#THE WAY HIS COAT TAIL FLIES | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ofallthingsnasty · 1 year

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after hours

Pairing: Dog!Hybrid x F!Reader Tags: teratophilia, smut, slice of life, established relationship, knotting, creampie, slight domination loss, (unexpected) piss marking, smidge of possessive behavior, reader wears glasses, minors dni Word count: 2.7k Summary: Your hybrid knows how to make your evenings better, although he can get a little overeager sometimes.

Note: This was an attempt at writing a simple pwp in a short-ish amount of time. I managed to do just that and am really happy with that! It might not be the most polished, but it was still fun. I hope you enjoy and requests are open!

Coming home after a long day of work tastes sweet. There is nothing like slipping off your fancy shoes to feel the floor through the fabric of your socks with aching feet, nothing like turning on all the cozy lights in your apartment and taking a hot shower to wash away the sweat and dust of the day. It’s the thought that makes the way home bearable, that makes you hurry to catch the earliest train home, even. You rarely - if ever, really - come home without being utterly exhausted from fluorescent lights and endless phone calls, craving the comfort of your own home. But by far the sweetest of it all is the welcome your hybrid gives you every single day. Mind stretched thin like gossamer and eyes prickling with exhaustion, you heave yourself up the very last flight of stairs to your apartment, eager to spend the rest of the night on your couch, enjoying a home-cooked meal and the company of your handsome puppy. It’s all you crave at the moment.

Finally reaching your apartment, your key barely turns in the lock before the door flies open already and you almost fall into a pair of strong arms. “You’re home!”, Hunter bellows and swarms around you, busy hands plucking at your lunch bag and your coat, happy to help to get you into your shared home. He stands tall above you, shaggy hair (god, does he need a new haircut already?) disheveled and tail wagging itself into a frenzy. You watch it go left to right and left again, disappearing for a fraction of a section behind his back until it pops up on the other side, white-tipped and bushy. He isn’t the most delicate - your keys land on the floor with a distinct ‘clink’ as he almost rips the sleeve of your coat over your dominant hand, his thick fingers come on a little too strong while he peels you out of your scarf, leaving your blouse ruffled and almost knocking your glasses off your nose. He’s overexcited, as always - but behind his clumsy, rushed movements lies love and the desire to spend as much time as possible with you. He is your first and only hybrid - adopted after being given up due to the cost of his care by his previous owners. He can be needy at times, but he’s always sweet - you couldn’t have asked for anyone better. Cooking, cleaning, companionship - he offers all you’ve ever needed in exchange for a loving home and your heart. Hunter is the biggest, most adorable goof and you love him with every fiber of your being. “Did you have a good day at work? Got much done?”, he blabbers while hanging up your coat and plucking the keys off the floor, tail still showing his excitement. “Did you check out that bakery you wanted to go to for lunch?” You smile at his antics, at the way the words gush out of him while he busies himself with puttering about. “Today was good, I think”, you grin, fumbling to keep the lunch bag he is trying to take from you. “I even got you something!” His movements immediately stop and his ears perk up in wonder, dark eyes sparkling.

“Really? What is it?” Pulling a wrinkled little paper bag from the cotton, you swing it around, soaking in the joy that emanates from him. “Something for dessert.” The hug you’re promptly tackled into squeezes the air from your lungs. Swaying under his massive weight, you laugh, the exhaustion of the day swept away with the gesture. “Thank you, thank you, thank you-”, he starts but the rest of his gratitude gets swallowed up by kisses pressed to your cheek. You let him hold you for a bit, savoring the feeling of his warm body against yours, his comforting scent. There is nothing purer than watching him get so pumped over something so small, how the littlest things amaze and charm him. You’re truly lucky to have him in your life, to be able to come home to him every single night. At this point you can’t quite remember what it was like without him - and you don’t wish to.

He only pulls away after you nudge him a little, promptly going back to busying himself with getting you settled, even whines when you don’t let him untie your shoes but goes back to his busy contentment when you scratch him behind his floppy ears, a smile on your face. “I can do that myself, puppy”, you say. And you do just that. With your feet in cozy slippers and your tired arms two bags lighter, you stretch and put your nose up into the air as a rich scent wafts into the hallway, hearty and warm. You inhale deeply, stomach growling in anticipation. “What are you cooking, puppy?” His whole face lights up at the acknowledgement and he beams at you. “Lasagna. After your recipe.” “Oh, wow. You spoil me. When’s dinner?” You swear he couldn’t look happier than he does right now, though his brows furrow just a second later. He clears his throat and his ears flatten with nervousness, the change almost jarring. You only shoot him a questioning look - clumsy as he is, he often breaks things around the apartment. And as docile as he is, he usually thinks you’ll be awfully mad at him, resulting in him beating around the bush until you grow impatient. “Can we- first, can we-”, he starts, voice almost whiny. Whatever he has planned on saying - he doesn’t finish it, instead interrupts himself with a desperate whimper and presses your hand to his crotch with big, pleading eyes. “Oh–”, you gasp softly at the rough feeling of taut jeans under your fingertips. He’s unmistakably hard through the fabric.

You can’t say you’re surprised at this outcome, either. It’s an almost daily occurrence with him, at this point - whether it’s because his libido is just that high or it’s his way of showing you how much he loves you and you him, most days end with you sore from his knot.

“Hunter!”, you laugh out in fake offense, his name on your tongue making him shudder. “Please, please, can we?”, he stutters out, cheeks slowly turning red under your cryptic smile.

You had been aware of hybrids and their particular needs when you first brought Hunter home - for some people, it was the main reason to get them, even - but you didn’t expect him to be that needy. Not that you mind - but never in a million years had you thought you’d be the type to go to work with bite marks and still leaking his cum from last night, barely able to sit. There is no shame in it, of course. You pride yourself in being a good caretaker. He takes your silence as an agreement and pulls you close, eyes already glassy with need. “I’m still sweaty from work- oh-”, you protest - or at least try to, as he’s already fiddling with the buttons on your outfit. “Don’t mind”, he mumbles and then bends down to bury his face in your neck to demonstrate just how much he doesn’t. “You smell better like this anyway” As if to prove himself to you, he sniffs your skin just below your jaw and the sudden flow of air tickles so much it makes the hair on your arms stand up. Humming against your neck, he begins to bite and tease your pulse point until you shiver under his ministrations, your very last bit of resolve melting away. Still, the faint smell of your dinner tickles at the back of your mind. “What about dinner? Isn’t it still in the oven?”, you breathe out. Your hybrid’s needs or not, you aren’t keen on burning your apartment down in a fit of carelessness. “No”, he hums into your skin, then licks it, his tongue rough and hard, pushing itself right into you. “Haven’t put it in yet.” You can’t help but chuckle at that - beneath the facade of a loyal, clumsy hybrid hides a little schemer. “Alright, alright.”

Now with your agreement he’s desperate to strip you down, almost rips the buttons off your shirt until gently push his hands away and open it yourself. The moment your bra is revealed to him he groans and grabs your breasts, kneading them through the fabric. You have no doubts that he’d fuck you right here on the floor until your knees ached if you were to let him, especially as his nipping at your neck turns into biting, teeth sharp enough to sting. When he starts to pull at your pants, you intervene. “C’mon, let’s get on the sofa at least, puppy”, you say, a sentence you’ve used more than two dozen times by now - it’s not your preferred spot by any means, but too many days has he gotten too excited and fucked you on the rug in the hallway, much to the chagrin of your knees.

He whines with impatience but is easily placated with a peck to his cheek and you pull him to the living room. You can barely let go of his hand and reach for a blanket - he all but pummels you onto the couch, back hitting the cushions with a dull thud.

“Puppy-!”, you gasp, a clear warning. “Careful.” Hunter nods eagerly but his gaze is still stupefied, his mind clearly somewhere else.

Grabbing you by your hips, he flips you over as if you weigh nothing, fingers threading themselves into the soft fat of your belly. You land, face down, in soft cotton.

Another shocked puppy, no! spills from your lips as your head gets pressed into the decorative pillows, your plastic flames creaking in protest under the pressure. “My glasses!” And this time, he listens. He’s off you in a second and you turn to your left, world now slightly smudged.

“Sorry, sorry”, he whines behind you, genuinely apologetic. “Forgot about them- ” Reaching for the frames, you pluck them off your nose and blindly throw them on the coffee table, a task severely hindered by the dozens of little kisses and licks he’s peppering all over your back as an apology, his touch almost tickling you.

To his credit, he waits for your nod to continue, his eyes sparkling when you smile at him over your shoulder. He eagerly goes back to making quick work of your pants, tearing them off your legs in a matter of seconds. One final snap and the elastic of your panties is pulled down to your knees, your cunt finally exposed to him. Hunter does little to prepare you - too desperate to fuck you, he just spreads you with both hands and licks one rough stripe over your pussy, whining when the sensation makes you tremble. The rustle of fabric is your only indicator for what is about to come: he hastily shoves his own pants down and rubs his cock against you in all of its entirety, slipping between your lips and making you tense with anticipation. Your cunt aches for him, just as much as it did the first time - and his desire and love for you makes quick of your arousal, as always. You both moan as when he finally enters you, the feeling unlike anything else. He reaches deep in this position and although not over average length, he’s so thick you almost feel impaled. Wasting no time, he immediately sets a pace so fast that it leaves you drooling. It’s uncoordinated and a little clumsy - his grip on your hips loosens and slips and he switches over to supporting himself on the couch instead, with his stomach touching your back. The feeling of his warm, sweaty skin on yours, his teeth in your shoulder and groans in your ear is enough to make you forget about the world around you. He almost moves you off the couch with the power of his thrusts, sheer instinct taking over. You’re only able to brace yourself against the impact by burrowing your face into the soft material, wailing just as loud as he does every time he slams into you. He’s eager like this, eager as always. Relentlessly chasing his own relief, he works you well - his cock moving in and out of you feels like some kind of sweet, almost stinging pain. The sensation builds with every push, with every nibble of his teeth on the delicate skin of your shoulder. You let yourself fall into it for a good while, nothing on your mind aside from the way your bodies connect with each other, how he fucks you silly. It doesn’t take him long to swell inside of you - as impatient as he is outside of the bedroom, he is in bed, after all - and his anatomy betrays him. “Careful with the knot”, you groan, trying to lower yourself onto the couch again. You’re all too familiar with it and know how to make it tolerable at this point.

He listens, even if only half-heartedly, and obediently follows your hips with his, trying to maintain his speed all the while. Not a heartbeat later Hunter moans and pushes himself as far as possible into you, reaching his peak with bared teeth and a growl. Shooting his load deep into you, the feeling of him filling you is enough to push you over the edge as well. You pant and gasp while he lets out an almost high-pitched moan in response, happy to have you fucked stupid on his cock. “I need to- I need to-”, he whines while his knot inflates - it stretches you beyond your capacity and you hiss in discomfort. The burn is almost unbearable but you breathe through it, wait until the pain turns into pleasure. “What do you need? Use your words-”, you can barely press the command out, too focused on the feeling of being unnaturally full of him. It comes out harsher than expected, but he doesn’t seem to mind, gasping at your guttural voice. “Please, I- I need to mark you-”, he grunts, running a sweaty hand over your back. “Need to show everyone that you’re mine.” Before you can ask him to elaborate, he chokes behind you as if overcome with something, then his muscles go slack. It’s hot and wet as it fills you - you can’t help the way your cunt flutters around his knot at the feeling. Still high on your own orgasm, the sensation is unlike anything you’ve ever felt - but even through your hazy mind you realize that he isn’t cumming a second time - he’s pissing inside of you. “Puppy, no!”, you cry out, genuinely shocked but too tired to scramble away from him - not that it would help you, knotted as you are. He ignores your words, simply continuing to relieve himself, his full weight on top of you.

You can only take it - and the initial surprise melts into a little sting of humiliation, a sudden realization that even though you are the one in charge he can easily hold you down and have his way with you. It’s weirdly intoxicating, to feel so powerless, so small when you should be anything but. He might not have done it to dominate you, but that’s what he’s doing with this gesture and your legs are trembling with another wave of sheer arousal - even as he stops pissing inside of you, you can’t help yourself from moaning at the feeling of liquid in you, the knowledge that he just did as he pleased. You stay intertwined like this for several more minutes, you basking in the afterglow of your orgasm and the embarrassing revelation and Hunter in utter bliss, instincts finally satisfied. His knot goes down with time and, just many times before, you wiggle beneath him, signaling for him to get off you. He complies. The sound is downright unholy as he pulls out, the splat of fluids on your sofa enough to make you cringe, the fabric now undeniably ruined. Hunter only shoots you an embarrassed smile over your shoulder and you frown, already calculating the ensuing costs of getting the stain out in your head. “Bad boy!”

#terato #oc x reader #monster x reader #monster x human #monster boyfriend #hybrid x reader #oc: hunter #tw.piss #tw.knotting

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angelicyoongie · 1 year

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Abundance (XX)

— summary: You never expected that you would end up adopting a hybrid, and if someone had told you that you would end up with seven? Well, you would have thought they were crazy. But here you are, with three different packs of hybrids that don't get along – but all want to stay with you. Yeah, it turns out crazy is an understatement. — pairing: hybrid bts x human f!reader — genre: fluff, angst — warnings/content: none — word count: 6.5k

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Early access to chapter 21 can be found in the author’s note at the end!

You fix the last button on your blouse in place as you walk downstairs, feet bouncing with a little more pep than usual.

Even if you’re waking up before the sun and have hours of gruelling work ahead of you, spending the weekend with the boys has left you feeling refreshed. It was a much needed break to help restore your dwindling morale and a good reminder of why you put yourself through this in the first place.

Skipping over the last step of the staircase, you turn to head towards the kitchen, more than ready to kickstart your brain with the help of a cup of coffee.

You startle, almost tripping over your own feet, when the downstairs bathroom door flies open just as you’re about to walk past it.

A dripping Namjoon steps into your path, his naked chest and arms on full display, droplets clinging to his sunkissed skin. He has a towel draped over his head, obstructing his vision as he roughly tries to dry up the back of his head.

You watch, mouth dry, as the motion causes one of the droplets to slide from his collarbone down over the smooth expanse of his torso, only stopping when it hits the sweatpants hung low on his hips.

You zero in on the subtle definition of muscles on his stomach, on the way it seems to guide your eyes right to the soft trail of hair leading down to places your mind really shouldn’t stray so early in the morning.

Feeling the heat beginning to creep up your cheeks, you quickly avert your eyes. You know that no one in this house, especially Hoseok, will let you live it down if Namjoon catches you drooling over a bit of exposed skin.

Namjoon must’ve been too distracted with his own thoughts to notice you right away because he suddenly pauses, hand frozen on his head as he detects another presence in the hallway.

You can see his chest expand as he breathes in, his wolf ears immediately popping up under the towel in excitement as he registers your sweet scent. He carelessly yanks the cloth away, silver hair sticking up in every direction as he flashes you a dimpled grin.

"Good morning, Y/n!"

"Morning," You grin back.

The wolf hybrid makes a questioning sound when you step back as he tries to come closer, arms outstretched as if he was going to collect you in a hug.

Shaking your head, you try not to look too long at his glistening chest or his drooping ears as you explain, "I don’t have time to change my clothes again, Joon. You’re still dripping wet."

"Oh, right," Namjoon pouts, patting his chest, "I prefer to let everything air dry."

The thought of letting your body dry on its own in the frigid morning air is enough to make you shudder, even if you try to keep the house as toasty and warm as possible in the colder months.

"Don’t you get cold?" You grimace.

"Not really?" Namjoon thinks a bit before he shrugs, his tail flicking with the motion, "In nature we have no option but to let the air and sun dry us out. Most hybrids tend to run a little warmer than humans anyway, so it’s usually not a problem."

"I guess that makes sense," You agree, remembering how thinly dressed all of the boys were compared to you when you were working in the garden. You had been bundled up with your thickest sweater and coat, not willing to risk getting sick again just because the sun provided a bit of false security with its warmth.

"Though–" You spare the dark sky at the end of the hallway a glance, mindful to keep your voice low with the other boys still sleeping, "why are you taking a shower so early? The sun isn’t even up yet."

Namjoon scratches the back of his neck, his grey ears twisting back into his messy hair as he mumbles, "I just went out for an early run."

"A run?"

"Yeah, just around the neighbourhood. Spring, um, always makes me a little restless? Y’know, wolf instincts,” Namjoon winces at his poor lie, cheeks flushing as he turns his gaze to the floor.

Everything about his posture screams at you to please leave the subject alone. Even if you can tell he isn’t being completely honest, even if he’s holding something back, you have no reason not to trust him.

Namjoon has proven himself to always put his pack above everything else and you know he would never do anything that would endanger them or put your relationship in jeopardy. Above all else Namjoon cares – so if he wants to keep a secret or two, who are you to stop him?

It would make you a hypocrite to think anything else when you’re keeping your own share of dangerous secrets close to your chest.

Regardless, it doesn’t feel like you’ve caught him doing something bad, he just seems – flustered, shy maybe, like whatever he’s doing is embarrassing and he needs time to work up the courage to confess to it.

"That’s fine, Joon," You give him a kind smile, "This is your home too and you can do whatever you want. Just let me know if something is bothering you, okay?"

"O-of course, thank you," Namjoon stutters, his golden skin turning rosy as he meets your gaze.

His tail resumes the slow wag it did when he first noticed you, the tense muscles in his arms relaxing as he realizes you’re not going to ask for more details. You take note of how Namjoon loosens the tight grip he has around the towel in his hand, the cloth a perfect distraction to change the subject.

"Here," You reach out for the towel, hoping the diversion isn’t too obvious as you gesture for him to hand it over, "Let me dry your hair before you get the floor all wet, yeah?"

Namjoon practically stumbles over his own feet in his haste to give it to you, eyes bright at the prospect of you taking care of him – of you grooming him.

He stops right in front of you, feet touching, as he quickly lowers his head to present his hair.

Namjoon’s silver hair has grown a lot in the last months, just like the others, but they don’t seem too bothered by it. Shelters tend to like their hybrids to look maintained and clean cut to entice adoption, so you doubt the boys have ever had the chance to explore or change up their styles much. They deserve the chance to express themselves in any way they want, which is why you’re going to wait for them to come to you first - should they ever want a haircut.

You let out an endeared laugh as you bring the towel up to his head, lightly fluffing up his locks. Keeping your touches gentle, you dry the wet fur on his ears, being careful not to ruffle or pull on anything too hard.

Namjoon’s chest rumbles contentedly as you take care of him. His head keeps dipping lower and lower until it rests on your shoulder, his body melting under your hands. The moment you finish drying off his ears Namjoon tucks his face closer to your throat, basking in your mellow and sweet scent.

You move to the back of his head, running your fingers through the soft strands at his nape to make sure you got every spot. Namjoon’s position leaves you looking over his shoulder as you work, at the tan and unblemished skin that stretches over his broad back.

As Namjoon repositions his head, pressing himself closer to your throat, you notice a faded scar at the edge of his shoulder; the skin having whitened over time. The shape of it looks odd, little indents forming two half-moons on his skin.

"What’s this?" You ask curiously, softly brushing your fingertips across the marks.

The reaction is instantaneous.

Namjoon makes a garbled sound at the contact, a shiver running through his body as he latches on to your waist. Sharp teeth nip at your delicate throat, a low growl vibrating against your skin in warning as he pulls you flush against his chest.

You freeze up at the unexpected response, towel dropping to the ground. You hold your breath as Namjoon pants against your neck, choking down the next round of growls building in his chest.

You’re not scared, this is sweet and clumsy Namjoon after all, but something about it is so undeniably wolf-like that it trips up your brain. There’s a part of you that wants to relax, submit, to the canines pressed against your pulse; but even just the thought of doing it is silly enough to shake you out of your shocked daze. Namjoon would never hurt you, strong wolf instincts or not.

Namjoon's teeth slowly leave your throat as he calms down, a pitiful whine bubbling out of his mouth as his mind clears. It isn’t often that the wolf hybrid loses himself to his instincts, but no one has touched that mark aside from Hoseok and Taehyung – the two that made it. He knows you’re not a threat, that you won't break it, but he can’t help but be awfully protective of it.

"I’m sorry," Namjoon whimpers, ears flat on his head as he kisses the barely-there marks on your throat. He rubs his nose all over your neck, scenting you to calm himself down.

His voice is winded as he mutters, "It’s my pack mark."

"Namjoon," You breathe, guilt squeezing your chest, "Please don’t apologise, not when I’m the one that touched it without asking first. I’m the one that’s sorry."

You move your hands away from his shoulders, making sure to steer clear of his mark as you wrap your arms around his waist. You hug him tight, murmuring another apology against his skin as you press your lips to the back of his neck.

After a minute of holding him close and feeling his heartbeat slow down to a more steady pace, you tentatively ask, "Can you tell me about it? Is that okay?"

Namjoon makes an agreeable sound, pulling away from your throat. He tucks his face over your shoulder, holding you in a proper hug as he says, "Do you remember what Seokjin hyung told you about mating bites, about how it’s similar to how humans get married?"

"I do."

"A pack mark works in a similar way. It’s essentially the same thing, it’s just the intent behind the bite that’s different. It can either be romantic or platonic, or even both depending on the circumstances."

"Our–" Namjoon hesitates, clearing his throat. "–Our pack mark is platonic. It creates a bond between us that allows our instincts to feel more secure and settled, because we know we have packmates that are looking out for us. We can read each other’s emotions more easily too, but we’re not as close as a romantic bond; it doesn’t have the same depth."

The sadness in Namjoon’s voice is a palpable, horrible, thing.

"It’s hard to explain how it feels. All I know is that when you touched it, I couldn’t even think, it was like my instincts took over immediately. Even just the idea of losing our mark was too much – it made me feel hollow, like someone was trying to break my chest in two. It was almost like," Namjoon takes a deep breath, his tail tucked firmly between his legs as he weakly admits, "... like dying would hurt less."

You bite your lip, hoping your shock isn’t noticeable in your scent. There’s many things you can say, want to say even, but you don’t think the wolf hybrid would be ready to hear it.

"That sounds intense," You murmur.

"Yeah."

You leave the subject at that, offering Namjoon some time with his own thoughts as you rub comforting circles into his skin.

Namjoon sounded pained to admit that all he has with Hoseok and Taehyung is a platonic pack mark. You’ve seen the glances they steal at each other, the pure adoration and love there that goes far beyond friendship or family. They always seem to be one step away from crossing over the flimsy line they’ve drawn between platonic and romantic, but they never do.

As much as you would love to sit them down and make them talk it out – make them confess – it won't be of any help if they’re not ready for it. You can only assume they have their reasons if they’ve been holding back for this long, even if it’s hurting them to do so.

You gently pull out of Namjoon’s tight hold, smiling at the disgruntled sound he makes as you step back. You bring your hands up to frame his face, cupping his cheeks. The wolf hybrid tilts his head, leaning into your warm touch as he meets your gaze.

"Thank you for telling me, Namjoon, it means a lot to me. I’ll be more careful in the future, I promise."

He nods, giving you a grateful smile, "It’s okay, Y/n. Thank you."

You don’t want to leave Namjoon on a sad note, not when the others probably won’t stir for a while. You watch him closely as you move a hand down to his jaw, taking the way his ears begin to perk up on his head as a good sign to continue.

Namjoon’s eyes flutter closed in anticipation as you lean closer, mouth parting to let you in. You press a sweet kiss to his lips, stroking a thumb across his strong jaw as he releases a shuddering breath.

Namjoon uses the grip on your hips to keep you still, recapturing your mouth before you can pull away. It’s only when he starts nipping at your lips, trying to deepen it, that you have to force yourself to step away. You would love to spend the entire morning with Namjoon if you could, but the clock is ticking if you want to get to work early. You promised them yesterday that you would be home in time for a late dinner, so more kisses will just have to wait until then.

Namjoon whines when you break the kiss, not willing to let you go. The wolf hybrid’s reluctance makes your chest warm, your stomach fluttering with the knowledge that Namjoon wants you just as much as you want him.

You smile, charmed, giving his cheek a loving pat before you let go of his face.

"I have to get to work," You sigh. "But I promised I’ll be home early so we can spend more time together later, yeah?"

"Fine," Namjoon grumbles, tail wagging at the idea of having you back home soon despite his pout.

"Good," You grin.

You pick up the towel from the floor, looking away as you push it to Namjoon’s chest. You know the longer you stare at his bare skin, the harder it will be to walk away.

"Go put a shirt on while I grab breakfast," You mumble, embarrassed.

Namjoon seems to grow taller at that, straightening out his body and tensing his muscles teasingly in your peripheral. "Why? Like what you see?"

He laughs as you shove at his chest, trapping your hand against his skin. He looks pleased at how the contact makes you squirm, golden eyes filled with mirth at the indignant squeak you let out as he flexes his pecs.

You hang your head in defeat, heat creeping up the back of your neck as you admit, "Yeah. I like it a little too much."

Namjoon’s laughter chokes at that, not expecting you to be so honest. You slip your hand out of his grasp as he coughs, chuckling at the wide-eyed look he gives you.

Finding a window to tease him back, you slowly drag your eyes from his feet to his face, Namjoon’s cheeks reddening under your gaze.

It takes all of your willpower to take a step towards the kitchen, voice playful as you add, "You know, if you don’t get dressed now you’ll end up wiping drool from the floor when the others wake up."

You bite back a giggle as you walk down the hallway, Namjoon’s sputtering echoing behind you. The best part is, the wolf hybrid doesn’t even realize you’re right – seeing Namjoon in all of his shirtless glory probably would’ve sent the others into an early rut.

You click your pen, staring absentmindedly at the blank document in front of you.

The lack of progress you’ve had so far with your case is frustrating. You have leads, but they’re too big, too vague. You know that the men you saw on the news are connected to Lim Enterprises but aside from the photos your informant gave you, you have no other proof of their involvement. It’s definitely not enough to hold up in court.

Sighing, you spin around in your chair, watching the ceiling slowly blur together. There has to be something you can do.

The Lim Enterprises you know now are good at covering their tracks – know exactly what to avoid after so many run-ins with the police. They must be aware of the whistleblower and the impending lawsuit coming their way, so you have no doubt they’ve been doubling down on anything that could've been useful to your case. Any evidence of their money laundering is likely already long gone and buried deep.

But – you stop spinning, blinking to clear your swimming vision – if the present won’t help you, perhaps the past will?

Your knowledge of hybrid trafficking is only a recent development. Even if Lim Enterprises have hidden their tracks of money laundering well, who’s to say they’ve been as throughout with all of their illegal activities? If they don’t know you’re looking into it yet, you might still have some time to dig up new leads or information that might help you. The hybrids could be your ticket in.

Heart pounding with renewed excitement, you quickly wake up your slumbering computer, clicking impatiently to access the database of archived court cases.

So far, your focus has been on any legal documents you could get your hands on involving Lim Enterprises’ books and money transactions. The company has been in hot water for not providing enough security to high class customers, causing a handful of their clientele's homes to be robbed. It hurts you to admit that it’s pretty much the perfect set-up for money laundering. After all, who would suspect a security corporation to steal from their own clients and then launder the money back to their own business through a subsidiary of smaller companies?

When you first started working on the lawsuit there were only a handful of cases that seemed relevant to look into, all of them ending in some sort of private settlement out of court.

The most likely scenario is that Lim Enterprises blackmailed their clients into silence, no doubt using whatever data they’ve collected on them against them. If only one of them would speak up about it. Having one rich client confess to being blackmailing would be enough to warrant an investigation, which would allow the police access to search for their 'off the books’ transactions and prove your client’s claims. Sadly though, it’s never that easy.

Whatever dirt Lim Enterprises have on their clients must be good, because they’ve never returned any of your messages. One of them even went as far to pretend you weren’t standing right in front of their glass office door for three hours trying to get their attention. They’re clearly scared of what Lim Enterprises can do, but that just makes you all the more determined to take them down.

Though, since the initial pool of cases you looked into was so small, there has to be others you’ve dismissed without realizing they could be connected. Lim Enterprises has been in many minor scandals over the years, many you figured didn’t matter in regards to your case, but perhaps that's where you went wrong. Maybe everything plays a part in it, maybe the money laundering is just one of the many veins pumping life into the rotten heart at the centre of the corporation.

It seems you need to go back to the beginning, to scour the available databases and news outlets for any mention of their name in regards to disputes or fights. There has to be something linking them to hybrid trafficking or abuse if they've been running a syndicate on the low for years already.

You roll your shoulders back, taking a deep breath as you begin typing in all the possible keywords you can think of.

Lunch seems to have come and gone by the time you’re done, finger hovering over the search button as your colleagues make their way back into the building, their loud laughter muffled by your closed door.

You know you’re creating another world of problems for yourself by doing this, but you have no other option. Attempting to expose Lim Enterprises has put a target on your client's back, and you can’t let their bravery be in vain.

"Okay, you can do this," You mutter, the half-hearted pep talk not doing much to boost your confidence as you finally click the button, pages upon pages of relevant hits immediately popping on your screen.

Your search has produced 7613 results.

"Fuck," You whine.

Looks like your wish of having a stable sleep schedule just went down the drain, at least for the foreseeable future.

Jimin trudges up the stairs, pouting, as he pulls on the one lock of hair that just refuses to fall right. It has started to curl awkwardly around his ear, the ends irritating it whenever it moves. Annoyed, he flicks his ear in a half-ditch attempt to move the strands around.

As it twitches, it picks up on a sound that almost makes Jimin stumble, his feet screeching to a halt as he realizes he can hear light footsteps moving around inside of your room.

It’s mid-day by now, the sun shining high in the sky, and Jimin knows you’re not home. Your faint scent is proof enough that you left hours ago and yet, someone is rummaging around in your room.

Jimin sneaks closer to the door, tail puffed and listening intently as he maps out where the intruder moves. Ears perked, he hears the footsteps go to your desk, pausing long enough to open a few drawers, before they move on towards your bed. Jimin scoffs, curling his fingers into claws as he creeps closer to the door, avoiding the floorboards he knows will creak. The intruder is foolish, that’s for sure, breaking into a home in broad daylight that houses seven hybrids–

Jimin jumps back with a hiss as the door unexpectedly swings open, his muscles tensing up in preparation for a fight. He zeroes in on the shadow moving just behind it, the intruder too caught up with whatever he’s stolen to notice him yet.

Just as Jimin is ready to lash out and claw up their face, he notices the bunny ears peeking out behind the wood, the door opening the rest of the way to reveal a surprised Jeongguk.

The bunny hybrid freezes as he sees Jimin standing there, claws out and gaze predatory. He almost drops the bulky headphones in his hands out of shock, fumbling with the cord as he lets out a startled noise.

Jimin lowers his hands immediately, snuffing out the instincts that tells him to attack, attack, attack. The rational part of his brain knows the bunny poses no threat, and seeing the way Jeongguk trembles at the sight of him makes something acidic curl in his stomach.

Jimin takes a step back, lip curling with distaste as he says, "Oh, it’s just you."

"Jimin hyung," Jeongguk blinks, lips parted as he stares at him with big eyes.

The cat hybrid winces at the familiarity.

He gives Jeongguk a flat look in return, eyes narrowing with suspicion as he asks, "What were you doing in Y/n’s room?"

The question seems to snap Jeongguk out of his daze. He holds out the headphones, presenting them to Jimin.

"Y/n said I could borrow them to listen to her old record player! I think she forgot about it when she moved from her old apartment, so it was just left in a box in her closet. Seokjin hyung found it yesterday when he was helping her put away some clothes, so she placed it down in the living room for everyone to use. Didn’t you see it?"

Jeongguk’s dark eyes sparkle with excitement as he retells the story, one of his ears flopping adorably as he begins to relax.

"No, I didn’t," Jimin chews on the inside of his cheek, his hard gaze softening as it moves back to the staircase.

Jimin, much like Yoongi, loves music – particularly anything old-school. It reminds him of one of the few vague memories he has from when he was young, before he realized what he was, and what it meant. He thinks he can remember a faint voice crooning about everlasting love and destiny, the sound of crochet hooks bumping together over the slightly faulty needle of an old record player.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Jeongguk nods. He watches Jimin intently, curious eyes catching the longing that seems to flicker over Jimin’s features.

The bunny hybrid steps closer, swallowing thickly as Jimin’s cold stare snaps back to him, pinning him down. He pushes through the instinctual jitters that try to rattle him into fleeing, picking at the twisted headphone cord to channel his nerves into something else.

"Do you want to listen together, hyung?"

Jeongguk’s voice is sweet and shy, a pale blush colouring his cheeks as he averts his gaze to his hands.

Yes, Jimin thinks, I want to.

Jimin’s heart thuds harshly in his chest, almost knocking him off-balance. He’s unprepared for the sudden rush of emotion that hits him, the little spark of warmth that ignites as Jeongguk’s ears perk up completely, attention fully turned to whatever answer Jimin gives him.

Jeongguk is always kind, so willing to take a step forward even when Jimin takes ten back. The bunny seems to have grown a little sweet on him ever since that night on the couch, giving him flustered smiles whenever their eyes meet instead of looking away; going out his way to put another cut of meat on Jimin’s plate even if it makes his own nose scrunch with disgust.

Jimin doesn’t like it.

He can’t help but think of Jeongguk as foolish, showing parts of himself so readily to others who can destroy it.

Jimin doesn’t need Jeongguk giving him sweet glances that make his heart race, doesn’t want the emotions that are reserved for Yoongi and you to react to someone else. It’s all unwelcome, unwanted, and so Jimin does what he knows best – he deflects.

"How? There’s only one pair."

"Oh," Jeongguk frowns at the headphones, the space between his brows furrowing cutely. He thinks, nodding to himself before he flashes Jimin a grin that shows off his bunny teeth, "We can take turns, I don’t mind, hyung."

"No."

"No?" Jeongguk’s smile slips, his ears drooping under Jimin’s glare. "Would you like to listen first, then? I can wait."

Stupid.

Jimin should say it, should tell Jeongguk to stop opening his heart to people who don't care for it, but the thought makes his throat feel tight, like it’s going to choke him. The bunny already looks sad enough at his rejection, there’s no need for him to make it worse.

"Later, maybe," Jimin grumbles, wincing inwardly at the half-promise he has no plans of keeping.

"Okay! Whatever you want, hyung," Jeongguk brightens, and Jimin’s heart does another terrible flutter.

He turns on his heel like a coward before the bunny hybrid can think to say anything else, marching the short distance to his bedroom. He presses a hand to his chest as he goes, frowning at the rapid pace it beats against his skin.

Feeling betrayed, Jimin bursts through the door with a little more force than intended, his dramatic entrance startling Yoongi.

The book in Yoongi's hands slips from his grasp, almost hitting him in the face as he scrambles to sit up in bed. He frowns, concern rolling off his scent as he asks, "You okay, kitten?"

Jimin's shoulders slump, the little burst of anger he was feeling fizzling out immediately as he sees the worried pinch between Yoongi's brows. It leaves him feeling sour. He doesn't want Yoongi to worry, not when he's just having a momentary lapse of judgement – his feelings acting out without his permission.

Ears falling flat, Jimin dives into bed to cuddle up against Yoongi's side. His alpha makes a soft noise, tucking him protectively under his arm.

Jimin's eyes flutter as Yoongi runs his fingers through the soft hairs at the back of his nape, fingertips ghosting over his skin.

Yoongi's voice is as gentle as his touch, rumbling soothingly as he speaks up. "Was it Jeongguk I heard you talking to? Did something happen?"

Jimin swallows thickly, guilt churning in his stomach as he listens to Yoongi's soft drawl.

How dare his heart skip a beat for the bunny hybrid when his alpha is so sweet, so loving? Jimin has everything he could ever want and more in Yoongi. He has sacrificed so much for him, been so selfless, and this is how Jimin repays him – by letting others slither into his heart? Yoongi would probably leave him if he knew, would probably find someone better.

Jimin doesn't dare answer, his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth. He curls his tail over Yoongi's waist, pulling himself as close to his alpha as possible.

Yoongi tilts his head without question as Jimin noses against his neck, giving his packmate full access to his throat. Jimin releases a shuddering breath as he inhales Yoongi's calming scent, sage and lavender wrapping around his senses like a comforting blanket. He loves scenting Yoongi, finding a particular comfort in his woodsy smell that nothing else comes close to. It allows his brain to shut off, to just drift and be for a while.

But now, even with his face smushed as close as possible against Yoongi's throat, inhaling his scent so hard it makes his nose burn, Jimin's mind just won't stop spinning.

Yoongi cups the back of his neck, deft fingers pressing on all the points that turn Jimin's body to liquid when he's stressed. Jimin releases a soft mewl as he melts against his alpha's body, fisting the front of his shirt to keep them glued together.

"Kitten.." Yoongi repeats, all careful and gentle.

Jimin knows his packmate well, knows he's not going to let it rest until he learns why Jimin's upset. All because he's a good alpha, a great mate, and it makes Jimin's heart ache something terrible.

He loves Yoongi so much, too much, enough that there shouldn't be any space left in his heart for anyone else.

"Nothing happened, hyung," He murmurs. He can tell Yoongi doesn't quite believe him.

Yoongi turns his head, jostling Jimin from his neck. He presses a firm kiss to Jimin's forehead before the younger can whine, purrs vibrating from his chest as he tightens his hold around Jimin's shoulder.

He picks up the book he was reading before getting interrupted, resting it comfortably against his raised knee. He hums as he tries to find the spot he left off on, softly clearing his throat before he begins to read the story out loud.

Jimin usually falls asleep to this, listening to Yoongi's slow drawl as he recites the books he's reading. He tries to focus, he really does, but his mind keeps drifting back to Jeongguk's sparkly eyes when he smiled at him, to the excited quiver that ran through his long ears when he thought Jimin would join him.

He squeezes his eyes shut as his heart does another tumble, pretending he doesn't feel how badly his chest hurts as Yoongi's tender purrs bleed into his muscles.

There's a lull in the story as Yoongi flips the page, and Jimin opens his mouth without meaning to. "I'm fine," He whispers, not quite sure who he's trying to convince.

His left ear twitches at the lie. He can feel the long strands once again curl into the sensitive skin there, bothering him.

Yes, Jimin thinks, hating himself, everything is just swell. "Okay, Jiminie," Yoongi concedes, even though they both know he isn't.

He tugs his packmate closer, burying his nose in Jimin's hair to get a whiff of his fresh citrusy scent. There's a sour bite to it that only appears when Jimin's upset, and it does nothing but solidify Yoongi's worries that something is wrong.

He spares a glance at the door, gaze narrowing as if he can see Jeongguk through the thick wood. He's not dumb, he can put two and two together. Whatever made Jimin feel so troubled, the bunny was there for it – and Yoongi won't rest until he knows what Jeongguk did.

"Hey."

Seokjin jumps at the sudden voice behind him, knife clattering to the counter. He whirls around with a small squeak, startled at Yoongi's sudden appearance. Even with his better than average hearing, he didn't hear a single sound from the cat hybrid as he entered the room.

"Hey?" Seokjin echoes, a little put off by the intense look Yoongi is giving him.

The kitchen is silent, the sounds from the rest of the house muffled by closed doors. Seokjin scratches his neck, instincts a little jittery from the scare and the way Yoongi is just standing there, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

His mouth is pressed into a thin line, displeasure clear on his face. His dark tail flicks behind his back as he waits, like he's expecting Seokjin to say something first – to break the quiet between them.

Seokjin squares his shoulders, angling his jaw to keep his head high. He tries to find some comfort in that his height leaves him looking down at the predator hybrid, but he's never been very good at confrontation and Yoongi's posture screams it.

"Can I help you, Yoongi?"

The words barely have enough time to pass through Seokjin's lips before Yoongi speaks, the cat hybrid's deep voice overlapping his as he says, "You need to tell Jeongguk to back off."

"Back off?" Seokjin frowns, "From what?"

"Jimin."

Seokjin can't help it, the answer is so unexpected it makes him snort.

He chokes on the laughter bubbling up his throat as he blinks and suddenly finds Yoongi inches from his face, sharp teeth exposed as he hisses.

Seokjin recoils, back hitting the counter as Yoongi's bitter scent fills the air.

The cat hybrid keeps advancing, inching closer and closer to Seokjin's face. At least, that was probably the intent. The height difference leaves Yoongi closing in on Seokjin's vulnerable neck instead, the intimidating glare burning into his skin.

Seokjin's instincts kick in before his rational brain can attempt to diffuse the situation, all he knows is that being cornered against the counter by a predator screams danger.

Yoongi's hiss stutters as Seokjin's hands roughly grab his waist, flipping them around. Seokjin leans on the counter for support, legs weak from Yoongi's abrasive scent. It leaves him closer to Yoongi's face than anticipated, the cat hybrid's expression caught somewhere in-between annoyed and confused.

Frankly, Seokjin is tired of being treated like less than the predator hybrids. His biology might be working against him but that doesn't mean he's weak. He shouldn't have to sit back and accept being intimidated in what's supposed to be his safe space, just because the predators need someone to push around.

"Yoongi, I think you got it all backwards," Seokjin says, steeling his nerves as he holds the other alpha’s gaze.

"Jeongguk came into our den smelling like Jimin last week but you don't see me kicking up a fuss about it, do you? He was all shy and flustered because your–"

Yoongi winces as Seokjin's crooked finger is pressed hard into his chest, "–packmate decided to groom mine. I don't mind them bonding, Y/n is counting on us to get along, but I don't take kindly to you making assumptions in your head about my baby. If Jimin has a problem with Jeongguk, he can tell him himself and not send you as some hissy little middle-man."

Yoongi's eyes narrow at the emphasis Seokjin places on little, his ears pushing back as if he's ready to fire off an insult.

The sight of Seokjin pressing his tongue into his cheek, eyes hard as he stares Yoongi down, mellows the cat hybrid out immediately. Yoongi's gaze wavers, darting between the fiery expression on Seokjin's face and a random spot on his broad shoulders, not quite sure where he should look.

Seokjin clicks his tongue, eyebrows quirking as he says, "Next time, act civil if you want to talk about something. Hyung promises to listen if you can do that."

Yoongi's pale skin grows flushed as he becomes a little too aware of the way Seokjin has him caged against the counter. He swallows thickly, stomach flipping as his brain keeps replaying the image of Seokjin's plump lips forming around hyung promises, hyung promises.

A prey's promise shouldn't matter, so why does it leave Yoongi feeling ... safe?

Seokjin steps away, levelling a dumbstruck Yoongi with another look before he turns on his heel and leaves.

He keeps his composure until he rounds the threshold and disappears from the cat hybrid's sight, his cool demeanour slipping as he collapses against the wall. His knees are practically knocking into each other with nerves, his fingers sore from gripping the counter so tightly.

Seokjin knew he was playing with fire, that Yoongi could've ripped out his throat if he felt like it, but it didn't even seem like thought crossed his mind. The surprise on Yoongi's face as he flipped them around and the soft blush that bloomed under Seokjin's attention is enough to leave the hamster hybrid feeling a little proud, excited, almost.

He never expected the alpha cat to fold so easily.

Seokjin knew that the more exposure he had to the other packs' scents, the easier it would get to suppress the instincts that beg him to run whenever their scents sour. He hoped, yet he never thought he would be able to actually stand up for himself and Jeongguk without feeling like his heart was going burst from fear.

The realization makes Seokjin grin, his legs still a little wobbly from the adrenaline rush as he makes his way to his room. He doesn't even care that he left his half-prepped snacks, his stomach full on the knowledge that the predators won't be able to push them around anymore.

Seokjin's ear twitches just as he's about to open his bedroom door, picking up a sound from the room he just left.

He lets out a low laugh, pleased, as he makes out Yoongi muttering a confused what the fuck into the empty kitchen.

a/n: Chapter 21 of "Abundance" is available on ko-fi! You can find it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/e95005a91d

Ohh, things are starting to heat up a little now! I’d love to know what you think about the canine’s packmark and namjoon’s reaction to it, and what your initial reaction is to the interactions between jikook, yoonmin and yoonjin? 👀

Reblogs and comments make my day!

PS. Next chapter will be posted May 20th!

See you all soon, stay safe! <3

#hybrid bts #hybrid!bts #bts x reader #ot7 x reader #hybrid jungkook #hybrid jimin #hybrid yoongi #hybrid hoseok #hybrid seokjin #hybrid namjoon #hybrid taehyung #hybrid au #bts poly au #bts au #bts fluff #bts angst

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soft-girl-musings · 5 months

Text

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - CHAPTER 1 (Strangers In The Night)

Noir!Jake Lockley x WOC Lounge Singer!Reader

written in collaboration with + header by @mrs-lockley

chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5

cross-posted to ao3

tags: late 1940s Noir AU, Reader is WOC coded but with no physical description besides being slightly taller than Jake while wearing heels, no use of Y/N

wc: 2,222

fic summary: Of all the gin joints in all the world, Jake Lockley walks into yours. Unfortunately for him, it's not quite the start of a beautiful friendship.

A/N: can't believe this is the product of covid-induced hcs and thots between me and @mrs-lockley, thank you so much for encouraging this buddy (also @lunar-ghoulie if i had a nickel for each time you've sent an ask/dm about a WIP and it ended up being where i put all my energy, i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot but it's hilarious that it's happened twice).

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On nights like tonight, Jake Lockley regrets his choice of profession.

It’s a dreary November evening, darkening by the second as the New York streets grow damp and cold. The wise had decided not to venture out; the blindsided rush across slick pavement to whatever shelter they can find. The desperate stay on the clock and curse their luck.

He should know by now that when a client says they’ll be “just a minute,” it’s a boldfaced lie: even if they have every intention of being efficient, he’s been stranded on the curb more times than he can count.

So he keeps the meter running. He’s seen the duds his regular client has on each week; the man could afford to fork over a few extra bucks. Might even build character.

The steady rhythm of the rain had been fine at first, but after half an hour parked beneath the neon sign of The Paper Moon– hat, coat and gloves doing nothing to ward off the chill creeping into his cab– every raindrop taunts him in his isolation.

To hell with this.

He shuts off the engine, pops his collar, and braces himself before stepping out onto the street. The rain falls fast and hard, so he rushes toward the brick exterior of The Paper Moon. He’s never been inside, but the glowing crescent of the sign had piqued his interest the first time he’d dropped his client here. He may as well see what all the fuss is about.

The doorman– a tall, dapperly dressed unit with a neutral grimace– casts a wary look his way. Jake ducks into the alley beside the building. Guess it’s exclusive.

Through the rain he spots a side door with a meagerly covered stoop, upon which is hunched a smaller, yet equally well-dressed figure. The young man’s tawny complexion pops against the emerald green of his just-too-big blazer, mist gathering in the dark brown waves slicked back from his creased brow. He grips a cigarette between clenched teeth, stuttering curses around it as he strikes a flimsy matchbook to no avail.

“¿Necesitas un fuego?”

At his offer, Jake is met by startled, impossibly wide brown eyes. The shock turns to glee as his face breaks into a toothy smile.

“Sí– sí sería genial, señor.” He makes room on the stoop, his dimpled cheeks betraying his youth. Jake pulls out a lighter and deftly lights the end of his cigarette, earning another dimpled grin after a few christening puffs. “Muchísimas gracias.”

“No hay problema.”

He lights one of his own, the smoke mixing with the fog of his breath as he holds out his free hand. “Jake.”

“Mauricio.” His newfound companion grips his hand and shakes vigorously.

They sit in silence for a few moments, their subtle exhalations and the slowing rain the only sounds between them.

The mood is disrupted by shouting from the other side of the door, followed by clattering and the unmistakable sound of someone falling. The door behind them flies open and a lanky, dark skinned man in a matching green blazer pokes his head outside.

“You’d better get your tail in here, Maurie. She’s in one of her moods tonight.”

“Rats, alright,” he groans, taking one last drag of his cigarette before stamping it out with his heel. Mauricio straightens his blazer and pushes a hand through his hair. He pauses at the door and looks back at Jake.

“Do you wanna come inside, dry off for a spell? We put on a mean show,” he swears. The kid's face isn't one Jake imagines people say “no” to very often.

“...Yeah, alright. Thanks.”

“Great! There’s a couple of tables toward the back that should still be free, you can sneak in there no problem.” Mauricio holds the door open a bit wider for Jake to step through. “If anyone gives you any trouble, just tell ‘em you’re with me.” With a wink and another winning smile, he darts off to follow the other blazer.

Jake finds his spot easily enough, taking in the atmosphere as he weaves between tables and patrons. So this is The Paper Moon.

The building’s drab exterior is deceptive: inside is a small lounge, bustling with activity and humming with life. Richly draped walls envelop the space, with ornate lamps and soft candlelight radiating from every table. The room looks as warm as it feels, a welcome relief from Jake’s prior solitude.

He takes off his soaked coat and loosens his tie. Across the room Jake sees his client– a cold, calculating Mr. Wesley– who gives a curt nod, as if granting his permission to take a load off (for now).

He orders a drink from a slightly bewildered waiter and continues to survey the space. People of all shapes and sizes occupy tables and barstools, with the chatter of at least three languages creating a dizzying buzz around him. The crowd dies down when stage lights flash on at the far end of the room.

Out marches the band: the guy who'd clambered to the back door sits at the piano, cracking his knuckles before playing a few notes on the keys; an older man with a similar complexion props an upright bass in position, riffing along with the scattered piano melody; an impressively mustachioed fellow polishes the mouthpiece of his trumpet; Mauricio settles in behind a set of drums, waving a stick in the air when he spots Jake.

As warm as he's gotten after coming inside, the temperature seems to skyrocket as the click of heels and the shimmer of the last band member crossing the stage sends his heartbeat right into his throat. In walks– no, floats – a vision, evening gown the same color as the richly painted lips that curl into a smile as easily as breathing. Something Jake seems to have forgotten how to do.

He can’t take his eyes off you.

----------

There’s something in the air tonight.

Maybe it’s the smoke lingering on Mauricio’s jacket (you’ve told him time and time again how smoking before a show irritates you; he must have snuck a pack backstage), or maybe the weather has you out of sorts. Whatever it is, you’re one false step away from losing your cool. Which, of course, cannot happen. Not onstage.

As the band warms up, you take one last look in your compact mirror, blot your lipstick, and take a deep breath. It’s showtime.

The moment you step onstage, you turn on the charm. Nothing can touch you up here. Not when there’s music to play, a band to lead. A night to make unforgettable.

You approach the microphone and smile. “Hello again, darlings. Did you miss us while we were away?”

Applause and cheers echo back to you from the audience. There’s a distinct two-toned whistle that rises above the noise, but you don’t think anything of it.

Not until you scan the crowd and see something– someone – that doesn’t belong.

Lounging at the previously unoccupied back table is a man you’ve never seen before. Which wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t know the face and name of everyone who enters your club.

His eyes stay trained on you as you nod to the band to begin. One outlier a bad night will not make– you’ll deal with him later. For now, you let the caress of the opening notes ease the new tension in your body, and you start to sing.

With six shows a week, one would think the routine would become tedious. Quite the opposite: any night you play the same standards with the band is bound to be a good night. The chemistry between you and your boys is perfect– even on an off night like tonight, you still manage to follow each other and make the same hour of music sound brand new.

You lead one song, then another, completely in your own world. Of course, the constant cheers and occasional audience participation don’t hurt. But just when you hit your stride and forget your troubles, that whistle rings out above the noise.

The stranger's on the edge of his seat, rapt attention never leaving the stage. Seems innocent enough, but you’re still on high alert.

The set comes to a close, ending with a vibrant flourish. The band improvises a steady beat as you take a sip of water, then smile once more into the microphone.

“Oh, stop. Really…. well, alright, you can keep going,” you croon at the crowd as they cheer louder.

You gesture to the band. “Let’s give a big round of applause to The Jays, what do you say?”

“On piano we have the dazzling Jackie Thomas,” you call out as he trills a fancy melody a little louder than the rest. “Followed by this absolute Adonis on the bass, Benny Hayes,” you add as the smooth licks of his instrument sound out a reply.

“Let’s hear it for Leo Castellón and his magnificent mustache on the trumpet,” you tease as he blasts out a tune. “And our baby bird on drums, Mauricio Farrés!” You raise your voice as the youth bangs out a closing rhythm.

“And as always, I’m Ms. Songbird. We hope you’ll join us again soon, my doves. Goodnight!”

The band plays themselves out as you descend downstage to the front of the room. Time for the next act.

You know how to work a crowd both on and offstage; hospitality is as much a part of the gig as the music. Tonight’s a full house, but you take your time gliding past each table, front to back. Does everyone have their preferred drink? How’s the food? Was the music to their liking? All questions you ask with genuine interest, but you know the answer: everything is perfect.

"Hey, little songbird," a voice calls above the noise.

Everything except him.

You've been avoiding the back table for a while, trying to collect your thoughts before confronting him. No time like the present, I suppose.

You turn to see the outlier standing by the table he’d commandeered, a shimmering bundle of rhinestones dangling from his hand. The glint of a grin catches the low light the same way your traitorous earring does.

You touch your ear and your face grows hot. “Where did you–”

“Fell off as you floated by the last few tables, angel.”

Your heels tap out a warning as you approach. Toe-to-toe, with the added height of your shoes, you practically tower over him. Your brow furrows as you size him up: too forward to have something to hide, too laissez-faire to be up to any obvious trouble. All the same, you don't trust him.

You look him up and down; he does the same. "You're not very tall, are you?" More of a challenge than a question as you reach for the rhinestones in his hand.

Leaning back against the table, jewelry dangling just out of reach, his sly smile grows. "Well, miss, I tried to be."

"Right." You snatch the earring back before he says anything else. "I see you also tried to be discreet, and that didn't go so well for you, did it Chuck?"

"Actually, it's–"

“–club policy to check your coat at the door. Something our hostess would have insisted upon, meaning you– ” you emphasize as you lean in, fingertips pressed to the tabletop by his side, "–slipped in under the wire." You search his face for anything to betray his intentions. "Now how did you manage that?”

The stranger lowers himself into his seat, hands raised in surrender. "A little backstage access, courtesy of your drummer there." He nods toward the stage: you catch a glimpse of Mauricio clumsily ducking back behind the curtain. You'll scold him later.

His gaze shifts across the room. “See that fella over there– the one who looks like it'd kill him to smile? I’m just waiting to drive him home, like I do every week.” He grins again, that same look in his eyes. A look that sets you on edge. “Just a humble cab driver, miss– nothing up my sleeves.”

“Didn't know cabbies could be so exclusive,” you say, still eyeing him. James Wesley has been a regular for a few weeks, but you've never met his driver.

“With what he tips? Doll, I'd do damn near anything he asked.” The stranger chuckles, sipping his drink.

You know what he means: the wait staff has noted a major uptick in gratuities since Mr. Wesley has started frequenting the lounge.

“Very well,” you offer stiffly. It all checks out, but you get the feeling there's something he's not telling you. “I hope everything is to your liking.”

You turn to leave, but he takes your hand before you can go far.

“Oh believe me, it is… Ms. Songbird. ” A wink and a smile play on his lips as he swiftly presses them to your knuckles, letting go just as fast. You storm away before giving the satisfaction of showing how flustered you are.

“Mr. Manalo,” you beckon a waiter as he passes. He stands at attention. You gesture to the table you’d just left, not bothering to look and see if his eyes are still on you.

“Watch out for this one, will you? I get the feeling he isn’t just here for the music.”

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A/N: !!!! every story i write becomes my new favorite, but Noir!Jake has carved a pretty special spot in my heart this autumn. so excited to share more of him with y'all!

as always, thank you for reading :)

addtl tag list: @fandxmslxt69 @shadystarlightgentlemen @casa-boiardi (lmk if you'd like to be added to/removed from this wee tag list)

#my works #moon knight #moon knight fanfiction #moon knight au #jake lockley #jake lockley fanfiction #noir!jake lockley #jake lockley x reader #jake lockley x fem!reader #jake lockley x woc!reader #jake lockley x poc!reader #jake lockley/reader #jake lockley/fem!reader #jake lockley/woc! reader #jake lockley/poc!reader

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donelywell · 7 months

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August 21- 31 2023

This is just how I'd draw Silver, Tails, and Blaze (with a cameo of Amy and Cream)

I've been contemplating Silver's design for a good while, I wanted to draw him with freckles, but since he has fur instead of skin, that wouldn't make a lot of sense (I realize now that animals can have spots on them, so you can expect more freckled designs >:D). Then it hit me, he has Chaos Energy! Just have the freckles be a marking of his Chaos Abilities!

I made him the Guardian of the Time Stones, since it makes obvious sense. You have a time traveller, and a means of time travel, so why are the two not used together??

He's wearing pants because (head canon time >:)) back when Humans and Mobians first interacted, some Mobians mixed their culture in with Humans. That includes wearing entire outfits, living in houses, and having human sounding first and last names. Over the 200 years and since this is a post apocalypse wasteland, it's safer to wear clothes than to not. Though some Mobians still don't wear shirts because it is extremely uncomfortable for them because of extra fur and quills/ spikes.

(+Bonus image of Silver eating a burger because he probably never got to have good food in his 'bad future')

Tails! As Tails grows to a teen, he gets more brown patterns on his fur, the one drawn here is when he's 8. I love the idea of Tails having 2 different colored tails and having them create an effect when he flies with them.

I swapped his oversized gloves with fitting ones, but he has a section of it blue as a reminder of the blue wrist straps Sonic gave him to help make the oversized ones fit him. He also wears socks that matches Sonic fur color (because brothers)

His Miles Electric also goes through a lot of changes. The Miles Electric goes through upgrades depending on what console you can play the game on. In lore reason: it's because he's constantly upgrading the machine. So when he first starts making the Miles Electric (although it is very basic compared to what it is today, only being used as a Chaos Emerald Tracker), it looked like a Game Gear, and in Frontiers: it looks like a Nintendo Switch for example. :)

Blaze was always going to be fun to draw. I made her outfit more fit to be active in (since it's gotta be uncomfortable running in heels and a coat). I like the idea of when she's extremely focused or using strong emotions, her ponytail and tail tip will catch on fire. I replaced the fuzzy material at the end of her gloves with gold bracelets and more jewelry (I'm sorry).

I made the gem on her forehead also a pattern on her arms because I think it'd be a nice touch, and a way to add red-ish pink to more of her character instead of pretty much just on her face.

(+ Amy and Cream :D)

#tails the fox #miles tails prower #silver the hedgehog #blaze the cat #sonic fanart #This is just how I'd draw/ I redesign these characters #I still really gotta learn how to draw gemstones #Hot Honey Cameo on Amy's shirt!#And little Cream in a onesie!

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brawlstars-dragon-au · 6 months

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Sketch dump time! A whole bunch of requests from the crazy ex-bird app

In Order: Maisie, Pam, Colette, Buster, Chester, Chuster ❤️🧡 (and a teeny Gus), Leon and Sandy (Leondy 💚💜), Bull, El Primo, and Mandy!

Extra notes about each sketch:

Maisie:

Her breath attack is a condensed foam material, similar to that of a fire extinguisher. Using a gas similar to a pressurized CO² (based on gas-based fire extinguishers!), she shoots it out at high speeds. These hits can potentially cause frostbite and even severe damage to the body if left unattended. She's quite powerful in this AU due to this ability 👀👀 being able to put out the fires and overpower another dragon's breath? Now THAT'S some queen moves right there! She can also simply spray out the foam substance at short range without that pressurized gas. This helps with more close range fire fighting work.

Her right wing and front leg were undeveloped, a disability she'd had since she hatched. However! With the help of mechanics, she uses these prosthetics to help her fly. Still gotta test out how to draw it to make sense, as well as sort out how it stays in place. I've been using inspiration from Toothless (HTTYD) and his tail that Hiccup made.

Pam:

Pam is a bulkier dragon, very much on the larger side of all of them. I'm at odds with myself to figure out whether ot not she'll have wings 🤔 so I had two copies there! Perhaps her wings may be a bit smaller if I do give her them.

Pam spits out molten magma that's stored up inside her as an attack. However, it can also be chunks of scrap metal that she stores up. Otherwise, it's just magma.

Though I didn't draw this, I want Pam to be very resilient to fire in general, as her species/family of dragon use their ability to spew this magma (technically Lava after ut leaves her body? I'll do more research on this...) in order to craft and shape metal. While other dragons need to spend some time to build up a fire hot enough, the Junker family line is able to do this much more easily. (Amber is a close second, though)

Her skin has the ability to crack and seep up lava out of it, potentially coating her body in this to give herself a temporary lava shield, something extremely hard to break through. (In the future, little Jessie may also be able to do this... however, Pam doesn't think she's ready at the moment and avoids the topic or any ideas of teaching her how.)

Colette:

Colette flies in a sort of funny way, twirling around and flapping her wings to maintain somewhat of a chaotic flight pattern. Think of a snake slithering through the sky, but with large wings and the grace of... a teenage dragon (not much, but it does work).

When she gets better at flying...pray and hope she isn't able to catch up to her favourite brawlers cause she isn't ever gonna let go of them 💀 It makes for a great attack, actually! Charging at enemies and coiling around them like a snake to prevent movement, like a big hug ❤️ she just loves everyone SO much 😍

Buster:

Finally kinda set on a design for this funky guy! He's a larger dragon (smaller than El Primo or Frank, but still definitely up there in size)

His wings never quite grew fully, so he wouldn't be able to fly 😔 however, that'll never stop him and his dreams of being a cool movie star 🧡🧡

Buster, at the heart of it, is an unstoppable force when he sets his mind to something. He'll charge in with the same ferocity as his favouite protagonists, rivalling the audacity and hard-headed nature of even Bull! All while doing so for his friends 💪 we love Buster in this AU frfr

Chester:

Chester always has theatrics when he flies. Flips, spins, and fun aerodynamic movements up in the sky! He's gotta compensate for his lack of speed compared to other wyverns after all, but he thinks he's pretty great 😎

Loved drawing this kinda unique pose tbh! That's what I loved with these drawings, I got to experiment without really thinking too much for em with how polished and clean that look. It was very fun! 🔥

Chuster ft. Gus❤️🧡:

We love some goofy gays here 🥹❤️🧡 I just wanted to let em have a little nuzzle + smooch! Dragons don't necessarily kiss, but little side boops like this are the equivalent of a cheek kiss.

Also, a little Gus on the side 🥹🥹 I love this sort of found family dynamic that have! Buster being the cool dad vibe/big bro to Gus, and then Buster being in a relationship with Chester so that he's also a cool dad too 😎 Gus loved these two guys from the very start, they're funny 🤭 never a boring day for these silly lads.

Leondy 💚💜:

My beloveds 🤲 I really do cherish the ship, as well as strong friendship Sandy and Leon have. (Btw in my HCs, Leon and Sandy are 13 & 14 respectively, just to clear that up!)

Sandy, I've mentioned a few times, is very inspired by Capybaras, so Leon finding one is just perfect 🤭 silly little deadpan face lads.

Bull:

BULLDOZERRRR- What a lad! Bull is inspired by- uh, Bulls! Great creatures, large bodies and thick necks to support those headstrong charges 🐂 I love making his posture all confident, strong steps to say, "Yeah. You TRY and stand up to me. I DARE you." Don't wanna mess with him on most days 🏃‍♀️💨💨

El Primo:

Still figuring out a full-body for El Primo, bit he's roughly the same size as Bull! (Maybe a bit bigger)

El Primo has got really small wings, similar to his El Dragón skin. Even his scales and horns are inspired by that mostly! Love when characters have preexisting dragon themed skins 🤭 makes it a lot easier to make ideas!

His "mask" is actually just body paint. He has similar paint on his body, really showing off the vibrant colours and persona he puts on for the crowds.

He WILL beat up his enemies into a pulp in matches. Thank goodness there's the gem powered regeneration and the respawn system in place 😭 I plan to give him a very strong body and tail, enough to support him when he needs to go on his hind legs and overpower his opponents. Buster is designed in a similar way as well!

Mandy:

Last but not least, the Queen of Candy herself. Not even the Dragon AU let's her escape fast food work 😔😔

Her super attack is purely a magical sugar-based rainbow blast, as shown in the sketch. Also, I'm now realizing that I forgot her red spots oml- No wonder she looks so empty 💀 uhh sorry about that, lads 😭 I'll redraw her one day to show off that glowing effect of her spots 🥹🥹

And that's all! Thank you for reading if you made it this far! Hopefully I can make more of these sketch dumps 🤭✨️ maybe take reqs from here too! We shall see. Take care y'all!

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sunnysam-my · 2 months

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Hazbin Hotel redesign ideas p. 1

Unfortunately I don't really have time to draw rn, but here are some ideas if anyone is looking for inspiration.

THE VEES:

They follow lates trends so they won't stick to the outfits and technologies from the times they died. We even see that Vox changed his screen (head) to more modern, flat TV screen.

Valentino:

He is a moth that realises poison that's basically a date-rape drug. His wings are hidden, looking like a coat, which makes no sense, a cloak, cape or sleeveless coat would look better. He is a pimp who died in 1970s. Val was Hispanic when living. Apparently, he has bad eyesight.

He is supposed to be a moth, but I don't really see it much, and the furr around his neck, that's a part of his body, just looks ridiculous. I would design him after some actual poisonous moth.

Cinnabar moth - The cinnabar is slate-black with two red spots and two pinky-red stripes on the rounded forewings. Its hindwings are pinky-red and bordered with black. The caterpillars feed on poisonous ragwort leaves. The poison from the leaves is stored in the caterpillar's body and remains even when they are an adult. As adult they leak the poison when they need to. Cinnabar moths can be seen flying during the day and night.

Six-spot burnet moth - day-flying moth that flies with a slow, fluttering pattern. It has glossy black, with six red spots on each narrow, but long forewing. They release hydrogen cyanide when attacked.

Personally I would go with Cinnabar moth, but make the spots heart shaped, and leave his inner outfit without the accessories (the suit with the white pants and golden heart belt). I would also leave his general body type but definitely change the neck furr ring, because wtf is that? I would play around with his glasses since he is supposed to have eyesight problems.

[Edit: Actually, I would make him a combo of both moths and make the furr ring his hair, because he is bald without the hat!?!?]

Velvette:

Velv is a fashion designer and critic, she is also an influencer. She keeps the Vees together and their image fresh on the internet. She's a British black woman in her early 30's. Originally her appearance was supposed to be doll-like, but that was changed to 'it-girl' and a 'bad bitch' with a darker aesthetic.

Velvette's outfit is reminiscent of Val's (heart belt, coat with hearts, black stripes on arms) but darker, especially her sleeveless coat that imitates his wings. Since Valentino is already going to be darker (in my idea) and she is a fashion influencer it would make more sense for her to be brighter.

Main thing I would change about her is her skin tone, hair, and Harley Quinn themes left from her old design.

When creating very human like characters it's important to actually get the racial characteristics right. Her ashy skin and "curly" hair just makes it look like they didn't know how to draw a black character. I would give her a different texture, something between 3A and 4B. A hairstyle like heart shaped space buns would be so cool, but even if not, her styl in a poster in the background is already better than the ponytails.

When it comes to her style I would get rid of pom-poms shoes and fingerless gloves. Her outfit for meeting the overlord was pretty okay, but I would change her other outfit. My inspiration would be PidginDoll's design, because he makes fabulous outfits and makeup looks for all bodies, genders and races, but I'll keep the 'goth' (it's not goth, it's just a little bit alt, mostly skulls) theme.

Blue accents like makeup would work great with her brown skin and would reference Vox.

Vox:

I genuinely think he has the best design in the entirety of the show, I would barely change anything. His outfit is similar to Alastor who he is trying to imitate, but he wears a tail suit, which is way more formal and elegant than any other suit, trying to showing he is a better, modern version of Alastor. I've seen some people got rid of his hat and gave him a tail made out a cord for fun, but other than that his design is good. Not too much details and not too little, tells us a lot about the character.

Maybe less stripes, because apparently Viv loves zebras or something. /hj

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel redesign #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #the vees #hazbin hotel valentino #hazbin hotel velvette #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel fanart

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delta-pavonis · 9 months

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Fic: Send a Thank You Note

(a continuation from Jo and Hob BFF shenanigans... @teejaystumbles you wanted to know what happens next!)

Dreamling || Rated E (CW/tags: nsft, getting together, this is really just an excuse for a bit of smut, Dream is a smartass (affectionate), bisexual Hob Gadling, just because Dream is on top doesn't mean that he doesn't want to take dick)

"Hob," Dream stops in the shadow between two streetlamps. Perhaps that is why his expression seems darker when Hob turns to him, one eyebrow raised, and nods for his friend to continue. "Was Johanna Constantine accurate in her assessment of your desire for me?"

Hob flushes again. Not quite the shade that Dream had observed on him earlier, but it's close cousin. It is sweet. And probably answer enough. But he waits to hear what Hob would say.

"Ah, well..." Hob meets Dream's eyes despite the butterflies trying to make him turn tail and run. One hand flies up to tug at his ear and Hob feels fifteen shades of 1789 all over again. "She does like to embellish the truth, and it is not like I am beholden to exactly what she said, but it isn't like I am against somethi-" He is stopped by delicate fingers on his jaw.

Dream has stepped into Hob's personal space, knows he is closer than the propriety of this age would dictate, which is exactly his intention. He takes a moment to marvel at the warmth of Hob's skin, its texture from stubble, how it trembles when Hob sucks in a breath through his teeth.

The hiss of air draws Dream's eyes to Hob's mouth in a way that is too heated to be unconscious. Hob has wanted this, to just be touched by Dream, by his Stranger, for so long. He lists forward, he can't help it, and when those fingertips press just a little more firmly into his face Hob swallows hard, licking his lips.

The sound that catches in Dream's throat upon seeing that tease of Hob's tongue should embarrass him. It should. He is a King. He is more than a god. He is Endless.

He, as the current turn of phrase goes, doesn't give a single fuck.

Dream might as well sky-write his intentions in lightning for how slowly he moves forward. Hob feels the anticipation as a physical weight pressing into his chest, restricting his breathing to shallow huffs. Dream's palm slides up to cup the stubbled jaw and he leans imperceptibly closer. They don't even close their eyes, Hob lost in endless blue even as their noses brush and Dream's lips touch the barest bit to his.

Hob is the one who caves, bends like tall prairie grass in the wind, hands grabbing at Dream's coat as he closes his eyes and kisses Dream for all he is worth. If he is only going get one shot, he might as well do it right.

But the answering rumble that comes from Dream - part growl, part purr, part groan - causes something in Hob to snap.

The kiss becomes a battle and before Hob can muster his forces for a second attack, he has backed Dream into a wall with a thud.

He opens his eyes. And sees dark green with very familiar brass numbers.

Not a wall.

Hob has Dream pressed up against his front door. Which was previously three blocks in front of them.

But Dream is still kissing him like the only air he can breathe is in Hob's lungs, so he doesn't have time to worry about it.

Dream takes his hand out of his coat pocket, dropping any remaining grains of sand, and pushes off the door with his hips and shoulders. After a twist, Hob's back hits the door harder than Dream's did, the door knocker rattling and a low moan pouring into Dream's mouth. He grabs Hob's thighs just beneath his ass and hefts, sliding Hob up the flat surface until he is at least a head taller, until he can suck on that tempting throat and feel those moans from the outside.

Hob clings to Dream's neck and shoulders, head falling back and Jesus fuck if he knew being manhandled like this was such a turn on he'd have sought out beefier partners sooner. Then teeth bite into his neck hard and Hob yelps.

"Do not dare think of others whil-" Hob's tongue in his mouth stops Dream from continuing that sentence for a solid two minutes. When they part, he has other priorities. "Daydream of your bedroom."

Dream's voice is a command and Hob immediately has the room in his mind's eye, imagines pushing Dream down into his sheets, crawling over him and then there is a strong breeze and...

It is a simple trick to take the location from Hob's mind, step them into that dreamspace and then from there into its Waking World counterpart.

"Bloody hell." Hob looks around, wide-eyed. When he turns back to Dream his pupils are blown and his mouth sinfully red. "You are going to explain that to me." He looks down, gets distracted, and starts biting at Dream's lips again. "Later. Explain later." They tumble into the bed, completely clothed, shoes still on, and Hob is about to pull away to say something sensible like "We should talk about this first," but then he hears Dream's fingers snap and suddenly there is not a scrap of fabric between them. "Oh, fuck me."

Dream hums, pressing as much of his skin to Hob's as he can manage and still maintain the boundaries of this form. "One of many options." He finds that the hollow above Hob's clavicle tastes lovely when sweat beads there, laps it up in long swipes that make the human beneath him shudder. "Is that what you would prefer?"

"Oh god," Hob wraps a leg around Dream's hip and grinds them together. "Anything." He repeats the motion and they both groan. "Everything. Yes."

Hob's incoherence strokes Dream's ego and he preens as he sits up, straddling Hob's thighs. The distance allows him to take in Hob's wrecked state, his mussed hair and flushed cheeks and sweat-damp chest. Their cocks brush against each other and Hob hiccups out a groan. When he wraps a hand around Hob the human arches and wails, clawing at Dream's thighs.

Dream knows what he wants, gives a thought to preparing this body for it, adding oil to make slick body parts that are not usually so. He lets go of Hob's dick and crawls forward, one hand on Hob's chest. "While I do abhor proving a Constantine right..." he reaches back and grabs the base of Hob's cock.

"Fuck! Dream we haven't oh Christ you are wet and open." Hob goes from alarm to awe to ecstasy in half a heartbeat, so quickly he feels dizzy. Then Dream starts to sink down and Hob holds on to bony hips for dear life as he watches his cock disappear into Dream's body. When Dream is fully seated Hob falls back into the pillows with a sob. "Dream. How?"

He plays with Hob's chest hair, runs nails over a peaked nipple, as he speaks. "I am the Shaper of Forms, Hob. I can take whatever form you, or I, need. Or want."

Hob tries to process that for a minute, staring up at the ceiling. "You... we are going to need to have a looong conversation after this because otherwise my bi ass is going to lose my job for not showing up for the next three weeks."

Dream laughs, a rumbling chuckle that Hob actually feels in his cock. "What a shame it would be," he starts rocking his hips, dropping down on just about every word, making Dream's speech keep time with the fucking, speeding up as he goes, "for you to be jobless. To have so much free time. Whatever would you do with yourself?"

"Alright, you sassy minx," Hob snaps his hips up as he pulls Dream's hips down and there, that made the eldritch being in his lap really moan. He repeats the motion until they have a rhythm, until they are lost to it. "Close," Hob whispers too soon, "I can't..."

Dream drives himself down harder and relishes Hob's cry. "We can strive for stamina later," he takes one of Hob's hands and wraps it with his own around his cock, fucking into the channel made between their palms. "Come for me, Hob. Please."

It is the please that does it, makes Hob arch and roar and come so hard he almost-

And then Dream's hand clamps down with his, what Hob would have thought would be painfully tight around his lover's cock, and his pale, lithe body, too, arches and then clenches so fucking tight around Hob that it stretches his orgasm longer, pulls more semen from his body in an impossible, lava-hot rush.

Dream watches as his own spend shoots up onto Hob's neck and face and even into his hair. Their is an additional frisson of pleasure that runs through him that he has marked Hob in such a way. He reaches up and smears some of it onto Hob's lips, who sucks at it greedily with a little whine.

Hob pulls Dream down onto the bed, a quiet grunt as his soft cock leaves his lover's body. His lover. They are on their sides, facing each other, and Hob's hand finds Dream's on his hip, tangles their fingers together. The silence that falls between them is warm with smiles and humid breaths.

"Hob, I know that humans do not always..." Dream frowns, gathers his words, and tries again. This is always where the Prince of Stories trips up, when trying to tell his own. "I realize that acting on physical attraction is not an indication of romantic intent. I would know your intentions, if only to moderate my own actions accordingly."

It takes a second for all that to filter through Hob's sex-addled brain, for him to parse the meaning of so many multisyllabic words, but when he gets it Hob can feel his eyebrows knitting. He traces Dream's cheekbone back to behind his ear and further to cup his skull and bring their foreheads together. "Listen carefully, my Dream," Hob hears his friend's breath hitch at that and he smiles, "Yes, as I have recounted the last one-hundred and thirty odd years to you it has probably been clear that I have been what most would characterize as a shameless slut. But if anything could temper me..." Hob takes a shaky breath. "I have wanted to approach you with romantic intent since June 8, 1489, when I realized how long, truly, it would be until I could see you again. So no moderation is needed, dove." He kisses Dream once, just a chaste press of lips. "Because I want all of you."

Dream surges forward and over Hob, gripping the strong muscles of his neck as they open to each other. They part because they are both grinning too widely, laughter too close to the surface, for their mouths to easily fit together.

"Oh gods," Hob giggles, "I am going to have to tell Jo."

"About that," Dream hums, all imperiously satisfied smile, "I might have let images of our, ah, activities filter into her dreams."

"Oh no, Dream. You didn't!" Hob is overcome with a fit of guffawing laughter that doesn't slow until his diaphragm hurts. "Are you telling me that you sent her the metaphysical equivalent of a picture of us in bed?"

Dream lets himself be distracted by the movement of Hob's neck, by tasting the curves of the muscles of his shoulders. "Perhaps."

Hob lapses into a fit of giggles again. "She is going to kill you."

"I would like to see her try." Hob can feel Dream smile into his skin. "Because I have a feeling if she truly has ill-intent then she will have to get through you first."

Hob laughs again, fingers tugging at Dream's hair until their eyes meet. "Aye, you are probably right, love. You are probably right."

#Dreamling #Pavonis writes

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chocogi · 5 months

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Xiao & fennec fox child hybrid reader

A lost little feral

Xiao's patrol was supposed to be simple. Clear the areas, and check Azhdaha's seal. Until he finds a lone little foxling rustling about by Azhdaha's tree.

cw; none, i think? fluff. minor mentions of sickness. its x reader

ha betcha didnt think i woyld write genshin again after throwing up a cod drabble. its eating my brain xiao is my baby

The rain pours its tears onto the earth as Xiao walks down the dirt path towards Nantianmen. Azhdaha has been defeated and resealed, but the seal must be checked periodically to prevent fault.

A geovishap hatchling screeches and chases down its mother's tail. A few burrowing weasels wrestled by a pool, where a crane serenely picks at its talons and sips atthe water.

Amidst the roots of the majestic tree Azhdaha sleeps under, quiet rustling pricks at Xiao's ears and snares his attention easily.

Xiao sighs. He must check, lest there be a threat he might accidentally dismiss.

His patrols were supposed to be a simple matter

A sharp cry scares the peaceful crane, and it flies off, startling the weasels, who burrow away. The geovishap curls closer to its mother while she scans the surrounding area before cooing down at her precious little warrior.

A blink, and Xiao is nowhere for a moment, before a little fennec hybrid lets out a muffled shriek as the yaksha reappears behind them, shushing them with a hand to their mouth.

"You are a long way from home, little fox," Xiao mumbles. observing the squirming child caught in his arms. "What are you doing here?"

The fennec simply squirms and wriggle in his hold, tail tucked between their legs and large ears flattened in clear fear.

"Tell me." His grip tightens slightly, and the child wails softly in pain, their struggling beaten down quickly. But they don't speak.

With a huff, Xiao pushes the child away allowing them to scramble off and hide in the winding roots of the large tree. "If you won't speak, fine. Will you follow me to the Harbour?"

They look at him with fear and apprehension in big doe-eyes that somehow fit with their vulpine features, and they shake their head. He sighs. "Do you have a name?" They shake their head again.

Xiao thinks for a second, and teleports away.

The second time Xiao finds them, they're stuck on the tree, ears pinned to their head and tail tucked around one of their legs. When Xiao tries to approach, the little kit just wails and scampers away, higher and higher onto the branches. His brow twitches.

It takes about five minutes of Xiao chasing the child all over the tree for him to catch the wriggling, fearful fiend and deposit them back onto the ground, safely. It takes another minute for him to try and fail to calm their panicking as they just keep running away from him.

Xiao sighs, shakes his head, and moves on with his patrol.

The third time, it was raining again.

A coat is draped onto the shivering fox's shoulders once Xiao finds them again, and he sits beside them, uncaring of the mud that will rub into his sash.

He pulls out a sunsettia. "Eat."

The child mumbles a small thank you in a tongue he does not understand, before biting into the fruit. It tasted of mangoes, with the texture of an apple and the shape of a pear.

When Xiao leaves, three sunsettia cores have been left by the tree's roots, the little kit ushered into the cavity under the roots where Azhdaha's seal is visible.

Xiao left them a warning not to touch the barrier, and an armful more of sunsettias.

For the fourth, the child does not skitter away once they see him, and Xiao counts that as a win.

He sits by the entrance, the soil still damp and cold, and pulls out a container of "Sweet Dreams," his take on the silky almond tofu. Xiao portions a bite onto a spoon and holds it out to the foxling.

"Come here, eat it," he coaxes, but Xiao doesn't think it's doing much, considering he was never one for verbal comfort. Still, he holds out the spoon, waiting patiently.

It's only when an ache starts to bloom in his outstretched arm that the child trots closer, gently gripping onto his hand as they eat the bite of the sweet, silky dessert.

And if Xiao smiles when their eyes widen and sparkle and they drape themselves over his lap asking for more, no one will know.

On their fifth meeting, when Xiao finds the foxling curled up, shaking and sick, he only sighs, and bundles them up to take back to the inn.

It has been raining periodically, and the yaksha is unsurprised when the foxling eventually succumbs to a flu.

"Do you really not have a name? I can't keep calling you 'child'," he mumbles down at his shivering charge, and when they shake their head, he pats them gently.

"Alright then."

Xiao pets the foxling's ears. "We will find a name for you later."

In truth, he had asked for a name from his master, believing that he would soon come to take care of the child himself once the wild leaves them sick and weak. But he is still busy in the Harbour hand has yet to visit the Inn again, so waiting it is.

#xiao and child reader #xiao genshin #xiao x reader #hybrid reader #xiao #genshin #genshin impact #xiao genshin impact #thoughtless meja #tofu midget #so is it just me who calls xiao ‘tofu midget’ from time to time

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starstruckphantommoon · 19 days

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Polar Opposites - Book 2: Earth - Chapter 6: The Chase

It’s been three days since Toph joined you and the others and currently, you’re just about to start setting up camp for the night since we’ve been flying all day. “Hey, you guys picked a great campsite.” Toph says as you slide down Appa’s tail only to see Toph standing in Appa’s fur. “The grass is so soft.” she says. “That's not grass. Appa's shedding.” Sokka tells her. Katara jumps, lifting her right foot out of the fur, balancing on her left. “Oh, gross!” “That's not gross; it's just a part of spring.” Aang explains from in the saddle on Appa’s back as a blue bird lands gracefully on his head and a yellow butterfly flutters by his right ear which Momo jumps up in an attempt to snatch. “You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat!” “Ah, the beauty of spring.” Katara drawls as Appa sticks his tongue out, revealing that fur is covering it.

A second later, the fur on his tongue causes him to sneeze, blowing fur everywhere. “Stop, Appa, stop!” Katara shouts, coughing, waving her arms to stop Appa from covering her in even more fur. “It’s not that bad, Katara.” Sokka says to her, making me to turn to him to see him putting fur on his head. He stands to reveal fur piled on his head to form a tall pillar of hair. “It makes a great wig!” he exclaims with a giant smile on his face. “And a great beard!” Aang says while jumping down from Appa’s back with a large mustache and beard made out of fur on his face. Sokka and Aang point and laugh at the sight of one another. “I’m just glad we finally have another girl in the group because you two are disgusting.” Katara says unamused while you nod in agreement.

“Excuse me,” Toph’s voice begins, causing both you and Katara to turn to the three of them as Toph walks in between the two boys. “does anyone have a razor…” She lifts both arms to reveal a mass of white fur emerging out of both of her sleeves, under her arms. “...because I've got some hairy pits!'' She finishes causing the three of them to laugh at least until he gives one of his powerful sneezes, thrusting him backwards into Appa’s leg and then falling face down on the ground. He lifts his head to reveal his beard and mustache are gone but he now has a large mass of fur sticking jaggedly up on his back. All three of them begin laughing again. You and Katara stand there for a moment in silence before giggling softly.

You currently sit next to the fire pit, waiting for Sokka to bring some more firewood over so that you can start the fire, that way you can start making dinner. You see Sokka carrying some more firewood and you tell him to place it on the ground beside you. You’ve always been the one to take care of the fire and make dinner. Personally, you think it’s because you’re the oldest in the group and you used to always make dinner for everyone back home too, with the help of your grandmother and a couple other women just so that you weren't the only one making the meal for everyone in the village.

You’re placing the wood in the fire pit when you see Katara get up from the pot of water that she had gathered, walking over to where Toph sits. “So, Toph, usually when setting up camp we try to divide up the work.” “Hey, don't worry about me,” Toph begins. “I'm good to go.” “Well, actually, what I'm trying to say is, uh, some of us might fetch water while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent.” Katara explains. Momo then flies over to her, dropping a few nuts into Katara’s hand before fluttering in place. “Even Momo does his fair share.” She says, showing Toph the nuts. Toph takes the straw from her mouth. “Katara, I'm fine.” she says. “I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food, and look,” she sits up and uses her earthbending to create a stone tent. “my tent's all set up.” she finishes. “Well, that’s great for you, but we still need to finish…” Katara says, becoming steadily more annoyed. “I don’t understand.” Toph says irritated. “What’s the problem here?” “Never mind.” Katara says as she walks away from her as she earthbends herself back into her tent.

You sit next to the fire, watching as Sokka and Aang take Appa’s saddle off for the night. Using his airbending, Aang lifts the saddle off of his back and attempts to lower it down to Sokka, but accidentally drops it on top of him. “Aaaah!” Sokka yells as he squirms underneath the saddle. Aang leaps down from Appa, lifting the saddle off of him. “Sorry!” You giggle softly before turning to see Katara walking over to Toph again. “Hey Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier.” Katara says to her. “I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each others' nerves.”

“Yeah, you do seem pretty tired.” Toph replies. “I meant all of us.” Katara says angrily. “Well, goodnight.” Toph says to her before she turns around, laying down on her chest inside of her stone tent. “Goodnight.” Katara says, half-heartedly before she walks away. Katara sits next to me with a tired sigh. “Don’t worry Katara, she’ll come around.” you tell her. “Yeah, I know.” she answers softly. “Just give her some time to get used to being a part of this team. For now though, let’s get a good night’s rest, we have a long day of flying tomorrow.” She turns to you with a soft smile. “Okay.”

“There’s something coming toward us!” Toph’s voice exclaims, causing you and your siblings to jolt awake since the three of you were sleeping soundly. “What is it?” Aang asks her as you, Katara and Sokka poke your heads out of the tent, wondering as to what’s going on. Toph kneels to the ground to feel for the vibrations, you’re guessing. “It feels like an avalanche… But also not like an avalanche.” Toph answers, sounding unsure. “Your powers of perception are frightening.” Sokka says to her, tiredly. “Should we leave?” Katara asks. “Better safe than sorry.” Aang answers and you agree whole-heartedly.

After packing up all of our stuff, the five of you mount Appa again, ready to get away from whatever Toph sensed that’s coming straight for us. “Yip yip!” Aang says and Appa takes off into the sky. You sit next to Sokka and Katara in Appa’s saddle, looking back at a large cloud of dust. “What is that thing?” you ask no one in particular, as we all look back at the large cloud of dust in confusion, wondering what it is.

We’ve been flying for a couple of hours now and you and the others are getting really tired. You’re currently leaning on Sokka who’s supporting his head with his right arm on the side of the saddle as he tries to stay awake. “I think we lost 'em.” you hear Aang say quietly. “We should try and get some rest.” You and the others let out tired groans in agreement and you feel Appa start his descent.

Once all six of Appa’s feet land on the ground, Toph jumps out of the saddle and lays flat on the ground. “Ahh, land, sweet land!” she exclaims as you and the others climb down from the saddle. “See you guys in the morning!” she says to the rest of you as she uses her earthbending to propel herself to her feet and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Actually, can you help us unload?” Katara asks. “Really?” Toph asks her as she turns to face us again. “You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?” she continues as you hand down the mentioned sleeping bag to Sokka.

Taking the sleeping bag in his grip, your brother takes a few sniffs, twitches in disgust and falling to the ground. “Well, yeah.” Katara answers, walking toward her, as you jump down from Appa to help Sokka to his feet again. “That and everything else. You're a part of our team now and…” she says but Toph interrupts. “Look.” she says, clearly irritated. She then points at Katara angrily. “I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight.” she continues as she turns and walks away. “That’s not the point.” Katara says, putting her hands on her hips, before stomping after Toph. “Ever since you joined us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful.” “What?!” Toph asks angrily as she turns halfway, pointing at Katara again. “Look here, sugar queen,” she says as she drops her arm. “I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!” she finishes before she sits down and making another stone tent around herself. “‘Sugar Queen’?!” Katara repeats angrily, only for Toph to close off her rock tent by bringing a slab of earth up to cover the opening. “D-Did you just slam the door in my face?! How can you be so infuriating?!” she asks as she moves around the tent erratically. “Should we... do something?” Aang asks you and Sokka as the three of you watch Katara. “Hey, I'm just enjoying the show.” Sokka replies while you just shake your head at your sister’s actions.

Aang hesitantly walks up to Katara as she pounds on the ‘door’ of the tent. “Okay, okay, you both need to calm down.” he says to her, causing Katara to tense up. “‘Both’?” Katara asks. She turns to face him. “I’m completely calm!” “I… can see that.” Aang says to her hesitantly, as he slowly backs away from her.

After Katara finally calmed down, you all just decided to unload our sleeping bags, not wanting to waste any more time setting up camp. You lay in between Sokka and Aang, ready to finally get some more sleep. “The stars sure are beautiful tonight.” Katara states making you and Sokka to look at her in aggravation before both of you cover your heads with your sleeping bags, trying to drown out the noise. “Too bad you can't see them, Toph!”

You’re about to say something when you hear a grunt and feel the ground rumble against you. That’s when Katara lands on top of Sokka. “Hey,” Sokka says as he flips Katara off of him, resulting in her landing in between you and Sokka. “how is a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and earthquaking!?” You roll your eyes, about to respond when Toph brings down the ‘door’ of her tent. “That thing is back!” she exclaims, making you, Aang, Katara, and Sokka to look at her. “Well, how far away is it?” Sokka asks before he covers his head again. “Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes.”

In the corner of your eye you see something, making you turn your head, only to see smoke coming over the treeline. “I don’t think so, Sokka.” you say urgently. The five of you quickly pack your stuff again and take off. “Seriously, what is that thing?” Katara asks as she, you and Toph look over the back of the saddle at whatever it is that’s following you all. “And how does it keep finding us?” Toph asks, sounding irritated. “I don’t know, but this time I’m going to make sure we lose ‘em.” Aang replies, making Appa fly even faster.

After flying for who knows how long, Appa lands again. When he does though, he falls over onto his side making all five of you fall out of the saddle. You just stay where you are, too tired to even get into your sleeping bag… “Okay, forget about setting up camp.” Sokka says as he pulls out his sleeping bag, stuffing himself into it. “I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep.” “That’s good,” Katara answers as she pulls her sleeping bag under her head to use as a pillow. “because Toph wasn't going to help anyway.” “Oh, I didn’t realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed.” Toph replies back sarcastically.

You sigh out of irritation, not wanting to hear yet another argument between your sister and Toph. “Come on guys,” Aang sighs out tiredly. “there's something after us and we don't even know what” he covers his face with the top of his shirt, muffling his voice as he continues. “or who it is.” “It could be Zuko.” Katara says, making your eyes widen at the thought of seeing Zuko again after all this time, especially since you haven’t seen him since we were in the North Pole. “We haven't seen him since the North Pole.” “Who's Zuko?” Toph asks. “Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who’s tracked us all over the world.” Sokka answers, making you turn to him, a smirk planted on your face. “What’s wrong with ponytails, ponytail?”

Sokka gestures to his hair, his face still in the dirt, making his voice muffled. “This is a warrior's wolf tail.” “Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky!” you say before laying your head back onto your sleeping bag again. “Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here.” Sokka says as he sits up, turning to you and the others. “So... now would everyone just- shhh!” he shhh’s you all before laying back down on his back.

Not even a minute after Sokka lays back down and Momo jumps onto his stomach, chirping. “No, Momo, ssh!” Sokka says to the lemur, placing his hand on the lemur’s head. “Sleepy time.” Momo jumps off of Sokka, continuing to chirp urgently, making all of us turn to him. “Aww, don't tell me…” Sokka groans, placing his head onto the ground again as you, Toph and Katara get up from the ground. “That's impossible. There's no way they could have tracked us.” Aang says to you and the others. “I can feel it with my own two feet!” Toph exclaims. At Toph saying that, Aang runs over to Momo, getting a better look. Your eyes widen at the sight of smoke approaching from the distance before you walk up to Aang’s side, seeing some sort of machine made out of metal crawling over a hill as it continues to approaches the five of you. “Let's get out of here!” Katara exclaims to you and the others. “Maybe we should face them. Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly.” Aang says optimistically. “Always the optimist.” Sokka groans sarcastically.

A moment later, the machine comes to a stop and the side of the final compartment opens. White smoke pours out and a ramp descends. In the smoke you see three figures. You squint your eyes at the sight of the three figures, wondering as to who they are and what they want with you, considering they’ve been following you all night. The three figures descend the ramp, out of the smoke, the middle one in the lead. Your eyes widen at the sight of the three girls that you and your siblings had faced in Omashu, riding giant lizards. ‘Azula!’ you think, instantly recognizing the princess of the Fire Nation.

The three girls stay stationary for a moment before they start running towards you and the others at a remarkable speed. “It's those three girls from Omashu!” Katara exclaims.

All five of you assume our own unique battle stances, Sokka having to draw his boomerang. “We can take 'em. Three on four.” Toph says. “Actually, Toph, there's five of us.” Sokka corrects her. “Oh. I'm sorry,” Toph apologizes. “I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all.” Sokka drops his stance at that, a furious expression on his face. “I can still fight!” “Okay. Three on four plus Sokka.” Toph corrects which only makes Sokka growl furiously at her, his face turning red with anger. As the Azula and her two friends get closer to you and the others, Toph jabs her arms and fists in the air three times, while on the third time opening her palms, causing a large rumble of earth descend down from her position, blasting rock everywhere and large rock formations rise from the ground to impede them but they simply ride over each one. ��Well, we wanted to find out who they were. We found out.” Sokka says while sheathing his boomerang. “Now let's get out of here.” he says as all of us except for Toph run toward Appa.

As you climb up onto Appa, you see a large wall of earth blocking Azula and her friends’ path, which causes you to let out a small breath of relief. That is until Azula literally summons lightning out of her finger tips, breaking a large portion of the wall, in which she and her two friends ride their lizards through to continue their pursuit of you and the others. “Come on guys, we need to go! NOW!” you exclaim, not wanting to get hit with Azula’s crazy blue fire! The others heed your warning, getting into the saddle. Toph literally earthbending herself into the saddle when the girl, who you remember whose name is Mai, shoots some daggers at her. “Appa, yip yip!” Aang says and Appa just begins to fly away from the hill as a blast of blue fire emerges from the dust cloud Toph’s earthbending created.

You yawn tiredly as you lean up against the side of the saddle, just wanting to go to sleep, but with Azula and her two friends following you and the others… You don’t think that’s going to happen though… “I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu.” Katara says, making you look at her. “I still think we could've taken them.” Toph says. “Are you kidding?” Katara asks, exasperatedly. “The crazy blue firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but last time we saw them one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary.”

That’s right, you do remember her saying that one of them did something to cause her bending to go away for a while. Now, you weren’t there since you were trying to stop Azula from getting to Aang when he was trying to get Bumi. A bright orange light makes you wince as you look into the distance to see the sun rising over a hill. “Oh no, the sun is rising!” Sokka exclaims. “We've been up all night with no sleep.” You groan softly at the thought of not sleeping for the whole night, wishing that you could land and get at least a couple of hours of sleep. “Sokka, we'll be okay.” Aang says to him. “Are you sure?!” Sokka asks him hysterically. “I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? And something always happens!” “Every time we land, those girls are there, so we'll just have to keep flying.” Katara says. “We can't keep flying forever.” Aang replies, which makes you nod, knowing that you and the others would have to face Azula and her two friends again sooner or later.

It’s been a few hours since the sun rose, and you and the others are still flying. You hear Aang let out a yawn. “So, what’s the plan?” You groan softly at the thought of thinking of a plan. “Don't know... too tired to think.” you groan tiredly. “I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap.” Katara says. “Yes! Sleep!” Sokka replies, to which you hum in agreement too, thinking that taking a nap would be heavenly right now.

You can feel sleep start to overcome your body when you feel weightless. Your eyes shoot open, seeing that Appa is literally not flying anymore, he’s falling straight towards the ground. Before you get too far away from the saddle, you grab the side of it desperately, not wanting to plummet to the ground to your death… “What's going on?!” Toph shouts over the wind. “Appa fell asleep!” Aang shouts back. You all scream at Aang’s answer. “Wake up, buddy!” you hear Aang exclaim to Appa as you and the others hold onto the saddle desperately. Just as you get to the top of the trees, Appa catches himself, causing all five of you to land in the saddle roughly. Appa starts flying through the trees. As you go through the trees, you cling to the side of the saddle even tighter, knowing that with the tree branches hitting your body you could easily be knocked off of Appa, which would not be a good thing.

The next thing you know, Appa crashes into the ground, finally sliding to a stop. You sigh tiredly, as you slowly get up from your spot in the saddle. You see Aang slide off of Appa’s head, landing on the ground. “Appa's exhausted.” he sighs as you, Sokka, Katara, and Toph get off of Appa, you, Sokka and Katara holding your sleeping bags in your arms, ready to get some rest. “Okay,” Sokka sighs tiredly. “we've put a lot of distance between us and them. The plan now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep.” “Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues.” Katara says, which makes you groan out in irritation, knowing that the two of them are going to argue, again.

Katara’s comment makes Toph spring awake from her spot on the ground, slamming her hands down on the ground causing it to break a little. “What?!” she screams out in anger. “Alright, alright! Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest.” Aang says, trying to make the two of them stop fighting with each other. “No! I want to hear what Katara has to say.” Toph says defiantly. “You think I have issues?” “I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier we could've set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep and then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!” Katara explains angrily. You groan tiredly, just deciding that you really don’t want to deal with them arguing again, rolling your sleeping bag out, collapsing onto it, Sokka doing the same, beside you. “You're blaming me for this!?” Toph asks her angrily. You groan out again as you sit up from your sleeping bag, just as Katara makes a ‘bring it on’ gesture at Toph, who advances, her fists clenched in anger.

You’re about to intervene when Aang zips in between them to try to stop the fighting between them. “No, no! She's not blaming you!” “No, I'm blaming her!” Katara confirms, which makes me mentally facepalm. “Hey!” Toph exclaims before she throws Aang out of the way, making him land on Appa’s back behind the saddle. “I never asked you for diddly doo da. I carry my own weight! Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here!” She says, pointing at Appa who’s still sleeping. Your eyes widen at her accusation. “What? You're blaming Appa?!” Aang exclaims from his spot on Appa’s back. “Yeah!” Toph answers as she walks over to Appa’s side. “You wanna know how they keep finding us?” She asks as she grabs a bunch of hair from Appa's side and opens her palm to let it blow away in the breeze. “He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!” Aang jumps down from Appa’s back at her accusation. “How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today!” he shouts. “If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! He is! Appa's carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!” he exclaims which makes your eyes widen even more. ‘Oh boy…’ you think, knowing that Aang’s going to regret what he just said to her.

Toph walks away at Aang’s words, passing him and Katara, approaching her bag, kicking the ground causing it to fly up into her arms via earthbending. “I'm outta here.” Toph says as she begins to walk away towards the forest. Sokka gets up from his sleeping bag, running in front of her. “Wait.” he says to her as he stands in front of her, his arms raised. All Toph does is tap the ground with her feet causing the ground under Sokka to move to the side along with him, before she continues to walk away without a word.

Toph disappears into the forest and you look over at Aang who just realized what he just did. Aang raises his arms to the sky, his eyes wide in shock. “What did I just do?!” he exclaims as he falls down to the ground. “I can't believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher. Now she's gone.” “I know.” Katara agrees, sullenly. “We're all just trying to get used to each other, and I was so mean to her.” “Yeah,” Sokka agrees as he hands you a cup of tea. “you two were pretty much jerks.” he continues while taking a sip of his own tea. “Thanks, Sokka.” Katara says sarcastically. “No problem.” Sokka answers with a smile. “We need to find Toph and apologize.” you say to the others. “Okay, but what are we going to do about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?” Sokka asks. You get up from the ground trying to think of a plan just as Aang pulls fur off of Appa before letting it flutter away in the breeze. “I have a plan.”

A little while later, you, Aang and Katara stand on the banks of the river using waterbending, creating spouts of water that are splashing onto Appa’s back, while Sokka stands in the water next to Appa’s head with a scrubbing stick. Once you think that all of the loose fur is off of Appa, you all get ready to find Toph. “Toph was right. Appa's fur was leaving a trail right to us.” Aang says to us. “But now that he's clean, no more trail!” “Are you sure that he's okay to fly?” Katara asks him. “He'll be fine as long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here.” Aang answers. He then moves to a pile of fur on the ground and places it into a bag. “I'm going to use Appa's fur to make a fake trail and lead the tank off course.” he says. “I’ll go with you, you might need back up.” You say to him as you step forward, not really wanting him to go by himself, just in case Azula finds out what you’re doing.

****

You and Aang watch as Katara and Sokka take off on Appa. With a grunt, Appa takes off, but he doesn’t manage to clear the closest trees and hits them, causing their tops to break off and crash below. “Alright,” Aang says, making me turn to him. “let’s get moving.” You nod, getting ready to jump on top of his glider. With a running start, Aang opens his glider and the two of you take off into the air, fur dropping out of the bag that he had put it in.

You and Aang have been flying for hours now… You’re now flying over a desert. “I see a town up ahead.” you say to Aang over the wind. “Why don’t we wait there?” You see Aang nod in agreement as he continues to fly toward the town that you see in the distance. You jump off of Aang’s glider just before he lands. The two of you walk down the main road. As you walk behind Aang, you glance around the town, seeing that it’s been abandoned for a while… ‘I wonder what happened here…’ you think solemnly as you look at all of the damaged buildings.

You and Aang get to the other end of the town, where he shakes the last bits of fur out of the bag. He then opens his glider to leave, but he hesitates. “Aang? What is it?” you ask him. He doesn’t answer, he just turns around, looking back down the trail of fur leading out of the abandoned town. You see a look of determination come up on his face for a moment before he closes his glider and sits cross legged at the end of the trail of fur, waiting to face our pursuers.

It’s been a couple of hours now and you and Aang have been waiting patiently for one or Azula and both of her friends to find us. I just hope it’s not Zuko’s crazy sister, Azula… You would rather go up against her 2 friends than deal with her crazy blue fire and lightning.

****

The sun is just over the mountain range in the distance when you see a lone figure riding a giant lizard in the distance. At the sight of the familiar figure of the Princess of The Fire Nation, you internally groan. ‘Of course, it had to be her that followed us and not her two friends…’ you think as she reaches the main drag of the town, dismounting her lizard. “Alright, you've caught up with us.” Aang says to her. “Now who are you and what do you want?” he asks her. You, of course, already know who she really is, but Aang and your siblings don’t. The girl in front of us is Azula, princess of The Fire Nation, the younger sister of Zuko the banished crowned prince of The Fire Nation. “You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here’s a hint.” Azula says to him, a smirk on her face before putting her right hand over her left eye. “I must find the Avatar to restore my honor.” she continues, clearly trying to imitate Zuko’s voice.

You and Aang both stare at her emotionless, neither of you finding what she did or said funny. “It's okay. You can laugh. It's funny.” she says, putting her hand down, smirking in amusement. “So what now?” Aang asks her. “Now... Now it's over.” Azula answers. “You and your little waterbender friend here are tired and you have no place to go.” she states. “You two can run, but I'll catch you.” she finishes. Not frightened by her threat, you and Aang get up from the ground, ready to fight even though you’re both exhausted. “We’re not running.” you state, determined as you cover your arms with the water from my water pouch.

You and Aang face Azula, waiting for her to make a move to attack the two of you, ready for a fight. “Do you really want to fight me?” Azula asks you and Aang, sounding cocky, as if she knows that she’ll win. The sound of an ostrich horse cuts you off from replying to her question, and your eyes widen as the rider that was riding the ostrich horse lands on the ground in a crouching position. “Yes,” the figure answers, your eyes widening even more at the all too familiar voice. The figure stands, throwing the straw hat that he had on his head away, revealing the all too familiar face of Prince Zuko. “I really do.” Zuko continues while glaring at his sister. “Zuko!” Aang exclaims softly, from his spot next to you at the sight of the scarred prince.

You look at Zuko with wide eyes, taking in his appearance. He’s changed a lot since you last saw him at the North Pole: his hair is no longer in a pony tail and he’s a lot skinnier and paler than the last time you saw him. “I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu.” Azula states, crossing her arms over her chest, smirking smugly at him. You and Aang both stifle a laugh at her nickname for him. “‘Zuzu?’” you ask at the same time.

You can’t believe you didn’t think of calling him that while you were his ‘prisoner’. You’re going to have to remember to call him that when you get the chance. You’re broken out of your thoughts when Zuko assumes a firebending stance. He faces Azula, but his arms are outstretched, one outstretched towards Azula, and the other outstretched towards you and Aang. “Back off, Azula! He's mine!” Zuko says to her. “I'm not going anywhere.” Azula replies while assuming her own firebending stance. The four of you stand off with one another, eyeing each other closely, looking to see who’s going to make the first move.

For a moment, Zuko’s golden eyes meet mine and I feel my heart skip a beat. You gulp warily, not knowing how this standoff will end, especially with both Zuko and Azula trying to get to Aang. As far as you’re concerned, you need to protect Aang at all cost, even if that means getting myself hurt or killed in the process… “Aang, you need to get out of here.” you whisper to him, hoping that Azula can’t hear you. “What?” Aang asks worriedly as he continues to look at the two firebenders in front of the two of you. “(Y/N), no I-” “No Aang. You need to get out of here as soon as you can. Find Sokka, Katara and Toph and get as far away from here as possible.” You say to him, your eyes not leaving Azula, knowing that she’s going to be the one to make the first move. You see Aang look at you worriedly from the corner of your eye. You know that he doesn’t want to leave you behind, but at this point, that’s the only option that the two of you have right now…

As you predicted, Azula is the one to make the first move. She launches a blast of blue fire at Zuko, who blocks it with a wall of his own fire. Though he blocks the blast, it does knock him back into one of the buildings. “Go Aang! Get out of here!” you say to him. Aang doesn’t hesitate to jump into the air with his glider. You turn to Azula who shoots a long wave of blue fire towards the two of you. You somersault out of the way, just in time, not getting burned by the blue flames. You then turn my head toward where Aang is, only to see him land on the ground, twirling his staff to dissipate the flames as they come down on him. You turn back to Azula, seeing her run along the roofs of the buildings, running towards Aang. you shoot multiple icicles at her, hoping that just one can make her stop going after him. She dodges all of them by jumping off the building and landing near Aang. Aang avoids her by mere inches, getting up as she swings her leg around, shooting fire at him.

In the corner of your eye, you see that Zuko has rejoined the fight and is now firing blasts at Azula. Well, at least you know he’s not going after Aang right now. You launch multiple blasts of water at Azula, which makes her attack you as well as both Zuko and Aang. The four of you, continue trading bending blasts. None of them landing on their targets. After a few moments, Azula chases Aang into the upper floor of one of the destroyed buildings. You and Zuko meet eyes for only a second before running after her. You run up the stairs behind Zuko, your eyes widening when you see him literally fall through the floor with a shout of surprise. You hear him land on the ground with a crash, which makes you wince.

Luckily you didn’t rush in like he did. You focus on Aang again who’s sitting on an air scooter in mid air. He makes a noise of surprise as Azula fires at him. Aang dissolves the rest of the scooter, before bounding over to her on the ledge, knocking her off. Aang runs out of the building with you right behind him as another shot of blue flames shoots through the door of the second floor of the building. You and Aang jump down into the main drag, ready to run when the side of the building is blown open by a blast of blue fire and Zuko is blown out onto the street in front of the two of you.

Azula charges at you and Aang, firing blasts at both of you. Both of you dodge each of them, going in different directions. You glance over at Zuko for a moment, seeing that he hasn’t gotten up yet. You’re about to run over to his side when you see Appa land at the end of the road. You smile at the sight of your siblings as they jump off of Appa, running toward you. “Where’s Aang?!” Katara asks, the worry in her voice, very evident. You point over to the building you had seen him fall into. “In there.” you answer, to which she nods in reply before running towards the building to help Aang against Azula. “Come on! I have an idea.” he says to you, grabbing my hand, dragging you over to an alley.

A few minutes later, Katara runs out of the building, Azula right behind her. Azula passes the alley that you and Sokka are hiding in and you and your brother jump out, attacking her. Sokka with his club and you shooting icicles at her which she dodges. Azula backs up into the street as you, Aang, Sokka, and Katara forming an arc around her, pushing her back. Azula launches herself at Aang, who jumps out of the way. You shoot a blast of water at the princess which makes her turn to you and your siblings shooting a blast of fire at you, making the three of you to dodge before continuing to exchange blasts.

The four of you continue to make her fall back, at least until Azula falls to the ground. You smile at the sight of a very familiar blind earthbender standing behind the princess who is still on the ground. “I thought you guys could use a little help.” she says with a smile on her face. “Thanks.” Katara replies with a genuine smile. Azula gets up and starts to run to get away from the five of you. As she runs off, she fires at you and the others a few times before turning down an alley. You and the others run down the alley after her, seeing her run into Iroh’s stomach. You smile at the sight of the old man as you reach the end of the alley with the others.

The seven of you start to close in on Azula, who is now backing up into a corner of a burnt out building. She has no place to go. “Well, look at this.” Azula smirks as the seven of you spread out around her, making sure that she has nowhere to run. “Enemies and traitors all working together.” “I'm done.” she states a moment later as she raises her hands in surrender. “I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor.”

You glare at the princess from your spot in between Zuko and Toph, knowing that she probably will do something to escape. You glance at Zuko and Iroh for a second, seeing that Iroh’s eyes are focused on you and the others instead of Azula. You turn your focus back on Azula again to see her smirking smugly and in a flash she strikes Iroh with a blast of blue fire square in the chest. Iroh spins around before he falls to the ground. You and Zuko both turn around, Zuko screaming at the sight of him falling to the ground. “NO!” you scream as you and the others simultaneously fire at Azula. Azula makes a shield of blue fire, but the combined blows of the forces directed at her causes a tremendous explosion. You and the others brace ourselves against the explosion as it passes.

After a moment, you get to your feet from your crouched position on the ground. You look at the abandoned town to see the burning debris from the explosion raining down. You turn to where Azula was a moment ago, waiting for the smoke to clear. Once it clears, your eyes widen to see that she’s nowhere to be seen. You grit my teeth in anger, wanting to go after her, but that’s when you remember what had happened to Iroh just moments ago. You quickly turn around to see Zuko to see that he’s no longer beside you but kneeling beside Iroh. You hear him groan out in sadness and anger, his hands clenching his hair for a second before he slumps down. You and the others slowly approach him from behind. Zuko turns to address you and the others angrily. “Get away from us!” Katara steps forward, placing one hand over her heart and stretching out the other in a gesture of aid freely offered. “Zuko, I can help!” Zuko turns and unleashes a wave of fire over their heads. “Leave!” You see Aang and Katara look at each other for a second before they and the other 2 turn away from Zuko and Iroh.

While the others start to run over to Appa, you stay put, staring at Zuko and Iroh with tears threatening to fall down your cheeks, knowing that if you go with the others and not help Zuko take care of Iroh… You don’t know what will happen… You hear the others stop in their tracks, probably wondering as to why you’re not following them. “(Y/N)…?” you hear Katara say from behind you, and from her voice, you know that she doesn’t want you to go with Zuko and Iroh. “What are y-” you cut her off by shaking your head as you turn to face her and the others. “I can’t leave them...” You say softly, your eyes not leaving Zuko’s back as he kneels over Iroh.

You glance over at the others, they look hesitant. You can understand why they're hesitant about you staying with Zuko and Iroh… You mean, Zuko literally captured you multiple times and yet, you’re willing to stay behind to help him for more reasons than you can say and care to admit to them… “You guys go, I’ll be fine.” you tell them. The four of them share glances with one another before running off towards Appa.

Once you know that the others are gone, you slowly make your way over to Zuko. You see his body tense up the closer you get to him, but he doesn’t make a move to tell you to go away. “Zuko…” you say softly as you place your hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, he doesn’t push you away or tell you to leave him alone, like he just did to the others. “Go away (Y/N)…” he says softly, the sadness and the anger at himself and about what had happened to Iroh very evident in his voice. “I’m not going anywhere Zuko.” you say to him as you kneel down next to him, placing your hand on his shoulder. “Please… Let me help you…” you plead softly.

He turns to you a moment later, and your heart breaks in seeing the immense hurt in his eyes. “It’s going to be okay Zuko…” you say to him, as you pull him into your chest, holding him tightly. “Iroh’s going to be fine. I promise.” you continue as he wraps his arms around you as he sobs into your chest. With the help of your healing abilities, you know that Iroh will survive, well, at least you hope he does… For Zuko’s sake…

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