I'll get you some decorations while I'm out." Then she put on a pair of socks, laced up her shoes, and grabbed two harnesses and leashes from the footboard of her bed, heading downstairs to find the only two of her pets that were mammals. "Morning, aunt Hilda," she greeted the small blonde woman.

"Oh, g'morning my love! Are you taking Tex and Bambi on a walk?"

"Yeah, once I find 'em." "Well you'll eat first, won't you?" She pointed to the table. "Some toast for you."

"You're the best," Genevieve said, sitting down to take a bite of it. The toast was covered with peanut butter and sliced bananas; simple, but a favorite of the girl's. She finished eating quickly and was off again in search of her cat and dog, finding them in the family room. Tex was lounging on the couch and Bambi had seemingly been banished by him, staring at the tabby from the ground. "You wanna go on a walk?" she said to them both, her voice increasing by about an octave. Bambi's ears perked up and her eyes widened; Tex hopped down from the couch and over to circle Genevieve's legs. "Hey auntie," she called into the kitchen, "Do you know where Beans went?"

"Yes," her aunt called back, "I believe she went to go see Harvey, Roz, and Theo?"

"Okay. Thank you!" She then strapped both of the harnesses onto Tex and Bambi and put them on their leashes, and then made their way outside to their usual walking route. About halfway through their walk she and her two companions made a detour to go to Harvey's garage, where Genevieve had guessed their band would be practicing and where her cousin had gone to find them. Heading around behind his house, she found the garage door unlocked and entered in to find the four of them seemingly discussing something important.

"'Vieve," Sabrina greeted as soon as she saw her cousin. "What's up?"

"I was walking Tex and Bambi," she responded, holding up the two leashes attached to both animals. "What's up with you?"

"Sabrina's trying to take us to Hell," Theo told her.

Genevieve's eyebrows raised and she went to take a seat on the couch closest to her. "Why?" she asked Sabrina.

"Nick." She said his name sadly; she knew her cousin missed him a lot and felt guiltier every day she left him trapped there. "I think I found a way to get him out."

"But, like… He's still…" Genevieve trailed off, not knowing how to formulate her thoughts exactly.

"Yes," she responded, knowing what the girl was getting at. "A flesh Acheron. But I might have a solution for that too."

—

Sabrina had brought the five of them through Dorian's portal to Hell with an incantation, where they landed on a cold, dark beach, coughing up the salt water that had gotten into their lungs. "Wait, so… Hell is a beach?" Harvey asked.

"The Shores of Sorrow," Sabrina whispered hauntingly.

Theo stood up and pointed out at the water. "Guys. Look. What are those?" There were tall wooden structures standing above the waves, and from them came pained groans and wails. Hands were reaching out, desperate to grab whatever would come close to them.

"They're the souls of the damned," called a deep, unfamiliar voice. The group turned their heads to look for the source, and saw a large sandcastle and someone walking out from behind it. He had blond hair and was wearing a flowing white shirt that he had left unbuttoned. "They drown as the tide rolls in. Over, and over," he said, looking out at them, "For all eternity."

"Bummer," Genevieve whispered to Roz.

"Hi," Sabrina greeted him as the group approached him. "We're looking for Lilith." He didn't respond. "Uh, Madame Satan? S-Queen of Hell?" The boy looked pointedly at her, on the verge of a smirk. "She's in Pandemonium, if you happen to know the way." He turned his head and pointed left. Sharp jaw, Genevieve thought.

"All blood flows to Pandemonium." Sure enough, there was a large rock through which blood was flowing, that seemed to turn into a path further up the beach. "Follow the blood-red road where it flows, and there you'll find the throne of Hell," he instructed, still pointing.

"Thanks," Sabrina said. He pushed his hair back from the wind blowing on the beach, smirk still present. What does he know that we don't? her cousin wondered. "And you are?"

He seemed as if he were about to respond, but decided against it. "Never step off the road," he advised. He looked at their feet then. "It's clever you're wearing dead men's shoes. Though… any demon worth his salt can smell mortal flesh a mile away."

Genevieve's brows furrowed. "Ew." The boy glanced at her and then turned back to his project.

"Come on," Sabrina said, "Let's go." The four trailed behind her, but Genevieve stayed still for a moment. "Hey! I like your sandcastle," she called to the boy. He looked back at her, intrigued. "Bye!" she waved. He lifted a hand in return, and she was on her way.

—

The journey through hell had been… adventurous, to say the least. Between the field of crucified people beating eaten by crows, to the forest with a magical flower and a bloodthirsty tin man, to a horrific mock-high school classroom, Genevieve and the others were exhausted, scared, and ready to go back to earth. After being rescued by Lilith's helper, a man dressed in a bellhop's outfit and being seated at some hellish feast, she and Sabrina began a conversation about getting Nick out of Hell and taking care of Theo's uncle's soul as well. The Infernal Kings weren't recognizing Lilith's newfound authority, so she struck a deal with Sabrina- the throne for her boyfriend and her friend's uncle. Sabrina, of course, agreed, and the process had begun.

—

"Infernal court, I bid you welcome," Lilith greeted from the throne. The three demonic kings stood before her in wait. "The city of Pandemonium has an honored guest. May I present to the hordes, Sabrina Morningstar, daughter of Lucifer Morningstar." Sabrina walked to stand next to the woman and looked around the throne room. "In his absence, she has come to officially declare me Queen of Hell. Isn't that right, Sabrina?"

"Yes, that's right," she told them.

"This is treason! Heresy!" the Kings protested. "Lilith is a concubine, not a queen. We do not recognize her. She was Lucifer's whore. The realms are in chaos, and the Earth, the Pit, the Heavens, the Cosmos, they all reject Lilith's claim to the throne."

"And who do you propose would rule?" she shot back.

That was the million dollar question, it seemed, because the Kings got a nefarious look in their eyes. "All hail Caliban, Prince of Hell. Molded from the clay of the Pit itself, native son of the inferno, born to restore and rule our dark domain!"

"Hello again," said the supposed Prince Caliban, in yet another open top. He maintained the smug look on his face that he was wearing at their last encounter.

"Uh, hi?" Sabrina said, mildly confused.

"What is this?" Lilith questioned. "This is salvation," he told her. "Since the Dark Lord's desertion, the Nine Circles of Hell have been breaking down. I, Caliban, will restore stability and do what Lucifer failed to do… conquer the earth. Remake it as our Tenth Circle, and enslave the tribes of mortal and witch."

Before anyone else could get a word in edgewise, Genevieve spoke up. "No? You most certainly will not!" she said. He raised his eyebrows at her. "Dude. You're… you're not even a real person." Her brow furrowed. "Someone gets one good blast with a hairdryer and what happens? You dry up and crack?"

"I'm afraid that's not how it works, darling." He stepped closer. "Though you are clever for that." Yet another smirk. Smug bastard. Closer. And closer.

She glared at him. "Thanks," she deadpanned.

"You are pretty, for a mortal," he said to her. "Maybe I'll have mercy on you." He lifted a hand to beside her face and toyed with a strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid.

"Don't touch me." She slapped his hand away, and he stepped back. Sabrina and Lilith had been whispering to each other from the moment that Caliban revealed his plan. But now, she was seemingly comatic; her eyes and Nick's were both glazed over in red and they were both catatonic. But when her senses came back and her eyes returned to normal, she had adopted a newfound confidence. "No, we won't," she said to Lilith. "I am Sabrina Morningstar," she announced to the hordes, "And that throne is mine. By blood, and by birth."

"Here we go again," Harvey muttered. Genevieve chuckled.

"Yours to give me, you mean," Lilith interjected.

"No. Mine. To claim." She sat on the throne herself, and her cousin had to admit that she looked rather regal.

"We do not accept this!" the Kings argued. "The witch lives on Earth. She cannot possibly rule Hell."

"You've obviously never been to high school."

"You are a child, not a queen," another King shot.

"I am a young woman." Right on, her cousin thought.

"You cannot fulfill your father's duties." "I can," she insisted, looking at Lilith. "With Lilith as my advisor." "What?" "Isn't that what kings and queens do when they're too young to rule?" she argued. "They appoint a…" "Regent," Lilith offered. "Yes. As a matter of fact, yes." "Then you, Lilith, are my regent."

"I dispute this." Caliban, of course.

"Okay, Dirt-Man," Genevieve said. She had begun to harbor a deeply personal sense of loathing for him, especially because of how he disrespected her cousin's authority and was a raging narcissist.

After an attempted challenge for the crown, Sabrina dismissed the court and he and his clique left Pandemonium. She and the rest of the group, along with Nick and his tongue, followed Dorian's instructions and used the flower and the incantation to return home.

—

Sabrina had royally fucked up— no pun intended. After fumbling her first soul retrieval and getting locked in an industrial freezer by her second, she was beginning to lose hope. And she was running out of time. While Lilith was out searching for the wayward queen, the clay prince decided to go on his own adventure.

—

Genevieve was occupied in her cozy, bright room when a gust of spiraling flames interrupted her peace. She had been lying in her bed, reading a book and accompanied by all of her pets (which was a rare occurrence). Pico had nestled onto Tuck's shell and they were both napping. Bambi was curled up against her side and Tex at her feet, and the new snake— whose name, she decided, was Rhiannon— was also curled at the end of the bed. "Quite the companions you've got," he spoke deeply, disturbing the silence. "You!" she said, sitting up and starting all but the python. "What are you doing in my room?" she asked, exasperated.

"Here to see you, of course," he told her, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Genevieve

was still perplexed.

"...Why?"

"You amuse me, mortal. And you've caught my eye. Your friend may be the Queen of Hell—"

"Cousin," she corrected.

"Your cousin may be Queen, but it's you who's really captured my attention."

"I… Okay," she responded, brows furrowed.

"No one's ever spoken to me as boldly as you have. Especially for a mortal. If I wanted to punish you, in fact, it would be well within my rights. Even your cousin could not do anything about it; laws in Hell differ than on Earth."

"So, what. You're here to kill me? Because I threatened your ego?" Genevieve rolled her eyes and got up, Bambi following after her. She grabbed Rhiannon and carried her over to her tank, flipping the switch for her heater and closing the lid. She then grabbed Tuck, as gently as possible to allow him to keep napping, and put him in his tank as well.

"Of course not," he chuckled. "You're much too interesting. It would be a shame for your potential to go to waste." "Potential," she said, disinterested. Walking to her door, she slipped on a pair of shoes that sat against the wall. "For?"

"For you to align with me. You may not like me much now, but I'm sure you'll grow to."

"For me… I'm sorry, what? You expect me to betray my cousin for someone who wants to literally enslave my people and take over the Earth?" He said nothing. "No!" she waved her hand at him, signaling for him to leave. "Be gone. Or... whatever you say to banish demons." She left her room and headed down the hallway and to the stairs, but Caliban was not far behind. Neither was Bambi.

She made a pit stop in the kitchen to make herself a sandwich before she left the house. "Do you think me unreasonable?" Caliban asked, leaning against the counter while she worked.

"Well, yeah. Actually I do."

He grabbed her hand before she could continue. Making sure to never break eye contact, he pleaded, "Please. Let me prove you wrong." She pulled her hand away.

"Why are you so dead set on this?" she groaned. "I said no!" A frustrated laugh left her lips.

"I'll make you a deal," he pressed. She returned her attention to her sandwich and refused to look at him. "Submit to me, and I will abandon my plan to enslave the tribes of Earth." Still, silence. Genevieve pretended that he wasn't even there anymore, slipping Bambi a piece of turkey in between the two of them. Once again, Caliban brought his hand up and grabbed her chin; she couldn't turn away.

"You won't get the chance," she spat. "My cousin is the Queen. Your plan will never happen." He opened his mouth to argue, but in a split second, decided against it.

"If that's truly how you feel, then I concede. But know my offer still stands." Genevieve shrugged, straight-faced, unsure how to respond.

"Will you leave now? I have somewhere to be," she told him, putting her sandwich in a baggie and walking to the kitchen table where a backpack was hanging off the back of a chair.

"Will the lady allow me to escort her?" he countered. She threw her food, a water bottle, and a sports drink into the bag as she considered it.

"Fine, I guess." She slung the backpack over her shoulder before kneeling down to scratch and kiss Bambi's head. "Bye, Bambi!" she said, her voice having gone up at least an octave. The blue pit thumped her tail and opened her mouth in a typical pit bull smile. Without a word, she stood up and passed Caliban to go retrieve her sneakers which were sitting by the front door. He followed, attentive to her every move. She locked the door behind her on her way out and began walking into town.

"Where are you headed to?" he asked her.

"The gym. I coach junior high volleyball."

"Is that a mortal sport?"

"Yeah. I played for a long time."

"Why did you stop?"

Genevieve stayed silent for a beat. "When I was still in high school, a few colleges wanted to recruit me for their teams. I would have gone to any of them, but…"

"But what?" "Well, I don't really know what I want to do with my life. I didn't want to just up and leave my family with no plan. So after I graduated this spring, I decided to take a gap year to figure out what I want to do."

"Have you figured it out yet?" he asked. His tone seemed genuinely interested.

She stayed quiet for a while longer. "No," Genevieve admitted, dejectedly.

"Maybe you should work with animals," Caliban offered. "Really? Why?"

"You seem to like them enough, you've got several as pets."

"Yeah, that's fair. But I don't think I could ever be a vet," she claimed.

"Then don't. Try something else."

"Like what?"

"You're the mortal here, not me," he chuckled. "You know more about your options than I do." Genevieve let out a little laugh as well. "Think about it," he advised her.

"I will. Thank you, Caliban."

—

Sabrina didn't return home until well past midnight. As she walked through the front door and quietly closed it, her cousin broke her silence from the stairs. "Where you been, Beans?"

Sabrina nearly jumped, startled. "I was— Oh, Aunties," she muttered, finally facing all three of them.

"Well, do you care to explain yourself?" Zelda questioned. Sabrina glanced at Genevieve, who was leaning over the top of the banister and mouthed I didn't say anything.

"Oh, I'm sorry I missed your first day at the Academy," she apologized. "I had this prob-"

"How many secrets are you keeping from us?" Zelda interrupted.

Hilda piped up in typical good-cop fashion. "You didn't happen to go to Hell, bring back your father, the Dark Lord, and stick him in the bowels of the Academy without telling us, did you?"

"Putting what's left of the coven, not to mention the entire world, in grave peril, just so you can see your boyfriend."

"That's not why I did it," Sabrina argued.

"Oh, God. Here we go again," Genevieve muttered as Tex jumped up onto the bannister beside her. She gave his head an absent-minded scratch as she watched the scene unfold.

"Oh, I know why you did it. Cassius delivered a stack of books with rituals about soul transference… I thought the Dark Lord was bad. I thought he was dangerous, but Lilith preserve up from his demented, lovesick daughter."

"Aunt Zelda!" Genevieve shouted. "That was so uncalled for!"

"I couldn't just leave Nick in Hell!" Sabrina defended herself. "Every second he was down there, he was in torment. Aunties, every second he was in pain."

"We know, darling," Hilda tried to comfort.

"And it's my fault." Her cousin began to tear up with the thought of Nick's suffering. "He did it for me. I couldn't just… wash my hands of him." Hilda stepped off of the stairs and went to Sabrina to try to comfort her. "I owed it to Nick to at least try and get Lucifer out of his body and into someone else's."

Zelda had begun to abandon her condemnation of Sabrina's actions, instead demanding that she come up with a well thought-out plan. "Whose? Where do you expect to find another vessel strong enough to withstand being turned into a flesh Acheron for the Devil himself?"

In a moment of perfect timing, Ambrose and Prudence appeared in the front hallway with a raggedy, bearded man at their feet. "Aunties," he greeted. "I'm home." It was evident in his tone and lack of breath that he was exhausted. "Any chance of a cuppa?"

Genevieve went downstairs and followed her cousin and Prudence into the kitchen. 'Whatcha want, 'Bose?"

"Something to help me sleep, finally," he rasped. "Thank you, cousin." (They weren't really cousins, but it was how they had referred to each other since Genevieve had come to live with them those 8 years ago.)

"You too?" she asked Prudence. "Yes, please."

—

The next night, Sabrina returned home and immediately headed to Genevieve's room to de-stress from her arduous day. "That jerk Caliban challenged me for the throne," she sighed, laying down on Genevieve's bed. "Again. Legally, this time. And I had to accept it."

Her cousin took a deep breath. "Wow. He's really not letting it go, huh?"

"No. I wish he would, though."

"Well, what was the challenge? What do you have to do?"

"We're both supposed to search for the Unholy Regalia. It's a Hell thing," she explained at Genevieve's confusion. "The first item is Herod's Crown."

"H- King Herod? Like 'kill the babies' Herod?"

"That's the one."

"Jesus," Genevieve exhaled. "...No pun intended." She had been sitting on the floor with Rhiannon, watching as she explored the room, but stood up to sit next to her cousin. "Beans, you've got a lot on your plate right now. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

Sabrina considered her question for a moment. "No. Actually, I'm not sure. But I have to do this." She shut her eyes tight for a few seconds before opening them again and sitting upright. "And I have so much homework on top of this."

"You know what? I don't have anything to do tonight. You go to bed, I'll do your homework tonight." Sabrina smiled softly at her cousin.

"Vieve, you don't have to do that—"

"I know. But I want to. You need to rest. Besides," Genevieve said, "I already got through all of those classes once. I can do a few assignments tonight."

—

It was about eleven o'clock that same night and Genevieve was on a productive streak- in terms of getting her cousin's homework taken care of. She had advised Sabrina to talk to Ambrose the following day about looking for the crown and, subsequently, the rest of the regalia. In the midst of her focus, a gust of heat hit her and she could sense a presence in her room. She didn't even bother to turn around from her desk. "Go away, Caliban."

"I take it you've heard about my challenge, then?"

Genevieve set her pencil down and stared at him. "Do you have any idea the shit Sabrina's been going through, lately? I know you don't care, because all you want is power, but she's an actual person with other responsibilities and an entire life that she's dealing with on a daily basis. You're made of clay and you're from Hell, I get it, you must not have any sense of empathy, but this is taking a toll on everyone. You are such a raging narcissist." Caliban's smirk had dissipated by now. "Get out of my house, Caliban. I'm busy."

"You're wrong," he said. He was uncharacteristically quiet. "I can be empathetic." He sat down on the edge of Genevieve's bed, and Tex had allowed him to pet his head. "I do have emotions."

"Showing them from time to time might do you good." He said nothing, focusing his attention entirely on Tex rather than making eye contact with Genevieve. "Why are you here?" she asked, adopting a gentler tone. She felt as if she had been hard enough on him to get her point across. "Don't you have a crown to find, or something?"

"I've not yet located it. I was wondering if you've considered my offer?"

"Of course not," she scoffed. "I don't think you're gonna win. Beans may be busy, but she's smart. And talented."

"Well, she is the Dark Lord's daughter."

"Regardless. No, I haven't considered it. Is that all?"

"I hear there's a carnival in town."

Her brows furrowed momentarily. "What do you care?"

"Would it please the lady to accompany me? Tomorrow night?"

Genevieve went stiff like a deer in headlights. "Um… sure, okay. I guess?"

"You seem confused," he observed.

"Yeah, I- I am. A little. Surprised. Why do you wanna go to the carnival?"

"Is this not how mortals court each other?" he asked, standing up to lean against the desk she had been working at. He seemed his usual self again, another smirk crossing his face. "Or would you rather skip the formalities?" He winked, grinning down at her. Though she was still sitting, it was obvious that he was taller than she was.

She scoffed lightly. "Fine. I will go to the carnival with you tomorrow," Genevieve conceded. "Are you done now?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't have me spend the night?" he teased.

"Don't push it, Dirt-Man."

"As you wish," he told her, and threw his arms up, creating a vortex of fire and returning to the pits of hell.

—

Genevieve finally retired to bed at about quarter till 1 in the morning. Rhiannon was cozy in her tank and Tuck was in his; Pico was sleeping in his cage and Tex was curled up at the foot of her bed. Bambi was laying with her back to Genevieve's, but the blue pit had been awoken by a sudden presence appearing in the room. In the dark, Caliban had returned once more to the girl, this time having astral projected. Bambi's head stuck up, sniffing at him. He put his finger up to his lips and whispered to the dog, "Shh." Bambi was convinced and went back to sleep, leaving the boy to himself. He walked around until he was facing her, and he knelt down at her bedside. He rested his head on one arm while his other hand brushed some stray hairs away from her face. She looked so peaceful he was almost afraid to touch her. "Sleep well, darling girl," he whispered. "And forgive me for what I must do." Without another word, he kissed her forehead and promptly returned to his physical body in Hell.

#caliban #prince caliban #caos #caos pt 3 #sam corlett #caliban imagine #prince caliban imagine #caliban x reader #prince caliban x reader #caliban x oc #prince caliban x oc #chilling adventures of sabrina

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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 4 years

Text

Puppy Love | Poe Dameron x Reader (Oneshot)

Prompt: Pet Shop AU

Fandom: Star Wars (Sequel Trilogy)

Words: 1212

A/N: Modern AU. Gonna be about one day late for these prompts, but I hope I finish Writer’s Month on time.

You had arrived ten minutes late to work with a tray of Starbucks in hand, beelining to the back to put your things away. One of your managers, Jyn, had said that the only excuses you have in being late is if your house burned down, your car broke down, or you were getting Starbucks for everyone. You put on the store vest and handed Rose her venti drink just in time for her lunch break, left the other manager, Cassian, his coffee by his desk, and yours was tucked on the hide of the cashier while you made your rounds around the store. Rose had already fed the fishes and the small animals before she left, so you were making sure everyone was okay.

As you were refilling the water bowl for one of the puppies, a young woman with brown hair tied into a bun walked in.

“Welcome!” you greeted.

She smiled before through the aquarium section, then the reptiles and amphibians, before stopping by the cats and dogs. There was one puppy in particular that caught her attention.

“That’s Dio,” you said, “He’s a bit older than the others, but he’s still playful like a pup.”

“Why does he have a cast on?” she asked.

You sighed, taking your keys out to slide open his small pen. “We took him to the vet and apparently his owners neglected him. The vet said he most likely easily injured himself due to how weak he was. He’s okay now, he just needs a nice home to go to. Wanna hold him?”

She nodded, tentatively reaching out and picking up the chihuahua. His little tail started to wag furiously, his small head lurching forward as he tried to kiss her face. She giggled, holding him gently against her chest. There were practically hearts in her eyes as she stared at the shaking dog.

“So will there be extra vet visits besides the usual check ups?” she asked.

“Yes, the information will all be in the paperwork if, you know, you do decide to adopt him,” you said suggestively.

She finally looked away from Dio and nodded excitedly.

After the paperwork and payment had been made, Dio was finally going home to someone who would take good care of him. The young woman, who you learned was Rey, had also bought a small bag of dog food, two bowls, and a leash as well.

“I’m going to tell my friend about this place. My roommates and I finally found a place that would accept pets, you see, and one of them, Poe, he’s wanted a dog for the longest time,” Rey said.

“Well, I hope he stops by, then,” you said, handing her her bag.

“Thank you. Have a nice day!”

“You, too!”

The next day, you were making your way to the pet shop when someone collided into you from behind, dropping your coffee. You froze, checking that you hadn’t dropped anything else before picking up the ruined cup.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” the man that bumped into you said. He took off his hood, revealing a mop of black curls, along with his ear plugs, slightly out of breath. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you assured him, noting that at least your clothes were not ruined and no injury was sustained on both parties.

“I wasn’t watching where I was going. Here, I can buy a coffee for you,” he said, rifling through his pockets for his wallet.

You waved your hand, dismissing the offer. “No, it’s fine, I need to head to work now,” you said.

“Where do you work? I can drop it off.”

“Um…”

“I promise I’m not going to be a stalker or anything, I just feel really bad and it was my fault because I tend to have tunnel vision when I’m in the zone and I was thinking of getting a dog because my roommate got a dog yesterday and-”

You tilted your head. “Is your roommate Rey, by any chance?”

He nodded. “How’d you know?”

“I work at the pet shop. Poe, is it?” you asked, pointing at him.

He grinned, wiping his sweaty hand against his hoodie before offering it to you. “Poe Dameron, at your service.”

“Well, Poe Dameron, I’m (Y/n),” you said with a smile, shaking his hand, “Were you heading to the pet shop now?”

“Well, I wanted to jog by before I head back home for a shower. Need to make a good first impression on my new pup, you know?”

“I don’t think they would care. Besides, the impression you're making right now isn’t that bad, either.”

“Yeah?” he said with a cheeky smirk.

You rolled your eyes. “I’ll see you later. I have a certain puppy in mind that I think you’ll love.”

You were doing inventory on the new dog and cat food when Rose poked her head into the back. She watched for a moment as you recounted the bags before circling the total amount on the invoice before she knocked on the doorway.

“A Poe Dameron is asking for you,” she said with a large grin. “He’s cute.”

You shoved the invoice in her hands. “Hold questions until after he leaves,” you said.

“Will do. You bet I’m going to interrogate you.”

You stepped out, straightening your vest before making your way over to the curly haired man. He had a change of clothes and he looked refreshed from his jog. He was bending over to one of the front pens where a few puppies were lounging or playing. You could hear him talking lowly to them and occasionally chuckling under his breath.

“Guess which one I thought of for you,” you said.

Poe pointed at the energetic brown and white corgi. “That one. Definitely that one. He even tripped over earlier, too.”

You nodded. “That’s Beebee. His siblings were already adopted, so it was only him left. Wanna see him?”

“Yes, please!”

Fifteen minutes later, you were ringing up toys, puppy food, bowls, leash, and travel items for Beebee. Poe had been carrying Beebee around the shop the whole time when picking out the items, asking for his opinion and talking about the kinds of shenanigans that they’ll get up to.

“I still owe you that coffee,” Poe said.

You made a show of thinking it over before looking down at Beebee’s overjoyed expression. “Only if you bring him along,” you teased.

“Oh, so you only want to hang out because of my dog, huh? So the whole trick of walking around with a dog to flirt works, then.”

“You’re okay, too, I guess.” You grabbed a pen and wrote your number onto his receipt before slipping it into the bag. “I’ll see you later, then,” you said to Poe then turned to Beebee,” See you later, buddy!”

Poe lifted him up and waved his paw at you. “See you later, (Y/n),” Poe said in a high pitched voice.

He snapped the harness and leash on Beebee and grabbed his things from the counter. As he left, he kept turning back to look at you, a stupid grin plastered on both of your faces until he finally left.

“So,” Rose piped up, “Going on a date, are you?”

#WritersMonth2020 #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron #star wars imagine #star wars #star wars sequel trilogy #oneshot #pet shop au

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xxgoblin-dumplingxx · 4 years

Text

Cherry Coke Special: Fourteen

You let yourself into the apartment and sighed. You could hear Winnifred in the kitchen. She was cooking, and whatever it was was probably delicious, but the last thing you wanted was to eat.

It had been a long time since you’d had to do holds. Or walk that much in a single shift. And every muscle in your body hurt. All you wanted was a shower and to faceplant onto the bed and never move ever again.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Winnifred said, smiling as you walk around the corner, “How was your first day?”

You smile a little and set your work bag in its designated chair, “It was... A day. Long but... Educational.”

“So basically it was hell on Earth, and you hate it, but you’re going back tomorrow because Bucky pissed you off?

“Yup,” you say, helping yourself to a soda out of the fridge.

Winnifred shook her head, “Y/N,” she said, “Are you just gonna keep being mad?”

“No,” you sigh, “I’m not really even mad now. I just need him to understand that I’m independent. And it serves me well. Really well. And I can’t just live off of him. It feels gross. He’s not an ATM. He’s my partner. And he deserves better than that.”

She smiles a little, “I knew you were a good girl.” She leans over the counter and chucks you under the chin gently, “But baby girl, you’ve gotta let him do stuff for you... It makes him happy. He knows you don’t wanna live off of him... But he also doesn’t want you to take a job that makes you miserable.”

“I know,” you sigh, “I really do... I guess it just pisses me off because I DON’T want this job. I want my old job. I want my old staff. I want to do more than bitch work and putting out fires all day.”

“Literal fires?”

“Once,” you say, sighing.

“Holy shit,” she hissed, “Why?”

“Because they were cold,” you answer simply, “And that’s why we don’t have lighters on the unit.”

“Sweetheart,” she sighed.

“It’s okay... I just. I need a job. I need to ride this out until someone gets fired for smoking a joint in a bathroom or something, and what happened to me doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Jesus,” she sighed.

“I know, right... Do we have wine?”

“Do we have wine?” she scoffed, “Baby, I bought two bottles. Just for you.”

“I love you,” you tell her, taking the bottle she proffers from around the corner and taking a pull.

“I love you too,” she said, giggling.

______

Bucky listened outside the apartment door with Nova. He could hear his ma giggling and the clatter of dishes.

Domestic sounds. Calm sounds. He wonders if you’re home yet, but then, He’s willing to bet that if his ma is giggling, you’re home. You have a way of telling stories that makes even mundane things funny.

Nova paws anxiously at the door. Eager to be home and chewing the bone, she left in her bed. And getting some pats from her mom. So Bucky opens the door and takes the leash and harness off of her so she could get her pets.

The dog bolts into the apartment, immediately going to find you and beg for attention like she hadn’t been petted or cuddled at all, all day.

“Hey, Pretty Paws,” you murmur, rubbing her ears and kissing her nose.

Bucky kissed his mother hello and gave you a second, knowing full well that Nova wasn’t gonna let you up until she’d extracted all her desired attention from you.

When Nova had been sufficiently loved on, she drifted away to get pets from his Ma, and you stood up slowly. “Hey,” you murmur.

“Hey, baby girl,” he murmurs, tilting your chin up to kiss you hello.

Winnifred slips around the corner and gives the two of you just a moment. And takes a minute to slip her grandpuppy a few treats.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky murmured, “About this morning... I know. I know this isn’t what you want. And that you’re stuck. I shoulda been more supportive and not tried to muscle you into doing what I wanted.”

“I just,” You sigh and wrap your arms around his waist. “I need to start somewhere, Bucky. I know it’s dangerous. I know you’re worried... But.”

“I know,” Bucky said softly, “I do. I really do.” He kisses you softly again, “I shoulda said this earlier, baby. But... I am proud of you. No one would blame you if you just curled up and stayed down. And here you are. Telling every last one of them to fuck off because they can’t stop you. Baby... They should be terrified. You’re gunning for them.”

You smile a little, and Bucky feels his heart flutter. “And I can’t wait to watch you make them all regret like they did you. I really can’t... I just don’t want you to feel like you HAVE to do this. Just for money.”

“It isn’t,” you tell him softly. “I just... I just need to be working.”

Bucky takes the bottle from your hand and takes a pull with a soft smile, “I know that too,” he said. “And I should know better than to try and press you into doing what I want... now. let’s get some food in you, so you’re not too hungover for work tomorrow.”

“I’m not drunk,” you protest.

“Yet,” Winnifred added fondly.

“Yet,” you allow, rolling your eyes.

“So,” Bucky said, chuckling, “Food. And a shower. You need to get wound down after... whatever happened today.”

“I heard rumors of a real fire,” Winnifred said from the kitchen where she started making plates.

“Fire?” Bucky said, quirking an eyebrow, looking down at you.

“They were cold,” you say, shrugging, “It happens.”

“Jesus Christ,” he hissed.

“Dementia,” you murmur, yawning. “It happens. Just take the lighters and make sure you know the fire alarm codes.”

“Fucking Fierce,” he murmurs, “my brave girl.”

#mob!bucky #Mob!AU #bucky x reader #fluff #soft bucky

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theexleynatureblog · 3 years

Text

Sorry, but letting your cat outside is a sign of a lazy owner.

Scientists estimate there is between 60million to 160million feral cats in the US. July, 2018.

“Bring in the dog and put out the cat!” - Yakety Yak. Letting our cats outside is almost a part of Western culture, since the days of Fred and Wilma. But we should all no by now that a cultural norm doesn’t make something automatically right.

At the end of every episode, Fred Flintstone let’s the family saber-toothed cat outside, only for the cat to jump back inside through the window and lock Fred out of the house.

Unfortunely, real-life cats aren’t as responsible. If you let your cat outside, and they are comfortable, they will take advantage of the opportunity. I know from experience living in a house with five outdoor-cats.

An article from Battersea.org gives instructions on how to safety introduce your cat to the outdoors, stating ‘your cat may want to explore.’

Well, of course they do! They’re a cat! It’s like telling a human they may want to walk. Here’s the thing: animals are high-wired to do what they want, not what they should. Because in the wild, the things they want is to find food and hunt, which helps them to survive. A captive cat doesn’t need to do that, but they’ll still have that interest in the outdoors and the high-energy associated with it.

The biggest arguments I hear for letting cats outside it ‘it’s their nature’, ‘they deserve freedom’, ‘they need the exercise/stimulation’. This is true. Cat’s are living animals who are designed to expend energy, just like us. Exercise is essential to a pet’s health, and as a pet owner, it’s your job to make sure they’re getting what they need.

The problem is, if you’re doing this by letting your cat roam the neighborhood unsupervised, you’re doing it very wrong.

A cat wheel, recommended for owners of high-energy cats, like Bengals.

First, I’m before I list the many reasons to not let your cat outside, I’m going to list alternatives.

Number one - play

Did you buy a box of cat-toys for your new kitten? Did your new cat play with them a little bit and then loose interest playing by themselves? Purina recommends two 20minutes play sessions for your kitten every day. This time can change depending on your cat’s energy level. Obviously, a really active cat will need more, and an older cat may need less. You cant just dump a box of toys on the living room floor an expect your cat to keep itself busy all day like a toddler would, you have to engage with them!

Cat’s ‘play’ as an extension of their hunting instincts. They’re not doing it to pass the time, they’re doing it to learn and practice how to kill things. The key to productive play is thinking like prey. That long rope? Pretend it’s a snake. Grab that mouse toy and bounce it around in front of your cat like you think an actual mouse would move. Don’t poke or bonk your cats with they’re toys - its not encouraging their hunting instincts and may just make them annoyed and not want to play.

Aside from keeping them stimulated, playing with your cats every day can strengthen their bond to you. A happy and tired cat will have no interest in going outside. The amount of time you’d expect to play with/walk your dog is the same amount, maybe a little less, you should expect to spend on your cat. If you don’t have the time of day to take care of a dog, don’t get a cat.

Also, FYI, don’t use your hands as a toy, especially with kittens. A bad cat bite can put you in the hospital with a serious infection - even if your cat has lived indoors all it’s life. Using your hand to play instead of toys will teach kittens that your hand is in fact a toy. Good luck trying to pet them later.

Number Two - Cat furniture

Ever heard of puppy-proofing? Well, cat proofing is also a thing! If you want to take on the responsibility of owning a pet, be prepared to rearrange your entire house - and buy some new stuff. Cat’s are designed to climb and travel, so they may try to jump to to the tallest places in your house. Don’t want them up there? Consider getting a dog. Spray bottles and scolding may work, but unless you’re giving them an alternative to flex their muscles, it’ll only lead to behavioral problems down the road.

Cat walks are a fun and safe way to let your cat have the run of the house. Not only will it be fun for them, but it’ll make them feel safer. If you cat feels trapped, it may hide a lot of the time. This is especially important if you bring another cat into the house. One cat acting scared may invite the other cat to attack. Cat-walks give your cat the advantage to ‘oversee their kingdom’, and escape a situation that makes them uncomfortable.

But, I wouldn’t expect everyone to have this. If you rent your home, can’t afford this, or can’t build it yourself, it’s not an option. But you can be aware of how you arrange your furniture and shelves. If the cat’s gonna jump up on stuff, you might as well make sure it’s safe.

The bare minimum cat furniture you need (besides a litter box) are scratching posts. Even a declawed cat will want one, because they’re not just shedding nails - they’re marking their territory.

Most predators have a way of marking territory to keep invaders away. Cats do too, with a host of special glands. One of those is called an interdigital (inter-digital) gland located - you guessed it - between their toes, or digits. In the wild, when cats scratch on trees, they are rubbing that scent gland on the bark, to warn other cats this is their territory.

Your indoor cat probably won’t have to worry about invaders, but they will still want to use that gland. In their minds, your house is their territory that they must defend. This is why litter boxes are also important.

You may have seen pictures or videos of cats being trained to use and even flush toilets. It may be cute, but its actually not that great from a cat behavior standpoint. This article from The Dodo does a good job of explaining why NOT to potty-train your cat.

Don’t wanna deal with litter boxes? Get a dog! Because with cats, litter boxes are essential. Not only does it give your cat a place to do its business, but it allows them to exercise more of their natural behaviors. After all, ‘natural behaviors’ are the reason owners let their cats outside, right?

For every cat, there should be one litter box plus one extra. Two cats should have a total of 3 litter boxes, and so on. The boxes should be scooped once a day, with their litter changed about once a week - depending on specific needs. Sounds like a lot of work? Yeah - it is! Plus the smell of ammonia isn’t pleasant. If you don’t want to deal with this - Don’t. Get. A. Cat.

Naturally, people look for short cuts, like training their cat to use the toilet, or letting them outside to do its business. Hey, it works for dogs, don’t it? Well - cats aren’t dogs. They have different behavior. While you can count on that fence keeping your dog in your yard, your cat is going to parkour over that like nothing. While dogs will go anywhere they feel comfortable, cats have an instinct to bury their feces. According to Live Science, this helps them hide from other predators. Cats can be eaten by anything bigger than them, and they know it. It’s a behavior that gives them security. Think about it like having a lock on the bathroom door - in a public place. Would you be brave enough to go without it? Personally, I’d hold it until I got home. Cats probably feel the same way, so they’re going to want to find substrate that’s easy to bury stuff in - fresh soil in a flower bed, or little Jimmy’s sandbox.

This is also why toilet-training is a bad idea. It’s not a natural behavior for cats, and it denies their instincts to bury their waste and mark their territory. Also, what happens when your cat gets elderly or injured, and they can’t jump onto the seat for a few days?

Your Cat can still enjoy the outdoors.

Did you know they make cat leashes? That’s right, you can allow your cat to transverse the yard and neighborhood in safety! The downside of this is cat’s don’t tend to be as excited about walks as dogs do. When I bought a harness and leash for my cat, they plopped on their side and refused to move. I never got to take him on a walk.

If your cat is similarly lazy, that doesn’t mean its impossible, it just means training will be required. With the right balance of motivation and knowledge, a pet can be trained to do anything physically possible. Yes, it’s consistent work and slow progress, but exactly the thing a good pet owner should be willing to do. If your cat is staring out the window and practically running out the door, then they might not even need training. With a lease, you can prevent your cat from killing small animals, keep them from climbing too high in a tree, and keep them out of the street and away from possibly dangerous animals.

On that note, now may be a good time to list the reasons why NOT to let your cat outside! (Warning, this next section may contain intense images of blood, violence, and dead animals. Reader discretion is advised).

Parasites.

Hold onto your stomachs, everyone! We are not taking the gentle road.

When I say parasites, I’m not just talking about fleas and ticks - very common and very overlooked. There are worse things out there. Toxoplasma, for one. This parasite that causes flu-like symptoms sheds from cat feces, and it can be much worse for pregnant mothers (this is why your doctor recommends not cleaning a litter-box while pregnant). To make matters worse, its one of the most common parasites in the world, spreading by - don’t throw up on me - fecal-oral contact, which is exactly what it sounds like. A cat can host the parasite without any symptoms and spread to humans, and that’s not the only one.

Outdoor cats are much more likely to get parasites and harmful bacterial. This is because they consume wild animals harboring parasites, and they can pick up stuff from the environment. A squirrel could defecate somewhere that a cat walks, and later licks themselves to clean. Boom! Infected. Now, your outdoor cat could spread stuff like toxoplasma to your neighbors! There’s your neighbor, working in their flower garden, unaware your cat used it for the bathroom (and buried it). Ope, now she’s whipping her nose with her unwashed hand! Boom! Infected.

Want to learn something really crazy? Cat parasites have made their way to aquatic mammals!

This National Geographic Article gives more information on how the ‘Kitty Litter’ parasite has made it to marine whales and dolphins. This is due to feral and stray cats defecating near waterways that eventually wash out to the ocean. While cats and some terrestrial mammals can host the parasites with out any major symptoms, marine mammals are very different. They are the incorrect hosts for these parasites, and anyone who’s studies parasites (like me) knows, parasites in the wrong host is a recipe for disaster. AKA, death. And like many other species, our marine mammals are going through enough troubles right now.

If you keep your cat inside and use a litter box, there is still a risk of infection, but you’ve significally lowered the potential spread. I say, anyone you takes the responsibility of cleaning a cat box is a hero. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. You are doing your cat and your neighborhood a huge favor. I sincerely thank you. So, when you’re scooping or changing litter, wear gloves, wear a mask, don’t touch your face, and wash your hands thoroughly afterword's. Also, take note of the condition of your cats dropping. Sometimes, to can clearly see worms, or something may just not look right. Remember - as an owner, it’s your responsibility to monitor your pets health. If you see something that doesn’t look right, you can take them to the vet. You can’t do this if you let your cat outside to do there business in the garden a few houses down.

High Death Rate

For feral cats, lifespan is typically two years. 50% of kittens don’t survive their first couple of days. Cats are killed by anything from car collisions, poison, coyotes, raccoons, raptor birds, and other cats. Male cats constantly fight each other for territory and access to females.

This brings up an interesting question. If cat’s death rate is so high, how are there so many in every town? A couple reasons.

Cats have a lot of kittens - multiple litters within a year. Even if only 50% of those kittens survive, that’s a lot of cats that are ready to breed themselves not long after.

Another reason is artificial healthcare. What this means is people will feed, spay/neuter, or rescue injured animals, and then release them. Because of their cuteness, cat’s have a charisma advantage over native predators in a neighborhood like coyotes and raccoons. No one’s going to trap a coyote with a broken leg to take it to the vet. I know that if I hit a cat with my car, and it was still alive, I would definitely rush it to emergency care. Supplemental feeding goes hand-in-hand with this. When people see a large cat colony outside, they may want to leave food out for them to help them out. Cats will eat the food, but it won’t end there. You may end up attracting more cats to an area, increasing the population. But if you were to suddenly stop feeding them, the extra cats are going to starve. You have only provided the animals with limited extra resources. Also, more cats in an area may lead to more fighting amongst them.

Because cats have a high death rate, the population’s method of survival is putting out high numbers. Feral and stray cats are constantly competing for food and running from dangers, and the ones who can put up with the suffering the most survive. This is the reality of nature. Nature is not a garden of Eden with fairies dancing with deer. This is the brutality you are exposing your pet cat to when you let them wonder alone outside.

Cats Kill Stuff

Cats are one of the few animals that kill for fun. Its not that they’re sadistic - they’re instincts tell them to bat that thing that moves, and they’ll do it until the thing escapes or stops moving. People automatically think about birds and small mammals, but cats will also eat insects, amphibians, and reptiles.

Some people swear by this argument, and some people counter the argument by saying stuff like ‘yeah, but windows and windmills kill more birds!’. Really? That’s your argument? Can you imagine if we said that about serial killers? Oh, its not a big deal if Freddy killed a few woman, James over there has killed a lot more!

Like... okay, that’s not as bad, but... we should still do something about it.

Cats, windows, and windmills. Instead of looking at these as three separate problems that we can only solve one at a time, step back and look at the big picture. “Human-caused fatality.” An article from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services talks about migratory bird fatality numbers and causes. You’ll see a handful of different causes, each with different solutions needed.

You can’t solve a problem by pointing your finger at someone and say “They’re doing it worse”. EVERYONE involved in the problem has to do their part and correct it. For example, window collisions with birds can be decreased by window stickers and ecologically-mindful building planning (not building tall things in high-traffic bird routes).

These small, decorative stickers can help prevent bird-strike deaths.

Another angle to combat the problem is reducing industrial-caused mortality. Open oil pits are a hazard to migratory birds, who land in and ingest the oily water as they migrate. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act hold companies who do not cover their ponds accountable for ‘preventable fatalities’. However, the Trump Administration recently attempted to roll back regulations like these, in order to increase profit of oil and gas companies. Contacting politicians and being a thoughtful voter can prevent policies like these, and save birds and wildlife.

Of course, cat owners can put their foot forwards to help save wildlife life by keeping their pets inside or on a leash. People argue ‘cat’s are natural hunters. So what if they kill a few birds?’. Okay, well, first of all, if you look carefully at the stats, its clearly not just ‘a few birds’. Second, do you know what kinds of birds? No? I don’t either. In fact, we have no control what kind of bird/reptile/mammal your cat will kill. They kill whatever they can catch. This includes endangered species.

This website lists North America’s Endangered Animals. Notice that some of these animals are large mammals, like cougars. But most of the species are small animals that cats are capable of catching and killing. And cats don’t care if a species is endangered. Now, I’m confident that NONE of these species are threatened by cats alone. That’s not how nature works, it takes more than one factor to wipe out a species. Species like the Yellow-legged Mountain Frog are threatened by predation, disease, habitat fragmentation, and climate change (which can make diseases and parasite spread worse). A road through a wetland may not look like a big deal, but that may as well be a ocean for small amphibians and reptiles to cross.

Not only do these animals risk getting crushed by pedestrians and vehicles, but they have no cover from predators - and predators WILL exploit these places. Keep in mind, these animals can’t always just pack up and go - they need specific resources for food, shelter, and reproduction. Some turtles will nest in the gravel of a road because it provides the best substrate for digging a nest. This includes suburban areas - where your cats are waiting. When you add exotic animal predation pressure to a species already suffering from diseases and habitat loss, well - that’s how we lost the passenger pigeon.

In conclusion, please find ways to keep your cat healthy and happy without allowing them to roam unsupervised outside. There are programs that help remove feral colonies using live animal traps, but there are others, like places in Australia, that use lethal means. I don’t like the idea of killing cats. After all - they are adorable, and it’s not they’re fault they are there. That’s purely our fault for releasing out domestic cats into delicate ecosystems. As much as I love cats, I prioritize the health of our ecosystems and environment more, and that calls for removing large feral cat colonies. A few random barn cats of course is no problem, but the thousands of cats living in suburb yards needs to be reigned in. Whether it is done with live traps or kill traps is dependent on the people. One thing is for sure - if we don’t take responsibility for our exotic invasives, we will be paying for it for a long time in the future.

Sources

nola.com

American humane society

Caticles

US Fish and Wildlife Services

#biology #cats #feral cats #exotic animals #pets #pet owners #ecology #enviroment #parasites #endangered species

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eklovesharry · 5 years

Text

Lazy Day (UniStudent!Harry AU)

Masterlist

Patreon

Requested: no, but requests are open

Pairing: Unistudent!Harry x reader

Warnings: none, possible Call the Midwife season 6 spoiler

Word count: 2.3k

Author’s note: that pic really inspired me to write this. He’s just so soft and cuddly in it. Enjoy! :)

Synopsis: Unistudent!Harry and y/n finally have a free day together and decide to make the least of it.

“Babe, I’m completely content doing absolutely nothing today as long as I’m with you.”

“I know, but I know you like being active. We can do something if you want,” Y/n said. She knew Harry could hardly go a day without his morning runs and workouts. It had been a couple weeks since they could actually hang out. They’d both been studying for finals and working.

They’d actually me at her job, a Starbucks on campus. Harry had walked in to order his usual tall vanilla latte. Harry thought the barista was cute and looked down at her name tag. “Y/n.” A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Y/n had seen him come in before and felt a surge of courage. After she’d taken his order, she wrote her number on his cup. The rest was history.

Today, a week before their finals started they chose to relax and recharge. Y/n showed up at Harry’s apartment at 10:00am at his insistence. “Wanna be with you as long as possible all day” he’d said. She brought face masks and nail polish with her. She knew he said he would never let her paint his nails, but maybe today he’d allow a bit of clear polish.

He answered the door in her favorite casual outfit of his. It was a simple Calvin Klein sweatshirt and black jeans, but y/n loved it. She also loved stealing that sweatshirt to steal, so she was conflicted sometimes. Should she wear it or let him keep it and wear it. She knew he didn’t mind when she stole his clothes. His sweatshirts came down to her midthigh and practically swallowed her torso whole, leaving just enough to the imagination, but also something to look at.

Y/n didn’t wait for him to say anything before walking straight in and giving him her best hug. He was just so tall, and soft, and cuddly, and a hug fromHarrywas exactly what she needed. Harry wasn’t surprised and just accepted her into his arms. The hug was a bit awkward with her backpack on, but he didn’t mind.

“I missed you, baby,” Harry said. She looked up to him and he moved his hands to gently hold her jaw and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. Before it could go too far, his cat, Luna, a calico, alerted them of her presence by loudly meowing and circling y/n’s feet as best she could with Harry in the way.

Y/n chuckled as they broke their kiss and bent down to give Luna a pet on the head.

“Hey, girl. How ya doing?” She said while petting her. “I missed you too.”

“I think she likes you more than she likes me sometimes,” Harry said. Luna rarely gave him that kind of affection, but couldn’t resist y/n. Not that he minded much, how could anyone not love his y/n?

Y/n stood up and tied her checkered vans off as she said, “don’t worry, it’s true. Luna loves me more” with a smirk.

“Ha ha ha, you feel proud of yourself, don’t you?” Harry said as he picked her up by the waist and began to walk toward his living room. Y/n didn’t bother resisting and wrapped her legs around his waist. She loved it when he picked her up and carried her.

He sat on the grey couch with a small thud and leaned back.

“Let get this off,” Harry said as he tapped the straps of her backpack at her shoulders. She took it off and dropped it to the floor, then immediately moved to curl into his lap. That was one of the things Harry loved, her height. She was so small compared to him that she could comfortably sit in his lap, sleep on him, or get a piggyback ride with no problems.

“What’ve you been up to?” He asked as he let his arms fall to rest on y/n’s lower back.

Y/n shifted to look him in the eyes and said, “I had the craziest dream about you last night. You wouldn’t believe it. I found out you were a porn star secretly and was so mad. I even threatened to call you mom.” Even though he was 21, the thought of y/n calling his mom to tell her that scared him a little.

That made his smile even bigger. Whenever she had crazy dreams about him they never failed to impress him.

“Really? I promise that I’m not a porn star, but if I were I give you full permission to tell my mom. On a completely unrelated note, I ordered a pizza. I know it’s early, but I figured you’d be hungry because you never eat breakfast. It’s a half sheet so we’ll have enough for later. I ordered it online and put that I wanted it to be delivered around 11:00”

“That’s perfect.” She began to reach up and gently play with his hair. “I still don’t understand how you look so cute all the time. I wish my hair cooperated like yours,” y/n said.

“I love your hair, even when it’s messy when you wake up. You are the cutest.”Harry said as he pulled on one of her curls a little just to watch it spring back. Her hair always smelled like Shea Moisture leave in conditioner, and he loved it.

“I look like a raccoon when I wake up”

“Well, then you’re the cutest raccoon I’ve ever seen,” Harry said before leaving in for another peck on the lips.

“I brought face masks, even the charcoal one you love.” Y/n knewHarrywould be excited about that. He wasn’t particularly into more skin care than necessary, but doing face masks with y/n was so fun to him.

“Really? That exactly what I need. Pizza, face masks, and a pretty lady.” He pulled y/n even closer to him and hugged her. “Today will be great.”

“Yeah, I also brought nail polish.” At thatHarryquirked an eyebrow up.

“I’m not letting you pai-“ he started.

Y/n gave Harry her best puppy dog eyes and poked her bottom lip out a bit.

“Please? It’s just clear. Just keep it on for today.” She asked. Harry wasn’t very keen on it, but her cuteness pushed him over the edge.

“Fine, only clear,” he sighed. At that y/n got off of his lap and grabbed her bag.

“Perfect. I’ll do your nails while our face masks dry.” She began to walk toward his bedroom to get to his bathroom but turned around when he didn’t follow. She smiled and said “Come on, slowpoke,” before continuing walking.

Harry got off the couch and walked to follow her. “I don’t know why I agreed to this,” he said with a slight chuckle.

Y/n had gotten the tube of face mask, applicator, and clear nail polish out of her back by the timeHarrymet her in his bathroom. He was already wearing a headband to keep his fluffy hair out of his face.

They washed their face at the sink before she applied it to both of their faces. Harry wasn’t allowed to anymore since he’d gotten a bunch of it in her hair a couple months ago.

After washing her hands to get off any of the leftover face mask y/n lifted herself to sit on his bathroom counter and unscrewed the polish bottle. Harry was stood between her legs while he grabbed his left and began painting the mail on his thumb.

“See? It’s not so bad,” y/n said. Harry hated to admit it, but it wasn’t entirely terrible.

Harry smiled and said, “yeah, whatever.”

Y/n continued painting his nails and by the time she was done their face masks were ready to be peeled. That was Harry’s favorite part. Y/n would never understand how he likes it. It hurt so much and it left his skin red for a few minutes. She always took much longer than him to peel hers because she could barely stand the pain, but he practically just pulled it off. When they were finished they washed and moisturized their faces.

As if on cue his doorbell rang. “That should be the pizza,” Harry said as he readjusted his headband.

“Ok, I’m just gonna get this stuff cleaned up,” y/n said.

Harry gave her a kiss on the cheek before saying, “thank you” and going to open the door.

Y/n finished putting her stuff back in her bag and walked back out to seeHarryhis kitchen counter grabbing napkins. They put a few slices on plates before heading to the comfy couch to watch their favorite show together, Call The Midwife. When she had first suggested it all those months ago, y/n was surprised thatHarryknew about and like it. It was their show even if they had different opinions on the outcome of some things.

“I can’t believe Trixie broke her engagement with Tom. They were such a cute couple!”

“No way, they couldn’t have worked out, y/n.”

By the second episode, they were both out like lights. They were spooning with y/n using his bicep as a pillow. In this groggy haze, Harry had pulled the blanket on the back of the couch over them both.

It wasn’t until Luna realized that her lunch was late that she meowed enough to wake them up. Harry checked his Apple Watch to see that it was nearly 3:00.

“Baby, wake up. We’ve been asleep for a while,” Harry said as he rubbed y/n’s back gently. She softly grunted and tried to turn her face into the couch. Harry smiled and whispered, “I’ll take you for ice cream if you wake up.”

At that y/n opened her eyes. He knew she could pass up the opportunity of rainbow sherbet.

“Promise?”

“I’d be a monster to say I’ll take you for ice cream then not do it.” Y/n giggled at that and sat up to give Harry a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ve just gotta feed Luna, and then we can leave,” Harry said as he stood up. Luna followed on his heels. Y/n got up after and went to his bathroom to fix her large and curly bun.

By the time she came out Luna had eaten and was already in her harness and leash. WhenHarrygot Luna as a kitten she had so much energy that he had to take her on daily walks. As she’s grown up over the past two years her energy levels have gone down to those of a normal cat, but she still gets grumpy if she doesn’t get her walk.

“You ready?”Harry asked. He had put on a pair of Adidas tennis shoes, ruffled his hair, and fixed his headband.

“Yeah, I’ve just gotta grab my phone,” she said as she walked back to the couch to grab her phone off of the coffee table.

They walked hand in hand as Luna enjoyed her time outside. It was nice for each of them to just be in the presence of the one they loved while just experiencing nature. It had rained the night before, so the air was fresh without all of the pollen in it. The only sounds were their feet on the sidewalk and the occasional gust of wind.

“What do you wanna do later? I was thinking more pizza and a movie,” Harry asked.

“Sounds great to me,” y/n said. “We can watch Avenger: Endgame if you want.” She knewHarryhad been wanting to watch it again for a while.

“Yay, it’s like three hours, so that’ll give me a lot of time to cuddle you.”

“You’re cheesy, you know that? But I like it.”

“I know you do,” Harry said with a wink.

They got to the ice cream shop and Harry tied Luna’s leash to a chair on the patio.

“Be a good kitty, we’ll be right back,” he said with a pat to her heard.

They ordered their usuals. Chocolate forHarryand rainbow sherbet for y/n. They’d decided to stay and sit outside on the patio. Luna later in the sun while y/n andHarrytalked about their upcoming week.

“I’ve got work after class tomorrow, Wednesday, Friday. I’m working on Saturday too,” y/n said.

“Yeah, I’ve got work tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Maybe we can do something on Thursday? Study or something?”Harry suggested.

“Yeah, that sounds good to me,” y/n said as she finished her sherbet. She bent down to offer Luna the last little drop of it, which she accepted happily.

OnceHarryhad finished his ice cream they began the walk back to his apartment. It wasn’t a very long walk, but they walked slower to stretch it out. It took them about an hour to get back, instead of the usual 25 minutes.

When they got backHarrylet Luna out of her harness and leash so she could take a much-needed nap in her cat bed.

“I’m gonna put the pizza in the oven,” y/n said as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink.

“Sounds good, I’ll get the movie ready. And I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“What is it?” she asked as she put the pizza into the oven.

“It would be a surprise if I told you, would it?”Harry called back.

Y/n let the pizza heat up for about five minutes, just enough to get it hot. She put enough for her andHarryonto a plate and met him in the living room.

They ate their pizza and watched Avengers: Endgame for another countless time. It was one of Harry’s favorites, so they’d watched it together many, many times.

Once y/n was finished with her pizza she put her legs across Harry’s lap and let him pull her all the way onto his lap. He rested her head on his chest and began to nod off.

Harry knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay awake for the whole movie and simply pulled they’re blanket from earlier back around her.

With a last kiss to her forehead, he layed back to finish the movie with her is his arms. This was his perfect day. A beautiful girl, a movie, and of course, pizza.

@luvuforlif @castellandiangelo @briannareneea985@nevermindmisha @dysfunctionalwallflower @laurenlovelyxo @thewinterme @friedrebeluniversitytaco @shawn-youth f

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finn-nelson-for-the-win · 5 years

Text

The Good Life: Chapter 13

Hello, my lovelies! Is it just me or does it seem like forever since I’ve posted a new chapter? In any case, this is yet another filler chapter to set up some events that are to come in the next chapters, but I promise that there will be some fun stuff/drama/shenanigans in the upcoming chapters that will make the last couple boring chapters worthwhile.

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4 , Ch5, Ch6, Ch7, Ch8 , Ch9 , Ch10, Ch 11, Ch 12

If you want to be added (or removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus @eveerez @saintsisterwriter

The Good Life: Chapter 13

A few seconds after Rocky—who was asleep at Rae’s feet while she lounged on the couch— lifted his head and began to look around there was a gentle knock on the front door.

“Good morning!” Rae called as she opened the door with Rocky trailing close behind.

“Hello, Rae,” Anna said as she pulled Rae into a hug and stepped inside the apartment when Rae opened the door fully to invite her in.

“How is your sister doing?” Rae asked when the pair both took a seat on the couch and Rocky jumped on the couch to sprawl out in the space between them.

“The doctor said that there were some potential causes for concern, so she was under observation for a few days, but the baby was born without any complications and both she and her baby boy are healthy, happy, and back at home as of Friday.”

“That’s great! I’m glad everything worked out,” Rae replied with a smile, “and congratulations on becoming an aunt!”

“I know! I can’t wait to spoil the kid whenever I see him!” Anna chuckled, “I hope Rocky hasn’t been too much of a burden on you. I know I didn’t give you much time to prepare for him to be here, but I appreciate that you were able to take care of him.

“It’s no problem, really,” Rae assured her as she brought her hand near Rocky’s face for him to lick and gently nibble on, “Rocky seems to have really taken a liking to both my roommate and I over the last couple weeks!”

“I’m so glad to hear that! Is you roommate here? I’ve heard so many good things and I’d love to formally meet them.”

“I’m actually supposed to meet my roommate at the cafe down the street from work for lunch in a little while,”

“Oh! Perfect, my house is on the way there anyways, so Rocky and I can keep you company and just walk home from there.”

“Alright! That sounds good, I’ll just need a few minutes to grab my shoes and gather up some of Rocky’s stuff that you gave me.”

When Rae returned from her bedroom with a tote bag full of toys, treats, and other items Anna had given her while she was watching Rocky the pair fastened the walking harness on Rocky and attached his leash before they all headed downstairs.

The weather was incredibly mild for November, so they decided to walk to the cafe and talk along the way.

“So...I seem to recall the two of us coming to a bit of an agreement a few months back,” Anna began with a cheeky grin.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we agreed that first you needed to get your apartment and roommate situation sorted out and once you did that, you would allow me to set you up on a date and try to find you love.”

“Oh god, not that again, Anna! What is it with you and all my friends trying to get me to date or at least get laid?”

“Because we care about you, duh!”

“In either case, things are a bit...complicated...right now.”

“‘Complicated’ how, Rae?”

“Alright, so you’ve heard me talk a lot about my mates that I knew growing up and in college, right?”

“Yeah! Chloe, Izzy, Archie, Chop, and my personal favorite Finn! Right?”

“Exactly! Well they’re all basically my best friends, but a few days ago I think I did something that could mess up one of those friendships.”

“Did you make out with one of their boyfriends?” Anna asked with a gasp as the two stopped to let a car drive past before crossing the street.

“What? No! I kissed Finn.”

“You did?”

“Yeah...we were both drunk and we sort of made out a bit. I wanted to talk it over with him and figure out what he thought about it, but he’s been avoiding the subject and I haven’t found the right way to bring it up.”

“How do you feel about the kiss?”

“I mean, I used to have a massive crush on him but we’re really good mates now. I liked the kiss, I suppose, but I don’t want it to ruin our friendship or anything like that, ya know?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Hopefully I’ll be able to talk to him about it today when I see him.”

“So...is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ to me setting you up with a friend of mine sometime soon?”

“It’s a firm maybe,” Rae replied with a sigh.

“That’s good enough for me! I’ll reach out to him and see when he’d be free to meet up. Now Rae, was that really so hard?”

“If it’ll get you off my back and make you happy to see me getting out and being social, then I’ll do just about anything to shut you up.” Rae quipped and stuck her tongue out at Anna in reply.

“Which reminds me, what’s the plan for your birthday, that’s coming up soon, right?”

“It’s in a bit over a week, yeah, but I don’t have any plans. I don’t really wanna do anything too crazy though. Just something small, maybe, with the gang.”

The pair continued talking about Rae’s plans for her birthday as they were nearing the small cafe Rae was going to lunch at when Anna stopped walking.

“Hey, so, am I going crazy or is that your mate Finn sitting outside the cafe right there?”

“Of course that’s him. I told you I was meeting him here for lunch!” Rae replied with a small chuckle as she kept walking.

“Wait! So you mean to tell me that Finn is your mate and your roommate?”

“Yeah, I thought you knew that!”

“No! I did not fucking know that! Oh my god…”

“What?”

“You made out with your roommate!”

“I’m aware,”

“Oh my god,”

“It’s not that big of a deal,”

“Oh my god,”

“Seriously, Anna. Relax”

“Oh my god, he’s waving at us!”

“Yeah, he’s a nice guy,”

“Oh my god, he’s hot!”

“Yeah, I know. Now, do you want to meet him and say ‘hi’ or not?”

“Of course I do!”

“Cool, now try not to gawk at him like you are now and I can introduce the two of you,” Rae chuckled as she walked ahead to the hostess desk at the entrance of the cafe and pointed towards the table on the patio where Finn was seated and waved Anna and Rocky to follow her inside.

Rae, Anna, and Rocky followed the hostess around the patio to the table where Finn was seated and Finn stood from his seat to give Rae a tight hug.

“Hiya, Rae! I just got you water for now because I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink, but I haven’t ordered anything else yet,” Finn knelt down to pet Rocky but continued speaking, “I don’t think I’ve ever formally met you, but you must be Rocky’s owner.”

“Uh, yes?” Anna mumbled.

“Sorry, she’s a bit shy this morning,” Rae joked, “Finn, this is my friend from work that I told you about and we’ve been watching her puppy for the last week. Anna, this is my best mate and roommate.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Anna,” Finn said with a smile as both he and Rae sat down at the table, “you and Rocky are welcome to join Rae and I for lunch if you’d like to.”

“Oh, sorry, but we should get going. I live in this direction, so I wanted to walk with Rae on my way home after coming to pick up Rocky. It was great to finally meet you though, I’ve heard a lot about you...like a lot,” Anna laughed lightly.

“Alright, well if you ever need anyone to take Rocky off your hands for a little while, Rae and I would be happy to do it!” Finn added as Anna gave Rae a hug.

“I’ll remember that, thank you,” Anna replied politely before turning towards Rae and lowering her voice a bit, “I’ll text you a bit later today, alright? We still have a lot to talk about!”

Rae huffed and rolled her eyes but smiled as she waved goodbye to Anna and Rocky as they made their way to the exit of the patio area.

“I’m not sure that your friend Anna liked me very much,” Finn stated as he looked over the menu.

“Ah, don’t pay her too much mind. She’s lovely, just a bit...odd,” Rae chuckled before picking up her menu as well, “anyways, what are you thinking of ordering? I feel like there’s just way too many options to choose from!”

Finn laughed and agreed and the two continued looking over the menu and making small talk as they enjoyed their lunch together.

A/N: I have no excuses as to why this chapter took so long to come together, but I am sorry that I’ve been MIA lately. Things in my life are still very crazy and turbulent and I feel like every second of spare time that I have is spent doing everything but writing, unfortunately. I do really appreciate the support and messages of encouragement that I got on my previous post and on every chapter before that. I know that everyone says that they’re grateful for their readers, but I’m completely genuine and can never fully express how much it means to me when y’all read/reblog/like/reply to my posts. I don’t really have much else to say right now, but I’m hoping to get better about posting weekly as things start to settle down a bit more for me closer to the end of June, so please stick it out with me.

Also: HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!! ^_^

Until next time: Stay awesome, my friends! :)

#mmfd #my mad fat diary #mmfd fanfic #my mad fat diary fanfiction #the good life #the good life: ch13 #My writing #finn-nelson-for-the-win

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sollea · 5 years

Text

Dolorem et Consolationem Ch16

LeaIsa fic. Characters in chapter: Lea, Isa, Ienzo(, Balsam) Words: 1611 Read the entire fic on AO3

Summary: House hunting with Ienzo. Dog time!

They’d gone home to look over things and decide what homes they should actually bother going to check out. Isa sat down almost instantly because didn’t feel like going through papers while standing up. Felt too much like the past for comfort. Standing and going through paperwork was too Saïx for comfort.

“So, are any of those locations places you’d be interested in living? They weren’t ideal home locations when we were younger, but, I assure you, they’re very nice now, even if isolated from most everyone else,” Ienzo hovered over Isa’s shoulder as they looked at the papers.

Looking up at Ienzo, Isa shrugged. “It’s not as if we’re against walking to get places we want to go. The main world area is small enough that it doesn’t matter much, it’s not as if any of these homes are in the surrounding area that we can’t get to but by boat, right? Unless I’m mistaken? Lea?”

Lea had wandered from the kitchen table to the fridge a few minutes before Ienzo and Isa actually started talking about things, so when he was directly addressed, he blinked. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Am I making a mistake in assuming we don’t mind the outskirts of town?”

“Nah, I just want a place big enough that people can crash when they visit and Balsam can be happy without breaking things with his giant body,” Lea said as he gestured to the dog sitting directly next to him while the fridge door was open. He’d opened it to get a snack while the other two were talking, bored of talk and papers. Balsam was a magnet to the open fridge, watching for any opening to steal food right out of it. “We have a fridge and some space and we’re all happy.”

“Ah, yes, that does take some of these homes out, I believe. Not all of them have had appliances installed.” Ienzo began to pull some of the papers aside, taking them away from Isa without letting him have any real say in it being taken. Isa sat back and watched as Ienzo decided which houses weren’t worth their time. Suddenly, nobody was able to do any work as a dog bounded over to the people who didn’t just eat food without giving him any.

Balsam shoved his nose against Ienzo’s leg, whining for attention after the heinous crime Lea had just committed. Ienzo looked down at the dog then up at Lea. “Did you not give him anything?”

“He’ll get fat, Ienzo,” Lea said, perched on the kitchen counter with a bowl of leftover curry. “And dogs can’t eat everything I’m eating. It’s got onions and I think garlic?”

“Of course it has garlic. It’s the curry, right? Why would it not have garlic in it, Lea? Would either of us make something without garlic?” Isa reaches down to scratch at Balsam’s head. “No curry for you, no matter how many times you ask.”

Ienzo frowned and looked from dog to Isa. “But if he’s asking for food, doesn’t that mean he’s hungry?”

Immediately after the word “hungry” passed through Ienzo’s lips, Balsam barked and bounced. Isa tapped the table, drawing Balsam’s attention back to him. Paws hit Isa’s legs and legs were turned away from the dog. Ignoring Balsam’s behavior was the only real way to get it to stop. Isa collected the papers that remained on the table and looked at Ienzo. “Well, I think we’ve narrowed it down enough. As soon as Lea puts the curry he didn’t even warm up-”

“It’s fine like this,” Lea interjected, offended by Isa’s pointed attack on his unwillingness to bother warming food up.

“It’s disgusting like that. Warm up your food,” Isa snapped. Breathing slowly, he handed Lea the papers and took the bowl away from him, shoving it straight into the fridge. “We’ll come back and you can eat that after you warm it up. You are not immune to having your food bowl taken away.”

Lea stared at the papers in his hands and sighed, shaking his head in mock-disappointment. “Wow, Isa, just stealing my food. What if I wanted to hang out here for a while?”

“We shouldn’t be keeping Ienzo,” Isa said, rolling his eyes. “Not so you can sit around and not warm up your curry.”

“I’m actually fine here, I’ve been told there’s no rush for me to come back to the lab. Apparently I’ve been overworking myself, but none of the other apprentices have been willing to tell me.” Ienzo shrugged, looking down at the dog who was again at his feet. “I enjoy being around you both, if you don’t mind me being here.”

Lea snorted and hopped off the counter, handing the papers to Ienzo. “Why would we mind? I’d think you’d mind being around us. Me.”

“Lea,” Isa said in a flat voice. The kitchen was not the place for Lea’s existential dread and guilt anymore, it tore Isa’s heart and soul to shreds to think about… things. “Please don’t.”

Lea rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed. “Yeah, okay, well.” He looked to Ienzo. “You wanna show us where those places are?”

“Ah! Yes. Yes, we can go.” Ienzo shuffled the papers around based on how close the homes were then smiled up at the two. “Can we take your dog as well? Maybe he’d like to see your possible new homes?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Hey, Balsam, wanna go on a w-” Lea was stopped by the dog bolting for the door, bouncing happily by the place they kept his harnesses, the current one and the last one he’d grown out of that they hadn’t thrown away yet. Balsam was happily barking and Lea smiled, amused. There was nothing better to bring a person back to good thoughts than a happy dog.

Isa walked over and calmly got Balsam into his harness and clipped the leash on. “You’ve alerted the dog, we have to go now or Balsam will rip my arm off.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming.” Lea gestured for Ienzo to come with him as he exited the kitchen, holding up his fingers to count down from three for Isa. Balsam had a tendency to try to bolt out of the house and he was getting too big to do that without preparation. He opened the door with his hand in fist, watching with glee in his eyes as Balsam’s excitement redirected from the doorknob to the outside world.

Isa held tight to the leash despite Balsam’s pulling until the dog circled back. He was still an excitable puppy, so pulling was all too frequent at the start of walks, so they had to find something for him to keep him from dislocating shoulders with the strength he didn’t know he had. It had been a few months since they got him, so he was getting bolder in his attempts to break the rules. It was a good thing Lea and Isa had practice with dogs from their first time as somebodies.

Ienzo watched silently as Isa got Balsam under control. Lea and Isa watched Ienzo walk up to the dog and begin to pet him, forgetting momentarily that they were doing something that wasn’t just about the dog. Eventually, he looked up at the two taller men and let out a small, “Oh,” before leading the way to the houses Isa had chosen to look at.

The first house was nothing special, it was small for Radiant Garden, far away from the main hub of life. It was furnished, so they had to keep Balsam on his leash to avoid ruining things that might not become theirs. Isa loved it, but Lea hated the idea of not having more space when they had a dog and enough friends to populate a small world. Isa eventually agreed that the small house just wouldn’t work out, no matter how comfortable it was to stand inside.

The next home was bigger, completely barren, and closer to the town they were familiar with. Technically not a stone’s throw from houses that were originally good with the upkeep, but Isa could easily make it one. After Lea double checked the doors to make sure they were all closed, Isa took the leash off of Balsam’s harness and let him roll around on the floor, quickly attracting Ienzo’s attention again.

Isa walked to stand next to Lea, leaning against the taller man with a smile on his face. “Is there any point to looking at the other places?”

“I mean, yeah? But not extensively… We both know we’re just gonna love this one, don’t we?” Lea was never sure what to do when Isa was initiating the affection, so he just stood there until Isa sighed and moved Lea’s arm back with his shoulder. They were back to being able to communicate silently, Lea knew exactly what that meant, he did it to Isa every single day. Wrapping his arm around Isa and placing his hand on the other man’s waist was more than comfortable. He was happy. They were starting their own life that didn’t include going through hell.

Isa continued to watch Ienzo play with the dog then looked up at Lea, smiling gently. “Think this can be home?”

“You know anywhere can be home when I know I’m with you,” Lea spoke quietly while meeting Isa’s gaze. “We just gotta know.”

Isa nodded and leaned to kiss Lea gently before turning back to look at their friend, the youngest that called Radiant Garden home, play with their puppy. Balsam was getting big, Ienzo was getting comfortable, and they were finding home.

#kingdom hearts #lea #isa #ienzo #leaisa #akusai #balsam #time for soft

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bluraaven · 7 years

Text

Broken Few

Chapter 1

Despite it being earlier than the time they'd agreed upon, Dismas was not the first to arrive at the former bus station, a few miles outside of Arlip's center. It was a squat grey shelter, but beneath the concrete roof one could at least find refuge from the pouring rain. The outdated schedule and map in the back reminded of an era when what was now called the Old World still had had an infrastructure. On weekends, the line 1614 would take passengers from the suburbs to the big city in hourly intervals. These days, weeds and saplings grew out of the cracks in the pavement, and the smiling faces on a nearby advertisement poster had long since faded to colourless outlines.

Dismas' employer, a woman called Suki Hanou, already sat on one of the rusted benches. A backpack that was close to bursting at the seams and two large suitcases were piled around her feet. The young journalist was furiously typing away on a notebook that sat in her lap, only reaching up from time to time to brush away a strand of hair that had escaped her neat ponytail. As far as bosses went, Dismas had had worse.

By Suki's side sat a man who – well hello there! He had a handsome, tanned face framed by a short beard and a mop of brown, wavy hair, the tips of which were lighter, bleached by the sun. A Southerner, then.

But then Dismas' gaze wandered lower and he saw the man's getup: He was dressed in full battle gear, including a bulletproof vest. A sun was stitched to the sleeve of the jacket he wore underneath and a heavy-duty helmet rested on his knees. Add the assault rifle slung over one broad shoulder and the fucking sword on his belt, and Dismas briefly considered turning around and legging it right back into the city.

As that would mean having to spend more time in the downpour, he decided against it and walked up to the two of them, unceremoniously dropping his own duffle bag on the free bench.

"Really?" Dismas asked in place of a greeting. "I know you said you had contacts, but where on this scorched earth did ya find a Crusader, lass?"

"Secret of the trade, I'm afraid," Suki answered, then looked up from her notes and shrugged at Dismas with a smile. "Glad you made it. Dismas, meet Reynauld – Reynauld, this is Dismas."

Reynauld gave the new arrival a once-over. The man looked like a vagabond. His clothes were shabby, and he wore a heavy coat that was patched in at least a dozen places, contrasting with the slightly antiquated but clearly well maintained six-shooter on his hip.

Dismas had the face of a man who had spent his entire life outdoors; gaunt and weather-beaten, and with deep-set black eyes that were currently regarding Reynauld in a calculating manner.

The soldier noticed how the other man's gaze caught on the Order's badge, before quickly flittering away. Reynauld thought that Dismas had the air of someone who attracted trouble and enjoyed starting fights. At least according to his broken nose and crooked jaw.

The soldier turned to watch the road again. The bus was late.

Since 'Reynauld' stayed quiet, Dismas nodded at the man and took off his coat to shake it out properly. "Let me guess, she pulled ya out of that Abbey near the main square?"

"At least she didn't pull me out of the dumpster," Reynauld responded coldly. Whoever had punched Dismas must have had good reason.

"Oh, it talks," Dismas huffed, but the rest of his retort was interrupted from behind by a new voice with a thick northern accent.

"Easy now, gentlemen."

Another person had jogged through the rain towards them. When Dismas turned, he looked at a middle aged man with a bag in one hand and a leash in the other. His shaggy blond hair and beard, both greying with age, gave him an uncanny resemblance to the huge and equally shaggy hound by his side. The stitching on the dog's protective harness had been ripped off, but Dismas recognized a K9 cop unit when he saw one.

Suki however, smiled and got up for a friendly handshake. "Glad you made it in this weather. So let's see. Everyone, this is Sergeant Brodhan McAlister, an old friend."

"Mornin'. The smelly missy here's Laika," the man rumbled, upon which the dog started to shake water out of her pelt.

"Pleasure," Dismas said in a tone that indicated it very much wasn't. A cop and a Crusader? The fuck did he get himself into?

Suki either missed or ignored his rude demeanour and looked down the rainy road. "That means only Nora is missing. Well, she and the bus."

Reynauld gave the officer a nod, without offering handshakes. This was already more people than he was comfortable with having around him, enough to make him want to reach for the small tin can he kept in a breast pocket out of habit. But that was for emergencies only. The addition of another companion, a lanky blonde woman with a ridiculously oversized hat who trotted over a couple of minutes later, was anything but. The drive, however, would be another matter.

"Sorry I'm late! Couldn't find a ride with half of Arlip under water." The woman gave them all a big, broad smile and a wave. "Pleasure to meet you lot. Bus not here yet?"

"Nora, you made it!" Suki answered, filling in for three brooding men. "Nah, though it's not surprising in this weather. Reynauld, Dismas, and Brodhan are already here, so the only thing left is to hope we get there in one piece. It's not like anyone's doing much roadwork these days."

"There's worse things on the road than mossy potholes, lass," Dismas replied and gave the new arrival a closer look. Finally, he liked what he saw. Over the years Dismas had learned to recognize a kindred spirit. "Love the hat, sweetheart," he grinned. "Saves you the trouble of an umbrella."

"Maybe you should have chartered a boat, Suki." Nora laughed and sat down next to the man her friend and employer had introduced as Dismas. "Love the scarf, hun. Didn't have a towel at hand?" she shot back, tongue-in-cheek. Then, she slightly inclined her head in the direction of the guy in full combat gear with a lifted eyebrow, as if to ask 'what's up with him?'

"Nah, red's just my colour," Dismas replied. Yeah, at least with her he'd get along fine. At her silent question, he shrugged and warningly tilted his outstretched hand a few times where none of the others could see it. Be careful with that one.

When the man did glance over to them, Dismas gave him a leery grin. "Don't worry, love, your outfit is very pretty too."

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to their exchange from showering Laika with love, Suki raised her head and promptly jumped up. "Look! The bus – I think. Shit, how does it even drive?"

Everyone else turned their heads when Suki pointed down the road; and indeed, there was a bus headed their way. It was so old and run-down, Reynauld should consider himself blessed to witness the miracle of it still driving. Instead, he only felt sick to the pit of his stomach.

With several worrying noises, the bus came to a halt right in front of their small shelter and the front doors opened to reveal the driver – a man who looked just as ancient and fucked up as the vehicle he was driving. Even Dismas, who'd seen plenty of crazy and feral folk in his time, both on the road and in prison, raised a silent eyebrow.

For a few awkward seconds, the old codger just stared at them until he spotted Suki, then his face split into a wide, toothless grin and he climbed out of his seat with surprising agility. Dismas instinctively clutched his bag tighter, resting his hand on his colt.

"Miss Hanou, yes? Oh, a pleasure, a true pleasure to meet the heiress! Yes, yes, I'm the Caretaker! You see, I drive, I clean, I take care." His weird cackle confirmed Dismas' 'complete nutcase' theory.

"I'll take care of your bags too, I will! Please, please, this way." The Caretaker reached out for their luggage with bony hands.

"This guy is craaaazy," Nora whispered to Dismas in a singsong voice. "Let's go!" She grabbed her own bag – no way she was letting that... that Caretaker get his gnarled, warty hands on her possessions, and hurried after the soldier who'd had the right idea storming the bus, sitting down.

"No thanks, m'good," Dismas mumbled at the increasingly disappointed madman, and tightly clutched his duffel bag to his chest, before following Nora onto the bus. He picked a pair of seats right by the middle door, which guaranteed him a quick way to get out if things went to shit.

Suki had handed the Caretaker her own bags with a nervous smile and sat down near the front, the sergeant and his dog joining her. The cop had kept his bags as well and gave Dismas and Nora a suspicious look before sitting down. Meanwhile, the Crusader made himself comfortable in the back row. Fucker.

"Hey, is it ok if I sit with you?" Nora had come up to Dismas, pointing at the seat next to him.

"All yours, sweetheart," Dismas grinned and took his legs off the cushions to make room for her. "At least until I wanna grab some shuteye."

With a vicious screech the doors closed and the Caretaker returned to his seat behind the wheel, twisting around to look down the aisle. "Last stop is the Hamlet!" he cackled and started driving, though none too gently.

"Do you play cards?" Nora asked once she'd caught her bearings over their sudden and rather bumpy departure.

"I sure do. My deck or yours?"

"Mine of course!" she replied with a cheeky grin. "I stacked it in my favour!"

"'Course you did!" Dismas replied – he'd done the same to his own. But she was polite enough to let him shuffle the cards under her watchful eye.

"So," he finally asked, after he'd dealt out and they'd passed the first watchpoint along the road. "How'd the girl drag you into this? I daresay you ain't of the same make as that cop and the huffy Holiness in the back."

"I'm an archaeologist," Nora answered. "If there's ruins to be discovered, you can count me in."

"Mhm," Dismas grinned, not believing a word of it. "Plenty of ruins expected outside the New Cities. Though I can't say I ever met an archaeologists that carried that much edge around with 'em." He'd caught a glimpse of several throwing blades on the inside of her jacket when she'd placed her bags in the overhead compartment.

"True. But some of these are also crawling with nasties, so it pays to come prepared. I'm mean with a spade."

"With a spade?" Dismas snorted. "Well, as far as weapons of choice go, at least it's solid and handy." He didn't push the matter of legality further – not like he was in any position for it. "So let's see, apart from me, we have a journalist, an archaeologist, an ex-cop and a Crusader, probably 'ex' too. Feels like the start of a bad joke." He briefly glanced to the back of the bus before looking at Nora again. "Honestly, I have no idea how that girl manages her sources. What do you make of the Holy Armour back there?"

Nora too chanced a look back, but the topic of their conversation thankfully had his eyes closed. "Honestly, I'm a bit scared of him. Man runs around with a rosary and an assault rifle, well... ," she tapped her temple lightly and shrugged.

Dismas silently nodded in agreement. "I guess we'll find out soon enough just how sane he is – and how well he handles that rifle. And that damn sword." He shook his head. "Crusader in this part of the world means trouble, I say."

"Think he's," Nora leaned forward so the man behind them couldn't overhear, even though that was unlikely with how the bus rattled and creaked. "Spying?"

"For whom?" Dismas shrugged, though the thought wasn't entirely ridiculous. "His order ain't exactly the subtle type. They're the vanguard, heavy hitters who also make sure all reclaimed land has the proper amount of abbeys littered across. And the Light don't actively persecute 'heathens' anymore, far as I know. I mean, it's not entirely unlikely, but he looks more like a deserter to me."

"As far as you know," Nora repeated sweetly. "But yeah, you're right. He looks a bit rough."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Dismas conceded wearily. "I hope you keep that spade close by, sweetheart."

"I always do," she assured him. "I always do."

The bus passed the last watchpoint that marked Arlip 'safe' perimeter. Out of habit, Dismas turned his face away from the eyes of the patrolling guard. Beyond the gates, the open road stretched out before them. It was mostly wild lands with a few minor settlements between here and their destination. At the familiar sight, Dismas couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief, a tension he hadn't even noticed falling off his shoulders. This was his terrain, his home. Fuck the cities, he needed open roads and wilderness to feel safe.

"Ah," Nora sighed, watching the small military base and its electric lights and fences disappear in the distance. She pulled a bottle of whiskey from her pack, raised it and took a swig from it. "Here's to the butt end of nowhere."

Dismas grinned and pulled out a flask of his own, clinking it against hers before taking a gulp as well. "Let's hope it stays boring until we reach that Hamlet."

After a while though, the bus drew to a stop at a shoddy little station. A family of four sat there, huddled together under the small shelter. Although they seemed to be going in the same direction, none of them got in when the Caretaker opened the door. Instead, fearful eyes pointedly looked away, and the young mother pulled her two children closer to her herself. The Caretaker just smiled in that creepy way of his, closed the door and drove on.

"Did you see their faces?" Nora chuckled. "I bet we had the same looks when that old codger jumped out of the bus."

"Yeah, can't exactly blame them," Dismas agreed. "He don't have the most inviting nature – or the most reliable looking bus." As if on cue, they hit a pothole and Dismas winced when he hit his elbow on the window. "Still, it's a popular route, at least the first part of it. You'd think they'd take the chance to get out of that piss." He nodded at the window.

Nora shrugged. "What do I know? Maybe we don't look like the most inviting bunch either. She saw your mug and decided she prefers the rain."

"What, my mug not to your liking?" Dismas gave her an amused smirk. "And here I thought you were the only decent company around."

Nora broke out into a cackle, then whispered, "Oh, but I am. How long did they say the drive was again?"

"Bit longer than twenty-four hours."

Nora groaned. "Sounds like fun."

Dismas sighed, then handed her the card deck back with an apologetic smile. "Which means I'll use the time to get some rest. And since the gentleman back there is currently occupying the only decent bench for himself, you gotta get your own bed, sweetheart. I wanna stretch my legs some before the next round."

Nora snorted, but took back her cards, got up, and wished him sweet dreams.

The rest of the day went by in a rainy, boring haze. Dismas killed time by sleeping, talking with Nora or playing cards with her, all in changing intervals. The bus stopped several more times for other passengers, but not once did anybody get on it with them. Eventually, the bus stops became rarer and rarer as the countryside became more

Around mid afternoon Suki had walked up to the Caretaker to ask for a break and they stopped at an abandoned roadside full of picnic tables. Apparently, Laika needed her walkies, but Dismas welcomed the pee-break as well.

Everybody except for the soldier in the back was getting up, eager to get out, even if it was only for a couple of minutes. "He looks like he's out cold," Dismas commented towards Nora when a glance at Reynauld confirmed the crusader was still lying on the back seats. "Think we should wake him up?"

"You go right ahead, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines," Nora said, stretching and knuckling her back.

"Figures," Dismas huffed but went down the aisle nonetheless, leaning against the second last row of seats to get a look at the man. He did appear to be fast asleep, hands clasped around a dark wooden rosary, because of course they were. When a quick check for earbuds showed that he didn't have any, Dismas loudly cleared his throat. He knew better than to touch an armed, sleeping man unless absolutely necessary.

The bus had stopped moving, but this time it did not start immediately after like it had before. Then there was a feeling of being watched, and when Reynauld opened his eyes, the trash-talking gunslinger was standing over him.

"Oh good, you're up!" Dismas swung away from the seat he'd been leaning on and clapped its headrest twice.

Reynauld's breath caught in his throat, and for a split second it wasn't Dismas looking at him, but another man, a ghost from his past.

Hey! Hey, Rey!

Hm? Reynauld remembered turning away from his pack, momentarily blinded by the unforgiving desert sun.

Guyot was kneeling on the seat before him, drumming a beat on the headrest with the palms of his hands. But there was something not right about the picture. His hair has been auburn, and his eyes green and not black, not at all like those of the man before him now. Gone were the freckles, the cheeky grin, and then the sun, as if extinguished by some higher power. It took Reynauld a moment to realize Dismas was still talking.

Dismas had already been partway into an explanation of their current whereabouts when he stopped, took a closer look at the Crusader and realized that the man wasn't actually listening. There was a blank look on his face, one that spoke of him being miles away. Great. He better be more focused in a damn fight. Dismas gave the man a calculating look and carefully started over.

"Pee-break, thought you wanted to take the opportunity to stretch your legs and whatnot. It's still raining though."

Reynauld searched for an answer, but sometimes the words, although so simple and already formed in his head, just wouldn't come. Most of the time he had little to no energy for any form of social interaction anyway, the White wasn't helping in that regard, and he was still fighting off the vision of his best friend being incinerated in the explosion that had spelled the end of his career and was directly responsible for him being here.

In the end, he simply nodded and got up, leaving behind his backpack but not his weapons. Reynauld followed the others to a small and overgrown picnic area, the relief from being out of the vehicle instantly washing over him despite the fact that Dismas had been right; the weather was just as disagreeable as it had been throughout their trip. The novelty of rain had worn off rather quickly and Reynauld wished for a hood to pull up as he wandered off in search of a spot where he could relieve himself in peace.

Oh well. Dismas smiled and left the man to his business. He'd get him to talk eventually. Until then, he didn't mind watching him leave all that much – those combat pants were rather flattering, and who was he to ignore a nice ass when he saw one?

Silently, Dismas had to admit that the rest of the soldier didn't look too bad either. He'd gotten a better glance at the man's face while he'd been sleeping and taken some time to admire it: Full lips, relatively unmarred skin, a strong jawline… seriously, his face reminded Dismas more of one of those Old World movie actors or models, rather than a battle-worn soldier. He looked young though, even the slightly scruffy beard couldn't hide that – if pressed, Dismas would guess Reynauld to be somewhere around thirty years old. But even with sleep softening the man's features, one could see the effects of battle and trauma in the sunken eyes, the lines on his forehead and the tightness of his mouth. It made him wonder just what kinda things the soldier had seen down south.

By the time Dismas realized that he was still thinking about Reynauld's damn face while staring after his ass, the soldier had already left the bus. Dismas forcefully pulled himself back together and shook his head like a dog shaking off water to get rid of those thoughts. Caught up on a pretty face and ass like he'd never seen either. The fuck was wrong with him? It wasn't like he'd had much of a dry spell during his week-long crawl through Arlip's bars, pubs and fight dens, so why did he get so hung up on it now? Well, whatever. No harm in looking, after all.

As he passed Nora on the way to relieve himself, Dismas winked at her. "You know, he's almost prettier than you, sweetheart," he teased. "For a maybe-deserting, AR-wieldin' zealot, at least."

"The impudence you have!" Nora gasped, one hand resting on her décolleté, mimicking shock. She waited until Reynauld had returned from his trip to nature loo so she could form an educated second opinion, then bent closer to Dismas to hum an affirmative. "I'd totally tap that if it wasn't so... angry."

"Ah, I bet he's a proper gentleman behind all that jaded soldier demeanour. Maybe even a shy virgin," Dismas laughed. "Come on, Caretaker's back. Seems like the break's over."

Nora snorted. "If you say so. Alright, can't wait 'till we're finally there."

"Don't expect too much, lass," Brodhan huffed after calling Laika to his side. "It ain't much to look forward to," he said as he lined up behind them.

"Can't be worse than the bus," Nora answered. "My brain's still rattling around in my skull from that one pothole."

"Well, from personal experience I can tell ye it's an unsecured backwater shithole so... take yer pick," the unkempt man huffed once they were back inside the Rustmobile, and flopped down on a free bench while his dog hopped on the one behind him.

"And apparently, I now own the place," Suki sighed as the bus sped up again.

The back row wasn't a good place to be, but it was better than the other available ones, with the rest of the group scattered all over the bus and none too close, and his backpack repurposed as a backrest. Reynauld pulled out his rosary again, running his thumb over the beads which were smooth and shiny with wear.

He would have liked to sleep, to just pass out and wake up when the ride was over, but unfortunately that was out of the question. White Noise was keeping him awake, and the best way for him to get some manner of rest was to close his eyes and say the Light's Grace, and any other prayer that he could think of. The repetitiveness was soothing, and it kept his mind from wandering.

And then, from one second to another, everything crumbled.

An explosion shook the bus, the book mixing with screams and the sound of screeching tires.

"Ah, FUCK!" Dismas had just gotten halfway comfortable in his early evening snooze when the bus suddenly made a wild swerve and came to a screeching halt, so suddenly that he banged his head against the seats in front of him, falling halfway into the leg space. He wasn't the only one. He could hear Brodhan and Nora cursing wildly, and even the dog yipped in surprise. Then it was silent again, the bus having come to a standstill. Immediately he sat up, colt drawn and peaked out of the window for any possible ambushers. Nothing.

"What the feckin' hell, man?!" Brodhan asked the Caretaker who'd turned off the engine and stumbled out from the driver's seat.

"Terribly sorry I am, terribly sorry," he mumbled. "The wheel, I think. Weak, weak wheel!"

Dismas slowly calmed down and, after exchanging a look with Nora, glanced back to the Crusader. Who looked anything but good. "Hey," he called out. "You alright?"

Reynauld didn't understand what was going on. People were milling about, but no one took charge, gave any matter of orders when they had to form up and move out to fight back the enemy. He'd been shot at and bombed enough times, so he knelt down, and readied his gun with a sick feeling in his stomach and his heart in his throat.

"Shit!" Dismas cursed when he saw the soldier ready his gun as if on autopilot and he looked at Nora. "Get them all out of here, I think he's a goner. Go!"

"Who– oh. Shit!" Brodhan now saw it too. "Laika! Out, go!"

Careful to show his face and hands at all times, Dismas slowly walked down the aisle, weapons where the man could see them. "Hey, holy guy – Reynauld, right?" Dismas knelt down in front of him. "You with me? Come on, deep breaths."

They were leaving now; good. If the bus blew up they'd burn. Reynauld could almost feel the heat of the flames, see that orange glow behind his eyelids.

Guyot's smiling face was in there too, somewhere. Hey, Rey!

He should have died too that day, but the Light had not seen fit to bestow such mercy upon him. There was a part of him that recognized the lack of screams, and fire whether real or from guns, but there was no fighting the part that had spent the last seven years this very thing.One stayed behind. Injured, or in shock, or Before the other man could flinch he had him in a lockhold and was getting them both out – his pack, the rest of the belongings, none of it mattered.

"What the– hmpf!" Dismas had no time to react when suddenly two strong arms had effectively pinned his limbs and then the soldier was dragging him down the aisle with only half-surprising strength. "Fucking– HEY! Let me go!" It was to no avail. Panic welled up before Dismas pushed it down again, noticing how the Crusader did nothing more than evacuate him by force.

They made it out, and Reynauld was hit by an icy shower. Now that – that was wrong. It was enough of a shock for him to pause in confusion for a moment. When it rained, it was just few warm drops that evaporated as soon they hit the parched earth, not this – not a torrent of cold water that turned the ground into mud. He wanted to ask where he was and what was happening, but the words, although fully formed in his mind, wouldn't make it past his lips.

Apparently the rain did the job and the Crusader stopped dead in his tracks, slowly coming to his senses. Dismas risked a look up at Reynauld's face – he was deep in thought and obviously haunted by the memory of something, but at least he seemed to be more receptive to the outside world again. Still, Dismas remained where he was, refraining from elbowing him in the head for now.

"There, good! That's it, stay calm, take a few breaths. You with me, soldier? You're about a day's drive north of Arlip, it's, what, nine at night? You're safe. There's no attack. Can anyone else explain what happened by now?" The last part Dismas yelled at the lot of miserably drenched onlookers, who huddled together under the one small umbrella Suki had wisely grabbed upon evac.

Reynauld was trying to fit the pieces together in his head, but they wouldn't make a complete picture. The guy was talking again; his lips were moving. Reynauld wished he'd stop as it was pointless anyway. He jerked violently at the shout though, scanning his surroundings, bracing his gun. The other people were not soldiers. Civilians? They looked scared. Slowly it began to sink in that this was one of those times. When everything was a confusing jumble of events he could make no sense of.

Dismas could feel the soldier wincing and cursed under his breath. Right. No shouting then. He glared at Brodhan who'd curled his hand tighter into Laika's neck and had placed a hand on the shock baton at his hip.

In the soldier's confusion, Dismas managed to wriggle one arm free and place it on the one still squarely wrapped around his neck. "Right, let's try contact. Can you talk to me, Reynauld? Come on, it's pouring, let's have a meltdown somewhere dry, alright?"

Reynauld looked at the man, really looked, and realized he knew him… fleetingly. He tried to recall his name. They'd been introduced. Suki had introduced them. He focused on that and after a while he remembered. Dismas. It was something. Something to hold on to. Reynauld shook his head and tapped his ear. Other sensations were beginning to filter in as well. The ache from his locked up muscles. His hair, plastered to his head from rain this time rather than sweat and blood.

There was probably still the blood rushing in his ears. Dismas sighed and nodded, deciding to wait a little longer. "Can you talk?" he eventually asked. "You with us again?" Sooner or later, he'd just have to knock the soldier out if he kept being unresponsive. It wouldn't be the easiest feat, but they needed to move into cover. While there had been no actual attack so far, they were sitting ducks out on the road and Dismas really didn't like it. He never liked it when his professional experience kicked in from the side of the prey, not the hunter.

Reynauld repeated the action of shaking his head and tapping his ear. At least everything else around him was becoming more focused, more real. He realized he was still holding the guy – Dismas – and let go of him, reaching into his pocket for the rosary he always kept there, before stumbling away from the group on legs that were stiff and unresponsive.

Dismas simply slumped over, hands on his knees, feeling very relieved all of a sudden. It was still a fucking terrible situation, but it could've gone a lot worse.

"Fucking hell, how do comfort plushies deal with that on a daily basis?" he wheezed out, but then pulled himself together and, carefully, gave chase.

Reynauld rounded the bus; it smelled of exhaust fumes and hot brake pads, and he felt like being sick, which he might well have been if he had eaten breakfast. Small mercies. He sank down a little ways off, waiting for the shakes to start. Having expected them unfortunately didn't make them any more pleasant.

Brodhan, meanwhile, had ordered his dog to follow as well, and the animal understood well enough. Oh his sign, Laika sat down next to the startled Crusader and pressed her wet nose into his free hand.

Reynauld prayed, each beat a prayer, over and over again, the repetition of it bringing him down to a point where he no longer felt like he was drowning. His breathing turned ragged but regular, and all the while the dog sat with him, licking his hands and panting.

"Shit. Should we – should we do something?" Suki carefully held the umbrella so both Nora and Brodhan could get at least some amount of coverage – the latter smelled as much of wet dog as the actual dog.

Nora shrugged and kept watching Dismas who seemed to be doing just fine. "Maybe let's give them some space?" she suggested.

"You're probably right," Suki agreed. "I'll go see if our batshit chauffeur needs a hand. Umbrella's yours."

In the meantime, Dismas carefully stopped beneath a tree, a few metres away from the collapsed Reynauld. Near enough that the man could sense his presence, but far enough so as not to crowd him. And despite his instinctive dislike of the cop, he was sure glad they had that dog on board.

"Are you good to talk?" Dismas asked after a while, when Reynauld's breathing had calmed enough to for it to return to a regular rhythm.

Reynauld turned his head so he could hear better, and after a moment, gave a slight nod. Perhaps even worse than the actual panic of believing himself to be under attack was dealing with the aftermath. There was always the question of what if he had hurt someone, the guilt. The anger. The shame. He'd be a long time praying for it to ebb again.

"Good." Dismas carefully approached and sat down next to Reynauld in the tall grass. He was already drenched to the bone so it wouldn't matter much. "Let me guess – frontline deserter?"

Reynauld had to suppress the initial urge to punch the other man in the face. At least it was harder to be panicking when you were furious. "We were on our way from Bakhar to Tirna," he told Dismas in a tight, controlled voice. "The bus got bombed." He had survived only because the blast had knocked him through the bus's back window. "I was discharged." Presumed dead.

"Well, shit." Dismas closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned his head against the back of the bus. "My condolences." A pause went by, filled with nothing but the splatter of the rain, then Dismas continued. "Look, I guess it don't really matter how you got out, only that it happened. But you gotta talk to the Hanou girl about this."

Shit. A fitting word to describe the whole mess of a situation. Maybe given enough time with people who knew how to treat this. But he had neither, and had to make do.

Reynauld let his head hang between his knees, breathed, and waited for the wave of exhaustion to crash over him.

"So how are you holdin' up?" Dismas eventually asked. "Right now I mean, 'cause we gotta get moving." He gave the man an intense look. "There ain't no sweettalking this. Out here, either the rain'll get us or an actual ambush. Can ya pull yourself together for a little longer; just so we can get out of the wildlands?"

Reynauld considered the question but the truth was there was no getting back on the bus for him. "Could you get my things from the bus? You can go straight away; I'll walk."

"Wha– are you fucking kidding me?!" Dismas had his patience, had remembered his lessons but even he had a limit and he'd reached it with the crusader. "Look, I get the 'no bus' thing and I get the 'avoid people' thing but if you think we're just gonna let an utterly unstable Crusader with an assault rifle and a fucking sword run around alone through the wild, well think again, Sunshine! You wouldn't last through the night!"

"Don't call me that!" Reynauld growled, bristling at the derogatory term often used for soldiers of the Order and at Dismas' overbearing way in equal measure. He had walked over two thousand miles from the Blessed Lands, at least one third of it through enemy territory and active war zone. He'd survive some trees and mud. Reynauld climbed to his feet.

"Hey, HEY! Where do you think you're going?!" Dismas jumped up and so did Laika behind them, shaking water out of her pelt. "Stop being stubborn, it'll get you killed, especially in this state! No way you're walking alone through the night!"

"Actually," Brodhan had heard the last bit and he sounded as pissed as he looked. "It seems like we're all going to be walking. That old codger's got no spare wheel and if we stay here we'll have bandits swarming us like wasps before dawn. Get your bags, both of you. You alright there, soldier?"

Perhaps relief was the wrong emotion to feel upon learning that they were practically stranded out here with the threat of an ambush looming over them, but nonetheless that was all Reynauld felt at that moment. The danger allowed him to become functional again. He gave the officer a nod and the dog a pat, and once more asked Dismas to get his effects. Going back on that bus was not an option, not yet.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get the damn bags," Dismas grumbled and went to work. He'd been choked, drenched and almost shot before they'd even reached their destination. He took the time to change into somewhat drier clothes on the bus first and finally slip into his jacket – he hadn't had the time to take it with him before getting dragged out by the scruff of his neck. At this point, he was proud of himself for not having stabbed anyone yet.

Reynauld picked up his bag. Its contents were pretty much unchanged from his army days, and most of it was ammo, clothes, and what was necessary for survival The others would have to sort through their belongings, leave behind what was unnecessary or at least redistribute the weight.

Suki wasn't actively showing it, but the reporter was furious while having to reduce her spare clothes and media gear down to what would fit into her backpack. She could only hope the Caretaker would get the bus back on track and that nothing would go missing by then, but she highly doubted it.

Bag slung over her shoulder, she joined Brodhan and the old driver at the tip of their little group. "Everyone ready? Then let's go before the mould starts to set in!"

AN: Co-written with @kriladoodles; the first chapter of our modern AU DD story is now up!

You can find it on AO3!

#blu's corner #kriladoodles #darkest dungeon #writing #fanfiction #dismas #reynauld #plague doctor #graverobber #reymas

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howlingcommandoreigns-archived · 7 years

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The stiffled laughter which greeted him as he was dragged through the shelter’s doors by a rambunctious pack of baying molossers had become a sound he was accustomed to these days working his shifts here, the dithering of volunteer workers workers who were alarmed when he first came in after a long walk with twigs in his hair and tarmac burns on his elbows dissipating when they realized his hands-on approach to the animals under their care and his penchant for gamboling with them when the opportunity arose.

“You fuckin’ pricks are makin’ a game out of this, swear to god.” Roman panted from the floor, finally releasing the eight leashes he had held on to like his life depended on it as he pointed at droopy-eyed St.Bernard with thick ropes of drool slowly pooling on the linoleum below from jowls which were lifted in a good-natured grin. “You---they had a bad influence on you, big boy. Which one done talked you into it? Bet it was her yeah? See you makin’ eyes at me missy, don’t think I ain’t keepin’ tabs on ya!” He tipped his chin at a Rottweiler who tilted her head to a side and he could almost see the wry amusement in her gaze as he propped himself up on his elbows and let out a breathless grunt when the St.Bernard decided to sit squarely in his lap and the rest of them swarmed him over with tails wagging eighty miles an hour.

“Yeah yeah, butter the boss up real good. Classy tactic.” The sound of a volunteer clearing her throat politely however silenced them all for a moment as he tilted his head over to where a mousey little teenager with a clipboard was nervously eyeing the large breeds with apprehension that generally came with being a---

“Newbie. Talk to me, kid.”

“Your visitor arrived five minutes ago. She’s in the waiting hall, would you like me to bring her in?” “Nah, I got this.” Roman assured her as he stood up and handed the dog’s leashes to a more experienced handler who led them back towards the kennels. Accepting the offer of a towel from another, he ambled over and poked his head through the door which led to the visitor’s hall and upon spotting the familial mane of fiery red, whistled to get her attention. “Ay Hot Socks! Over here!.” He beckoned for her to follow him deeper into the establishment, passing a brightly lit room where several puppies were playing with their handlers and a medical bay where the latest rescues were being treated. “It gets a lil’ hectic around here these days, but I’ve got the meeting room set up in the cat enclave. We’ve got several so prospective owners can meet with our residents away from the chaos of the surroundings.” Stopping in front of a room with a large glass panel through which they could observe its inhabitants, he gestured for her to take a look for herself at the five felines who were either at rest or amusing themselves with the toys left for them on the floor.

The sole exception however was a tuxedo Angoran who was sitting on the ledge of the window and staring right back at them curiously, mouth opening in a quizzical meow which couldn’t be heard through the glass. “Meena. You’ll notice she’s still got her collar on.” Roman tapped his neck for emphasis, his tone of voice taking on the air of someone who was clearly tired of the situation but still hoping for the best.

“Her owner surrendered her to us several months ago ‘cause they were movin’ an’ didn’t want her with them in their new home. She’s a good cat---affectionate as hell, won’t stop givin’ us kisses, but she’s real vocal. I figure she might be callin’ out to them still hopin’ they left her behind on accident. She gets violent when you try to take off that collar, so y’know. We left it on. It still means somethin’ to her even if she don’t mean nothin’ to ‘em anymore. I tell that to people an’ they deflate a lil’ ‘cause they think that means she won’t love ‘em or she’ll try to run or summat. I think she just needs a new family who’s gonna be there for her, yeah?”

The Samoan turned his head towards a sprightly, green-eyed ginger Manx who was batting at a mouse stuffed with catnip like he was hitting several homeruns---the others were wise enough to give him a wide berth though they weren’t safe from his explosive reserves of energy as he raced around the room and promptly ran into a Maine Coon who walloped him across the nose. This made him retreat quickly and he was back to gnawing holes in the toy mouse as Roman shook his head at the creature in amusement. “That clown is Jack. As in Jumpin’ Jacks, because that’s his mode pretty much until his Duracell batteries die down for the day. He’s a young cat, real energetic if that display ain’t enough to clue you in---nippy an’ we’re kinda workin’ out his thing with playin’ rough, ‘cause he was a feral through an’ through when we picked him up. He’s gotten better since. Ain’t got a fear of dogs which is a plus or a minus dependin’ on how you look at it--he tolerates ‘em pretty well as long as they don’t try assertin’ themselves on him. He’s pretty self-reliant an’ don’t need too much fuss. Give him toys, food an’ water an’ he’s happy keepin’ himself company while you’re gone.”

Roman directed Becky’s attention to the Maine Coon who had returned to feeding from the cat bowls after Jack’s collusion course. Unlike the rest, this one carried herself with a clear sense of dignity that befitted her silver-speckled fur and she went about to cleaning herself fastidiously after her snack. “That queen there is Delancey. She’s pretty old, sort of the Queen Elizabeth of the cats here to be honesty, but she’s still got it when it comes to showin’ who’s boss around here, heh. She can be a grumpy old hag which is why she’s gone through the system quite a bit; unfamiliar noise an’ sudden touches set her off which is why I ain’t recommended her for families with young kids, but she’s pretty affectionate once you have her trust. She’s also one of the few cats here who’s pretty chill with dogs as long as they don’t yark in her face an’ leave her food alone. She’s got a couple of meds she needs to take these days, comes with her age y’know?”

A bright-eyed Tonkinese had noticed Meena’s attentiveness to the figures beyond the glass and jumped up onto the edge to join her in studying the human they were familiar with who always smelled of dog, and this new one with the sunset hair.

“Tracy, she’s curious about everythin’. New friends, new food, new smells, new toys, everythin’s worth investigatin’ for her which is great since that means her first instinct to a new friend is to check ‘em out first instead of hidin’ out an’ hissin’ up a storm. She’s friendly even if she ain’t as affectionate as the rest---willin’ to give everyone a try. Problem is, she can get too friendly, too curious, an’ that spells trouble if you don’t keep an eye on her an’ she does things like try to eat make-up cake or lipstick which is how she ended up here an’ starts tryin’a commune with dogs who’re less friendly than Cadbury could be. She’s best as an indoor cat, outdoors only an’ only if you’ve got her on a harness, no matter how much outdoors might intrigue her.”

A striking Ocicat poked his head out of a box before sauntering out with all the confidence of a young prince and stretching out before hem so his markings were on full display before he walked over to the water bowl next to where Delancey was and began politely drinking from it. After several sips, he straightened his back and began grooming the older cat who closed her eyes contently. “Ram Dass is a gentleman, kinda like Cadbury is. He was born here---his mother came to us pregnant an’ was adopted out a while back so he’s young an’ this place is all the home and the family he knows so in his case, I can guarantee that he’ll have no problem with a multi-pet household since that was the way he was raised here. Thing with him is he’s always concerned, which is a thing that happens when you’re raised in an environment where y’know. Hurt cats an’ dogs are comin’ in every week an’ some of ‘em don’t make it an’ he sort of gets what’s goin’ on---he seems to be aware that livin’ things suffer an’ die an’ he’s always goin’ around checkin’ on his mates makin’ sure they’re OK an’ even the humans who’re tendin’ to him, so if he’s yowlin’ an’ demandin’ to be let into the toilet with you, know that he just doesn’t want you to be hurt or summat an’ he’s gonna check on you just in case.”

A nondescript bundle of fur nestled in a small hammock came to life as the last cat of the lot raised his head sleepily in their direction and after a split second of deciding on whether they were worth getting up for and investigating, yawned long and wide before settling down for another nap.

“Dorian. As in Dorian Grey. He’s spoiled silly, this one, an’ goddamn if he don’t know that he’s pretty. Got one of those owners who picked him up when he was small an’ cute an’ didn’t want to deal with him when he got older an’ started showin’ normal cat behavior. He’s always cool an’ calm---he don’t approach you, you approach him, there’s always a set number of strokes, six in all before he decides he’s had enough attention, an’ he can’t deal with normal cat food---dunno what he was fed as a kid but he can’t digest store-brand cat food without throwin’ it up so it’s got to be one of the vet-approved brands with little to no filler. He’s lazy as shit an’ is content with sleepin’ on the couch or your lap for most of the day, which is good because ain’t no one got time to be pickin’ fights with dogs, certainly not this homeboy.” Roman placed his hand on the glass, chuckling to himself as Meena and Tracy batted at it from the other side which made it look like they were offering him high-fives. He straightened his back and turned around to face Becky before waving his hand at the door next to the window. “Your call when you wanna go in or if you wanna go in first so they get to know you before you bring in Cadbury. You take as long as you want to know ‘em. I’ll be out here if you need me aight?”

@lassxkickerxlynch

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